ASTRO Tours of Boston
An exciting schedule of tours is available to ASTRO attendees and guests. All tours will depart from the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Although tickets will be available at the Tour Desk starting Saturday, September 20, advance reservations are highly recommended to ensure that tours do not cancel because of lack of participation.
The tour registration form is now available, click here to access it
Tour Descriptions
Salem and Marblehead (6 hours)
It may be most widely known as the site of the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692, but this colorful coastal city has much to offer both residents and visitors: a culturally diverse population, a rich maritime heritage, an impressive display of historic architecture and amazing stories that span nearly four centuries. You will have plenty of time to explore the Salem Witch Museum that presents a dramatic history lesson of the trials. We’ll also visit Pickering Wharf, an exciting marketplace filled with shops featuring wares from around the world, boutiques featuring the latest trends in fashion and three waterfront restaurants where you can enjoy lunch on your own. Next we’re off to Marblehead; call it unique, picturesque, cussed, distinctive, pixilated, fascinating – a town in love with liberty and rugged individualism. Its people and history, its crooked lanes and irregular houses, its customs and humor defy conformity and dullness. The irreligious settlers, the adventurous fishermen, the zealous patriots of 1776, the daring privateers of 1812, the clipper ship captains and yesteryear’s fish peddlers imbued their town with a spirit as hardy as the rocky peninsula itself. We’ll visit Abbot Hall, which serves as the seat of Marblehead’s town government, to view the original “Spirit of ‘76” painting by Archibald MacNeal Willard along with many other historical artifacts.
Boston Highlights Tour (2 hours)
Enjoy a two-hour time out on this driving tour and see many historic Boston sites including the Custom House Tower (Boston’s first skyscraper); the Old State House (1713) and the balcony below that was the site of the Boston Massacre in 1770; the Granary Burial Ground that is the resting place of Samuel Adams, Paul Revere, John Hancock, Peter Faneuil, Mother Goose and the five victims of the Boston Massacre; Park Street Church where the song “My Country Tis of Thee” was first sung; Boston Common, which is the oldest park in the United States; Massachusetts State House (1797); Beacon Hill; “Cheers” bar; Symphony Hall, home of the Boston POPS; Boston Public Library (1895); Trinity Church (1877); TD Banknorth Garden, home of the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins; USS Constitution – “Old Ironsides”; and Faneuil Hall (1742).
Autumn on the Cape (8 hours)
Autumn is a special time on old Cape Cod. Summer’s warmth still lingers, yet the multicolored splendor of New England’s foliage offers a superb accent to the already beautiful vistas of the magical land south of Boston. We’ll visit the Sandwich Glass Museum before stopping for lunch on your own. Next we’ll head to Hyannisport and a memorial to President John F. Kennedy. To cap our day on the Cape, we’ll enjoy the coastline from a sightseeing cruise and see a wonderful view of the Kennedy Family Compound.
Birth of a Nation: Concord, Lexington, Battle Green and Cambridge (4 hours)
Today’s tour will take us through the historical sites made infamous during the birth of our nation. Our first stop is Lexington Battle Green, where on the morning of April 19, 1775, “the first blood was spilt in the dispute with Great Britain,” as George Washington wrote in his diary. We’ll see the Minutemen Statue, a tribute to the 77 Minutemen that fought the British Regulars in the first battle of the Revolutionary War. Next, we’ll drive through Concord and see the homes of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bronson and Louisa Alcott and Nathaniel Hawthorne on our way to the Old North Bridge where embattled farmers stood and fired the “shot heard ‘round the world”. Our final stop is in Cambridge located across the Charles River from Boston. Cambridge encompasses 6.5 square miles with 100,000 people forming a unique community with a strong mix of cultural and social diversity, intellectual vitality and technological innovation. It is home to world-renowned institutions including Harvard College, Radcliffe, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Lesley College. We’ll drive along Tory Row, settled by a small group of Anglicans that built grand homes for lavish entertaining and visit Harvard Yard, at the center of Harvard University and home to dormitories, libraries, classrooms and administrative offices.
Freedom Trail Walking Tour- Part 1 Heart of the Freedom Trail (2 hours)
Bring your walking shoes for this approximate one-mile tour along the heart of the Freedom Trail. We’ll see the Old State House, where the Declaration of Independence was first read in Boston; the site of the Boston Massacre; Faneuil Hall; The Old South Meeting House; Old City Hall; King’s Chapel and Burying Ground; City Hall Plaza and City Hall.
Freedom Trail Walking Tour- Part 2 Historic North End (2 hours)
Bring your walking shoes for this approximate one-mile tour along the North End of the Freedom Trail. The North End is a delightful labyrinth of narrow streets and exotic marketplaces. Our tour covers the history of America’s oldest neighborhood from colonial days to present, as well as the history of the city through waves of 19th century immigration. A gateway for immigrants from around the world, it is also home to the Old North Church and the Paul Revere House, the oldest building in Boston.
Shopping at Wrentham Village Outlets (5 hours)
After a 45-minute drive south through the picturesque Boston suburbs, we’ll arrive at Wrentham Village Premium Outlets. Designed as an old New England-style village, enjoy strolling through the outdoor spaces while shopping in 170 designer outlets selling their wares for 25-65 percent off of retail prices. You’ll find brand names such as Adidas, Ann Taylor, Ann Klein, Banana Republic, Barneys New York, BCBG Max Azria, Burberry, Calvin Klein, DKNY, Hugo Boss, J.Crew, Jones New York, Juicy Couture, Kenneth Cole, Liz Claiborne, Michael Kors, Nautica, Nike, Perry Ellis, Polo Ralph Lauren, Saks Fifth Avenue Off 5th, Salvatore Ferragamo and Tommy Hilfiger, to name a few.
Homes of Beacon Hill (3 hours - limited to 30 participants)
Today’s tour is a walking tour of Beacon Hill, a 19th century residential neighborhood situated directly north of the Boston Common and the Boston Public Garden. Before The Revolution, Beacon Hill was pastureland with a few notable exceptions, including John Hancock's country estate, which was demolished to make room for the western addition to the Massachusetts State House. The South Slope was developed in the 1790s by the Mt. Vernon Proprietors for Boston's richest families, and while there we’ll visit the Gibson House Museum, an American row house built in the mid-1800s to see first hand how the early Americans lived. One of the proprietors of the South Slope, who also designed several Beacon Hill houses, was Charles Bulfinch, and we’ll tour his design, the Nichols House Museum. Bulfinch is also the inspiration behind the Bull and Finch Pub, which was the prototype for the television show “Cheers”, which we will also have time to visit.