Attractions in Boston

USS Constitution, launched in 1797, is the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat. Permanently docked in Charlestown Navy Yard, "Old Ironsides" earned its nickname during the War of 1812 when British cannonballs reportedly bounced off its thick oak hull.

Faneuil Hall has served as a marketplace and meeting hall since 1743, earning its nickname the "Cradle of Liberty" for hosting speeches by Samuel Adams and other revolutionaries. Today it anchors the Faneuil Hall Marketplace complex alongside Quincy Market.

Old North Church (Christ Church in the City of Boston) is the oldest standing church building in Boston, built in 1723. It is best known as the site where two lanterns were hung on April 18, 1775, signaling Paul Revere that the British were coming by sea.

The Bunker Hill Monument is a 221-foot granite obelisk commemorating the Battle of Bunker Hill (fought on Breed's Hill) on June 17, 1775 — one of the first major engagements of the American Revolution. Climbing its 294 steps rewards visitors with panoramic views of Boston.

The Boston Public Library, founded in 1848, was the first large, publicly supported municipal library in the United States. The McKim Building (1895) in Copley Square is an Italian Renaissance palazzo housing world-class murals, while the modern Johnson Building adds contemporary gallery and reading space.

The Massachusetts State House crowns Beacon Hill with its iconic gold dome, designed by Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798. It serves as the seat of the Massachusetts General Court (state legislature) and the governor's office.

The Old State House (1713) is the oldest surviving public building in Boston and the site where the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians on July 18, 1776. Today it operates as a museum of Revolutionary-era history.

Old South Meeting House (1729) is a former Puritan meeting house that served as the organizing point for the Boston Tea Party on December 16, 1773. It now operates as a museum exploring Boston's role in the fight for freedom of speech and civil rights.

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile red-brick walking path through downtown Boston connecting 16 nationally significant historic sites from the American Revolution. It runs from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown.

Copley Square is Back Bay's architectural showcase, framed by Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel, and the John Hancock Tower. The public plaza hosts seasonal events including the Boston Marathon finish line.

Trinity Church in Copley Square is a masterpiece of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture, completed in 1877. Its richly painted interior, designed by John La Farge, features some of the finest ecclesiastical murals and stained glass in America.

The Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States, founded in 1807. Its five-story Italianate building on Beacon Street houses a quarter-million volumes, fine art, and one of the country's most significant private collections.

Harvard Yard is the historic heart of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States (founded 1636). The tree-lined quadrangles contain the university's oldest buildings, freshman dormitories, and the iconic John Harvard statue.

The Paul Revere House in the North End is the oldest remaining structure in downtown Boston, built around 1680. Revere owned it from 1770 to 1800, and it was from here that he departed on his legendary midnight ride on April 18, 1775.

King's Chapel, founded in 1686 as the first Anglican church in Boston, now serves as an independent Unitarian congregation. Adjacent is the city's oldest burying ground (1630), the final resting place of Governor John Winthrop and other colonial-era Bostonians.

The Mapparium is a three-story stained-glass globe that visitors walk through on a glass bridge, viewing the world's political boundaries as they appeared in 1935. Located inside the Mary Baker Eddy Library, this unique acoustic and visual experience is one of Boston's most unusual attractions.