"The USS Constitution, the world’s oldest-commissioned warship still afloat, is berthed on a dock at Charlestown’s Navy Yard, where it’s part of the Freedom Trail and open to the public with free admission. Step onto the 220-plus-year-old wooden ship, and you’ll learn about life in the Navy from active-duty sailors. Be sure to glance upward for a sense of the scale of this seasoned vessel and its soaring masts, and take narrow steps down to three of the lower decks and peek into the captain’s quarters. Across the pier from the ship, the privately owned USS Constitution Museum (which has suggested admission fees) offers added insights, so you can understand the significance of “Old Ironsides” and life on the high seas." - Andrew Sessa, Elizabeth Wellington