Beacon Hill is the Boston of postcards: steep, narrow streets of red-brick row houses with black shutters, window boxes, gas lamps and brick sidewalks, rising behind the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House. Most of it was built between the 1790s and the 1850s, and strict rules on preservation have kept it looking much as it did then. It is still a residential neighborhood, one of the most expensive in the city.
The streets to walk
- Acorn Street: a short, steep lane paved with rough cobblestones, lined with small houses once home to coachmen and servants of the grand houses nearby. It is often called the most photographed street in the city. Walk carefully: the stones are uneven and slippery when wet.
- Louisburg Square: a private square of grand townhouses around a small fenced garden, among the most exclusive addresses in Boston. Louisa May Alcott lived here.
- Mount Vernon Street: wide and grand, with some of the hill's finest houses.
- Chestnut Street: elegant doorways and ironwork.
- Charles Street: at the bottom of the hill, the neighborhood's main street, with antique shops, boutiques, cafés and restaurants.
The State House
Designed by Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798, the Massachusetts State House sits at the top of the hill facing Boston Common. Its dome was first covered in copper by Paul Revere's company and later gilded. Free tours of the interior are offered on weekdays, showing the House and Senate chambers and the Sacred Cod, a carved wooden fish that has hung in the House chamber since the eighteenth century.
The Black Heritage Trail
In the nineteenth century, the north slope of Beacon Hill was home to much of Boston's free Black community, and a center of the anti-slavery movement. The Black Heritage Trail, about a mile and a half long, links fourteen sites. They include the African Meeting House, built in 1806 and the oldest surviving Black church building in the country, where abolitionists spoke; the Abiel Smith School, the first public school for Black children; and homes that sheltered people escaping slavery on the Underground Railroad. The Museum of African American History runs the meeting house and the school, and rangers lead walking tours in season.
A walking route
Start at the State House, walk west along Mount Vernon Street to Louisburg Square, drop down to Acorn Street, then continue to Charles Street for lunch or coffee. Return up the hill via Pinckney Street and follow the Black Heritage Trail across the north slope. Allow about two hours with stops.
Practical tips
- Wear sturdy shoes: the hills are steep and the brick sidewalks uneven.
- This is a residential neighborhood: keep noise down, and do not sit on doorsteps.
- Charles/MGH station on the Red Line is at the bottom of the hill, and Park Street is beside the Common.
- A few small hotels and inns stand on and around the hill; see where to stay in Boston.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Acorn Street?
Between West Cedar Street and Willow Street, a short walk from Charles Street.
Is Beacon Hill on the Freedom Trail?
The State House and Park Street Church, on its edge, are. The rest of the hill is a short detour from the Freedom Trail.
When is Beacon Hill most beautiful?
In the fall, with colored leaves against the brick, and in December, when wreaths and lights decorate the doors.