Built in 1742 (and enlarged using a Charles Bulfinch design in 1805), this building was a gift to Boston, which was then just a town, from prosperous merchant Peter Faneuil. This "Cradle of Liberty" rang with speeches by orators such as Samuel Adams -- whose statue stands outside the Congress Street entrance -- in the years leading to the Revolution. Abolitionists, temperance advocates, and suffragists also used the hall as a pulpit. The upstairs is still a public meeting and concert hall, and downstairs holds retail space, all according to Faneuil's will. The grasshopper weather vane, the sole remaining detail from the original building, is modeled after the weather vane on London's Royal Exchange.

National Park Service rangers give free historical talks every half-hour from 9am to 5pm in the second-floor auditorium. On the top floor is a small museum that houses the weapons collection and historical exhibits of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts.

To continue on the Freedom Trail: Leave Faneuil Hall, cross North Street, and follow the trail through the "Blackstone Block." These buildings, among the oldest in the city, give a sense of the scale of 18th- and 19th-century Boston. In the park at the corner of North and Union streets are two sculptures of legendary Boston mayor (and Congressman, and federal prisoner) James Michael Curley, the basis for the protagonist of Edwin O'Connor's The Last Hurrah. Pause on Union Street.

Trail Mix -- Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a great spot for a break. Time your walk right, and it can be the starting point of a picnic lunch. Visit the Quincy Market food court for takeout, then head across Atlantic Avenue toward the water. Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, on the left-hand side of the Marriott Long Wharf hotel, is a popular place to picnic, watch the action at the marina, and play in the playground.

As you walk from Faneuil Hall to the Paul Revere House, you'll find yourself in the midst of Haymarket. On Friday and Saturday, the bustling open-air market on Hanover and Blackstone streets consists of stalls piled high with produce, seafood, and flowers. Shoppers aren't allowed to touch anything they haven't bought, a rule you might learn from a hollering vendor or a cutthroat customer. It's a great scene and a favorite with photographers.