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Tours with likely uneven surfaces and significant inclines (13)

See also: Tours with mostly flat surfaces and little to no inclines   Tours with potential uneven surfaces and moderate inclines  

Star of David stained glass in Circular Window

Jewish Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill Social History Series

Walking Tours : Monthly & Quarterly
90 minutes
0.75 mile
Journey to Beacon Hill’s North Slope at the turn of the 20th century. Explore the lives of its Jewish residents during a period of cultural and architectural change. Uncover how Boston’s Jewish immigrants created an active community that blended customs from Eastern Europe and changes to the new world around them. Discover sites where Boston’s Jewish West End residents worked, lived and worshiped, including the sites of three synagogues within a few blocks of each other. NEW! Special Two-Hour Jewish History Tour - Jewish Beacon Hill & The Vilna Shul Join us on Sunday June 11, July 9 or August 13, 2023 for a unique two-hour Jewish History program that includes both Boston By Foot's guided Jewish Beacon Hill tour and a guided tour of The Vilna Shul . This special Jewish History tour is open to all and is presented in collaboration with The Vilna Shul . Registration is limited to 20 people per guide. BBF members receive a $5 discount. 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
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
Paul Revere

Footloose on the Freedom Trail

Our special annual 3-hour July 4th event!

Walking Tours : Annual Events
180 minutes
2.5 miles
July 4th A Boston tradition! Footloose on the Freedom Trail is a 3-hour guided walking tour of the entire Freedom Trail from the Boston Common and Massachusetts State House to the U.S.S. Constitution offered every Independence Day. Walk the 2.5-mile route with us on this patriotic tour through 16 historic sites, as it winds its way through Boston's history. There's no better time to do it than on the Fourth of July, no better way to start off the day, and no better way to celebrate America's birthday! The tour ends in the Charlestown Navy Yard. Following the tour, you may wish to check out the USS Constitution Museum or enjoy the views on a water shuttle trip back to downtown. find out more
Boston Freight Terminals

Fort Point and Seaport: The Evolution of the South Boston Waterfront

Tour two neighborhoods that have the same roots but look and feel completely different

Walking Tours : New for 2023
90 minutes
1 mile
The Seaport and Fort Point, two waterfront neighborhoods with the same roots but that look and feel completely different. How did the Seaport turn from a tidal marsh to the newest, hottest part of Boston with gleaming glass towers, high-end restaurants, luxe shopping, and some of the most expensive real estate in town? While only steps away is the historic, architecturally distinct urban loft neighborhood of Fort Point? Answer these questions and more on this tour as we walk through time from the late 19th century to today exploring the history of these two unique neighborhoods. Learn about how Summer Street was once the center of the wool trade in the United States and about how the Seaport became Boston’s “Innovation District.” find out more
view from Pickney Street Boston

The Hub of Literary America

Literary Series

Walking Tours : Monthly & Quarterly
90 minutes
1 mile
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
view of beacon hill from the charles river

Beacon Hill From Both Sides

Learn the history of both the North and South Slopes and why they became such separate neighborhoods.

Walking Tours : Monthly & Quarterly
90 minutes
1.5 miles
From the beginning, the presence of the North and South Slopes of Beacon Hill have each had an important effect on the history and development of the other. We will explore the many different people who lived here and contributed to the story of Beacon Hill, including the Native Massachusett people, Boston’s African American community, Gay and Lesbian community, and 19th century immigrant populations. We will see some of Boston’s handsomest nineteenth century houses, and hear about the fascinating lives of the people who lived in them. find out more
lit pumpkins in the dark

Beacon Hill with a BOO!

For more than 30 years, this tour has been part of any great Halloween celebration in Boston.

Walking Tours : Annual Events
90 minutes
0.94 mile
Join Boston By Foot for our most popular event of the year! For more than 30 years, this tour has been part of any great Halloween celebration in Boston. There is no better place than Beacon Hill to walk to the dark side on All Hallow’s Eve. On the Boo! tour, you will hear stories that shed a new light on this quiet residential neighborhood. Murder and mayhem lurk just below the surface. Beacon Hill transforms itself for Halloween with elaborate decorations and hoards of trick or treaters in costumes. If you have not seen Beacon Hill on Halloween, you are missing out! The Boo! tour highlights the Hill’s dark legacy of mystery and murder. Visit the home of the infamous Dr. George Parkman and learn what happened to his dismembered body. Learn the names and stories of Boston women hung for witchcraft. The true and morbid tales include those of serial killers, apparitions of ministers and murderers who walk in their sleep. Our guides will take you through dark alleys and show you Beacon Hill as you have never experienced it before. find out more