Boston's Old State House & Old South Meeting House Museums
Old South Meeting House
4.7
Lockie H
1 day ago
Fabulous. I especially appreciated the wonderful video of indigenous folks talking about what happened at this space; it was beautiful, and please don’t miss it as part of your experience.
The building itself is also historic and lovely, as we know. It’s one of the buildings that was at the cornerstone (no pun unintended, on stones and buildings) of our budding democracy.
The internal staircase is beautiful. And the exhibits are thoughtful.
I also really love the interactive conversation about busing in schools. The exhibit asked visitors to join in a conversation concerning public education today. Similar to their sister exhibit, at the Old South Meeting house, guests were invited to pen post-it notes and reflections. (See photos). Some are funny, such as “more recess” and “pay kids to go to school” but many are quite meaningful and bring up larger thoughtful ideas, such as “pay teachers more” and “don’t ban books”. I love this interactive sort of exhibit.
The only thing I found was a little odd were some of the ‘squeeze and smell’ exhibits. Squeeze to smell the House of Representatives? No thank you. :)
It was just a little funny. I don’t think they meant it to be humorous. And I know they were talking about how it would’ve smelled back then, but it’s a little odd!
American history like you've never seen it before! Walk through the doors of two of the nation’s most significant historic buildings—the Old State House and Old South Meeting House. Constructed in 1713, the Old State House was the center of royal government in the Massachusetts Bay colony and the focal point for many of the Revolution’s most dramatic events. It was here that the Boston Massacre occurred in 1770. Built in 1729, the Old South Meeting House was the largest building in colonial Boston and the site of the most stirring mass meetings that led to the American Revolution, including the gathering that led to the Boston Tea Party. Today, these historic sites and museums—located just two blocks from each other in the heart of downtown Boston—provide exhibits, tours, educational offerings, gallery talks, and public programs. Enjoy both sites with one convenient joint ticket! From 2/17/25-2/23/25, all children ages 12 and under receive FREE admission!
Duration30 minutes - 2 hours
Points of Interest
Stop At: Old South Meeting House310 Washington St, , Boston, MassachusettsBuilt in 1729, the Old South Meeting House was the largest building in colonial Boston and the site of the most stirring mass meetings that led to the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution. Today, this historic site and museum—located just two blocks from the Old State House in the heart of downtown Boston—provides thought-provoking exhibits, compelling walking tours, exciting educational offerings, and engaging public programs.Duration: 30 minutesStop At: Old State House310 Washington Street, , Boston, MassachusettsConstructed in 1713, the Old State House was the center of royal government in the Massachusetts Bay colony and the focal point for many of the Revolution's most dramatic events, including the Boston Massacre. Today, this historic site and museum—located just two blocks from the Old South Meeting House in the heart of downtown Boston—provides thought-provoking exhibits, compelling walking tours, exciting educational offerings, and engaging public programs.Duration: 1 hourAdditional Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Old South Meeting House is accessible. Old State House is not currently accessible.
- Joint admission to Old South Meeting House and Old State House
American history like you've never seen it before! Walk through the doors of two of the nation’s most significant historic buildings—the Old State House and Old South Meeting House. Constructed in 1713, the Old State House was the center of royal government in the Massachusetts Bay colony and the focal point for many of the Revolution’s most dramatic events. It was here that the Boston Massacre occurred in 1770. Built in 1729, the Old South Meeting House was the largest building in colonial Boston and the site of the most stirring mass meetings that led to the American Revolution, including the gathering that led to the Boston Tea Party. Today, these historic sites and museums—located just two blocks from each other in the heart of downtown Boston—provide exhibits, tours, educational offerings, gallery talks, and public programs. Enjoy both sites with one convenient joint ticket! From 2/17/25-2/23/25, all children ages 12 and under receive FREE admission!
Duration30 minutes - 2 hours
Points of Interest
Stop At: Old South Meeting House310 Washington St, , Boston, MassachusettsBuilt in 1729, the Old South Meeting House was the largest building in colonial Boston and the site of the most stirring mass meetings that led to the Boston Tea Party and the American Revolution. Today, this historic site and museum—located just two blocks from the Old State House in the heart of downtown Boston—provides thought-provoking exhibits, compelling walking tours, exciting educational offerings, and engaging public programs.Duration: 30 minutesStop At: Old State House310 Washington Street, , Boston, MassachusettsConstructed in 1713, the Old State House was the center of royal government in the Massachusetts Bay colony and the focal point for many of the Revolution's most dramatic events, including the Boston Massacre. Today, this historic site and museum—located just two blocks from the Old South Meeting House in the heart of downtown Boston—provides thought-provoking exhibits, compelling walking tours, exciting educational offerings, and engaging public programs.Duration: 1 hourAdditional Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Old South Meeting House is accessible. Old State House is not currently accessible.
- Joint admission to Old South Meeting House and Old State House
Need To Know Info
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
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4.7
based on Groupon 23 reviews
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Lockie H
Fabulous. I especially appreciated the wonderful video of indigenous folks talking about what happened at this space; it was beautiful, and please don’t miss it as part of your experience.
The building itself is also historic and lovely, as we know. It’s one of the buildings that was at the cornerstone (no pun unintended, on stones and buildings) of our budding democracy.
The internal staircase is beautiful. And the exhibits are thoughtful.
I also really love the interactive conversation about busing in schools. The exhibit asked visitors to join in a conversation concerning public education today. Similar to their sister exhibit, at the Old South Meeting house, guests were invited to pen post-it notes and reflections. (See photos). Some are funny, such as “more recess” and “pay kids to go to school” but many are quite meaningful and bring up larger thoughtful ideas, such as “pay teachers more” and “don’t ban books”. I love this interactive sort of exhibit.
The only thing I found was a little odd were some of the ‘squeeze and smell’ exhibits. Squeeze to smell the House of Representatives? No thank you. :)
It was just a little funny. I don’t think they meant it to be humorous. And I know they were talking about how it would’ve smelled back then, but it’s a little odd!
Mary U
I had SUCH a blast talking to the staff about the Liberty Tree and other important American history that my education has neglected to inform me of until now. I could have talked to the staff member about it FOREVER, what inspiring stories of the many who were not being considered by the few powerful, rich decision makers.
The video they played upstairs highlighting the indigenous families who returned to see where their ancestors where stripped of their humanity in a single decision was very powerful and changed the whole experience (in a very important and necessary way). I appreciate that they had that video, and the four exhibits in the central room (on women, Native Americans, working class, and black people at that time) more than I can express.
Joe_W
While these are not guided tours, there is so much history and the museums are easy to navigate and learn about their historical significance. We did have a guided tour before we came back to visit of the Boston history and that helped us put into context what we saw in these 2 buildings.
danibee33
Loved this museum. We were lucky enough to have Monica lead our tour, about the Boston massacre. She was phenomenal, despite our group having only five people, she spent a full 90 minutes with us, giving us a fascinating overview of the events leading up to this historical moment and the intrigue and ambiguity surrounding it. She made sure our group was comfortable, found lots of places to sit as she was describing things and kept our interest piqued the whole time. I cannot recommend her tour highly enough. It was included in the cost of seeing the museum.
F723SRcathys
The information was great… and Megan brought history to life with her insights. We had the opportunity to dialogue with her and get into the finer details of the Writs of Assistance, the framing of the Constitution and the vantage points of the writers and the populace. An incredible experience!
$15 covered both the Old State House and Old South Meeting House. We visited these for about 90 minutes.