Tours with mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines (28)

In the last decade, the Bulfinch Triangle has been transformed from a hub of transportation and entertainment to a neighborhood with a growing number of residents and a place on Boston’s skyline. While our walk includes the historic landscape of the Mill Pond and the early 19th century street plan, we'll focus on the cycles of use since then. We will walk across the Triangle, exploring the area's industrial architecture and the transit elements that have shaped it. You'll see how the area continues to change today and how adaptive reuse is giving this former industrial district new life. find out more

Join us to explore the rich past, present and future of Boston’s Leather District, nestled between South Station and Chinatown. Once part of South Cove and largely built after Boston’s Great Fire of 1872, this commercial district was the hub of New England’s leather and shoe industries at the turn of the 20th century. Walk past handsome historic brick and stone buildings, some with fanciful details honoring the cattle the leather trade depended on. We’ll also introduce you to Boston’s first dog catcher, celebrate America’s Community Health Center movement, and salute South Street Diner, an enduring favorite of clubgoers and other night owls. The tour begins and ends at South Station, another star of our story with an outsized impact on the fortunes of the Leather District and one of several high-rise development sites that now hover at its edge. find out more

Take a trip through the Back Bay neighborhood and learn where Back Bay started, how it evolved, and where it is today. Discover why and how the Bay was filled, and peek into the homes of the Victorian residents and their servants. Learn what made Back Bay such an engineering marvel in its time. On this tour, explore why the filling of the bay was considered the most ambitious civil engineering achievement in nineteenth-century America, and uncover how it was a landmark event of urban planning in every sense of the term. find out more

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

This tour returns to the lineup after a brief absence, timely topics of activism and civil unrest. Experience a most riotous tour through four centuries of protests, social violence and at times downright bad behavior. Known for the protests of the Stamp Act and Boston Tea Party, rebellions and uprisings have taken place throughout Boston's history. This tour examines many of the lesser known riots and street violence often fueled by the powerless who sought a voice over social, political, religious, and economic oppression. Take to the streets of Boston for a tour through anger, fear, rebellion, violence, and bad behavior! find out more

During the Gilded Age of the late nineteenth century, Boston's Back Bay was alive with social clubs and thriving cultural institutions. On this tour we will explore the favorite haunts of Boston's upper-class, often known as "Boston Brahmins." Though "Brahmins" had a reputation for being exclusive and elitist, many of these men and women were active in making our city—and the whole nation—a better place to live. They fought to abolish slavery and to recognize women’s rights, and they built libraries, colleges, museums and orchestras. Though this elite generation of wealthy activists was often philanthropic, on this tour we’ll also discuss their limitations and shortcomings. find out more

When the modern Rowes Wharf was conceived in 1982, it was a design competition with a bold vision of a new Boston. Learn why this building was such a breakthrough, and how it remains at the center of 21st-century Boston. Our hour-long, accessible, quarter-mile tour will lead you through memories of colonial wharves and elevated trolleys, schooners and steamships, and into the transformed city. Presented in partnership with the Boston Harbor Hotel find out more

Upham’s Corner is one of Boston’s oldest crossroads. Join us to explore this fascinating section of Dorchester. Find out why part of the Emerald Necklace did not get built here as planned. Learn about Amos Upham and what inspired him to open his store in 1804. And why Upham’s Corner was home to the country’s first supermarket. See Dorchester’s oldest cemetery, the North Burying Ground, as we talk about exciting future plans for this neighborhood in the Imagine Boston 2030 plan. This tour is presented in partnership with Upham's Corner Main Street , an organization whose mission is to improve quality of life in the Upham’s Corner business district by helping neighborhood businesses thrive. find out more

Walk along South Boston’s main Broadway on this guided tour, exploring how the neighborhood has played a major part in Boston’s history. View many beautiful buildings and their architectural styles as we walk.  See the oldest street clock in Boston at the former site of Blinstrub’s Village, and learn how the occupation of Dorchester Heights led to the evacuation of the British troops from Boston during the American Revolution. Visit the former sites of manufacturing companies that once dotted the neighborhood and played a key role in Boston’s economy. Learn how South Boston’s churches were built as places of worship for the many immigrants who came to this neighborhood. Finish the tour in Medal of Honor/ “M” Street Park where you can see the first Vietnam Memorial in the United States. find out more

Explore the engineered world of Fort Point Channel. On this tour of discovery, you will experience the history and engineering marvels of this industrial waterway that has become the centerpiece of this neighborhood's revival. Learn how the Channel came to be through the activities of the Boston Wharf Company, South Station development, the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, and recent activation efforts. Explore the workings of its three remaining historic bridges, plus the memories of the Mt. Washington, the rolling bridges at South Station, and the ambitious cofferdam. Uncover why Fort Point Channel was the most difficult undertaking of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project, the I-90 extension, and the great changes the Channel has experienced since. Prepare to walk from one end of the Channel to the other and see this area like you have never seen it before! find out more

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

This tour tracks Boston’s development in chronological order on a walk that’s just a half-mile long. Along the way, we’ll be paying special attention to what Robert Campbell, the Boston Globe’s long time architectural critic, calls the encoded information that is present when we look closely at buildings. Things like: The moment they were built: Boston responding to local and national events The men (as it turns out) who built them and their profession The (mostly) European design precedents that inspired their work The new building systems, materials, and regulatory trends that informed them. find out more

Join us on a 90-minute walking tour exploring the city's rebirth after the Great Fire of 1872. Follow the route of the progression of the Great Fire, a disaster in Boston's commercial district that proved more costly than the legendary Chicago Fire the year before. Hear how the city's architectural design contributed to the spread and speed of the devastating conflagration, and learn how these fires reformed our fire prevention policies in America. find out more

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

Celebrate the life of Benjamin Franklin on this guided walk along his homes and haunts in Colonial Boston. Born in Boston, he came of age in Philadelphia, and was the darling of Paris. His legacy is without measure. He was one of America's leading scientists, inventors, diplomats, humorists, and statesmen. Uncover stories of Benjamin Franklin’s many inventions, his civic and educational impact, and his roles in the founding of the United States. find out more

On this guided tour, explore how Boston’s back bay was filled in to become one of the United States’ richest collections of art and architecture. The treasures of this Back Bay tour include Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, Old South Church and grand Back Bay townhouses. Walk back in time to uncover splendid examples of Victorian architecture. find out more

In the 1950s, construction of the Central Artery, a 6-lane elevated highway through downtown Boston, overtook a 30-acre corridor of land that displaced thousands of businesses and residents and cut off the city’s North End and waterfront. Forty years later, the Big Dig moved the highway underground, creating the rare opportunity to recover this land and transform it into a new civic space for all to enjoy – the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. Join us in walking the 1.5-mile Greenway, a “people’s park” that annually attracts over a million residents and visitors to gather, play, stroll its gardens and experience ever-changing contemporary art exhibits. Learn about the Greenway’s evolution, its stewardship, and the extensive public planning process that shaped the use of this space and continues to influence current and future developments along the route. find out more

This walking tour is inspired by Samuel Eliot Morison's childhood memoir One Boy's Boston . Discover Morison's neighborhood on this tour through one of Boston's least known and most delightful areas. The Flat of Beacon Hill is built on 19th century-made land along the Charles River. The Flat is geologically part of Back Bay and culturally part of Beacon Hill, with the architecture of both. This intimate patch of real estate soon acquired carriage houses and horse stables owned by the wealthy families living on Beacon Hill. Today, many of these edifices have been converted into charming residences and seamlessly blend among the notable landmarks such as the Charles Street Meeting House, the Church of the Advent, and the Sunflower Castle . What do Sam Mayday Malone, a private-eye named Spenser, and a Fox Terrier named Igloo have in common? They all know the Flat is where it's at! find out more

Take a journey of discovery exploring the new open spaces along the lower Charles River. A hub of transportation and recreation, this area has experienced several cycles of dramatic change resulting from the construction of bridges and dams, the expansion of Boston, and the Big Dig project. From the tidal estuary of the Charles through the mudflats of Millers River, this unique tour traces the evolution of the lost half-mile and the reshaping of Boston. Dams, railroads, bridges, and highways have closed off this area until the recent creation of incredible public parks and recreation space. This tour will also feature a walk over the new North Bank Pedestrian Bridge connecting Cambridge and Charlestown. On this tour you will discover the artifacts left behind, examine up close the bridges and dams spanning the Charles River, and see the reclamation of land once dominated by the railroads of the 19th century while the upper basin developed in the tradition of Frederick Law Olmsted with Charlesbank, the Cambridge Esplanade, and the Boston Embankment. The views on this tour are unique and spectacular. We will see all the nooks and crannies people drive past, but never get out and explore. We will walk over bridges, under expressways, over railroads, and on top of movable locks. Whether you are an explorer at heart, a fan of landscape architecture, a history buff, or have an interest in engineering, there's something on this tour for everyone. find out more

Join us for a summer evening stroll through the Esplanade, the jewel of the Charles River. The Esplanade is one of Boston's best loved parks with stunning views of the Charles River. From the filling of the Back Bay to the construction of James Jackson Storrow Memorial Drive, the Esplanade was built in stages fulfilling the vision of landscape architect Charles Eliot. Today, the once malodorous mudflats are now bustling with walkers, joggers, skaters, and bikers. This tour begins with Frederick Law Olmsted's Charlesbank, the first outdoor gymnasium in the United States, precursor to today's 17-mile Charles River Reservation, and now home to Teddy Ebersol's Red Sox Fields. Walking among beautifully landscaped paths lined with over 1,900 trees, we'll examine the evolution of this urban park and Arthur Schurcliff's landscape designs. Crowned by the Edward A. Hatch Memorial Shell, the famous outdoor concert venue, the Esplanade is host to concerts, movies, events, and the annual Boston Pops Fourth of July Celebration. Join us on this walk through the jewel of the Charles River, visited by millions every year. find out more

Everyone knows MIT as a Cambridge institution with a global reputation. But for its first 55 years, MIT called the Back Bay home. 101 years ago, MIT made the move from Back Bay to Cambridge. Join us as we trace “Boston Tech” from its founding to its relocation across the Charles River. This tour will feature some of the sites of the original Back Bay campus while discussing the drivers and the drama leading to the construction of its new campus. find out more

Join Boston By Foot for a classic walking tour of the Custom House Historic District. Established in 1973, expanded to include more buildings in 1996 and just shy of 16 acres, the district is comprised of 18 buildings deemed architecturally and historically significant. The area was the nexus of mercantile trade in Boston, from the earliest wharves and warehouses built in the area to later early 20th century business headquarters for banks, insurance companies, transatlantic shipping lines and the Board of Trade. Using the parameters of the Historic District as our guide, our tour starts in the 1700s as the area grew by wharfing-out, expanded by landmaking and by even employing the tactics later used in Urban Renewal, and ends in 1928 with the Art Deco Batterymarch Building. This area tucked away between Faneuil Hall and the Greenway is ready for rediscovery. The tour starts at the rear of the Custom House building, at the corner of State and India Streets. find out more

Just as Boston grew from its pastures and wharfs, so did a hunger to create and establish epicurean success begin with breaking bread on some of the cities’ most well-traveled streets. Discover who and what fed this new nation and how the evolution of dining out became not only social commentary, but also one of the integral ways that Boston created our nation’s diverse palate and continues to remain on the culinary forefront. Learn the birthplace of some well-known kitchen enhancements, how, why, and where ladies had separate dining rooms, and why ethnic acceptance first began in these same downtown kitchens. find out more

Join Boston By Foot to explore one of the most vibrant neighborhoods in Boston!  The South End was Boston's first big land-making project designed for new housing for Boston's growing upper class. It is based on an English plan, with lovely parks and squares framed by rows of houses. The layout and early South End homes were inspired by Charles Bulfinch, the great architect of the Massachusetts State House. In the 19th century, the waters of the South Bay gave way to new land for Boston. The South End was envisioned to be the finest of neighborhoods and its grandeur can still be experienced. One of the largest collections of Victorian architecture in the country, the latter parts of the 1800s brought a wonderful array of brick row houses of many different architectural styles to the South End. After Back Bay provided a newer and more fashionable place to live, the South End evolved into an area occupied by many different immigrant groups. Major institutions, like the Cathedral of the Holy Cross and Boston City Hospital, came into the South End to serve these new populations.  Now known for its wonderful restaurants, funky boutiques, artist lofts and theaters, there is so much to see and explore in this neighborhood. find out more

This child’s-eye view of the Freedom Trail in the North End, Boston’s oldest neighborhood, is specially designed for young walkers from 6 -12 years of age. We'll take a journey back in time and talk about events leading up to the American Revolution, and we'll walk in the footsteps of some of the important Bostonians that helped us gain our independence. Stops include Paul Revere’s House and the Old North Church - where Revere ordered two lanterns to be lit. And there will be one very important horse ride that we’ll talk about along the way! find out more