I am a history buff and know what went on here very well. Took the ride anyway as my teenager wanted to. This was my third visit to the area and I wish I had done the tour on the first visit. Like other reviewers said, do the tour, see where everything is and then go back to the spots you want to see. Lexington and Minute Man Park can have very heavy traffic and it would have been so much easier for me to know where everything was before I attempted to drive the area. On my first visit, I could not even park at the Old North Bridge as all the lots were full till after 5 pm. Nice to know the tour allows a quick stop there. Hint: visit the bridge after dinner for a nice evening walk. The lady giving the tour was good, painted a vivid picture of the events that unfolded here.
You learn a lot on this ride and the narrator is very knowledgeable and fun. It's pretty cool to see the spots where our country's fight for independence started.
This 1.5 hr tour of the Lexington/Concord area should be your first stop of the day. Although you can get on and off the tour bus, you can't get back on until the next bus returns 1.5 hours later. Take the tour to get an overview and then drive back to the places you want to visit. Our guide, Ian, was a theater student and did a wonderful job of bringing the area history to life with sound effects and voices throughout the tour. He started with a dramatic re-enactment of the battle at Lexington Green and continued as our trolley passed by various points of interest. The bus took a 20 minute stop at North Bridge where the first shot was fired. When the tour was over, we moved our car to another spot (maximum time is 2 hours in spaces lining the street, as well as meters) as we explored a little more of Lexington on foot. We left and headed back towards Concord to stop at the sites that we passed on the tour, but had chosen to stay on the trolley. There is a parking lot available at no charge with a pass from the ticket seller (who is inside the information center).
Our tour guide spoke very fast . It was just a lot of info quickly and somewhat hard to understand if you are not from this area with a Boston accent. It would have been nice to get off the trolley more instead of a full 90 min lecture. It is not very affordable either.
I recommend this excursion. It is a great overview. Sweet older lady was our narrator. Do not sit in back of bus it is hot and sets cushions move and you slide around If you have an go boston pass expect to be treated like a red headed step child by the rude women in the visitor center selling tickets. Take the liberty ride and then go back to some of the sights for more in depth tours. Very educational.
Visiting the birthplaces of American revolution (Minutemen vs Redcoats) and 19th century intellectuals was amazing experience. Our tour guide was Sandy and she was great storyteller and very informative. After 90 minutes trolley tour, we drove around very scenic and many historical sites include my favorite author's house, Louse May Alcott (Orchard House). Also I highly recommend to watch 20 Min video @ Minute man visitor center.
This was a great tour of the Lexington / Concord areas! Our tour guide, June, made the excursion very interesting and extremely informative! She obviously loves what she does and knows her history! My husband is the history buff in the family but I also enjoyed every minute to the fullest. Would highly recommend this tour!
I had read other reviews that suggested we take the tour first then go back to the sites we wanted to visit more in depth. We were there for just a day and the tour provided us with a wealth of information and we did go back to a few sites but not as many as we would have liked because of time constraints.The tour started in Lexington aboard a trolley outside the Lexington visitor center (not the Minuteman visitor center). The tour guide provided a lot of info about the town and its inhabitants and how the battle personally effected different people and families. We did have an opportunity to get out and walk to the North Bridge where there were guides in historical dress. You can disembark from the trolley at certain stops eg. Minuteman visitor center but the next trolley won't be around for 90 min.The tour also went by the homes of Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne.When you purchase your tickets you are given a coupon book for local businesses. The Parking lot next to the visitor center costs $2.00 but is reimbursed if you tell the Liberty Tour cashier. She'll give you a green card to turn in at he parking gate
I took my 12 and 13 year old kids on this tour and we all LOVED it. The tour guide was very detailed with the historical facts, and delivered the story of the first night of the Revolution in an engaging way that brought it back to life. I would highly recommend this tour to ANYONE (worth the $). Make sure you have a car so you drive back through the tour to catch the musket demonstration at the Hartwell House and the Minute Man museum and film. We also spent a few hours in Concord (eat at the Colonial Inn) following the the tour as well. Highly recommended; we will certainly return for another round!
I was in the Boston area for a boring work-related conference, and found myself with a day to explore the area. This is THE thing to do if you want to get a meaningful and informative overview of the rich history of this special area. From the "first shot heard around the world" to the Transcendentalist Row and "Orchard House" (familiar to all girl readers everywhere as the home of Little Women), the Liberty Ride Trolley tour is well worth the time and ticket price. Take some time when you buy your ticket to explore the well-done visitors center. Wish we got our tour guide's name - she did an awesome job of sharing the story of the Minutemen, Paul Revere and that fateful night in April 1775 when a group of rag-tag militia men took on the dominant power of the globe. The tour was just the right length - folks can get off and on as they wish, and the walk to the North Bridge was especially enjoyable on a sunny, fall New England afternoon. Don't be put off by the ticket price of the trolley. We loved our coupon book which got us discounts on lunch, gifts and other treats in charming downtown Lexington.