Faneuil Hall
The room where colonists argued themselves toward revolution — and kept arguing ever since.
Coming soon on iOS — be first to walk Boston offline.
Opened in 1742, designed by artist John Smibert as a marketplace and meeting hall, Faneuil Hall hosted pre-Revolutionary War speeches that earned it the name "Cradle of Liberty." Charles Bulfinch expanded it in 1806. The two-story Great Hall — 76 by 76 feet, 28 feet high — holds various pieces of artwork, while the fourth-floor attic remains the active quarters of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.
What to look for
- The grasshopper-shaped weathervane on the slate gable roof and cupola — a distinctive landmark visible from the street.
- The Great Hall spanning two floors at 28 feet high, hung with artwork and still used for public events.
- The fourth-story attic housing the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts, with a commandery room just below the cupola.
Part of Boston National Historical Park and an active commercial space at street level, so expect crowds on the ground floor.
Faneuil Hall is one of 31 sights worth the detour in Boston, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Boston pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Boston
- Museum of Fine Arts BostonFour hundred and fifty thousand works of art under one roof — one of the most comprehensive collections in the Americas.
- TD GardenThe subway stops underneath it — TD Garden is built directly above MBTA's North Station, so you step off the train and you are already at the door.
- Harvard College ObservatoryOn the night of July 16-17, 1850, astronomers here made the first daguerreotype of a star — Vega — through a telescope that was the largest in North America.
- Fenway ParkThe oldest active ballpark in MLB, where a cramped city block accidentally invented some of baseball's most famous features.
- Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumIn 1990, thieves walked out with thirteen works worth $500 million — none have ever come back, and the case is still open.
- Boston Public LibraryJohn Adams' personal 3,800-volume library lives here — and any Massachusetts adult can walk in and access it.