Boston- the Freedom Trail

6/27/2020

Our first official day in Boston- see here for how we got here, what we planned, and what traveling looks like right now.

After such a long day of travel, we let everyone sleep in a bit. With so many things currently closed, the only things we were really able to do were seeing all of the outside sites so there was really no hurry to be anywhere. Once we were all up and dressed, we started out to see the Public Gardens and Boston Commons- America's oldest public park, established in 1634. We explored for a bit then stopped for lunch at The Earl of Sandwich right in the Commons- again, not much was open so all of the places on my list of must-try weren't very helpful. This turned out to be great, the kids had fresh pizza and their salads, soups, and sandwiches were really good. After lunch we walked through the public gardens which were beautiful- so green with everything in bloom. The kids loved watching the ducks in the pond and even though it was a very hot day (90!), there was plenty of shade. We saw the Make Way for Ducklings statue and then headed back up to the State House to begin the Freedom Trail.

beautiful gardens

lunch was delicious!

the ducklings were celebrating with pride sweaters

The Freedom Trail officially begins in the Commons at the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial which commemorates the first all-black volunteer regiment in the Civil War. Unfortunately it is currently being restored so we couldn't actually see it but there is a photo on the website.

Massachusetts State House

Next is the State House, with the beautiful gold dome. It was sadly closed (like all the sites on the trail) so we could only view the outside. We continued on to the Park Street Church, just a block away. The entire trail is 2.5 miles and most of the sites are within a few hundred feet of each other. It was pretty hot this day and not being able to ever go inside made it a little tough, but we packed plenty of water and made the best of it! We did end up saving the last part, Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution for the evening since they are across the river and we took a rest during the hottest part of the day. The trail is marked all along the way by a red brick line which is really fun for the kids to follow (and helpful for everyone!). Luckily, the last few sites before Bunker Hill took us right back near our hotel.

After cooling off and resting it was almost time for dinner. Once again, most of the places I'd seen recommended were closed but since we were right by Little Italy, we decided to try La Famiglia Giorgios, and it was a winner! They were offering takeout only and it was very easy to order over the phone and bring back to our hotel for a feast! Right before I picked up the dinner, I passed a little Italian bakery, Bova's. There were cases filled with every type of pastry imaginable so I selected a small sample for everyone to share plus a couple of drinks for dinner. We had the best dinner which revived us for the last part of the trail.

our takeout feast!

Little Italy

Cream Puff, oreo and nutella cannoli, and creme brulee!

We headed across the river, following the red brick trail. The path takes you right through Charlestown which is a beautiful area! Gorgeous homes and little park areas, and before you know it you are looking at Bunker Hill! People were gathered here for sunset picnics (socially distanced!). After we looked around, we got back on the path (you backtrack a little) towards the USS Constitution. It's a really nice walk, back through Charlestown. Even though the boat and museum were closed, we were able to get pretty close to the boat. There are also great views of the harbor and downtown from here!
Before crossing back over the bridge, we rewarded our efforts with some delicious ice cream from Emack and Bolio's! They had some really fun flavors and also a delicious root beer float with a micro-brewed root beer!
That pretty much wrapped up our day!