Life is about living without regrets. And today my bad timings almost handed me one of my worst regrets. ALMOST. My tour guide was Michael, who is a retired professor of history and has a delivery of Harvey Keitel mixed with a comedian. His knowledge and wit, combined with really wanting you to know the real story, made for such an amazing experience. But nature called for me about one hour into the tour, and when I returned I could not find the tour group. Not Michaels fault, it was mine because I thought I could quickly go to the restroom and regroup with the tour. And I tried to find them for 20 minutes, but to no avail. I found other tour guides, but I could tell that they weren't nearly as good as Michael. So I took a risk. There was a later tour that was starting in one hour, and I returned HOPING that Michael was the guide . If it wasn't , I was going to blow the whole thing off. Michael indeed was the tour guide for the later tour, and I was able to finish his tour. I highly suggest this company, and Michael! read more

Lessons on Liberty - Michael, the BEST guide!! - Tours Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Michael Szkolka was our most amazing guide. He is a history professor at a local college. We came because we wanted an interactive history lesson, not an actor in a costume. He did not disappoint. He have both popular myths and facts. He engaged us all and had lots of jokes. I don't think I could have enjoyed it more. What I liked most was that he ended every location with: "Does anybody have any questions?" I wholeheartedly suggest you go on this tour and learn why Paul Revere did not say: "The British are coming" read more

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We sincerely appreciated this tour. Not only did we get our walk on but we learned a lot. My husband is definitely more into history than myself which is why we took the tour but we both enjoyed it and we both learned a lot about Boston. Our tour guide was great. He used to be a professor I think- and he gave us some history lessons, laughs, and some cynicism. We really enjoyed it. Price was good. Would recommend to all even people who live in Boston who may learn something they didn't know. read more

Lessons on Liberty - Sights along the way - Tours Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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3.5 stars but rounding up to 4. There could have been some improvements, but overall I definitely learned a lot more about Boston's history than I would have just walking the Freedom Trail by myself. My guide was Thomas Dietzel, and he was a true professional, and like other reviewers have pointed out, you can tell he is super passionate about American History. Our group had 10 people, which is a good size, since you could ask any about any questions you had but didn't feel pressured to have to talk to the guide the whole time. Where the tour could have been improved is if we spent less time at the cemetery, and got to walk more along the actual Freedom Trail. It also was on the long side, and although I appreciated the value, I was really tired at the end from standing for so long. Overall, I enjoyed this tour and would recommend it for those coming to Boston for the first time (like me!). The tour runs M-F: 10am, 1:30pm, 2:30pm and Sat-Sun: 10am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm. Ask for Thomas! read more

I don't write a lot of Yelp reviews, but I had such a fantastic experience on the tour to day that I just had to share it. My tour guide was Named Judith, and I'd highly recommend seeking out her if you want to have a fun and interactive experience. Judith was really fun, full of energy, and really knowledgable about the history of Boston. Oh and I forgot to mention that she's hilarious. One of the best tours of any kind I've ever been on. Thanks Judith! read more

Lessons on Liberty - Stop on the tour - Tours Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Today was my second time on the tour and I would do it again... there are many companies that tour the freedom trail however if you are into history and want facts Lessons on Liberty should be your choice. Michael was out tour guide and did an amazing job! read more

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The tour was guided by a history teacher. The tour was about 2 hours walking. My son did it in a motorized wheelchair. Our guide, Mr. Szkolka, was thoughtful of that. Our whole family was able to participate in the whole tour without significant restriction. The authenticity of historical facts was excellent. The backstories and color were very interesting. Highly recommended. read more

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I highly recommend the walking tour given by Lessons on Liberty. Boston is a great walking city for anyone interested in early American history. On a recent trip to Boston my wife, 9 year old son and I took what turned out to be about a 2 hour walking tour though historical Boston, our guide Tom Dietzel decked out in historically accurate 18th century garb. Tom, our guide kept everyone interested combining common text book knowledge with little known historical facts. Often dispelling what many myths many of have heard regarding formation of the early United States. So much so that my son was always front and center, hanging on every word. This is what history is all about and is next to impossible to convey though a text book. Combining the text book with the walking tour brings much of that text book information to life that would be next to impossible inside a classroom. If you're looking to for a way to combine a walk though Boston, be entertained and get a lesson on the birth of our nation book a walking tour through Lessons on Liberty and ask for Tom Dietzel. I will guarantee everyone will learn something new and come away with a new prospective on our nation. read more

During a recent trip to Boston, my husband and I signed up for a historical tour after seeing a group led by a guide in 18th century garb on our first day. We went back to our hotel that first night, researched what tour it might be, and got tickets online for the next day. The tour was really cool and I would totally do it again. The guide we had was a proper historian, Bob Miller. He was very good, extremely knowledgable, and witty. I'm sure the other guides with Lessons on Liberty are great too, but I can say that if you get Bob, you are in good hands. Some nitty gritty details about the tours: The meeting place for the start of the tour is the Boston Common Visitors Center. Show up 10 minutes early and bring your printed tickets if you sign up online. You can also show payment confirmation from your phone if you are a tourist and didn't pack your printer. Walk-ups also welcome and you can pay the guide directly. You can expct to walk a fair bit, mostly on the freedom trail. I think my group went about one mile total, meandering from the visitor center at Boston Common and ending at the Green Dragon. Bring a drink and use the restroom before your tour starts--there are no pit stops unless you are ok with missing part of the tour. Tours last about 90 minutes. At least with our guide, questions are encouraged at the end of each segment. Don't be shy! Cost per ticket for adults is $12--it is a really good deal, especially considering the quality of the tour. Tours are listed for the following schedule: M-F - 10am, 1:30 pm, 2:30 pm Sat/Sun - 10am, 12:30pm, 1:30pm, 2:30pm read more

This was a pretty good tour, but I couldn't hear the guide very well. He really should have used a microphone or headset. This is more of an academic tour than a family friendly tour. Our 3 kids (9, 11, 12) were pretty bored. He had a lot of jokes but most of them were too quiet or over their heads. I wonder if the freedom tour would have been better for us. Plus, finding parking around here was a disaster for us. We thought we were going to be there 20 minutes early and got there 10 minutes late. So give yourself plenty of time, especially if you're from OOT and don't know the parking answers in Boston. read more

Great, great tour - I totally chanced upon joining Lessons on Liberty since I just asked the staff at the Boston Common Visitor Center how to pay for and be a part of the next Freedom Trail tour. My guide was historian Michael Szkolka. He opened the tour with a disclaimer that he was an educator first; that other tours are guided by actors; and that he would be taking an academic approach to the tour. That approach was evident, well-done, and very, very welcome. Our group not only learned more about the past but also learned more about the context and its impact on other events and ideologies in the U.S.. I enjoyed Michael's delivery of Boston history, done so with mythbusters and wit (albeit, at times, the wit was less dry/clever and more punny, e.g. while standing at the grave of Samuel Adams, he pointed across the street and remarked, "Beantown Pub is the only place where you can drink a cold Sam Adams while looking at cold Sam Adams."). When we moved site to site, he easily struck up a conversation with whomever was walking at front of the tour; he asked good questions and encouraged good questions in those small chats. This guide was clearly an educator, as confirmed by him when he let us know that he serves as a professor at a few local colleges. read more

My boyfriend & I took our tour with Michael Szolka, who was extremely knowledgeable and passionately described every every stop along the way. His witty humor kept everybody interested and he explained everything in a very relatable manner. The tour took a little over 90 minutes and covered a decent amount of ground. Worth the $15 to us. read more

We ventured into the visitors center at 139 Tremont Street for a walking tour in June 2012. The cost for 2 adults plus 2 kids was about $50. We had Thomas Dietzel, a history grad student who is obviously passionate about history. Though I lived near Boston for 4 years, many years ago, it wasn't until taking this tour that I felt a true connection to the history of the city and it's historic sites. Thomas was engaging and corrected many tidbits of mis-information taught in school history books. Our kids, ages 7 & 8 loved walking though the city and even now correct things they see in books about the era. This tour was far more engaging than a self-guided walk could ever be. Thomas Dietzel and Lessons on Liberty really brought the history to life for us. read more

I highly recommend this guided walking tour along the freedom trail. Our guide was Michael Szkolka and, as another reviewer pointed out, he took an academic approach to the tour as opposed to the theatrical approach some other guides take. We greatly appreciated this! He gave a great overview of American history around the Revolutionary War and corrected some common misconceptions that we are taught in grade school. He was very funny and thought-provoking. The tour was the perfect length and very entertaining for my group of twenty-somethings. This would be a great tour for kids and adults alike. read more

Completed the Freedom Trail walking tour with Michael Szolka. He dressed the part, and was extremely knowledgeable about the history of the area. He was full of facts and interesting tidbits. I highly recommend this tour. He was friendly and clearly enjoys what he does. He was interactive with the group and genuinely interested in making sure we understood the significance of each stop. read more

Lessons on Liberty - Tours Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

My wife and I were visiting Boston from Florida on business and saved a day to tour the city on Wednesday. We started off with a Freedom Trail walk at 10:00 hosted by Adam. We sure are glad we did. We are Revolutionary War buffs and found his history spot on. What we didn't expect was his insight and view of the life and motives of the 18th Century people of Massachusetts. Adam is funny, insightful and animated. We really enjoyed the brief time with him. We also visited the Edes & Gill print shop at his suggestion. Very glad we got to see how our founding documents were printed. When we are in Boston again we look forward to another tour hosted by your fine group. Thank You! read more

Originally we were hoping to see the "Jones Otis Town Crier" tour, but still had an hour to wait and honestly we were pretty beat from running around all morning. So rather than waiting we happened to end up going on the Lessons on Liberty tour with Bob Miller. We're so glad that we did! We totally forgot how tired we were as Bob told us all about Boston of old. Great fun and information for the whole family. read more

FANTASTIC!! Not only was our guide, Jeremiah Poope, (yes that's his real name) hilarious, he knew his stuff and I had some good laughs that day and I learned a lot about history. That was by far the best day I have ever had in Boston. read more

Lessons on Liberty - The Boston state house - Tours Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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We enjoyed this tour even more than originally thought. Michael was a great tour guide and was pretty funny too. I learned a lot and enjoyed the walk. Considering the price of the ticket, it was truly a great value! read more

My tour guide, Michael, was fantastic. This tour is for people who not only want to learn about history, but also apply that knowledge to challenge what and how they think about contemporary society and our institutions. Lessons on Liberty holds itself out as different from the other companies who employ actors. An actors' primary duty is to entertain, not educate. I walked away from the tour with as many new questions as I had been provided answers but, in my opinion, that is the point of education. read more

Highlight of the Trip! If you value accuracy over entertainment, THIS is the tour for you! The tour guide may be dressed in period clothing, but there is no attempt to pretend to be a character from history. Instead, the emphasis is on the history itself. Our guide - Michael - did an excellent job telling the stories and dispelling the myths. His knowledge was matched by his sharp wit, which made the tour very enjoyable. I cannot recommend this tour enough, and I cannot recommend Michael enough. If you do one thing in Boston, this is it! read more

TAKE THIS TOUR! Wow, was I impressed - and I'm a tour guide / museum employee myself in another city. Our guide was Tom, who's around my age, 26, was incredibly knowledgeable and super friendly and personable on top of that. He had answers to all of our questions (and being a bunch of historians and history buffs, we had a lot). There were only four of us on this particular tour, so it was really intimate and lovely. To top it all off, he ends his tour at the Green Dragon Tavern, and then, since we were his last tour of the day (and of their main season, apparently), he invited us in to have a drink with him. Of course a drink turned into several, and another guide from Lessons on Liberty happened to be there as well so there was a nice group. It was absolutely the best time, and probably my absolute favorite memory of Boston. I cannot recommend Lessons on Liberty, and Tom in particular, enough. Tom, if you see this - I'll hold you to visiting my museum next time you're in Philly! Tables shall be turned. read more

Our tour was lead by Bob Miller who was amazing. He was insightful and halarious. He described Boston's history in such an way that kept everyone attention.... He loves the history and it shows. Im so glad we decided to take the this tour. read more

Fantastic tour. Michael, a historian who teaches at a local college, was an excellent tour guide. Unlike some other tour guides who are more show than substance, Michael tells it how it was. Like the previous posts stated, our guide dispelled several rumors. On top of that, he has a VERY dry sense of humor and for those of you who play attention to current affairs, you'll find his jokes quite amusing. Overall and excellent guide and I only wish they offered more tours...perhaps the the North End? read more

We took a tour on a Saturday afternoon with a couple friends from out of town and couldn't have had a more enjoyable experience. Michael Szkolka was our tour guide and he was great. He is a local history teacher and was very informative throughout the tour along with throwing in a couple of really good jokes. My one complaint is that the tour doesn't really take you inside all the historic sites, a lot of places you just walk by with the guide giving a little description. Even so, for the money it's a great tour and highly recommended. Ask for Michael as your tour guide if you want to learn and have fun! read more

We enjoyed the history chat at Bell in Hand yesterday with Bob Miller in his 18th cent. clothes. He was interesting , delightful and informative. We love reading about US history and it was a great opportunity to fill in the gaps and learn choice details of various events and people. We would recommend an afternoon with Bob to anyone visiting Boston. Plus he gave us a fun restaurant recommendation which we are happy we followed ( Marliave on Bromfield ). read more

Thankful Rice was our "historian." She was wicked knowledgeable, very pleasant. And talked loud the entire tour!! It was a large group, so I felt bad she had to YELL. Why didn't I give the tour/guide 5 stars??? It did not cover the entire Freedom trail. Not sure if any one tour does, but, it was sure worth the money for the majority of the trail that it does cover. read more

Judy was great! So interesting! Really a nice walking tour of 11 out of 16 sites on the freedom trail read more

What a great job Bob Miller did in describing the twists and turns of the American Revolution and events up to and there after, details all over the place and info that you can only get from an avid historian. I strongly suggest this tour if you want to learn a thing or two! read more

I'm gladly going to be recommending this tour to everyone I know on their trips to Boston. The tour itself is well planned out, its an easy walk and the distances between your stops are actually pretty short. There are some great picture opportunities, and they really do pack in a lot of history. Our tour guide was what really made the trip special though. We had the Redcoat Michael Szkolka giving us an excellent history lesson, and debunking many of the popular myths surrounding our nations history. He mentioned that he was a history professor and a historian before we started the tour, and it was clear that he was an educator first and foremost. There was no cheesy over the top acting, he had an excellent sense of humor, and did a fantastic job of making history fun. I also have to commend him on being able to make everyone in the group feel included, especially with our incredibly diverse group... He spoke a little french with one couple in the group, impressed a Lithuanian couple with his geographical knowledge of their country (I think he said he had actually visited there), and even talked with us New Jersey-ans about the history of our state capitol, Trenton. On the walks between sites, he would talk with whomever walked up with him, and had us laughing for a good portion of the tour. Overall, it was a fun and very educational tour. At the end of the tour Michael even took the time to give some recommendations to individuals on places to eat, and joined us for a little while in the green dragon (a pub near the end of the tour). The tour was the topic of conversation for most of the 4 hour car ride back home with my girlfriend, I just can't say enough good things about it. If you're in Boston, and looking for something to do, put this on the top of your list. read more

Our tour with Michael Szkolka was one of the highlights of our trip to Boston! Very informative and entertaining. We highly recommend this tour! read more

I highly recommend this tour! Our guide, Bob Miller, played it straight as he talked about history dressed in full historical garb. He is a real history major, not an actor. I felt like we had a real patriot giving us the tour of his town. We not only got the general tour of the Freedom Trail, but he gave us the dirt on some of the interrelationships between some of the famous patriots as well as life during Revolutionary times. This tour made history come alive. I felt like we really picked up historical tidbits you never see in the history books. I would definitely book this tour again if I go to Boston. Bob says he is full of stories so not every tour is the same. read more

Bob was fantastic! Great tour, great information very well done and very enjoyable! A new and way more interesting angle on history!!

This is a terrific tour. I would highly, highly recommend it. Mike was our guide and he was phenomenal. He tries to dig deeper into the American Revolution than most tour guides would, seeking to go beyond the mythology. I learned a lot today. read more

Michael Szkolka was our guide, and he was fantastic! He gave us the real story of a wide variety of locations along the Freedom Trail, and did so in a manner that was highly informative, engaging, entertaining- and often very humorous! He made sure that we all had plenty of opportunities to ask questions, which he answered thoughtfully and thoroughly. I will definitely look to take another tour with him when I next visit Boston! read more

I grew up in MA and always saw these guys dressed in goofy (sorry Tom) colonial attire strolling around the city and giving tours to people wearing fanny packs and cameras swinging from their necks. I never thought to take a tour until walking around with friends today. Led by Tom, a 28 year old historian who has been giving these tours for 10 years, the tour lasted about two hours (even though the site said 1.5 hours). Tom tailor's his own garb (and come to find out a lot of the other guide's uniforms) and acknowledges himself as a huge history nerd. At first glance, he looked a bit young to be a historian, but the first five minutes proved otherwise when an older man asked him why he wasn't wearing a blue coat and insisted that he should have been wearing a blue coat. Tom explained that his coat was from 17-something and that they didn't have blue coats until a later date and explained in further detail why....the guy backed off quickly. Not only was he extremely insightful, but he was a great storyteller and clearly passionate to the point that people walking by would stop to listen in. I can't say enough about this tour. It ended at the Green Dragon Tavern - A place you'll come to find was an important social gathering spot prior to the Revolution, where Tom ended the tour with a passionate farewell speech and then we went in to have a pint. Without a doubt, take this tour, ask for Tom (Only does weekends since he has a full time job), and you'll be impressed by his knowledge and captivating storytelling. *Also probably worth noting that this is a non-profit ($15/person for 1.5-2 hours) so make sure to take care of the guide at the end because they are clearly not in it for the money. read more

We did some research before choosing which tour to take, and I'm glad we chose Lessons on Liberty. Our tour guide, Michele Chayka, is an 8th grade history teacher. It is clear that she loves sharing her knowledge with others. She was engaging, energetic, and great at answering everyone's questions. I would highly recommend this tour and the next time I have out of town guests visiting who want to do the freedom trail, I will book a tour with Lessons on Liberty! read more

My girlfriend and I decided to take this tour on a whim. After living in Boston for six years I thought it might be a little boring and I was very glad to be wrong. Our tour guide was Lydia Mullikan and she was awesome! Funny, witty, informative and overall made for a really fun experience. I would absolutely recommend this tour to anyone that has 90 minutes to spend walking the city - no matter how long you've been here! read more

My tour was with Michele Chayka, it was so interesting. She made this history lesson fun. I loved her attaire (which I believe she made) and how knowledgeable she is. The tour was about 90 minutes but the time flew by. I want to bring my niece on this tour next time I am in Boston. She is a great storyteller. read more