The city’s characterful historic neighborhoods include Beacon Hill, home to the first descendants of the early English settlers, known as the Boston Brahmin. The picturesque area, with its red-brick rowhouses and gas-lit narrow streets, remains an elite enclave and is well worth a wander.

The historic harbor was the setting for the infamous Boston Tea Party. The informative and interactive Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum brings to life the story of the protest that helped start the American Revolution.

Marvel at these incredible black-and-white photos of the early United States

21 of America's most historic towns and cities