Boston is a city rich in history, I think that is why so many people are drawn to visit it. I would say when I talk to people about east coast cities, Boston is the one that inspires the most excitement and anticipation. It is a city closely linked with the American Revolution, and one of the most important battles of that war was for Bunker Hill.
There are a lot of historical sites that you can visit in Boston, but I think Bunker Hill is one that is particularly important because of its key place in American History. I think anyone who has taken a class on American History will know the name Bunker Hill, since it was the first real battle of the Revolutionary War. What I like about visiting this place is that even though we lost that battle, we can still visit the monument and museum there today because ultimately we won the war. That makes it a pretty inspiring place to walk.
How to Get to Bunker Hill
You can get to Bunker Hill by following the Freedom Trail into the northern part of Boston, and that is probably how many people get there. On our trip we didn’t have enough time to do the whole Freedom Trail, so we actually came from the Charlestown Navy Yard. As I mentioned in our post on the USS Constitution we took a public ferry across the Boston Harbor from Long Wharf to get to the navy yard.
From the navy yard we walked up 5th street until we crossed under Highway 1, then we walked up Tremont street to get to Monument Square, where, of course, the Bunker Hill Monument is located. You won’t miss the monument as it is on top of a hill towering above everything else.
There are steps on all four sides of the hill that you can climb to get to the monument, or you can come up the ramp on the south side, which is what we did since we had a stroller with us. The museum is located just across the street to the southwest. Both the monument and the museum are free since they are part of the National Historic Park operated by the National Park Service.
What You Will See at Bunker Hill
The monument is the main attraction at Bunker Hill. It is an obelisk, so it looks a lot like the Washington Monument at the National Mall. And just like the Washington Monument I have not been inside the Bunker Hill monument either. This is because it was closed to visitors while we were there. We are not sure if this is related to the protest that was ending when we arrived there, but it might have been. If you can climb to the top of the monument when you visit you really should since it is suppose to have some amazing views of the city.
Even thought we could not go inside the monument we were able to walk around the adjoining lodge which has some statues and artwork in it. We were also able to walk around the monument grounds.
After we finished at the monument we visited the Bunker Hill Museum across the street. This museum is housed in an old branch library building, which was cool for me. There were a number of exhibits spread across three floors in the old building that all teach you more about the battle that took place here and its impact on the war.
Sum Up
Bunker Hill is a great place to visit. You can really feel the historical importance of the place as you walk around. While the monument itself is not accessible, you can get up to it via a ramp. The museum does have an elevator inside to get you to all the floors. There are public restrooms at the museum on the bottom floor.
