Adams National Historical Park

Two of the US presidents lived here in this house! If you have an hour or two in Quincy, Boston suburb to the south side, make a visit. Their story is heart warming. Park services do a great job giving a tour and tell you great details about the lives of presidents. There is a ticket so it's best to check before you go. We didn't book our tour and had to wait just 10 minutes. Parking was done along the Streets. It was free.

With 3 separate sites: Visitor's Center, Birthplace Homes, and Peace Field House it is a bit cumbersome to navigate. Tours are same day only, no reservations. Trolley doesn't run during lunch hour. We drove to each site and parked on the street. The house at Peace Field is the star attraction with a ranger led tour.

Hidden gem in the greater Boston area- consists of three historical sites in Quincy. First the Visitor Center is a must as it provides orientation and a great movie about the life of the Adams Family (The Presidential ones, not to be confused with the Addams Family in the TV show). I appreciated learning about the contributions of the offspring of the Adams family, post-John Quincy. The staff there and at the other two locations are super friendly and are clearly very passionate about the Historical Park; their knowledge is a mile deep. Next comes the birthplaces of John Adams (2nd President) and John Quincy Adams (6th President)- [self-guided tour with ranger available for questions]. At these birthplaces I was immersed in the daily activities of their lives. The finale is the Old House at Peace Field, the home of multi-generations of the Adams family. I could sense how the house adapted over time to become more modern and how greatness emanated from its walls [reservations required, tickets obtained earlier in the day at the Visitor Center]. More excerpts from their letters that I could read would have given me a better feel for the people they were so that I would know more about them as individuals rather than just historical facts and figures. All in all, an A+ day.

I may be biased because I've spent a good deal of time studying John Adams (he is my favorite historical figure of all time) but it has been the highlight of my trip to Massachusetts. The National Park Service Rangers at the visitors center were very helpful and just awesome all around. At the time of my trip (July 2025) there was a teacher discount for the shop, so that was great. The guided tour was $15 which included trolley transportation from the visitors center to the birthplace of John Adams and John Quincy Adams and then from the birthplace to Peacefield. I admit, the first tour guide at the birthplace of John Adams seemed to not have had his morning cup of coffee yet (it was 11am) or perhaps he was new to the job - I almost felt compelled to jump in and take over bc the silence hung in the air like a weight for a good few moments and multiple times lol. At the birthplace of John Q. Adams (and John and Abigail's marital home), the tour guides were obvious veterans to the job. The woman especially (who is also a reenactor) really knew her stuff! Peacefield was my favourite stop. Absolutely beautiful and the tour guide was a wealth of knowledge. For those with a curious mind and a reverence for history and/or beauty - this is a must see.

I took the special tour of Peacefield on the 4th of July about the death of Adams and Jefferson. I believe my interpreter’s name was Matt. He was absolutely fantastic (even in the heat with the 18th century garb 🥵). The events at the birthplace sites was also nice (I attended the reading of the Declaration of Independence at 11am). The only issue was that if you stayed and walked around the houses after the reading there was no trolley ride back to the Visitor Center until 1:30pm. So the timing wasn’t really right with the planning there. The trolley driver takes a lunch break everyday, so they knew when he would be breaking and they probably should have timed the reading differently. Overall though, well-preserved sites with great history.

Go downtown to National Park Visitor Center to book tour. Peacefield house is by tour only. Orifinal farm houses are self guided.

Best tour ever. Honestly. Matt, our NPS guide, was simply amazing and full of so much information. This is no ordinary tour. This home is untouched from when the days it was bought in the late 1700s by the Adam's family. All their furnishings and personal effects remain from every generation. ...Artwork, books the things they and Abigail touched and handled throughout their lives is present. You must get this tour. The home cannot be air-conditioned. It is in its original form, so see it early in the morning. If you care about the history of our Country, the principles of our founding fathers, how we got here, the foundation of our great Republic etc; what we once were. this is a must see.

Even though it was closed due to the shutdown, this house and grounds were unique enough to enjoy.