Boston: 10 Things to Do

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile stretch hosting 16 sites pertaining to the Revolutionary War. You could take a costumed guided tour or, more appealingly, download a map and follow your own itinerary. If you have limited time, concentrate on those sites in and immediately around the North End, which is also Boston's Little Italy. Among them are the home of Paul Revere, where you'll get a good sense of how people lived in 1770s (in a word, closely; the house is really small). You can also drop by the Old North Church, where those two famous lanterns warned Paul Revere the British were coming by sea in 1775, essentially igniting the American Revolution. Nearby are the Old State House museum (among the impressive memorabilia is a vial of tea salvaged from the original Tea Partiers), which is worth a visit, and Faneuil Hall Marketplace, which, unless you enjoy food courts and stores you can find at any mall in America, is not.

• 1. Paul Revere House
  19 North Sq., Boston, MA 02113; 617-523-2338 42.3609731-71.0556346 paulreverehouse.org
• 2. Old North Church
  193 Salem St., Boston, MA 02113; 617-523-6676 or 617-523-6676 (for tours) 42.3665-71.0545 oldnorth.com
• 3. Old State House
  206 Washington St., Boston, MA 02109; 617-720-1713 42.3580549-71.0578138 bostonhistory.org
• 4. Fanueil Hall Marketplace
  1 Faneuil Hall Sq, Boston, MA 02109; 617-523-1300 42.359961-71.056753 faneuilhallmarketplace.com