Old South Meeting House
310 Washington St., Downtown, Boston, Massachusetts
Dating from 1729, Boston’s Old South Meeting House was a congregational church and a gathering place for protestors who sparked the American Revolution with the 1773 Boston Tea Party. A key site on Boston’s Freedom Trail, the brick building is now a museum where visitors can chart the beginnings of the country’s 1776 revolution.
A US National Historic Landmark, the Old South Meeting House was a rallying point for 18th-century colonists opposed to British rule. In December 1773, a group left the house to dump tea from three British tea ships into Boston Harbor—an event known as the Boston Tea Party. The museum celebrates the house’s role in this momentous event with exhibitions, interactive experiences, and costumed guides.
The Old South Meeting House is an attraction on Boston’s revolutionary-themed Freedom Trail. Numerous guided tours—by foot, car, pushbike, and pedicab—stop outside or give guests time to explore inside. Set off on your chosen tour, or buy a Boston sightseeing pass that includes admission to the museum.
The Old South Meeting House is a must-visit for first-time visitors and history aficionados.
Give yourself at least 30 minutes to wander around.
The main floor, lower levels, shop, and restrooms are wheelchair-accessible.
Audio content charting key moments in the house’s history is downloadable onto smartphones and tablets.
The on-site gift shop can be visited independently of the house.
On the corner of Boston’s Washington and Milk streets, the Old South Meeting House is most easily reached on foot along the Freedom Trail. To get there by subway, take the Blue or Orange Line to State Street and alight there. Drivers will find several convenient—but relatively expensive—parking garages nearby, with discount validation stamps sometimes available.
The museum opens daily year-round, from 9am to 5pm April–November and 10am to 4pm November–March. If you’re in Boston before Christmas, catch the house’s annual December 16 reenactment of the Boston Tea Party, performed by costumed reenactors.
Once you’ve explored the meeting house and its exhibits—including patriot leader John Hancock’s writing desk—visit the nearby Old State House, site of the 1770 Boston Massacre. Then, continue to the waterfront Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, where you can tour a replica tea ship and relive the seminal events of December 16, 1773.
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