Boston and its surrounding communities are steeped in American history.  This Sunday, April 18, marks 235 years since Paul Revere made his infamous ride informing colonists that the “British were coming.”  I soon learned that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow took some literary license when he wrote the poem “Paul Revere’s Ride,” altering some of the details.  (For one, Paul would not have said “the British are coming” because the Patriots considered themselves British.  Instead, he would have said “the Regulars are coming.”)

To get the whole story, my son, Nik, a Social Sciences teacher for the Boston Public Schools, and I, took the 90 minute Liberty Ride, a guided trolley tour that takes visitors back in history as it travels through Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. 
 
The National Heritage Museum in Lexington, one of the places the tour starts, is a 30 minute drive outside of Boston.  (While you can get to Lexington with public transportation, it’s not easy and takes about twice the time.) We boarded the Trolley and were joined by our tour guide who taught me more about the American Revolution in 90 minutes than I learned in 20 years of formal education, and provided additional insight into American history for my son. 
Some of the stops along the way include:

• The Lexington Battle Green, where the Lexington militia confronted 800 British Regulars as the sun rose on April 19, 1775.
• The Buckman Tavern where the militia gathered the night before the Battle.  
• The Hancock-Clarke House, which was Paul Revere and William Dawes' destination on the night of April 18th, 1775. Revere and Dawes’ mission was to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock of the coming of British troops.  The primary mission of the British Regulars was to capture Adams and Hancock to stifle the growing unrest in the Colonies. 
• Minute Man National Historical Park. This park includes a monument where Paul Revere was captured and where his famous “midnight ride” came to an end.  You can walk Battle Road, the trail used on April 19, 1775 and stand on the North Bridge, where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired. 

The Liberty Ride also includes stops (but ticket price does not include admission) at the Orchard House, the home of Louisa May Alcott and her family and the setting for Little Women; The Old Manse, which was the home of minister William Emerson, his grandson Ralph Waldo Emerson, and the honeymoon home of Nathaniel and Sophia Hawthorne and the Concord Museum which holds the famed Revere lantern, Emerson’s study, and Thoreau’s Walden desk.

Back at the National Heritage Museum, Nik and I wandered through the museum which holds exhibits celebrating American history and culture.  What made the museum so special was the ability to connect stories told on the Liberty Tour, to items housed in the museum.  An item in the collection which particularly intrigued me was John Hancock’s trunk.  Apparently in his haste to escape the approaching British Regulars, Hancock left the trunk at Buckman Tavern. (The militia gathered at the Tavern the night the first shots of the Revolution were fired.)  The trunk had been filled with secret papers that could identify patriots.  In addition to warning the militia about the impending arrival of the British troops, Paul Revere and Hancock’s clerk were responsible for retrieving the trunk, hiding it in the woods behind the Tavern and in turn, protecting the identities of supporters of the Revolution. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the Liberty Ride. But to make more effective use of your time, I would suggest taking the tour, noting the places you’d like to go back to, and drive to each location.  While you can hop on and off the Trolley at different stops, waiting time for the next Trolley to come back around can eat up a lot of valuable time.  Your Liberty Tour ticket includes admission to many of the stops along the tour and is valid for 24 hours. 

What travel experiences have brought history alive for you?