WALKING TOURS

WALK IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE PAST

Nothing brings history to life like the landmarks of the past. On the Partnership of Historic Bostons’ walking tours through downtown Boston - the heart of the original colonial settlement - you can see the 17th century for yourself. Image life for Native people on Shawmut (probably originally called Mashauwomuk, “place near the bay to land the mishoons/dugout canoes”) thousands of years before the Puritans landed. The shock for Puritan colonists faced with New England winters and a bay that froze over.

From the site of the first Congregational meetinghouse, to the place where the town punished miscreants in stocks, to the fish weirs tended by Native Americans, our walking tours take you to Boston’s early days. 

Each tour is roughly 1½ hours and covers about two miles. Attendees are limited so that everyone can see and hear.

Our 1630 tour marks the colonial founding of Boston on Native land, exploring Puritan politics, religion and society. You’ll visit sites of the homes of significant Bostonians: Mary Dyer, Anne Hutchinson, Henry Vane Jr. (the only governor of Massachusetts to be executed, in England), John Cotton, John Endicott, and John Winthrop.

Our medical walking tour, To Vax or Not to Vax: Smallpox in Boston, is in progress but should be ready to go in September 2025. Stay tuned!