Faneuil Hall

Lonely Planet review

Faneuil Hall - a brick colonial building topped with the beloved grasshopper weather vane - was constructed as a market and public meeting place in 1740, at the urging of Boston benefactor and merchant Peter Faneuil. In 1805, Charles Bulfinch enlarged the building and enclosed the 1st-floor market, designing the 2nd-floor meeting space that's here today.

Although the hall was supposed to be exclusively for local issues, the Sons of Liberty called many meetings here, informing public opinion about their objections to British taxation without representation, thus earning Faneuil Hall its nickname, the 'Cradle of Liberty.' In December of 1773, meetings concerning the controversial consignment of tea that had recently arrived in Boston Harbor were drawing so many townspeople that they had to move to the larger Old South Meeting House .

Public meetings and ceremonies are still held on the 2nd floor. It's normally open to the public, who can hear about the building's history from NPS rangers. On the 3rd floor, the Ancient & Honorable Artillery Co of Massachusetts (617-227-1638; ; 09:00 - 15:30 ), which was chartered in 1638, maintains a peculiar collection of antique firearms, political mementos and curious artifacts.