Discover Boston’s oldest burying grounds on a 1.5-hour walking tour revealing Puritan customs, gravestone art, and burial traditions. Unearth stories from the city’s past on this one-of-a-kind experience.
More ways to explore the area's outdoor wonders
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Difficulty
easy
Duration
1.5 hours
Fitness Level
Suitable for most fitness levels given the gentle walking pace and short duration
Wildlife
History
Boston’s burying grounds date back to the 1600s and serve as resting places for many prominent colonial figures.
Conservation
Local organizations work to preserve these historic sites through careful maintenance and community education.
Boston By Foot
Discover Boston’s oldest burying grounds on a 1.5-hour walking tour revealing Puritan customs, gravestone art, and burial traditions. Unearth stories from the city’s past on this one-of-a-kind experience.
Boston By Foot presents guided walking tours across Boston’s most iconic neighborhoods and hidden corners. The organization offers a diverse calendar of small-group, interpretive walks that interpret local architecture, social history, and urban change. Tours range from neighborhood explorations—Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Fort Point and Seaport, East Boston—to thematic programs on Art Deco design, the Gilded Age, and literary and revolutionary-era stories.
Many tours run about 1.5 hours and focus on primary sources, built environment, and human stories. Highlights include an in-depth look at the Back Bay land reclamation and Victorian townhouses; a Fort Point and Seaport walk tracing industrial waterfront change; a Beacon Hill series that covers dramatic social history and seasonal Boo! tours; and specialized walks such as Johnny Tremain’s Colonial route and a Black Voices program centering nineteenth‑century writers.
Guides prioritize historical accuracy, site-based interpretation, and respectful treatment of difficult subjects. Public programs accommodate adults, families, and students and are suitable for visitors seeking cultural context and local insight. The organization’s tours serve as an accessible introduction to Boston’s layered past, from Indigenous Shawmut Peninsula history through immigration, reform movements, and urban redevelopment. For travelers and residents alike, these guided walks offer structured storytelling, architectural observation, and connections between past and present.
Tours are updated regularly to reflect new research and changing city landscapes. Interpretive materials and route notes emphasize primary sources, archival research, and on-site evidence to give visitors a grounded, evidence-based experience. Many guides are local historians and long-term residents who know the neighborhoods intimately.
Neighborhoods Covered
Back Bay • Beacon Hill • Seaport • East Boston
Historic neighborhoods and hidden corners
Typical Duration
1.5 hours
Many guided walks last 90 minutes
Tours Listed
11 tours
Wide range of neighborhood and thematic walks
Historical Range
12,000 years–Gilded Age
From Indigenous Shawmut to 19th-century reform
Select a neighborhood or theme and secure a spot on a guided, research-based walk.
Wear Comfortable Walking Shoes
The tour covers uneven cemetery grounds and city sidewalks, so sturdy, comfortable shoes are recommended.
Bring a Water Bottle
Stay hydrated during your 1.5-hour tour, especially during warmer months.
Respect Quiet Zones
Maintain a respectful tone in the burying grounds to honor the historic sites and visitors.
Arrive Early to Secure Seating
Arriving a few minutes early ensures you get a good spot for the tour in case of limited group size.
Comfortable walking shoes
Provides support and ease during the walking tour over varied terrain.
Water bottle
Helps keep you hydrated during warmer weather tours.
summer
Light rain jacket
Useful for unexpected spring showers to stay dry and comfortable.
spring
Warm layers
Necessary for staying warm during colder months when touring the outdoor sites.
winter