Since even before the Revolutionary War, Boston has been at the epicenter of American history and its first venues for education. Along with Harvard University in Cambridge, just across the river, Boston has become one of the most popular places for education in America. Whether it’s Boston University, Boston College, MIT or any of the other nearby institutions, it is without a doubt one of the best places to learn in and outside the classroom.
If you’re talking history in Boston, the first place you have to check out is The Freedom Trail. This historic 2.5-mile route passes through some of the most important landmarks from our country’s early beginnings. Make sure to check out their website to set up a tour. It’s something everybody who’s grown up in the area was brought to as a child (I still have my toy cannon from The Paul Revere House), and sure to bring about memories you won’t soon forget. Once you’re done, head back to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market for a delicious and scenic meal.
Next, check out a few of the great museums in the area, starting with The Boston Museum of Fine Arts in between Fenway and Huntington Ave. It contains art of all mediums from many periods and regions, and is one of the greatest experiences you can have at any museum in the country. Afterwards, stop at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum just west of the MFA. Just the architecture itself is worth the price of admission (though you can get in for free if your name is Isabella), with an outstanding courtyard and garden that may distract you from the rest of the art the museum holds. Make sure to have someone pull you away, though, because the paintings are far from being just the icing on the cake. A non-historical museum to visit is the Boston Museum of Science near the Lechmere Station on the Green Line. It’s a great place to have fun but beware; much of the allure of the museum may only hold the attention of a much younger crowd (which also means that if you have children, it’s a must).
Lastly and certainly not least is Harvard University, and the adjoining Harvard Square in Cambridge (easily reachable from the Red Line). Harvard was the first American school for higher education (founded in 1636, some 140 years prior to the signing of the Declaration of Independence), meaning that it has some of the oldest and most well-maintened buildings you can find on the East Coast. You can take tours of the institution that will point out the actual dorm rooms where some of our founding fathers spent their years studying. If nothing else, you absolutely have to check this place out.
If you’re looking for history, then you’ve certainly come to the right place. Take a cab, hop on the T, or bike your way around the amazing historic sights Boston has to offer, and if that’s not enough, you can take a ride to Plimouth Plantation to see a realistic representation of what our early towns used to look and feel like. After viewing them all myself numerous times, I can promise you that you will certainly be leaving with more than a Crimson colored sweatshirt and a goofy hat that makes you look (only slightly) like Ben Franklin.
