Boston, MA, USA - August 5, 2021: View of multi colored houses in Charlestown, Boston. Charlestown is the oldest neighborhood in Boston. Charlestown has many places of historical interest, some of which are included along the northern end of Boston's Freedom Trail.

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Charlestown

The site of the original settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Charlestown is the terminus for the Freedom Trail. Many tourists tramp across these historic cobblestone sidewalks to admire the USS Constitution and climb to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument, which towers above the neighborhood.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Boston, Massachusetts, USA: Charlestown Navy Yard - USS Constitution - prow decoration - stars and stripes - wooden-hulled, three-masted heavy frigate - Boston National Historical Park - photo by M.Torres

    USS Constitution

    Charlestown

    ‘Her sides are made of iron!’ cried a crewman upon watching a shot bounce off the thick oak hull of the USS Constitution during the War of 1812. This bit…

  • Bunker Hill Monument

    Bunker Hill Monument

    Charlestown

    This 220ft granite obelisk monument commemorates the turning-point battle that was fought on the surrounding hillside on June 17, 1775. Ultimately, the…

  • Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, MA

    Charlestown Navy Yard

    Charlestown

    Besides the historic ships docked here and the museum dedicated to them, the Charlestown Navy Yard is a living monument to its own history of shipbuilding…

  • 040625-N-2568S-006 Boston, Mass. (June 25, 2004) -- Sarah Watkins, Curator for the Constitution Museum describes Constitution's rigging to Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England and British Ambassador Sir David Manning, during a tour of the museum. The Secretary and Ambassador also toured Constitution and Bunker Hill, and were honored guests at a recption aboard the British ship HMS Cornwall. The visit focused on the close tie between the U.S. and royal navies; a partnership that is a key element in the war on terrorism U.S. Navy photo by Chief Journalist Craig P. Strawser. (RELEASED) . .

    USS Constitution Museum

    Charlestown

    Head indoors to this museum for a play-by-play of the various battles of the USS Constitution, as well as its current role as the flagship of the US Navy…

  • USS Cassin Young

    USS Cassin Young

    Charlestown

    This 376ft WWII destroyer is one of 14 Fletcher-class destroyers built at the Charlestown Navy Yard. These were the Navy’s fastest, most versatile ships…

  • Bunker Hill Museum

    Bunker Hill Museum

    Charlestown

    Opposite the Bunker Hill Monument, this redbrick museum contains two floors of exhibits, including historical dioramas, a few artifacts and an impressive…

  • Great House Site

    Great House Site

    Charlestown

    Besides being an urban plaza, the aptly named City Sq is also an archaeological site. Big Dig construction to reroute I-93 unearthed the foundation of a…

  • John Harvard Mall

    John Harvard Mall

    Charlestown

    North of City Sq, this shady, brick plaza leads up Town Hill. Back in the days of the earliest European settlements, a fort crowned Town Hill, which you…

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