Thursday, Friday, & Saturday Tours
The 2025 Annual Conference
Boston, MA
Boston Tea Party Ships and Museums, with the Staff of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
One of the greatest events in American history played out in Boston Harbor on December 16, 1773, "The Boston Tea Party." The Patriot "Sons of Liberty" boarded three ships in Boston Harbor, and tossed their contents overboard...mainly tea. Parliament responded with the Intolerable Acts and closed Boston Harbor.
Join the staff of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum to hear the story of that fabled night, and climb aboard a recreated ship to "toss" crates of tea into the harbor.
Historians: Staff of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
Sites Included: The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
Walking Level: Please expect less than one-half mile of walking. Participants will use steps and ramps to access the ship. Please expect tight spaces and walkways within the ship.
In The Footsteps of Revolutionaries: A Walking Tour of Boston's Historic Sites, with Dan Davis, Mark Maloy, & Rob Orrison
Take to the streets of Boston and follow in the footsteps of some of the best-known characters from the Revolutionary War era. From Ben Franklin and John Adams to Crispus Attucks and Phillis Wheatley. You'll dive into our nation's founding era in one of America's most historic cities.
Historians: Dan Davis, Mark Maloy, & Rob Orrison
Sites Included: Boston Common, The Old State House, The Boston Massacre Site, Faneuil Hall, and more
Walking Level: Please expect to walk for up to two miles in the city. This tour will follow part of the Freedom Trail. Please expect to stand at each stop for a brief period.
The Shot Heard Round the World: The Battles of Lexington and Concord - In Depth, with Mark Maloy, Rob Orrison, & Alex Cain
The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, at Lexington and Concord. As a British army marched from Boston to capture and destroy military stockpiles, colonial militia and minute men gathered to confront them. Blood was spilled at Lexington and then Concord before a violent retreat to Boston. At the end of the day, hundreds of men littered the road, killed or wounded. This tour will trace the route of the British and will include stops at Lexington Green, North Bridge in Concord, sites along the “battle road”, and a house that still bears the scars of combat from that day.
Historians: Mark Maloy, Rob Orrison, & Alex Cain
Sites Included: Lexington Green, Old North Bridge, Parker's Revenge, and more
Walking Level: Please expect up to three miles of walking on this tour.
America's First Power Couple: John and Abigail Adams, with Dr. Chris Mackowski
Meet America’s first “power couple”: John and Abigail Adams. Adams’s remarkable career ensured American independence—from the British during the Revolution and from foreign interference during his presidency. Abigail, too, stood as a remarkable figure of independence, a self-sufficient woman in colonial-era Boston, and an equal partner in a political relationship that shaped the nation. The Adams family legacy remained central to the story of the American Founding through the Civil War and beyond. Walk in the footsteps of the Adams family in Quincy, Massachusetts: from the birthplaces of presidents John and John Quincy, to the quiet refuge of their later home, to their final resting places in the “Church of the Presidents.”
Historian: Dr. Chris Mackowski
Sites Included: Abigail Adams Birthplace, Adams National Historical Park, Church of Presidents (Quincy), and more
Walking Level: Expect up to 200 yards of walking at each stop, mostly on paved or hard grassy surfaces. A few optional longer walks will be offered.
Paul Revere's Road to Revolution, with Sarah Kay Bierle and Ben Edwards
"The Regulars are coming!” The shout mixed with the sound of hoofbeats on the night of April 18, 1775, as Paul Revere and other messenger riders spread the news that British troops were leaving Boston and heading to Concord to try to seize stockpiled weapons. Popularized in poetry and myth, Paul Revere’s midnight ride has captured the imagination and symbolism for America on the eve of historic events. But what is fact and where does fiction begin? Join American Battlefield Trust staff Sarah Kay Bierle and local Boston guide Ben Edwards for a tour in the footsteps (and hoofprints) of Paul Revere. Spend the morning walking in Boston’s North End and then head toward Lexington by bus to unharness the powerful history of Revere’s ride, the opening shots of revolution and the way it’s been remembered.
Historians: Sarah Kay Bierle and Ben Edwards
Sites Included: North End, Old North Church, Paul Revere Capture Site, and more
Walking Level: Please be prepared to walk up to 2 miles on sloping pavement and to get on and off the bus several times.
Civil War Boston: Soldiers, Statues, Stockades, Sketches, Stories, with Garry Adelman
Training, abolition, political machination, incarceration, freedom, memorial site. Civil War Boston New England at-large formed a complex web of hopes, money, people, failures, and dreams. Join Garry Adelman for an enthusiastic tour highlighting these stories against the backdrop of Boston Common, the State House, and Fort Warren, which served as protective bastion and prison. Sites are subject to change.
Historian: Garry Adelman
Sites Included: Boston Common, Massachusetts State House, 54th Massachusetts Monument, Fort Warren, and more
Walking Level: This tour will involve bus and boat transportation, plus roughly 1.5 miles of walking throughout the day, indoors, over gently rolling terrain and in a harbor fort.
"One of the greatest scenes of war that can be conceived:" Bunker Hill and the Charlestown Neck, with Dan Davis and Phill Greenwalt
On April 19, 1775, tensions between Great Britain and her North American colonies erupted in armed conflict at Lexington and Concord. In the days and weeks after the fighting, British troops in Boston and the burgeoning New England army consolidated their positions, nervously watching one another. The lull finally broke on the night of June 16. A force of colonists seized high ground on Charlestown Neck across from the city, potentially making the British position untenable. This act set the stage for a full-scale engagement.
Join Dan Davis, the Trust's Senior Education Manager and Phill Greenwalt of Emerging Revolutionary War as we explore the Battle of Bunker Hill. We'll visit Cambridge, the Charlestown Navy Yard, Breed's Hill, the Bunker Hill Monument along with other sites as we separate fact from myth for one of the most iconic battles in U.S. history.
Historians: Dan Davis and Phillip S. Greenwalt
Sites Included: Cambridge, the Charlestown Naval Yard. Breed's Hill, Bunker Hill, and more.
Walking Level: Please expect up to two miles of walking on city sidewalks, across uneven surfaces in the Naval Yard, and up and downhill, with 30 minutes of standing at some stops.
Lexington Green and the Battle Road: An Overview, with the Lexington Town Guides
April 19, 1775, was a momentous day in world history. Massachusetts Militia stood toe-to-toe on Lexington Green with the King's troops. A ragged volley ripped the morning air, marking some of the opening shots of the Revolutionary War. Visit the iconic Lexington Green with certified Lexington guides and mount the bus for a driving tour of the Battle Road.
Historians: William Griffith & The Lexington Town Guides
Sites Included: Lexington Green, the Lexington Visitor Center/Town, and the Battle Road.
Walking Level: Please expect very limited walking on level surfaces and sidewalks.
The Shot Heard Round the World: The Battles of Lexington and Concord-In Depth, with Mark Maloy, Rob Orrison, & Alex Cain
The Revolutionary War began on April 19, 1775, at Lexington and Concord. As a British army marched from Boston to capture and destroy military stockpiles, colonial militia and minute men gathered to confront them. Blood was spilled at Lexington and then Concord before a violent retreat to Boston. At the end of the day, hundreds of men littered the road, killed or wounded. This tour will trace the route of the British and will include stops at Lexington Green, North Bridge in Concord, sites along the “battle road,” and a house that still bears the scars of combat from that day.
Historians: Mark Maloy, Rob Orrison & Alex Cain
Sites Included: Lexington Green, Old North Bridge, Parker's Revenge, and more
Walking Level: Please expect up to three miles of walking on this tour.
The Authors of Concord: From Walden Pond to Little Women, with Dr. Chris Mackowski
Imagine some of America’s brightest literary stars packed into one small town. That was Concord, Massachusetts, in the mid-1800s, home to household names like Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Alcott. We’ll explore a key epicenter of America’s literary history with a hike around Walden Pond and visits to the homes of some of America’s greatest authors. We’ll share some of their words, talk about their legacies, and even see how they wrote about the great historical events unfolding around them. We’ll also pay our respects at their graves in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery.
Historian: Dr. Chris Mackowski
Sites Included: Concord, Hillside, Old Manse, Walden Pond, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and more.
Walking Level: Please expect up to 2.5 miles of walking.
Paul Revere's Road to Revolution, with Sarah Kay Bierle and Ben Edwards
"The Regulars are coming!” The shout mixed with the sound of hoofbeats on the night of April 18, 1775, as Paul Revere and other messenger riders spread the news that British troops were leaving Boston and heading to Concord to try to seize stockpiled weapons. Popularized in poetry and myth, Paul Revere’s midnight ride has captured the imagination and symbolism for America on the eve of historic events. But what is fact and where does fiction begin? Join American Battlefield Trust staff Sarah Kay Bierle and local Boston guide Ben Edwards for a tour in the footsteps (and hoofprints) of Paul Revere. Spend the morning walking in Boston’s North End and then head toward Lexington by bus to unharness the powerful history of Revere’s ride, the opening shots of revolution and the way it’s been remembered.
Historians: Sarah Kay Bierle and Ben Edwards
Sites Included: North End, Old North Church, Paul Revere Capture Site, and more.
Walking Level: Please be prepared to walk up to 2 miles on sloping pavement and to get on and off the bus several times.
Civil War Boston: Soldiers, Statues, Stockades, Sketches, Stories, with Garry Adelman
Training, abolition, political machination, incarceration, freedom, memorial site. Civil War Boston New England at-large formed a complex web of hopes, money, people, failures, and dreams. Join Garry Adelman for an enthusiastic tour highlighting these stories against the backdrop of Boston Common, the State House, and Fort Warren, which served as protective bastion and prison. Sites are subject to change.
Historian: Garry Adelman
Sites Included: Boston Common, Massachusetts State House, 54th Massachusetts Monument, Fort Warren, and more.
Walking Level: This tour will involve bus and boat transportation, plus roughly 1.5 miles of walking throughout the day, indoors, over gently rolling terrain and in a harbor fort..
"One of the greatest scenes of war that can be conceived:" Bunker Hill and the Charlestown Neck, with Dan Davis and Phill Greenwalt
On April 19, 1775, tensions between Great Britain and her North American colonies erupted in armed conflict at Lexington and Concord. In the days and weeks after the fighting, British troops in Boston and the burgeoning New England army consolidated their positions, nervously watching one another. The lull finally broke on the night of June 16. A force of colonists seized high ground on Charlestown Neck across from the city, potentially making the British position untenable. This act set the stage for a full-scale engagement.
Join Dan Davis, the Trust's Senior Education Manager and Phill Greenwalt of Emerging Revolutionary War as we explore the Battle of Bunker Hill. We'll visit Cambridge, the Charlestown Navy Yard, Breed's Hill, the Bunker Hill Monument along with other sites as we separate fact from myth for one of the most iconic battles in U.S. history.
Historians: Dan Davis and Phillip S. Greenwalt
Sites Included: Cambridge, the Charlestown Naval Yard. Breed's Hill, Bunker Hill, and more.
Walking Level: Please expect up to two miles of walking on city sidewalks, across uneven surfaces in the Naval Yard, and up and downhill, with 30 minutes of standing at some stops.
Lexington Green and the Battle Road: An Overview, with The Lexington Town Guides
April 19, 1775, was a momentous day in world history. Massachusetts Militia stood toe-to-toe on Lexington Green with the King's troops. A ragged volley ripped the morning air, marking some of the opening shots of the Revolutionary War. Visit the iconic Lexington Green with certified Lexington guides and mount the bus for a driving tour of the Battle Road.
Historians: William Griffith & The Lexington Town Guides
Sites Included: Lexington Green, the Lexington Visitor Center/Town, and the Battle Road.
Walking Level: Please expect very limited walking on level surfaces and sidewalks.