Make The Drive from Maine to Boston for The Freedom Trail

There are so many obvious reasons that validate the drive to Boston, Massachusetts from Maine. A Red Sox game, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, or a concert, etc. I just discovered another reason for the commute to Boston that is also revolutionary: The Freedom Trail.

There is Nothing Like The Freedom Trail in Boston

I'd like to think that I'm fairly well-traveled especially when it comes to visiting unique places of American history. It's hard to beat Washington D.C., but The Freedom Trail is formidable competition, and nothing is comparable to what it offers.

The drive from Bangor took 3.5 hours, and on a Sunday where there were two Red Sox games (doubleheader) taking place and a Bruins game the night before, parking was extremely easy at the Boston Common parking garage and also, shockingly affordable ($22).

One block away is the official start of The Freedom Trail at America's oldest public park, Boston Common. This area alone is full of history dating back to its establishment in 1634. Boston Comon offers so much for being just the starting point of a history-enriched 2.5-mile trail.

You can absolutely walk the trail yourself (and bring the dogs) and it's very easy to follow along the paralleled bricked line. Dogs are not allowed in a lot of the museums and cemeteries along the way, however, so keep that in mind and bring someone to swap and take turns if you go this route. We listened to the free National Park Service guided tour via their app. It is very detailed and valuable, but we ditched it halfway through. It was too much to try and focus on the narration with two excited dogs. We also wanted to enjoy the natural soundtrack of Boston since it was our first visit to Beantown.

There are several guided tour options that you can purchase in advance or inside Boston Common Park at the visitor center, and we 100% recommend the guided tour. We will be doing this next time and will definitely pick one where the guide gets into character.

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How Long Is The Freedom Trail and What Will You See?

We felt like we walked almost all over Boston. If you want to see Boston, this is it. Round trip with multiple stops, it took us approximately 3 enjoyable hours (and I sincerely mean enjoyable). There is so much to see! We stopped for pizza in North End. We felt the breeze on the water while staring at the USS Constitution. We watched a busker near the nation's longest-serving tavern. We stood next to John Hancock's tombstone.

Like I said, there is nothing comparable to The Freedom Trail. Our summarized advice: book the tour guide, definitely stop for Italian food and oysters, wear comfortable shoes, and be prepared to learn about how America became America and WHO was behind it. Scroll down to see more images from our experience!