Close Icon
Gear IconImportant Notice:We have made the tough decision to say goodbye to the Foursquare City Guide mobile app, effective December 15, 2024, with the web version to follow in early 2025. Visit our FAQ for more information or to download our Swarm app.
Learn more
IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour)
2nd Harrison Gray Otis Home is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

1. 2nd Harrison Gray Otis Home

85 Mount Vernon (Willow Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · No tips or reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Otis was the 3rd Boston mayor and a US Senator. Home was built in 1802. Scenes from 1968 Thomas Crowne Affair were filmed here. Last freestanding mansion in Beacon Hill. More info in our blog.<LINK> Read more.

Ally McBeal Offices (Cage & Fish) is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

2. Ally McBeal Offices (Cage & Fish)

14 Beacon St (Bowdoin Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 3 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Currently the Congregational Library and Archives are housed here. Most people recognize this building as the former office of Ally McBeal on the 7th floor. More info on this site via our blog Read more.

Beacon Hill is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

3. Beacon Hill

Boston, MA
Neighborhood · 16 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Area known for preservation of 19th century w/gas lit lamps & window boxes. In 1634 a warning beacon was located atop a hill by MA State House which gave area its name. Full history in blog. <LINK> Read more.

Blonde Witch of Lime Street is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

4. Blonde Witch of Lime Street

10 Lime St (River Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: In the spring of 1923 this private residence was the home to one of the most debated psychic research projects ever when the "Blonde Witch of Lime Street" captivated the city. More info via our blog. Read more.

Boston Athenaeum is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

5. Boston Athenaeum

9.3
10 1/2 Beacon St (at Park St), Boston, MA
Library · Beacon Hill · 14 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: 1 of 16 libraries in US that require membership. Inside resides a book by convicted killer James Allen (aka The Highway Man) who had his life's tale bound in his own skin. More info via blog.<LINK> Read more.

Charles Street Meeting House is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

6. Charles Street Meeting House

70 Charles St (Mount Vernon Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: 1804 building by Asher Benjamin. Mtg houses in Colonial times meant church as this formerly was. In 1920 bldg had to be moved 10' west to allow for widening of Charles St. More info in blog. <LINK> Read more.

Charles Sumner Birthplace is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

7. Charles Sumner Birthplace

58 Irving St (at Revere St), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: US Democratic Senator from 1851-74. Statue of him stands in Public Garden. In 1856 was nearly beaten to death on US Senate floor while onlooking senators held at bay via gun point. More info in blog. Read more.

Cheers is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

8. Cheers

8.2
84 Beacon St, Boston, MA
Bar · Beacon Hill · 140 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Originally known as Bull & Finch Pub in honor of Boston architect Charles Bulfinch. TV show almost based in Kansas City or Barstow, CA. Cliff actually auditioned to play Norm! More info in blog.<LINK> Read more.

Church of the Advent is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

9. Church of the Advent

30 Brimmer St (Mount Vernon), Boston, MA
Church · Beacon Hill · 3 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Church completed in 1888. Designed by local architect John Hubbard Sturgis in Early English Gothic style, AKA the Lancet style (as demonstrated via the "lancet" like windows). More info in blog.<LINK> Read more.

Hidden House is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

10. Hidden House

74 Pinckney St (Anderson Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Name as confirmed by buzzer outside front door (Note: This is private residence). Homes such as this w/no street frontage were not uncommon in late 18th & early 19th century. More info via blog.<LINK> Read more.

Home of the Inventor of the Golf Tee is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

11. Home of the Inventor of the Golf Tee

108 Charles St (Pinckney Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: From 1890-1910 Dr. George Franklin Grant lived here. Grant was a dentist & the 1st African American professor at Harvard University. Credited as the inventor of the wooden tee. More info in blog<LINK> Read more.

House of Odd Windows is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

12. House of Odd Windows

24 Pinckney St, Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Interesting 2-story brick home in which no two windows are the same size/shape. William Ralph Emerson (Ralph Waldo Emerson’s nephew) designed this unique home in 1885. More info avail via our blog. Read more.

Lewis Hayden House is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

13. Lewis Hayden House

66 Phillips St (Grove Street), Boston, MA
Arts and Entertainment · Beacon Hill · 2 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Former stop along underground railway for slaves. Hayden reportedly kept 2 kegs of gunpowder outside front door & threatened to blow it up when owners came to claim slaves. More info via blog.<LINK> Read more.

Louisburg Square is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

14. Louisburg Square

8.7
1 Louisburg Sq, Boston, MA
Plaza · Beacon Hill · 7 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Boston's last private square. Home of John Kerry & Teresa Heinz. Named for 1745 Battle of Louisbourg. Most homes date to 1835. Louisa May Alcott passed away at #10. More info via blog. <LINK> Read more.

Massachusetts State House is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

15. Massachusetts State House

1 Ashburton Pl, Boston, MA
Capitol Building · Beacon Hill · 51 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Built 1798 as replacement of Old State House on Washington St. Where all distances in Boston measured from. Dome covered in 23.5 carrot gold leaf. Dome painted black during WWII. More info in our blog Read more.

Middleton-Glapion House is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

16. Middleton-Glapion House

5-7 Pinckney St, Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Gray clapboard built in 1791. Oldest home built by African Americans on Beacon Hill. Named for 2 former residents. Glapion was barber; Middleton veteran of Revolutionary War. More info via blog.<LINK> Read more.

Acorn Street is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

17. Acorn Street

Acorn St (West Cedar St), Boston, MA
Road · Beacon Hill · 8 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Most Photographed Street in America. Cobblestone alley that is 2 cows wide (as regulated in 19th century). 1820s homes served as servant quarters for homes on Chestnut St. More info in blog.<LINK> Read more.

Museum of African American History is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

18. Museum of African American History

8.5
46 Joy St (Smith Court), Boston, MA
History Museum · Beacon Hill · 13 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Home of 1.6 mile Black Heritage Trail connecting 14 sites across Boston & celebrating pursuit of freedom by blacks in America. Site was 1st public school for black children. More info in blog. <LINK> Read more.

Rollins Place is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

19. Rollins Place

25-29 Revere St (Garden St), Boston, MA
Sculpture Garden · Beacon Hill · 3 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: The stately two-story white Greek Revival building with 2 fluted columns is actually a 3D painting to cover a brick wall at end of alley. Painting dates to 1970s. More info via blog. <LINK> Read more.

MTV Real World Boston House is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

20. MTV Real World Boston House

127 Mount Vernon St, Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 3 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Former fire house, best known as home of 6th season of MTV's Real World. Also served as temporary home for TV series Spenser for Hire and was in a horrific Martin Lawrence film. More info in our blog Read more.

Saving Private Ryan Tribute is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

21. Saving Private Ryan Tribute

110 Charles St (Pinckney Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Outside is plaque to John Albion Andrew. In 1864 he wrote to cousin Abraham Lincoln about mother who lost 5 children in war. You know this letter via Saving Private Ryan. More info in blog. <LINK> Read more.

Robert Gould Shaw Memorial is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

22. Robert Gould Shaw Memorial

Beacon St (at Park St), Boston, MA
Memorial Site · Beacon Hill · 6 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Designed by Augustus Saint-Gaudens whom spent 14 year in its creation. Shaw's tale is best told via the 1989 film "Glory." Gaudens used 40 men to model for this work. More info available via our blog Read more.

Site of Boston Strangler's Final Victim is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

23. Site of Boston Strangler's Final Victim

44A Charles St, Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Jan. 4, 1964, 19-yr-old Mary Sullivan was found dead in the bed of her apartment at 44A Charles St. Sullivan was the 13th (and final) victim attributed to the Boston Strangler. More info via our blog Read more.

Site of Boston Strangler's 4th Victim is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

24. Site of Boston Strangler's 4th Victim

7 Grove St (Cambridge Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: On 8/19/1962 within a 5th floor apartment, 75-yr-old Ida Irga was murdered by the Boston Strangler. Ida was a shy widow who begged DeSalvo inside after initially shunning him. More info in blog.<LINK> Read more.

Smith Court is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

25. Smith Court

Smith Court (Joy Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: During late 18th century contained strong community of free blacks. African Meeting House at end of alley on left is oldest standing Black Church in US dating to 1806. More info in blog. <LINK> Read more.

Somerset Club is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

26. Somerset Club

6.9
48 Beacon St, Boston, MA
Speakeasy · Beacon Hill · 2 tips and reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: 3-story bow-fronted granite building designed by same designer of Quincy Market (Alexander Paris). Rt bow front from 1819. Left from 1832. Home of private club, Somerset Club. More info via blog<LINK> Read more.

Sunflower House is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

27. Sunflower House

130 Mount Vernon St (River Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Known by locals as the Sunflower House or Sunflower Castle. 1840 home transformed into colorful residence in 1878. Red English patterned tile is from Akron, OH. More info avail via our blog. Read more.

Swan House Stables is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

28. Swan House Stables

50-60 Mount Vernon St (Walnut Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · 1 tip

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Former stables to Swan Houses on Chestnut St (13-17). Buildings are limited to a maximum height of thirteen feet as per their original deed. Currently private residences. More info via blog. <LINK> Read more.

Swan Houses is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

29. Swan Houses

13-17 Chestnut St (Walnut Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · No tips or reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Homes at 13, 15, 17 Chestnut St are considered some of the best works by architect Charles Bulfinch. Not bad for a man who also designed the MA State House & U.S. Capitol. More info in our blog.<LINK> Read more.

Swan Houses is one of IWalked Boston's Beacon Hill (Self-guided tour).

30. Swan Houses

13-17 Chestnut St (Walnut Street), Boston, MA
Historic and Protected Site · Beacon Hill · No tips or reviews

IWalked Audio ToursIWalked Audio Tours: Learn more about the best buildings of the famed architect of these buildings (Charles Bulfinch) via our Bulfinch-centric blog. <LINK> Read more.