Last week I had the pleasure of taking my first tour with Hub Town Tours! I haven't always been interested in history...it was a class I tried to avoid in school, but a friend suggested I give this one a try and I'm glad he did! I've lived in the Boston area most of my life and I don't know much about the history of my own city. Ted was my tour guide on that cold Wednesday 9 days ago and he was fabulous! I expected to walk the city and hear basic facts about places, but Ted was telling a story. The story was about James Otis Jr., who I had never heard of, but by the end of the tour, I knew quite a bit about him. The story took us to various sections of downtown Boston, where Ted pointed out landmarks related to the story he was telling. He asked questions, we asked questions...everyone was engaged in the conversation, and others that took the tour with us were nice as well. The tour we walked gave us Chapter 1 of a longer overarching story and I can't wait to go back for Chapter 2. If you're ever in the Boston area, looking for something to do, or even if you live in the city and you've got a free hour, I highly recommend Hub Town Tours. read more

Wow! This tour was amazing! Our guide led us on his Paul Revere tour. He was very knowledgeable and a lot of fun! He made the history of Boston alive and real as he shared the stories. He has background schooling and previous experience to add to his credibility. He answered all of our questions with great historical clarity. He made the tour interesting for our family group - our youngest is nine years old. This tour took us a little off the Freedom Trail, through a few back alleys to see some of the original cobblestones of Old Boston. He gave some great recommendations for places to eat (Maria's Pastry, for cannolil's - just off the Freedom Trail, beyond the New Green, where the old I93 used to run and others). We met our guide near Fannuil Hall. and off we went!!! He has three different tours and I would highly recommend any of these tours! Our tour enhanced our visit to Boston and the Freedom Trail!!!! read more

This tour is for history laymen and experts alike! Each tour lasts about an hour and will hold your attention throughout. Walking through historic Boston with Hub Town Tours was one of the highlights of our vacation to Boston. The tour guide, Ted, brought the history of the area alive. Ted is an excellent story teller and you can tell he cares about the stories he tells. We started our tour from Faneuil Hall Marketplace, where Ted began telling us the story of James Otis, one of the unsung heroes of the Revolutionary War. We then walked through much of Boston's original town center, which was a surprisingly short walk. Throughout our tour, Ted continued to weave an intricate story about the different characters of the Revolutionary War, giving us antagonists and protagonists to hold on to. This really helped bring the history to life. I highly recommend this tour! read more

I would definitely recommend a tour with Ted, he's equal parts knowledge and charisma. Ted must be one of those people who enjoys reading history books - he knows his stuff and wasn't slowed down by our sometimes off topic questions. I think my favorite part of the tour was Ted's storytelling. He's passionate about Boston history and sharing it. My coworkers and I decided a Boston history tour would be interesting team building. As a Boston based company, we had varying Boston knowledge. I'd say no matter your level of knowledge you're going to learn a lot and not get lost along the way. For visual learners like myself, he carried some visual aids (like portraits of the leading characters and historical maps) to paint a more vivid picture. That James Otis Jr. is a force. I'd recommend that tour, but I'm sure his others are worthy of a look. read more

Our family of four was lucky enough to book a private tour with Ted on our weekend trip to Boston. We have two teenage boys (ages 13 and 15) and between them and my husband, we are a tough audience. Ted was without a doubt the best tour guide we have had on any trip. He was energetic, knowledgeable, conscientious, and considerate. He did a fantastic job making the historical facts come to life with fantastic narration and attention to location. In addition, he was always thoughtful of our comfort level, finding us places out of the wind, without too much noise, a place to sit for a brief moment or a spot of sun. The tour was definitely the highlight of the trip. If the private tour is in your budget, don't hesitate. Certainly prioritize this tour over any of the "hop on and off" style tours. They don't hold a candle. read more

As a long time New Englander I have been on many a Freedom Trail tour with out of town friends and relatives. In the past I have done the larger tours with the usual guide wearing a Tricorn hat. At this point I could probably tell you how many bricks are used to mark the trail itself. So I looked for something different this time and I booked a Hub town Tours excursion and it was a wonderful surprise! Our terrific guide, Gianna, not only told us about all the usual cast of characters, but she had many fascinating details and insights into the people and history that you never hear about. And all of it was delivered so well to our small group, that the 2 1/2 hours was done before we knew it! Highly recommended! read more

I can't say enough fantastic things about Ted and his tour. We had a private, all day tour, with him and he brought the lead up to the Revolutionary War and the War itself to life with his historical knowledge and story telling ability. He kept our entire family engaged for an entire day walking throughout Boston. His incredible recollection of detail and true passion for what he's explaining to us made it so enjoyable to learn from him. He is personable, funny, and filled with knowledge about US history. We highly recommend him to anyone looking for a tour of the Freedom Trail and Boston. He absolutely exceeded our expectations and it was one of the best private tours we have ever had!!! read more

Who was James Otis? If you love a really great story, this is the tour for you! In the one hour we were with our tour guide Ted, we were transported to pre-Revolutionary War Boston, to a time when a young James Otis would incite the colonists to fight for their rights. It was a rainy afternoon, but Ted found every alcove and awning. I can't remember the last time we had so much fun. When we weren't ducking the raindrops, Ted was unraveling the mystery of how James Otis, a major figure in his day, was relegated to a bit player in the annals of history. If you want to find an activity for the whole family, this is it. I can promise you won't be disappointed. read more

I am not from Boston, and what I know about the city's history comes from high school and watching John Adams on TV. This tour was great! Ted, the guide, tells the story of Boston through some of its most famous, and most obscure, players. The human aspect of this tour, combined with the guide's sense of humor and knowledge, definitely made this a worthwhile experience! I also have to say that the guide seemed to know everything about Boston and the time period. As we would walk in-between stops, Ted would often share "fun facts" about the city, its urban planning, and the architecture. I would highly recommend taking an hour and joining one of these tours! read more

"On a recent visit to Boston we took the James Otis Jr, HubTown Tour. Even a cold, rainy day did not dampen this guide's enthusiasm for his subject. If you really love the 'story' behind history, you enjoy knowing the people who lived it, 'warts and all'. The guide, Ted gave insight into colonial Boston's personalities, from the motivations behind scary & powerful mobs, to the various ambitions of rich & privileged men controlling Boston's destiny. He delivered a fascinating portrayal of the angry times of James Otis Jr, and what it must have felt like to live on the brink of a Revolution. I highly recommend this enjoyable tour. " read more

I took a few visiting friends on the historical tour of Paul Revere and it ended up being one of the best moments that they had in Boston. Our tour guide, Ted, sparred nothing from the lively story. The tour was engaging not only for the deep knowledge of the history that Ted had but also the passion he had for sharing it. I have left other tours feeling that a lot of history was left out but with Hub Town Tours there was a perfect balance of enjoying the city while delving into its history. I would certainly recommend for families, entertaining guest, or for any lazy day afternoon when you want to learn something different. read more

Unlike many other freedom trail tours my tour guide, Ted, did not just tell me facts as he showed us along the freedom trail, rather he turned the tour into a story and took us along the story of the revolution. The tours focus on specific characters/individuals who influenced the revolution, and by telling the story of the freedom trail through the story of these characters the experience becomes much more interesting and engaging. I highly recommend the James Otis tour as he is a less well known character with an extremely interesting story who had a significant impact on the revolution. read more

The day I went it was cold and rainy and yet our tour guide, Ted, was able to keep the tour uplifting and fun. He had an infectious personality and was extremely helpful and knowledgable in answering all of the questions I had and also any other questions other people on the tour had. His way of approaching the tour was also different from the many other tours I've been on; instead of just telling us facts about the location he intertwined them into a story. I definitely recommend this tour for a quick history of Boston and the best part was that it didn't cost that much! read more

This tour was the perfect length (1 hour) at the perfect price point ($10)! I've lived in the Boston area my whole life, but chose Hub Town Tours while I was playing "tourist for a day" in my own city. I was really impressed by how much I learned about the city and its history in this one hour tour. Our guide, Ted, had a great way of weaving historical stories throughout the tour - which were both informative and entertaining. Highly recommend to both locals and anyone from out of town! This tour will give you some great history without taking up your whole afternoon! read more

This was a great tour! Ted is very knowledgeable about the history of the area and he tells great stories about the characters and places that are all part of the American Revolution. He includes very interesting details that you didn't read about in your school books and gives excellent and entertaining descriptions of the people who shaped our past. The tour lasted a little over an hour and, despite the cold spring weather, was a great experience and well worth enduring the chill. Highly recommend! read more

We had two days in Boston and are so glad we did this tour at the beginning of our trip to see the historical sites and learn the timeline that lead up to the Revolutionary War and how it started in Boston. Sarah was a fantastic guide, and really got us interested in learning about the people who shaped the sons of Liberty. We could tell how knowledgeable Sarah was and how much she loved teaching history and answering questions. We are so glad we did this tour at the beginning of our trip. read more

My wife and I were in town over the weekend and decided to book the 1 1/2 hour Freedom Trail tour and we were so glad that we did. It was so entertaining and informational and we loved it. Our guide Nick was excellent. He was very knowledgeable and structured the presentation in a way that it flowed perfectly. Nick was a terrific guide. For anyone interested in hearing a detailed account of the events that formed our country we would highly recommend Hub Town Tours. read more

had the best time! We where one adult one senior and one teenager with different knowledge of American history. We started our tour from the hotel and walked for 3 hours through the freedom trail. He was great at making the tour accessible for all three of us. He managed to simplify the tour without missing details. He was great at giving sitting stops and bathroom stops. Highly recommend taking the tour! It is great for any age above 10 and for the entire family! read more

We took the Freedom Trail tour August 8th, with Nick. He was a wonderful tour guide. He did a masterful job of weaving the sites and events into the overall historical perspective. He is one of the best tour guides we have ever had. A good measure of how well he did is our 12 and 14 year old kids enjoyed it as much as the parents did. I have studied the revolution a good bit, yet Nick taught me many details I didn't know. Great time. read more