Pick up is offered from select Boston hotels (or meet us at the Transportation Building) in the morning for a quick drive over the Charles River to Cambridge, a city named in the honor of the University of Cambridge in England. This historic city is home to two of the world’s most prominent universities, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Drive by Harvard Yard, a large grassy area adjacent to Harvard Square that constitutes the oldest part and center the Harvard University campus. Your guide will explain how this locale became a US National Historic Landmark.
Nearby, you’ll see Cambridge Common, listed on the US National Register of Historic Places. This is public park is where George Washington took control of the Continental Army. Next, drive along Tory Row past the home of the famous poet and educator, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Continue driving to the nearby town of Lexington, famous for being the site of the first shot of the Revolutionary War. You’ll see a variety of historical buildings, parks and monuments, most dating from colonial and Revolutionary times, on your drive through town.
Hop off the coach at the Lexington Battle Green, formally known as the Lexington Common, for an up-close look at the site of the Battle of Lexington in 1642. Also a US National Historic Landmark, this field is fronted by a statue representing Captain John Parker, the leader of the Lexington minutemen. Hear about this man’s courageous efforts against 700 English soldiers as your guide conjures scenes from the Revolutionary War that happened on the very ground beneath your feet.
Your tour continues with a drive along the Battle Road Trail, a 5.5-mile (9-km) pathway in Lexington, Lincoln and Concord that marks the path once trodden by British soldiers from Boston during the war. You’ll also follow the route that Paul Revere took as he warned the countryside that “the British are coming!”
In Concord, journey past the homes of Gothic novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, Louisa May Alcott -- author of Little Women -- and Ralph Waldo Emerson, essayist, poet and philosopher.
Finally, you'll make your way to the North Bridge, often called the Old North Bridge, where "the embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard 'round the world.'" This is historical attraction was the site of the Battle of Concord; the current wooden pedestrian bridge is a replica of the one that stood on the day of the battle.
After your historical tour, your guide will drive you back to the Transportation Building, leaving you with many new, fascinating insights on American history.