Boston By Foot

Our "Boston By Foot" history tour was great. We learned a lot about the city and the local events that lead to the Revolutionary War of 1776. It inspired me to get more familiar with the history of that period and also to plan another trip to Boston in the near future.

Great organization! I felt bad that we had to reschedule our tour twice, and once on short notice. The Boston By Foot team was so accommodating and pleasant. Made it easy for me! And oh by the way, the tour was pleasant. We hit great sights, led by an experienced volunteer.

The Halloween tour around Beacon Hill felt like something out of a movie, it was beautiful. Thank you to our tour guide dressed as someone from Harry Potter, you make history super fun! The group always stayed together even in the huge crowds, so no worries about getting lost.

My favorite tour experience in Boston. I have a membership and always take visitors on a BBF tour. It's not a generic, commercial experience given by outsiders. The guides are locals who are interested in the most fascinating parts of Boston's history, and the tours give an in-depth and educational overview to participants.

The tour of Boston City Hall was absolutely amazing! Before the tour, this building seemed to me to be one of the most controversial in Boston. Thanks to the history, interesting facts from the guide Laurie and the inspection from the inside, for me Boston City Hall became a special place, a building of the future of its time. Thanks Boston By Foot!

Tom was great, so knowledgeable and I loved that he had gone through primary sources to get details like colonial punishment systems and the different roles revolutionaries had within the colonial militia. Very engaging speaker, thank you Tom!

We took the little feet freedom trail tour and found the stories to be fun and engaging. Our 6 year old was able to ask questions and our 3 year old play along. Maureen made history fun for them and the parents even learned a few things.

I just finished the “Reinventing Boston” tour with Brooke H and it was absolutely one of my favorite tours I’ve done. She was so welcoming and friendly and SO knowledgeable and answered all of my questions. Thank you Boston by Foot for this amazing way to experience Boston’s architecture and urban history! 11/10 would recommend!

I've done a few tours with this company and they were good but the one I did today with Mike covering Chinatown was outstanding! I learned so much about the history of the area in a very engaging way. I couldn't believe that I walked the same streets so many times before and I missed so many interesting points of interest. I also learned that the guides for this company are volunteers so you will learn from someone who is passionate about history and culture and do it because they love it!

I took a tour of Chinatown with Mike T. today. He was engaging, fun and extremely knowledgeable about the history of Chinatown and beyond. Would definitely recommend his tour!

Another awesome tour with Boston by Foot, this time aboard the Henry Longfellow as we took the Architecture Tour around Boston Harbor. Once again, our guide, Michele, did an excellent job pointing out the magnificent and varied architectural styles of the buildings lining the water way. Of note are terrifically close up views of the Zakim Bridge, views of the Bunker Hill (Breed's Hill) Monument, the Old North Church, glimpses of Faneuil Hall and the Massachusetts State House as well as many hotels and businesses which add to the charm of the city. This was a comfortable ride in a vessel run by the Charles River Boat Company. Our captain, Jack and crewmember Sam kept us on time for this 120 minute tour. On a beautiful day, there's no better way to see the 'other side' of Boston!!

My friends and I did the walking tour called "The North End: Boston's Immigration Gateway" with Tom. It was a fantastic tour! Tom was a great guide, giving us a very detailed (but not overwhelming) background on where and how immigrants came to Boston. He was very knowledgeable and kept it interesting. This was a great way to learn about the history of Boston and get to see famous sites around the North End. Highly recommend!

Taking a walking tour of historic Boston during the evening was fun. The night life was hopping as we walked among the people in Little Italy. Tom, our guide, would walk us to an area and tell a story about the area or an event that happened. Tho his information was entertaining, we didn't see any historic buildings of where the stories took place, except for where the jail had been. We did walk through streets and alleys that we wouldn't see otherwise. The last story about grave robbers could have been in the cemetery across the street as a visual, but again, he led us to a park to sit and listen. The cemetery would have been neat. The last place we sat for a story was away from our starting point. That was not explained in the tour description, and we had to find our way back to the hotel. Using our phone's GPS was not difficult, but it was unexpected. Three stars for not seeing historic buildings or items to go with the stories. I guess we were expecting something different.

My 7 year old daughter and I did the little Feet tour of Faneuil Hall and loved it. She talked about what she learned hours later at dinner and says it's her favorite part of our trip to Boston. John, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and friendly - with the patience of a saint. He answered every. single. question. with such spirit and care. We highly recommend!

I have gone on a couple tours with this group in Boston now and would highly recommend!! The guides are passionate, knowledgable and friendly--they love giving tours! I have learned so much from these tours and hope to go on more in the future. Whether you are a tourist visiting the city or living here locally, these tours are so worthwhile! Yay Boston by Foot!

This is one of the best deals in Boston. You get knowledgeable guides and the season pass is a bargain. (I have had one for 2 years). Great pace to the tours. I have taken many. Everyone was well presented. If I had one suggestions, I would add a few visual aids. For example, a map about landmaking in Boston, would bring the knowledge home!

I needed a private tour for approximately 30 people(including kids which I was nervous about. The company did a wonderful job of setting us up with 2 guides and splitting our group in half. Excellent service.

I booked a group tour for my company to kick off Pride month. We did the Boston's LGBTQ Past tour with Doug last Thursday at 5:30 PM. The tour lasted about an hour and a half and went all over downtown Boston. Doug was an incredible tour guide, super knowledgeable! He answered all our questions and kept the tour moving at a good pace. We were so happy with our experience and I definitely recommend to anyone who is interested in learning more about queer history in Boston. Additionally, Boston by Foot was so helpful as we made plans for the tour, and Samantha responded to all of my emails quickly and made the process of organizing it very seamless. Thank you Boston by Foot!

Took the two hour Road to Revolution tour and loved it. Haven't taken the other tours yet, but feel like the 2 hours is a sweet spot. One hour may be too short. The guide was knowledgeable and patient with any questions the group had. Walked most of the freedom trail and visited many of the key historical sites. Good amount of walking but not overwhelming. Would definitely recommend. Great way to show the city to visitors and learn about Boston's history.

We took the "Rethinking Boston Brutalism" tour. In 1.5 hours we saw 7 examples of brutalism in the downtown area. The tour was framed with historical background that gave exactly enough context to understand the fascinating relationship between Boston planning and development and the brutalist movement. Alice was a fantastic guide with infectious enthusiasm. I would recommend the tour to anyone who appreciates architecture or wants to learn more about postwar redevelopment of the city. A perfect way to spend an afternoon outside in Boston!

We had an INCREDIBLE tour given by Kevin B. He was very friendly, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic. He didn't overwhelm us with facts and dates, and was intentional about telling the history of Boston through story telling. 10/10 would recommend!

For my friend's bachelorette party, we decided to take this tour by Tom R. For "Reinventing Boston." Majority of our friends were architects, so they absolutely loved this tour. It was super interesting to see how much Boston has grown and changed over the past few decades. Tom truly knows his history and has shared interesting stories with us, and took us on a nice walk here and there while sharing these stories. We ended the tour at the harbor which was nice, and he kindly took photos of us. All in all, it was a lovely tour that taught us a lot!

"Footloose on the Freedom Trail", an Independence Day tour, was an absolute experience, especially for letting loose vacation calories! A description of the tour per their website [www.bostonbyfoot.org] clarifies: Footloose on the Freedom Trail is a 3 hour walking tour of the entire Freedom Trail from the State House to the U.S.S. Constitution offered every Independence Day. The tour winds among Boston's parades and celebrations and includes the honoring of Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere at the Granary Burying Ground, and the reading of the Declaration of Independence from the balcony of the Old State House. It was an amazing day to be in Boston and I highly encourage the experience!

Did the Dark Side of Boston tour in the North End with Elisabeth D on a very sunny Sunday. It was such a great tour. With the heat, Elisabeth was particularly aware to have us stop in the shade and took more breaks throughout. Not only did we hear some great stories, she knew the history of Boston like the back of her hand and could add in little anecdotes that made me feel like I was there during those times. Not only was the tour captivating, she also dropped us off at the restaurant where our reservation was, or we would have gotten completely lost! Being new to the area it was great to hear more about the North End. Would highly recommend!

My friend and I reserved a free pass for the BEACON HILL Boston by Foot tour through Boston Public Library. (The pass is good for free admission up to 4 people - $48 value.) There were about 16-20 people in the Saturday afternoon tour group. BETH, our spirited tour guide, lead us through the streets of Beacon Hill. We met at the State House and learned about the architecture of the establishment and the statues surrounding. For the next 90 minutes, we walked along cobblestone and brick roads to learn about rich Bostonians building houses for their family members, passed by secret gardens and loitered in front of the last remaining mansion in Beacon Hill. I would recommend booking a tour with Boston by Foot if you're visiting Boston for the first time or if you simply want to learn some fun facts about the city you live in. The Dark Side of Boston tour sounds interesting. Anyhow, Beth was great and now I know what 'piano nobile' is. Do you?

This was an AWESOME tour! The tour guide we had was great I wish I could remember her name but I wasn't paying attention. I went on this tour with 3 friends from church and we did the Dark Side of Boston Tour. I was never a fan of history but every topic was interesting kept my attention. (Which is very rare) Our group was constantly laughing because our guide was hilarious when she was talking to us. I really wish I could remember her name. But on a serious note definitely take this tour it is $12 bucks for it and that's a bargin!!! The one weird thing was you just meet them on a corner. I kind of felt like I was doing something shady like buying drugs or something. But I won't deduct any stars because I had a great time as well as the people I went with.

We took the Boston By Little Feet tour and it was perfect. The kids on our tour group ranged from 5-12, and they were all interested and engaged the entire time. Our guide, Michelle, mentioned she was an elementary school teacher. She was very skilled at presenting Boston history in a way that was informative, yet simple for even the youngest children to understand. The tour lasted a little over an hour and was not too much walking. If you have children, this is a good way to explore a piece of the Freedom Trail.

My son studied Johnny Tremain for school and wanted to learn more about the novel's setting. Anne, our tour guide, was amazing! She not only kept our fourth grader engaged, answering all of his questions, but she knew the novel well and was a walking encyclopedia on the Revolution, its players and Boston at that time. She also taught us quite a bit about the changing topography of the city. Sincere thanks Anne. We really hope to catch one of your other tours.

Tom R lead a great tour. Fascinating & engaging history! would highly recommend.

Excellent tour by Kurt! We had a small group so our experience was really comfortable and familiar. He's a great speaker and knows his stuff. He was also great at reaching out to the group and making it more personal for us. The tour in general is easy walking with plenty of stops to rest and sit, about a mile total. Kurt spanned the centuries, taking us from the founding of Boston up to the 1980s. Great stuff! We had a great time!

Yo besides rapping you know my 2nd passion is history. I even try to combine the two sometimes that's why I called my third album Kim Jong Trill. Anywho me, wifey and Harambe pile in the whip and head up to North to Beantown for my birthday weekend. Yo we hit up all the historical spots! The freedom trail was LIT. We was strolling through Faneuil Hall downing lobster roll after lobster roll, sippin on gallons of chowda and gettin our drink on in bars that are older than this country. Yo it felt good to get wasted in the same spot our founding fathers did. Yung Jonse had a pint of Sam Adams in one hand and a can of beans in the other just double fisting dem things like crazy. The bartender said she threw up in the exact same spot Paul revere did in 1753. After all this history I felt like we had seen all Boston had to offer. Boy was we wrong. Yung Jonse surprised me with a private "Darker Side of Boston Tour". I had no clue what to expect. We met this cat Kurt by some big ass statue and immediately he just starts dropping knowledge on us like Drunken goat drops lyrical bombs. BOOM! Yo he was telling the kind of stuff that they leave out of the history books.Yo I ain't never heard this kind of historical perspective before! This the type of stuff the man dont want you knowing about. Mobsters. Witches. Even some badass pastor whos name was Cotton. Definitely gonna dedicate a track on my next album to this cat. Our boy Kurt was so thorough, he even told us a little trick to make a few extra bucks on the side. You know I gotta stay hustlin. Once the tour was done, I gave Kurt a copy of my latest album, autographed it and thanked him for a truly amazing tour. It really was the perfect day. Well until yung Jonse hit up this canoli spot on the way home and downed 8 of them bad boys. She ended up puking right in front of Paul Revere's crib. Damn I guess the trip has come full circle. We left Beantown knowing a ton more about it than when we came, and ain't that the most important thing. So next time your ass is in Boston...hit up this tour, and ask for my boy kurt. You won't regret it. Big up Boston and Big Up Boston by foot. 6 mothafreakin stars boi. Brrrrrrrrrrrr.

My granddaughter and I took the Boston by Little Feet tour. Our guide, Bob, really fleshed out historical figures: Ben Franklin, Samuel Adams, etc. He gave information I never learned in school. He gave a lot of architectural information and was great at drawing the kids into discussion. We both truly enjoyed.

Ahm, NO! We went on this tour last night...The "Dark Side Of Boston" tour.. Well...I'm now living on the "Dark Side" because of it. My life will never be the same. I have never been on a worse tour in my life. I'm not sure if it was out tour guide or what..But, this was absolutely horrid. We had 11 people in our tour and everyone was texting each other how bad it was. He actually even had his facts completely wrong another tourist in the group corrected him. You'd think if you were paying for a tour of Boston, you may want to have your facts correct! We watched two other groups around us who were laughing and joking. I'm not sure what was going on with the other groups..but, I wanted in..Never again...sorry..

My partner and I went and took the 2 PM Road to Revolution and absolutely loved it. Our tour guide Tom R was so knowledgeable and made it so enjoyable! Would recommend it to friends.

I recently took a special tour called "Bostonians Behaving Badly" led by one of the volunteer docents. This tour featured all the riots and rebellions that have occurred over the last few centuries in Boston. Our guide was very knowledgeable and provided an insight into the history of the city not offered by other tour groups. This particular tour, that ranged from food riots to tearing down whore houses, showed the wide range of the Boston By Foot guides and their ability to offer a more in depth experience than what you would get in a tourist trap. If you like history and want to learn something substantive, I highly recommend one of the tours listed on www.bostonbyfoot.org. I'm looking forward to next week when they will show us the dams on the Charles River and take us around the expressways and new bridges built during the Big Dig.

We did the "Dark Side of Boston Tour" This was hands down one of the best things we did while visiting Boston. The tour started in the North End. The tour was about true historical events that have occurred in Boston. Since my husband and I were both History majors, we were really excited about this tour. The tour lasted for 1 1/2 hours. The topics included, stories about smallpox, influenza, the serviceman coming in on boats, vandalization of the governor's home, the Molasses flood, body snatchers and even the Brink's robbery. The tour was only $12 per person and we got to walk around in the historic North End area and hear all about these "not so talked" about historic moments. Will recommend to everyone I know who is visiting the area, or locals!

Boston is one of the most enjoyable cities to walk, and it is especially fun to have someone give you a history lesson along the way. Boston by Foot is unique in that the tour guides are volunteers who give the tours for the joy of sharing their love of Boston. My entire family has been on 3 of these tours and they have varied in quality from interesting to extraordinary. It all depends on the guide you get that day. No matter what you will get a nice walk and learn something.

I recently took a tour, "Heart of the Freedom Trail," on a Saturday afternoon. The guide was a volunteer--apparently this is the only all volunteer tour group in Boston--who obviously had a strong grasp of colonial Boston history, from the committees of correspondence that apparently met at Faneuil Hall, to the reason for the donkey in front of old city hall, to the old Scollay square neighborhood that became our present city hall. I was surprised to learn how different the early landscape of Boston was from the one we see today. But I don't want to give it all away. If you love history and architecture, and you want to see the old buildings of Boston come to life, and if you have 90 free minutes some afternoon or weekend, this is a great tour to take. I'm inspired to learn more by taking some of their other tours. I'll be sure to let Yelp know how it goes.

I take friends and out of towners on this tour on a regular basis. We do the Freedom Trail basic, I would call it, which starts in from of the Samuel Adams statue. The guides are knowledgeable, and charming. All that do this tour have loved it, and I always gain a little knowledge on the town I now call home. Took my kids when they were young, with two friends each, and all had a blast.

I took the Dark Side of Boston evening walking tour with Kurt guiding us. The tour was VERY easy to book (booked online same day for a Saturday evening tour!) and very affordable ($13 for 90 minute tour). In the 90 minutes, we walked about 1 mile at a comfortable, casual pace around Boston's North End. We passed prominent historical sites (Paul Revere's home, North End Church, etc). And walked down quiet streets, equally reflecting the character of Boston's historic neighborhood. Kurt's stories of bank robberies, witchcraft, gambling, and other "dark tales" were engaging and enjoyable. He was an EXCELLENT tour guide and I highly recommend this experience! Thank you!

My husband and I took the Freedom Trail walking tour. It was great!! Susan and Mitch were excellent. They definitely knew their history. The tour was also a great way to get to know the city. If you have an hour or so and like history. Then this tour is for you.

Loved both tours and our guides. Jeffrey D and Regina C were professional and knowledgeable. Great way to get familiar with Boston. Dark Side of Boston was fun and Beacon Hill in the evening was beautiful. Buy tickets online and get a small discount. It's all volunteers and a nonprofit organization so we didn't mind the cost.

Disappointing. We did the Johnny Tremain tour on 3 July 2015, and it was awful! We left after about 45 minutes, because all three people in my group were so bored. The guide (Sally, I think), did not have a linear story to tell, didn't project her voice--so we couldn't hear, and rambled on at each stop (again because she didn't have a linear story to tell). The tour was supposed to last 90 minutes, and after 45 minutes, we hadn't gone more than a few blocks. I have no idea how long the tour lasted, because we couldn't bear to stick around and find out! When she'd mention a fact about history, they were interesting -- "here is where LongWharf used to be. This is where the water line used to be (although she didn't know which side of the line was the water and which was the land ...)" --but they were so few and far between. I suggest you find another tour.

We recently took the Freedom Trail Tour with Boston by Foot. Jan, was our tour guide. She has been doing tours for almost 30 years and was awesome! She was knowledgeable about the history of Boston. Our tour turned out to be special, as it was the Fourth of July and we happened to be at the State House when they read the Declaration of Independence from the balcony! Be prepared for lots of walking, but Jan finds shady spots with places to sit while she talks. This will be the highlight of your visit to Boston.

Dark side of Boston tour: I just did this last Sunday. We had a group of 3, which left right on time. Our guide was very nice and informative, but overall I was hoping for really cool, badass stories about seedy things that had happened in Boston (knowing about all the crime famililes, witch trials, Wars of Independence, etc) - b/c there should be SOOOO many to choose from. She told stories of wrong-doing, but I was disappointed in how none really seemed all that badass. She was really nice and it ended up being a really nice walk (the North End is a really cool neighborhood with really cool views at certain points) and informative, just not as much badass as desired. Freedom trail tour: I did this a few years ago and found it quite interesting. A good touristy thing to do, or just interesting for locals looking to get to know history and their Boston neighborhoods a bit better. Good family fun. Until our guide shouted to some kids having fun "SHUT UP KIDS!!" - that was weird. But made for a good story

On my first trip to Boston my friend had purchased a walking tour from Boston by Foot on Bloomspot so that I could tour Boston while she worked. Sweet, isn't she? Anyway... On a weekday afternoon I was late and lost, looking for the statue of Samuel Adams at Faneuil Hall. This is where the "Heart of the Freedom Trail," begins. I had pictured the tour would be walking around with a large group of tourists so by the time I had reached the statue, huffing and puffing, I was sad to see no group in sight. I thought for a second they must have left but one man stood alone, with a very small Boston By Foot sticker and it was the tour guide. I was his only tourist! A one-on-one tour is great because it really forces you to pay attention (instead of letting your mind drift off or concentrating too hard on taking pictures); it is a much more personal experience built for optimal learning! Unfortunately it's also a little awkward. Along the route there were multiple times where I wished there was at least one more person with us. Despite awkwardness, this was a great way to learn and tour the city! http://instagr.am/p/EM3vN/?ref=nf

went on the 5:30 pm tour that talks about the great molasses flood and other macabre things. My son loved it- lots of walking and getting to see the North End in its true light- TAKE THE TOUR if you have the option. even locals like us had fun.

We took the Boston by Little Feet tour with an 8 year old and a 6 year old. The group consisted of another family with children 3, 5, and 8 year olds. Our tour guide, Rose Jane, is a local fourth grade teacher. She is knowledgeable and engaging. The tour started at the John Adam statue in front of Faneuil Hall and lasted a little over an hour and not too much walking. It was just enough history, walking, and interesting facts for the children on this age range. I read a review where a person purchased tickets in advanced online but couldn't find the starting location in time and ended up missing the tour. I purchased the tickets online after we arrived at the tour start location and met the guide. This way, we saved $2 per ticket with the online purchase and not having to worry about missing the tour bc arriving late or not being able to find the tour.

We did 4 total Boston By Foot tours. We started with the North End tour. It was our tour guide's first tour and she did alright. She seemed to have the basic information down and we learned a bit. I'm sure that she will do wonderfully when she starts adding more information as she learns more! The second tour was a two hour Road to Revolution tour with Bob. He had an incredible amount of information for us. I learned so much and when we were done, both my husband and I were thoroughly impressed! The third tour was the Dark Side of Boston tour. It was pretty good. We got to hear some interesting stories and we were entertained and we learned a little bit more about Boston's history. Our last tour was the Beacon Hill tour. I am very interested in learning about architecture, so this tour was perfect. The tour guide was also very passionate about Beacon Hill and I can honestly say that I could point out any Charles Bulfinch design in Boston!

Our tour guide Mike Krumm was great. Very knowledgeable tour guy. We went with our daughters 6 and 7 year old and they loved him too. I totally recommend this tour.

The Beacon Hill tour with Lisa was incredible! She was incredibly knowledgable of the area and was able to answer all of our questions. Lisa was engaged the entire tour and the time flew by! We look forward to seeing more of Boston with Boston By Foot!

Did a tour with Tom yesterday and definitely a Boston must do! He was super knowledgeable and it was a nice small group! Thanks Tom!!!

Went on the tour today and have been talking about how amazing it has been for the rest of the day. Our tour guide Tom was personable, open to many questions, and knowledge of the history beyond my expectations. His enthusiasm and passion was shown. Thank you for the true explanation about Boston and it's history.

Somewhat of a boring tour (we did the Dark side of Boston) but the weather was spectacular and it got us out of the house. We got free tickets to the tour from the library so can't complain.

Had an amazing tour of Boston with my nerdy family. We all love history and our guide, Willa, did an amazing job of making the tour engaging and adding the color so often missing from history classes that ties the story together. Would totally recommend!

If you want a great tour this is where you need to go. It's not a big corporate tour company. It's a non-profit tour run by VOLUNTEERS. All were extremely knowledgeable. I did the Dark-side of Boston tour and the Beacon Hill tour. Both were fantastic.

I am a volunteer docent for Boston by Foot and highly recommend it if (1) you are a local Bostonian looking for a cool volunteer opportunity or (2) you want to learn more about Boston history and architecture on a fun and informative walking tour. All tour guides are volunteers and we volunteer our time because we truly love to share our knowledge and meet new people. Hope to see you on a tour! We also have a tour designed especially for kids called "Little Feet" Join our meetup group for updates about special tours: http://www.meetup.com/bostonbyfoot/ Our website: www.bostonbyfoot.org Regular tour season is May - October, but we are looking into adding some off-season tours. Check out the meetup group for more info on this.