1Downtown · mile 0
Boston Common
America's oldest public park and the trail's starting point.
Why it matters: British troops camped here before marching to Lexington and Concord in 1775.
Learn more →Neighborhood guide
Eleven of the sixteen Freedom Trail sites sit within a compact, walkable stretch of downtown — from the Common's lawns to the cobblestones around Faneuil Hall.

Swan boats, the Frog Pond and the start of the trail.
Shopping, coffee and quick lunches between stops.
Street performers, food hall and historic halls.
1Downtown · mile 0
America's oldest public park and the trail's starting point.
Why it matters: British troops camped here before marching to Lexington and Concord in 1775.
Learn more →
3Downtown · mile 0.35
A soaring white steeple at the corner of the Common.
Why it matters: William Lloyd Garrison gave his first major anti-slavery speech here in 1829.
Learn more →
4Downtown · mile 0.4
Final resting place of Revolutionary heroes.
Why it matters: Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, John Hancock and the Boston Massacre victims are buried here.
Learn more →
5Downtown · mile 0.5
Boston's first Anglican church and its oldest burial ground.
Why it matters: A royal church in a Puritan town — a symbol of the Crown's presence in colonial Boston.
Learn more →
6Downtown · mile 0.55
Site of America's first public school.
Why it matters: Founded in 1635, its students included Franklin, Samuel Adams and John Hancock.
Learn more →
7Downtown · mile 0.6
Boston's literary heart in the 19th century.
Why it matters: Publishers here brought Hawthorne, Emerson, Thoreau and Longfellow to readers.
Learn more →
8Downtown · mile 0.65
Where the Boston Tea Party began.
Why it matters: On December 16, 1773, thousands gathered here before heading to Griffin's Wharf.
Learn more →
9Downtown · mile 0.75
Boston's oldest surviving public building.
Why it matters: The Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians from its balcony in 1776.
Learn more →
10Downtown · mile 0.8
A cobblestone circle marking a turning point.
Why it matters: Five colonists were killed by British soldiers here on March 5, 1770.
Learn more →
11Downtown · mile 1
The "Cradle of Liberty" and a marketplace since 1742.
Why it matters: Patriots like Samuel Adams rallied colonists against British taxes here.
Learn more →