Lexington’s rich Revolutionary War history is shared with visitors through outdoor common spaces, statues and memorials, historic houses and taverns, and museums. Here, we list the highlights of downtown Lexington in a logical walking tour. You’ll first travel in a clockwise circle (more or less), and then head south on Mass Ave about a mile. These sights can be covered in 1 to 3 hours, depending on how much time you linger and whether you stop by all. (If time is short, head straight to the Buckman Tavern.)

  • Lexington Visitor Center, 1875 Massachusetts Ave. (tel. 781/862-1450). Start your visit to downtown Lexington in this classic white-with-black-shutters New England Cape that houses the town’s tourist center. A diorama and accompanying narrative illustrate the Battle of Lexington. There are public restrooms here. It’s open daily from 9am to 5pm (10am–4pm Dec–Mar). 
  • Buckman Tavern, 1 Bedford St. (tel. 781/862-5598). Next door to the visitor center is this appealing sight. If time is short and you have to pick just one house to visit, make it this one. The interior of the tavern (1710) has been restored to approximate its appearance on the day of the battle. The colonists gathered here to await word of British troop movements, and they brought their wounded here after the conflict. Self-paced audio tours are available (so, too, are audio tours of Battle Green and the Old Burying Ground, next on your walking tour), and there’s a museum shop. It’s open daily April to late November from 9:30am to 4pm. Closed December to March. See Lexington Historical Society for ticket information.
  • Battle Green. Across the street from the visitor center and tavern is a classic town green, which Lexington calls “Battle Green.” It’s here that the Battle of Lexington took place. Anchoring this corner of the green (at the intersection of Mass Ave and Bedford Street) is the famous Minuteman statue (1900), which depicts Capt. John Parker, commander of Lexington’s anti-British militia in 1775. Several other memorials to the period are in the park, including the Revolutionary War Monument (1799), a granite obelisk that marks the grave of seven of the eight colonists who died in the conflict. The Old Belfry, a bell tower, used to be located on Battle Green. It was this bell that sounded the alarm on the day of the battle, calling the militia to the field. That Belfry was destroyed in a wind storm in 1909 but was rebuilt by the Lexington Historical Society in 1910 and now stands half a block away, at 16 Clarke St.
  • Ye Olde Burying Ground. Cross to the western side of the green and walk across the small Harrington Road. A small sign points to a cemetery whose gravestones, dating from 1690, are the oldest in Lexington. Those buried here include Revolutionary soldiers (including Capt. Parker) and many Civil war soldiers and veterans. Exit back to Harrington Road and head north east. In a few minutes the road dead ends at Hancock Street. Turn left.
  • Hancock-Clarke House, 36 Hancock St. (tel. 781/861-0928). This 1737 house is where Samuel Adams and John Hancock were staying when Paul Revere arrived to tell them the British were coming (they fled to nearby Woburn). The mustard-colored house contains some original furnishings as well as artifacts of the Battle of Lexington and an orientation film about the town. It’s open from 10am to 4pm and has guided tours on the hour. See Lexington Historical Society for ticket information. From here, retrace your steps back to Battle Green.
  • Memorial to the Lexington Minutemen. Back where Hancock Street meets Bedford Street is a small (about 4-ft.-high) sculpture that depicts the battle of Lexington in relief. It was made by artist Bashka Paeff. It’s located across the street from Battle Green and is surrounded by a short black iron fence.
  • Lexington Historical Society, 1846 Lexington Depot (tel. 781/862-­3763). The historical society oversees the town’s non-governmental historic records and three of the sights on this tour: Buckman Tavern, Hancock-Clarke House, and the Munroe Tavern. Admission to all three houses is $12 for adults, $6 for kids 6 to 16. Admission for a single house is $8 for adults, $5 for kids 6 to 16. Tickets (single or for all three properties) are sold at each of the houses and online. There is parking here for $2 a day. Restrooms are also available here as well as at all three houses. 
  • Downtown Lexington. The town’s main street, Massachusetts Avenue, has a central downtown section about a quarter mile long that’s chock-a-block with quick food options and shopping. Cafes and restaurants include Sweet Thyme Bakery (1837 Mass Ave; tel. 781/860-8818) for Asian pastries and bubble tea; Bertucci’s (1777 Mass Ave; tel. 781/860-9000) for pizza, salads, and hearty pasta, chicken, and seafood entrees; and Il Casale Lexington (1727 Mass Ave; tel. 781/538-5846) for more upscale sit-down dining. The next stop is about a 15-minute walk down Mass Ave.
  • Munroe Tavern, 1332 Massachusetts Avenue (about 1 mile from the Green; tel. 781/862-0295). The British took over this 1690 tavern to use as their headquarters and, after the battle, field hospital. At this location you’ll hear the British side of the battle story, and see furniture carefully preserved by the Munroe family, including the table and chair President George Washington used when he dined here in 1789. The building complex houses a new archives center. See Lexington Historical Society for ticket information. The tavern is on bus routes nos. 62 and 76 along Mass Ave.

MINUTE MAN NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

If you look at a map of Lexington and Concord, you’ll see a 4-mile wide green swath starting west of downtown Lexington. This is Minute Man National Historical Park (tel. 978/369-6993), which sprawls out across Lexington, Concord, and the adjacent town of Lincoln, covering 970 acres. Winding through the park, Battle Road Trail traces the route the defeated British troops took as they left Concord. Today, the 5-mile interpretive path is used by runners, walkers, and bikers as much as history buffs. Panels and granite markers along the trail explain the military, social, and natural history of the area.

The park has its own tourist information area, the Minute Man Visitor Center on Route 2A., a little more than 2 miles west of downtown Lexington. Its free multimedia program, “The Road To Revolution,” plays every 30 minutes. Park rangers provide a battle site exploration called “Parker’s Revenge” which details a battle between Capt. John Parker and the Lexington militia and the British (daily mid-June to mid-Aug, 11:30am and 2:30pm). The center is open daily April through October from 9am to 5pm. 

Inside Minute Man park are Whittemore House, which was inhabited in 1775 during the battle, just a few minutes’ walk from the visitor center (open mid-June to early Aug, Mon and Tues 9:30am–5:30pm), and Hartwell Tavern, about a mile farther west, also authentic to the period. From mid-June through October, Wednesday through Sunday 9:30am to 5:30pm, costumed park rangers lead programs at the tavern about the Massachusetts militia and minute men, and demonstrate a flintlock musket firing (not recommended for people with hearing impairments or hearing aids).

Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.