Tour Catalog

Explore a wonderful area of Dorchester, a town even older than Boston. Ashmont Hill was the site of several Colonial estates eventually giving way to lovely Victorian homes in this 19th century garden suburb.

Visit one of Boston's hidden neighborhoods; a miniature, garden-filled area that has maintained its residential charm amidst the surrounding city.

Beacon Hill With a BOO! is the Halloween walking tour of Beacon Hill featuring the murders, executions, ghosts and politicians of this seemingly quaint neighborhood.

Discover the things that move in, around, and over the Charles River Basin. From the Boston Garden along the Bulfinch Triangle, over the Charles, and to U.S.S. Constitution, you will experience the art, technology, and nature of this historic area.

Examine Boston's new cable-stayed landmark, the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge, the locks of the Charles River Dam, and the revitalization of the lower basin.

Stroll through Boston's two great parks for the people. Learn about the history of this green and precious heritage: a struggle for beauty and preservation against daunting odds. Experience the sculpture, ornamental plantings, ponds, and wildlife all within the heart of a bustling city.

Trace the evolution of Boston from a small peninsula through to the Big Dig. Walking from Boston's oldest alleys, to the modern Greenway, and a ride on the subway, your guide will present the engineering of a city.

Explore the architecture, history and evolution of the Bulfinch Triangle.

Once considered a lost area of rundown buildings under the shadow of elevated tracks and highways, the Bulfinch Triangle is now evolving into a sophisticated urban neighborhood with new and restored buildings, restaurants, landscaping, and a growing base of Boston sports fans.

Charlestown was the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony before the Puritans crossed over to Boston in 1630. In 1775, Paul Revere crossed over to Charlestown to begin his famous Midnight Ride, the colonists stood up to the British army at the Battle of Bunker Hill, and Charlestown was burned to the ground.

Tour this urban village founded in 1628 that focuses on the early Puritan settlement, the Bunker Hill monument, and many of its distinguished citizens which have included John Harvard and Samuel Morse.

This thriving, self-sufficient community combines the irrepressible spirit of the East with a Boston flavor. Recently, Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians have further expanded the ethnic diversity of the neighborhood. This tour traces Chinatown's rich cultural and architectural history, from 1875 to present day, and a vibrant convergence of old and new.

1630-1776: The settling of the Shawmut Peninsula by the Puritans and their development of a successful mercantile economy produced a densely populated town of Colonial and Georgian homes, buildings and churches.

Field Trip: Historic Downtown Area

1900-present: Follow the progression of 20th and 21st century architecture through the modern and post-modern office buildings, government buildings, condos, skyscrapers, convention centers and hotels of Boston.

Field Trip: Government Center & the financial district

Take a walk on Boston's Dark Side through its history of misery, malevolence, misfortunes, malice, misdeeds, and the macabre.

1785-1820: Charles Bulfinch emerges as the architectural leader of the Federal style with important contributions such as the Massachusetts State House, the Tontine Crescent and the Colonnade. Beacon Hill develops as a neighborhood for the affluent featuring many of Bulfinch's works and that of his followers.

Field Trip: Beacon Hill

Discover the new 19th century neighborhood of Beacon Hill. From the early carriage houses to Victorian row houses, the Flat is a charming neighborhood with colorful history and architecture with notable landmarks such as the Church of the Advent and the Charles Street Meeting House.

Get ready for the Boston marathon and Patriots' Day with this 3-hour walking tour of the entire Freedom Trail from the Massachusetts State House on Beacon Hill to the U.S.S. Constitution in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

From the 17th century to present day, women's contributions to Boston did not always garner the attention they might deserve. On this walking tour, you will learn who they were and what they achieved against the backdrop of the Boston's downtown historic sites.

Explore the oldest and one of the most foremost educational institutions in America. From its founding in 1636, Harvard University includes edifices that span the architectural styles of the nation. Learn the history of this venerable institution, as well as the academic history of America, through this eclectic mix of structures and objects in Harvard Yard.

Jamaica Plain encompasses only 3.07 square miles but offers a tremendously rich and varied narrative. From an early Puritans settlement to an area of wealthy summer estates, the rise of modern transportation transformed JP into a streetcar suburb. This walking tour features a selection of very impressive Victorian houses and the Emerald Necklace park system. Discover why Jamaica Plain is so well-loved by its residents.

Enthusiasts of American literature will enjoy walking among the homes and haunts of the great Victorian writers such as Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Alcott, James, Dickens, and Longfellow.

Discover the Boston neighborhood of Mission Hill. Winding up the hill, learn the history of Parker Hill and the mission of the Redemptorist Fathers, see where Roxbury Puddingstone got its name, the architecture of Ralph Adams Cram, and a former tuberculosis sanatorium. The finale at the top of the hill features sweeping views of the city.

Learn the story behind the survival of some of Boston's most beloved historic landmarks and the destruction of others as we discuss Boston's role in the development of the Historic Preservation movement and the role of preservation in a vibrant modern city.

Explore the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway on this special walking tour offered by Boston By Foot. The Greenway is Boston's new mixed-use public space that once housed the elevated highway since replaced by the Big Dig. Learn the history of the neighborhoods that once occupied this space and the present day urban planning that is knitting Boston back together.

Join us on a visit to the 1747 mansion of Royal Governor William Shirley. It is the only remaining house in the United States built by a royal governor. This tour will include a visit to the orchards, the gardens, the Gardner Carriage House, as well as the mansion's interior.

Under the city is a dense network of pipes, conduits, sewers and tunnels that serve the utility and transportation needs of a growing city. In 1987, Boston began the largest public works project in U.S. history to submerge an aging elevated highway amidst existing roads, structures, subways, railroads, utilities, businesses and homes, and in the process transformed the downtown landscape into a shining example of 21st century urban renewal.

Field Trip: the Big Dig, Kennedy Greenway and downtown infrastructure

When George Washington arrived in Massachusetts in 1775, he made his headquarters in the abandoned mansions of wealthy loyalists along Brattle Street in Cambridge. Walk through one of America's finest neighborhoods and see elegant examples of early New England architecture.

Tour the 19th century made-land and one of America's richest collections of art & architecture. This tour features Trinity Church, the Boston Public Library, New Old South Church, and the many Victorian townhouses along streets designed after the grand boulevards of Paris.

Explore 18th century Boston on this 5-hour Labor Day tour of the colonial shoreline.

Walk through the civic center of Salem, beginning with the 1816 Old Town Hall tucked away in Derby Square and comparing it to the newer 1838 City Hall. The old courthouse complex on Federal Street and the imposing new Essex County judicial center designed by Goody Clancy Architects are also featured. If time permits, we'll also visit the renowned McIntire Historic District.