Location: Boston
Top Things to do in Boston
What to do and see in Boston, Massachusetts (MA): The Best Monuments & Statues
Walk the Freedom Trail the first time you visit Boston and you'll quickly get a sense of this coastal city's revolutionary spirit and history. But make sure you also explore some of Boston's fine museums (try the Isabella Stewart Gardner, featuring masterpieces displayed in their collector's mansion) and old neighborhoods (like the North End, Boston's Little Italy). You can't claim to have experienced real Boston culture, though, until you've watched a Red Sox game from the bleachers.
Restaurants in Boston
1. Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment Memorial
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 12 reviews
Reviewed By KimGTravels - Pacific Grove, United States
Located across the street from the State House on Beacon Hill, this moving high-relief bronze of Robert Gould Shaw and the 54th Regiment is mounted onto stone. Comprised of the first African-Americans to serve during the Civil War, a clause in Abraham Lincoln's 1863 Emancipation Proclamation made African-American volunteer regiments permissible. Fighting battles in South Carolina, 598 men returned to Boston of the 1,007 enlisted, taking part in the final ceremonies held on Boston Common. Taking nearly 14 years to its completion in 1884, Augustus Saint-Gaudens captured and honored the sacrifice of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment and their volunteer service. Colonel Shaw gallantly sits upon horseback, with three rows of his infantry boldly marching behind, representative of their journey down Beacon Street on May 28, 1863 toward battles in the South. Severely wounded in the battle at Fort Wagner, South Carolina, Sergeant William H. Carney rescued the regiment's flag from capture, becoming the first African-American to be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. Unfortunately, Colonel Shaw was killed, along with 74 enlisted men and 3 officers in that battle.
2. Dorchester Heights National Historic Site
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 27 reviews
A cannon placement on the monument's hill forced the British evacuation from Boston in 1776.
Reviewed By Southiebob - Boston, United States
Always a great place to visit year round... yes even in a snow storm. History behind it is fascinating to picture a group of colonists dragging canons to this place, setting them up, and watch the British decide to leave our harbor. A historic moment to witness the beginning of our freedom sends chills up my spine.
3. New England Holocaust Memorial
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,507 reviews
The six glass towers of this striking memorial serve to represent the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, six main Nazi death camps and the candles on a menorah.
Reviewed By Gonen2014 - Haifa, Israel
This is a monument in memory of the Jews murdered in the Holocaust. The monument includes six square glass towers that symbolize the six nillion Jews who perished in the Holocaust, and the six largest concentration camps. Under each glass tower there is a niche that symbolizes an extermination camp from which smoke is rising. On the boards around you can read about the history of the Holocaust along with things that Holocaust survivors said. A very emotional monument that brings teatrs to your eyes as you walk along it. This is a must visit for everyone!
4. Ether Monument
5. Bobby Orr Statue
6. Bunker Hill Monument
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,860 reviews
This 220-foot granite tower commemorates the Patriots' undaunted bravery in defeat at the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill.
Reviewed By suitlaw
I recommend starting at the beginning of the Freedom Trail and working your way here. While Bunker Hill is great by itself, it gives one a better understanding and appreciation of all the parts that led to this battle on Breed's Hill (yes, I said Breed's). Stop by the museum across the street first to explore and get tickets to climb the stairs up the middle of the monument. It's free but usually requires tickets. The monument is great from the outside and inside. Inside at the top gives you a great perspective of the surrounding area. Even today you can see how prominent the Old North Church is and why it was used as a beacon in 1775. By the way, if you're not keen on climbing stairs or heights, the trip is still worth it.
7. The Mapparium
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 900 reviews
Discover one of Boston’s hidden cultural treasures: The Mapparium! This world-famous, three-story immersive globe is one of the key attractions at the Christian Science Plaza and has been visited by more than 10 million people since it was constructed in 1935. While the map remains frozen in time, an LED-light and sound show invites visitors to contemplate how ideas continue to shape and re-shape our world.
Reviewed By Rahaal - Tampa, United States
Though the main attraction of the Mapparium is the walk through the the interior of the great glass globe, the building containing the globe is also worth exploring. It is full of Art Deco styled adornments within its classical atrium, one can easily spend time there waiting for the tour to begin. The Mapparium can only be explored as part of a tour, and photography is not allowed, but it is well worth doing the tour. Inside the globe one will see the countries of the world as they were known in the 1930's painted on glass panes which surround you in a 360 degree panorama. This unique structure also works like a whispering gallery, so one can hear and speak with others at the opposite in end despite speaking softly. This is a fantastic place to visit, I will not hesitate to explore it again when I return to Boston
8. Massachusetts Korean War Memorial
9. Samuel Eliot Morison Statue
10. Kevin Hagen White Statue
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