Lessons on Liberty

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

I don’t write a lot of Unilocal 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!

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.

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.

We enjoyed the history chat at Bell in Hand yesterday with Bob Miller in his 18^th 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).

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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 8^th 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!

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?

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 18^th 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.

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 18^th 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