You'll learn how the underground operated and stop by the John J Smith House and you'll learn about his station on the underground railroad and the people he helped.
After hearing more about Harriet Tubman's life the tour takes you to 83 Phillips Street, the former home of John Sweat Rock and his many firsts in history.
You'll stop by the station master Lewis Hayden's home and hear the stories of how he bravely saved countless runaways at this home here in Beacon Hill.
Once home to Leonard Grime, a conductor on the underground railroad.
The Old Temperance Boarding House, a stop on the underground railroad.
The old Phillips School was once here, this was the first integrated school in Boston and also had the first African American teacher to teach at an integrated school.
The tour takes you past the historic Vilna Shul, the oldest immigrant synagogue in Boston, and tells the story of the Jewish Community that helped on the underground railroad.
This was once the house of John Coburn and his gaming house. And as you guessed it, John was a station master.
The tour stops by the abolitionist Charles Sumner's Birthplace.
As someone completely unfamiliar with Boston. I really appreciated this tour! The tour buses avoid any discussion of “that peculiar institution.” The information is insightful and informative.
This tour felt immersive and educational. It was the perfect amount of walking and it was pretty easy to follow the audio tour guides directions.
Unfortunately, didn’t get a chance to go this time but when we’re back in Boston, we’ll definitely check it out!! I was extremely pleased with how professional and kind my communications were with the company. They reached out every step of the way. We had plans to do the Underground Railroad in addition to the JFK library but the day quickly we got ahead of us and we weren’t able to do the railroad. My only disappointment was that the railroad excursion started a little late in the day. I had plans to do the railroad first since our tickets for the JFK Museum wasn’t until noon. Good luck with your business.
Information was excellent and enjoyable. Walking directions were difficult to follow. The transition from Dig Deeper back to the story line was often jumbled and difficult to manage. Enjoyed narration by variety of voices…moving and educational.
The walking tour was fantastic. The walking directions were easy to follow, the narration was good and the content was informative. Would strongly recommend!
This was super interesting and filled with a lot of history. A very immersive experience. The directions on where to stop and where to turn were very detailed and kept me from getting lost.
This self guided tour was so well laid out with the pictures and directions. I was thoroughly impressed. I hope to do many more self guided tours because it brings about a great sense of independence and self pacing.
The narrative of the places and the historical events was excellent. Don't know who the actors were who did the narration, but they did a great job. The app is easy enough to follow as the map feature does allow you to track your location. The only downsides: 1 - if there are several of you, you have to use the phone speaker if you don't have a bluetooth speaker, and in crowds it's rude to be playing. 2 - the map feature isn't the easiest to use and doesn't really 'track' you with the narrative. If there is street activity that causes you to move faster than you'd like - we experienced heavy road construction creating excessive noise, dust and traffic - you have to jump ahead using the narration feature of the app and that doesn't track against the gps. Otherwise, a great tool!
On Saturday, June 22, 2024, we took the Disney Railroad and Lilly Belle Guided Tour with “Non-stop Nic” as our guide. It was a gift from one of our Daughters for Father's Day and our 52nd Wedding Anniversary. Touring this 36”, narrow gauge rail system is always fun as each guide has a slightly different presentation of the railroad. Back in 2017 I had taken the tour and throughout the tour all of the guests had the same reception issue with the Disneyland provided sound system. That was kind of interesting. I told our guide I thought the problem was with her transmitter and the response, after she looked at it to see it was “On,” was something like “No, mine indicates it is transmitting.” When a system with one transmitter and 10 receivers has the same issue with every receiver common sense leads to …..? With Nic one guest was having an issue with her receiver and Nic solved it very quickly. The first step up from the previous tour, one working transmitter and ten working receivers. The tour has changed. This tour was two hours with much of it walking around Disneyland to points that are or were rail associated attractions or rides in the past and some very good narratives provided by Nic. One significant addition was a short walk behind the scenes to view the roundhouse, the train maintenance facility, from a distance and through a vision restricting gap in the berm. We were not allowed to cross the tracks so this is a “far off look” at the roundhouse. While we were standing there they did bring another train into service. That was kind of an add-on. You can see the roundhouse from the train so it is no secret. We were not allowed to take photos behind the scenes. Not sure why. I have photos of the roundhouse from the trains. Because of the ventilation issues with the Lilly Belle rides are limited to temperatures below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. The windows on the Lilly Belle are only opened about 6”. When we got there the temperature was 89.7 degrees so we rode the great circle route around Disneyland for one loop embarking and disembarking at the Toon Town Station. That raises a question from me, Why not START the tour on the Lilly Belle on hot days? There are several good books out on the Disneyland railroad. Check on books by Michael Broggie and Steve BeGaetano among others. Michael’s father, Roger, was the shop master that was instrumental in building locomotive #1 - C.K. Holliday and #2 E.P. Ripley. There is a second story window near the magic shop on Main Street honoring Roger. These two engines were built from the ground up in 1954 & 1955 for the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railway now Disneyland Railroad. Roger was also a principal player in the conversion of #3 - Fred Gurley, #4 - Ernest S. Marsh, and #5 - Ward Kimball to the Disneyland Railroad engines we see today. The Fred Gurley was built in 1894, the Ernest S. Marsh was built in 1925, and Ward Kimball was built in 1902. These three are all repurposed Baldwin steamers which have gone through numerous rebuilds and modifications over the years. I love Disneyland. However, I find it growing ever more expensive every year. It is a “for profit company” and it is allowed to make a profit. Some of the things that cost a lot at Disneyland are the numerous cast members keeping the park clean and operating. Many cast members are providing free admission shows and events such as the parades. All of the rides and attractions are free if you take the standby lines. I highly recommend purchasing Genie+ and using the Lightning Lane except on days when I am there. I wish they would add a tour of an engine and explanation of how the steam engine works, maybe in or nearer to the roundhouse then we were. Nic stated that it was a pretty simple process of heating water into steam and then putting it into the drive cylinders to operate a steam engine. Hmmm. Disagree. Yes, fuel – special biodiesel in this case, water, and ignition / heat are the key. From there it gets really complicated. The Disneyland Railroad Guided Tour is a super event, a bit costly and with the risk of having very limited time on the Lilly Belle, recommend a from mid-fall to late spring tour avoiding the summer heat limitation issues. Thanks, Rex
This is an amazing informative, tour of Beacon Hill. I have done many tours of Boston and this was one of the best. So easy to follow and nice that you can do it at your own place. Would highly recommend it! Power
I wasn’t expecting much on the self guided tour but this was really good, ngl better than some guided tours I had - price wasn’t the only pro of this trip. I went after dark and it really added extra ambiance for me along with the tour’s structural build up. Would recommend and on the way back I stopped to see the acorn street as well.
Never received emails telling me which apps to download, was sent several confirmation and experience codes to use, none of which activated the tour, tried to get this to work over the phone on a street corner in 30 degree weather and couldn't get it to work and still waiting on a refund. Take the NPS.gov free tour.
Very informative! Lots of helpful directions and details. Option to pause, go back, etc was very helpful. Enjoyed our time and was definitely worth the money!
Easy to use app with clear directions and loads of information. Took us to places we would not have thought of or found otherwise.
Being able to see where the railroad operated was invaluable. Loved the feature to dive deeper into the people
The tour was really great. Very informative. Make sure u wear comfortable shoes. I really enjoyed it.
I thought this was phenomenal! As a resident of the neighborhood it gave me a new perspective on the homes and history around me. Well worth the time!
Well done! It was well narrated, well informed, a lot of walking, but an incredible job explaining how hard it must have been to get the slaves to safety.
Lost our way and couldn't get back on the correct route. Tried several times to rewind the tour narration.
We were so glad that we took this tour. Very clear instructions and wonderfully dramatized. We ended up taking the tour at night because it fit our schedules but really added to the experience as well. We’ve already recommended to a few tourists we met and will continue to do so.
We loved that the tour was self guided. She does a great job describing where to go for each stop. I never would’ve known the history that was right in front of me had I not followed this tour. Highly recommended!
Be sure to bring water and snacks. Take the weather into account. There are hills to walk up. But overall it was interesting. Informative. And we enjoyed it.
This was my second WalknTour in Boston and I loved it as much as the first one. Very interesting historical information told by a great storyteller. Beacon Hill is a beautiful area and I never would have known its role in the Underground Railroad without taking this tour. I did notice several other people with guide books walking the neighborhood. While they were looking down and reading, I was looking all around all and enjoying the sights while I had the story told to me. Would highly recommend.
This is MUST DO for ALL people!!!! It was humbling walking the steps of my ancestors. So thankful!!!
Really interesting tour about the Underground Railroad. Loved walking through the Beacon Hill area and hearing all the stories.
The tour was great with clear directions and lots of interesting facts and details. Only hitch was trying to register and log onto the site
Moving tour. Interesting details of the underground railroad in Boston. Enjoyed the go deeper availability.
We enjoyed the narration, the tour, and all the stories! The pace was spot on, we could keep the tour running as we walked. Highly recommend!
We purchased this inexpensive audio tour during a weekend in Boston. It takes about an hour, walking through a lovely neighborhood with a rich history. The app knows where you are so the audio automatically plays when you reach your destination. The directions are great, so you do not need to look at your phone constantly. This is a terrific value. Don’t hesitate to buy!
Loved the narrator. Felt like reliving history. Very emotional to walk on the streets that my ancestors walked and ran to freedom.
Les endroits marquent et historiques c’est une bonne marche même si on croirai que c’était un train sous la terre! J’aurais aimé qu’elle soit en plusieurs langues
For travelers who want to be independent of time, don't have as much time and still want to see and learn a lot, this is ideal.
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