Boston National Historical Park

If you haven’t been, it’s historical, has a lot of fun interactive activities and it’s free. The only disappoint was that the Constitution herself was currently off limits because it was being reconditioned. They also have free tours/​walks from the shipyard to the Bunker Hill Monument, on the hour and completely free. I haven’t had the chance to listen to the other Park Rangers but our Ranger, Dave Hannagan was the best! He was knowledgeable, had visuals and charts of the location and how the area looked before and was funny. The best part though was his passion. He clearly had a reverence for the sacrifices made by both British and American and what it was that they fought for.
My wife, who has no real desire or passion for history was impressed with him and what he had to say. I would take the tour again, not just because it was free but because the worth of the tour is not reflective of the price.

Boo, We took the Hop on Hop off Trolly Tour which was AWESOME and we stopped here at this museum. The ships were off limits so we thought maybe the museum would be ok. .nope. really nothing to see there if you can’t get on the ship or even get near it.
Oh well…

Did the walking tour on the Freedom trail with a ranger — it was fabulous, and free. I love how park rangers can answer any question they get.

We always bring friends here when they’re visiting. Honestly, these are the best tours of the Freedom Trail you will find — and they’re free! If your in the Quincy Market area make sure you go to the 2^nd floor of Faneuil Hall: no matter what time period of history you like, it’s in there. So much history, and so affordable. DEFINITELY go there!

The park rangers are really great! The Constitution is a beautiful ship, and makes for some great photos. I really liked the exhibits in the visitor’s center. I learned a lot and the photographs and activities were all interesting. They dealt more with the shipyard than the ships and I found that really refreshing. I would rather learn about forging chains and twisting rope than summary statistics of battles.

Tours are educational, entertaining, historically accurate and best of all? FREE. I’m a big supporter of the National Parks — and now more than ever THEY need OUR support.
Only way to see the USS Constitution is with tours through the US Navy, separate entity than the NPS.
If you’re downtown and see people in costume — run in the other direction. They’re overpriced, rude when they find out they aren’t getting a tip, and they’re history is abominable.

I took the Freedom trail tour from Fanuiel Hall to the Paul Revere house and Old North Church in the afternoon in November not really expecting much more than a ranger reading a few plaques as we walked by. I was completely blown away. The ranger who conducted our tour was animated and excited about his subject matter, he was knowledgeable about the area, and he was personable and passionate the entire time. From encouraging a shy youngster to help with his presentation to working the crowd like an experienced performer, he made my day. I’m a bit of an enthusiast, and I was already well informed about the historical events discussed, but the rangers did a superb job of breathing new life into the old buildings. I highly recommend the tour to anyone and everyone. Great job all around.

Meh …
(skip the food, that’s for certain)

Definitely a great place to come visit to learn more about the U.S. Navy. We made it just in time for the U.S.S Constitution tour and I loved it! I learned so many things about this great ship and our tour guide was VERY informative and possessed a great charismatic personality that was very engaging. I wished I caught his name.
I’m glad that I made sure my friends knew I wanted to explore this piece of history because it was one of the stop highlights of the Freedom trail. I wished we had more time though. I will definitely be back here the next time I’m in Boston to take the tour again and to visit the other ship and the museum! A must do in Boston!

Fantastic park to visit! There are 2 ships that you can board and receive a free tour (donations welcome). We toured the USS Constitution which was awesome, but missed the tour for the USS Cassin Young. Great photo opportunities at this park. There is also a museum on the property which is free to enter. Another plus of the park are multiple clean restrooms.

This place has it all! After you visit the Constitution, make sure to visit the museum and take the kids! It has all sorts of hands on activities and a neat gift shop loaded with all sorts of memorabilia and touristy things. Then take a walk around this old historic Navy Yard and you will see buildings that date back to WW II and history at your fingertips. You can even tour the old Destroyer here. We visited here for Sail Boston and the park is closed off to cars so you don’t have to worry about dodging traffic. The Park Rangers are helpful and the Navy is still active here. This is a treat for kids of all ages!

This ship was built around 1800-​ish and is the oldest ship that still sails! We spent a long time talking with the Navy man who gave the tour, and exploring the ship. This was one of our first 6 Navy vessels created by G. Washington to protect us from pirates. Since it was made of old growth timber, canonballs actually bounced off it, thus the nickname «Old Ironsides». Talk about some history, this town is full of it.
Then we headed across the pier to the Cassin Young destroyer, circa 1940s-​ish. This ship was in WW2, and got hit twice by Kamizazes but didn’t sink. It was named after a Navy guy who saved a whole crew at the Pearl Harbor attack. I could almost feel the spirit of the crew as we walked around the various levels of the ship.
Great way to spend a day, then head into the city for some nightlife. Definite «must see» for any visitors to the area.

Dang, I totally didn’t know about this until after my trip, so hope others can benefit from this tip.
Check out Carrie R. & Jocelyn G. reviews!
I got to do the USS Constitution tour, but missed the USS Cassin Young tour. I enjoyed the USS Cassin Young boat better because you can see more things on the ship.
I didn’t know about the FREE Freedom Trail 90-​min ranger lead walk until seeing the website. Well, hope others can attend & review it.
I hope to go back to Boston to do it better.
Website:

Two attractions can be found at the Charlestown Navy Yard:
USS Constitution — boarding Old Ironsides was very interesting and I recommend it to anyone! Since your tour will be given by a Navy sailor, I imagine it will vary with each individual guide. Our guide was clearly very proud to be serving aboard this ship, an attitude which boosted our enjoyment of his tour.
(P.S. The amount of security present was a bit disheartening. As with most «heightened» security measures, I found it to be more fear-​inducing to the general public than deterrent to potential evil-​doers.)
USS Cassin Young — I didn’t expect much from this tour. I was never one of those kids who knew all about every single WWII battle and could discuss the strengths and weaknesses of every single WWII plane and boat. But I am so glad I took the time to see this destroyer. Absolutely fascinating. Eerie and spooky and fascinating! In my opinion, it was even more interesting than the Constitution.
Both are MUST SEES when you’re in the area. The best part? Admission is free.

Consisting of two locations, one at the Charlestown Navy Yard and the other at 15 State Street, the National Park provides tours, lectures, exhibits, and demonstrations (Musket firing in the summer!) for people to partake in for free.
You can wander around the USS Cassin Young (A WWII Destroyer), climb up the 293 steps to the top of Bunker Hill Monument (When it is open), listen to an oration in the Hall, or take a tour of part of the Freedom Trail with a Ranger.
Great for kids, adults, seniors, students, locals, and tourists alike!