One question that often comes up when a person comes to Boston for the first time is, “How long is the Freedom Trail?” or “How much time does it take to do the Freedom Trail?” They are surprised to hear that most 1-1.5 hour tours only cover 1/3 of the whole trail. Today, I embark on a rare tour that covers the entire 2.5 mile stretch that begins on the Boston Common and ends in Charlestown at the Bunker Hill Memorial: It is called Footloose on the Freedom Trail and it is offered once a year on July 4th by a great non-profit organization entitled Boston by Foot.

It is good for a tour guide to take the tours of other companies. It does not matter how many times I have walked this great path laid down by our nation’s founding fathers and mothers: I always learn something new or rather take something I already knew and bring it into sharper focus. Our guide was especially focusing today on Boston’s abolitionist history. Our state was the first in the union to abolish slavery in 1781 and our city became one of most ardent defenders of escaped slaves that sued for their freedom up north. I remember especially our guide’s comment as we stood near the site of the Boston Massacre where the first colonist to loose his life at the hands of a British soldier’s gun was a man of mixed race by the name of Crispus Attucks. Our guide’s reflection was that America as a nation was born that day in 1770, but there is another sense in which she is still being born: in the continual struggle to enfranchise oppressed minorities and remember those lives who have been erased by a false belief in their inhumanity.

My legs were sore after the three hour tour, but my heart was deeply moved. Of course, I recommend my own tours, but I only mention America’s founding as part of a greater story of faith. These guides at Boston by Foot focus specifically on America’s founding in a tour called The Heart of the Freedom Trail. Or the great Freedom Trail Foundation offers a similar tour called Walk Into History. As of this writing, they are similarly priced and worth every penny spent. And in the realm of FREE tours, let us not forget that the whole city of Boston is a National Park site and there are both ranger guided tours and self guided audio tours that are worth checking out.

Learn America’s founding! This year we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Battle of Lexington/Concord and next year we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding on July 4, 2026. Come to Boston, the cradle of America’s liberty, and while you are learning about our nation’s founding, take a tour with me and learn about her faith.