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Tour Boston's Rock and Roll Past, Present, and Future

5.039 reviews

  • 1h 30m
  • Free cancellation up to 24h before
  • Guided in English
  • Instant confirmation

Highlights

Guided by a local musician, explore Boston’s rock and roll past, present (and future), on a walking tour through Boston’s Fenway neighborhood. Visit the sites of legendary venues like the Rat, Storyville, and the Boston Tea Party- The Velvet Underground’s favorite place to play in the whole country! Learn how pioneering DJs, producers, and educators sparked a revolution in how music was transmitted, recorded and taught. And trace Boston’s impact on the careers of iconic artists like B.B King, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Springsteen, Tracy Chapman, New Edition, Nirvana, Aimee Mann, Pixies, Radiohead, Peter Wolf, Bonnie Raitt, Van Morrison, Jonathan Richman and more. Scroll below to learn more….

Inclusions

What's included

  • Hear tales from the Rat, the cavernous club where many Punk and New Wave bands got their start
  • Walk through America's oldest Victory Gardens still in use
  • Examine Boston's impact on the Folk Revival in the 60s
  • In the shadow of Fenway Park, stroll down lively Lansdowne street home to numerous venues

What's not

  • Food & Drinks not included
  • Gratuities

Itinerary

  1. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the Fens is a treasured greenspace in Boston and features Americas oldest WW II, Victory Gardens. On the Modern Lovers EP, Jonathan Richman sings, “I walk through the 'Fenway with my heart in my hand". We will stroll through the gardens before heading into Kenmore Square.

    15 min

  2. For decades, Kenmore Square was at the center of Boston's music scene thanks to the numerous record stores, and venues like Storyville and the legendary rock club, The Rathskeller. Here, we will learn about the numerous garage, punk, and new wave bands that crawled out of "the Rat" in the 70s and 80s. The Police played here 4 times on their first US tour in 1979. This is also the venue where Pixies first shared the same bill as the Throwing Muses. Also, we will stop by "Nuggets" one of the last records stores left in the neighborhood before winding our around Fenway Park

    20 min

  3. Walk down Landsdowne Street in the shadow of Fenway Park and hear tales of venues past and present including the Boston Tea Party, Venus De Milo, Avalon/Axis, Spit, and more! At present, local and national bands load in on Landsdowne street to play at the House of Blues or the new MGM Music Hall.

    20 min

Cancellation

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the experience starts, for a full refund.

Reviews

5.0

  • 539
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Ratings come from 39 reviews collected by our booking partner. They are travellers' own words, in the order they were written — never reordered to flatter the experience.

Know before you go

Meeting point
We will meet in the lobby of the Verb Hotel, home to an exclusive collection of Rock and Roll artifacts from the David Beiber Archives including vintage concert posters, album art and tickets to historic shows.
Pickup
Everyone meets at the starting point; there is no pickup.
Ticket type
Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group size
Up to 15 travellers
Operated by
Tour Boston's Rock & Roll Past & Present by Soundscape Tours
  • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
  • Service animals allowed
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness

How it compares in Boston

  • Its from-price is 60% below the median of the 476 experiences we list in Boston.
  • Its length is typical for the group.
  • By number of reviews it ranks 119 of 476.
  • The operator lists free cancellation on it.

About Boston

Boston, the capital of Massachusetts, is a compact harbour city of colonial history, red-brick streets, universities and seafood on the New England coast.

Boston was founded in 1630 and played a central part in the American Revolution, and its Freedom Trail, a red line on the pavement, links sixteen sites across the old centre, from Boston Common to Charlestown. Beacon Hill has gas lamps, cobbled streets and brick row houses, while the North End, the old Italian quarter, has the Old North Church and the Paul Revere House.

Top-ranked sights in Boston: Boston North End, Boston Old State House, Massachusetts State House.

See all 476 experiences in Boston

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Was/now prices come from the operator, never from us.

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