Boston Harborwalk and Waterfront History Walking Tour

What's Included

Meeting and pickup

Itinerary

• Old State House (Pass by)

  The tour will begin at the Old State House. At this spot, the guide will discuss the history of the building, the events that led to the Boston Massacre that took place in front of the building, and the details of the Declaration of Independence that was read from the balcony.

  Admission ticket free
• 1

  The tour will walk down State Street to the end of Long Wharf, the oldest Wharf in Boston. The guide will discuss the many boats of Boston Harbor cruises, some being ferries, other tour boats. Guests will see the the Gardiner Building, built in 1763. The end of Long Wharf offers a stunning view of the harbor and the guide will discuss Logan Airport and East Boston

  15 minutes • Admission ticket free
• New England Aquarium (Pass by)

  The tour will walk down Central Wharf around the New England Aquarium. The guide will discuss the shipping history of Central Wharf, and the history of the New England Aquarium that was built in `1969. Harbor seals should be visible as we walk past the aquarium.

  Admission ticket free
• 2

  Walking along the Harborwalk, the tour will wander past India Wharf, once a thriving wharf where ships arrived with goods from India. Today it's home to the twin Harbor Towers, built in the early 1970s during a time to revitalize the Boston waterfront with these high rise apartments.

  5 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 3
  Rowes Wharf

  The tour will walk along the Boston Harborwalk to Rowes Wharf, home of the massive Boston Harbor Hotel complex. The guide will talk about the shipping history of this wharf, and the purpose of the many boats tied up there today. Many boats there belong to Massachusetts Bay Lines, a company the guide worked for for 30 years giving harbor tours.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• (Pass by)

  The tour will walk past the historic Northern Avenue bridge, sadly condemned. This turnstile bridge was one of the last functioning bridges of it's kind in the country, until the city deemed it structurally unsafe.

  Admission ticket free
• 4
  Fan Pier

  Walking along the Boston Harborwalk, guests will find the Fan Pier offers spectacular views of the harbor and Boston skyline. The tour guide will discuss the history of the Fan Pier, of the time when train tracks once fanned out like the blades of a fan to meet up with ships to offload and receive cargo.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 5
  John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse

  The tour will walk past the John Joseph Moakley courthouse, and will be told of some of the high profile cases tried there in recent years. Local mobster John 'Whitey' Bulger was tried there, after years of being on the run. Additionally, one of the terrorists who planted a bomb at the 2013 Boston martathon was tried at the courthouse.

  5 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 6
  The Institute of Contemporary Art

  Walking along the Boston Harborwalk, guests will be told about the tremendous development and expansion of the Boston Seaport area, and the popular addition of the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Boston's modern art museum.

  5 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 7

  The tour will walk along the Boston Harborwalk around Boston's World Trade Center at Commonwealth Pier. Guests will learn about the history of this complex with its long history as an ocean liner terminal. In recent years it was used mainly as a convention center, and recently underwent a complete inside out rebuild and redesign. Guests will also hear about the 1998 arrival of a piece of the Titanic wreck recovered from the wreck site and exhibited for 5 months across the street at the Titanic Artifact Exhibition. The tour guide worked at that Titanic exhibition, and five other Titanic exhibits to follow

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 8
  Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

  The tour will walk past the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, and learn about the events that led to the Boston Tea Party. The tour will continue to the nearby starting point of the Great Boston Fire of 1872, that burned down much of the city.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 9
  Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway

  The tour will explore some of the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and guests will learn about the Big Dig, and how this beautiful green space was once an unsightly tangle of elevated bridges.

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 10

  The tour will walk to Post Office Square, and see a breathtaking example of art deco architecture

  10 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 11
  Old South Meeting House

  The tour will walk to The Old South Meeting House, and guests will learn about the long history of this historic building; the role it played in the events of the Boston Tea Party, and how it escaped the fores of the Great Boston Fire of 1872.

  5 minutes • Admission ticket not included
• 12
  Old Corner Bookstore

  Guests will learn about the history of one of the oldest buildings in the city, and the many different types of businesses that have operated within.

  5 minutes • Admission ticket free
• 13
  Boston City Hall

  The tour will walk to City Hall Plaza. Guests will learn about the controversial Boston City Hall, built in a style of architecture called Brutalism, which has proven very divisive. Boston City Hall was built at a time when a large section of Boston's West End was demolished in an attempt at modernization, an act of folly lamented by many Bostonians today.

  5 minutes • Admission ticket free
• Old State House (Pass by)

  The tour will end where it began, and participants will be thanked for taking their time to be a part of the experience.

  Admission ticket free

Additional info

• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
• This a 2-hour walking tour covering several miles, and may be challenging for people with mobility limitations

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