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Category: art (9)

view of a graveyard by day

Johnny Tremain’s Boston

Private Tours : Additional Tours by Request
90 minutes
1 mile
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
Relive the adventures of Johnny Tremain in Colonial Boston based on Esther Forbes' prize-winning coming-of-age novel featuring a young boy who gets caught up in the whirlwind of events that led up to the American Revolution. Johnny's story unfolds in downtown and North End locales, many of which are today's Freedom Trail sites including the Old State House, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, Paul Revere's House, and the Old North Church. On this tour, hear of Johnny's fictional friends, like Rab and Cilla, but also of the actual patriots he met along the way, such as Dr. Joseph Warren, John Hancock, William Dawes, and Paul Revere. Get acquainted with the bustling and political town of Johnny's Boston that has become the great American city of today. To trace Johnny's footsteps is also to experience the larger tale of America's fight for freedom. find out more
Tortoise and hare sculpture in Boston Public Garden

Finding Aesop’s Fables in Copley Square

Private Tours : Additional Tours by Request
60 minutes
0.25 mile
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
There are clues all around Copley Square that are connected to Aesop's Fables. Do we know why these clues are here? What do they refer to? Join us on this short, family-friendly tour around Copley Square to find these clues and learn the fables and stories they represent. find out more

Commonwealth Ave.

Urban Development Series

Walking Tours : Monthly & Quarterly
90 minutes
1.5 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Take a walk through the heart of Victorian Boston on this tour of Commonwealth Avenue! Boston's grand boulevard, Commonwealth Avenue, provides an enduringly popular stroll. The tour parallels the 19 th century filling and development of the Back Bay from its origin at Arlington Street down the seven blocks along the tree-lined, grassy Mall. See how careful effort over 150 years has preserved the "grandness" of the Avenue. find out more
Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins, Josephine St. Pierre Rupin, Martin Robinson Delaney, William Cooper Neil, Frederick Douglas

Black Voices: 19th-Century Black Writers on Beacon Hill

Literary Series

Walking Tours : Monthly & Quarterly
90 minutes
0.79 mile
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
Truth, passion, bravery and hope. Discover stories of Boston’s Black writers who were laser-focused on the great topic of the era - slavery. Learn about the mark Black thinkers and writers made on literary and political history: David Walker and his sentinel work, Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World; novelist, playwright and editor Pauline Elizabeth Hopkins; Dorothy West and her biting satire on racial tensions, and many others. Walk Beacon Hill as you explore where they worked, raised their families, fought injustice, and wrote. 2023 Member Add-Ons: Register for the tour on select dates using your membership code for a free tour Add-On option available to members - Sat June 10 add on a guided visit to the Embrace Sculpture at Boston Common after the tour - Sat Sept 9 add on a guided visit to the Embrace Sculpture at Boston Common after the tour Become a Boston By Foot member today to enjoy free tours and special members events and activities. find out more
Front of the Boston Art Museum

Art, Architecture and Gardens

Take note of significant buildings, gardens and pieces of artwork as you stroll the Back Bay Fens.

Walking Tours : Monthly & Quarterly
90 minutes
1.5 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Stroll along the southern Fens, a section of the Emerald Necklace designed by landscape architect Fredrick Law Olmsted as you learn about the history, stories, and impact that the gardens, architecturally significant buildings and artwork had on society. Understand how 19th-century Boston philanthropists designed and funded institutions to create a city of culture and learning through the arts, sciences and education for residents and immigrants. Look at how they also supported medical and dental services for those in need. Uncover how the tradition continues and the Back Bay Fens represent all of this and more today. find out more
view from Pickney Street Boston

The Hub of Literary America

Literary Series

Walking Tours : Monthly & Quarterly
90 minutes
1 mile
likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines
Journey to Victorian Boston and see where writers and poets including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott and Henry David Thoreau gathered to share new ideas and influence society! Learn how local publishers lured Charles Dickens and other famous writers to Boston. Discover why Edgar Allan Poe rejected Boston as his home. On this fascinating guided tour, walk in the footsteps of literary greats as you stop outside the Old Corner Bookstore, Louisa May Alcott’s home, the famous Athenaeum private library, and more. 2023 Member Add-Ons: Register for the tour on select dates using your membership code for a free tour Add-On option available to members - Sat May 20 add on a guided visit to the Edgar Allan Poe Sculpture after the tour - Sat Sept 30 add on a guided visit to the Edgar Allan Poe Sculpture after the tour Become a Boston By Foot member today to enjoy free tours and special members events and activities. find out more
Betances Mural

Art Introspective: Copley Square to the South End

Discover a trove of unknown and underappreciated works of art

Walking Tours : New for 2023
90 minutes
1.2 miles
mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines
Few are unfamiliar with the famous “Nashville Wings” done by Kelsey Montague. Did you know one of her illustrations is right here in Boston, “Balloons Over Boston/What Lifts You”? The walk from Copley Square through the South End is full of underappreciated and unknown artwork. On this tour, experience the wonder of the “Betances Mural” to the deeply symbolic work of Pablo Eduardo. One need not know anything about art, only enjoy beauty in its many forms, to love this tour. “Step on Board” as we discover these hidden gems (bring your camera)! find out more