The North End’s 6 must-visit sites

The North End is one of Boston’s oldest neighborhoods, and has for a long time been its de facto Little Italy. Here are its six must-visit sites.

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Langone Park

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Famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted designed this expanse in the North End, which includes a Little League baseball diamond, a playground, and three bocce courts.

Together with Prince Street Park and the Puopolo athletic area, Langone forms one long expanse of harborside green—though it and Puopolo are undergoing major renovations as of July 1, 2019.

Copp’s Burying Ground

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The cemetery dates from the late 1650s, and is Boston’s second-oldest.

It’s the final resting place of thousands of people, including the famed Mather clan of ministers, Old North Church sexton Robert Newman (he hung the lanterns for Paul Revere to go by), and African-Americans who lived in the the so-called New Guinea community at the base of Copp’s Hill.

Old North Church

The building dates from the early 1720s, and is Boston’s oldest church.

The real reason most people visit it, however, is that it was from its 191-foot steeple that Paul Revere learned the British were coming by sea, not land.

Robert Newman, the church’s sexton, provided Revere the two-lantern signal (and is buried in Copp’s Hill—see above).

Hanover Street

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Hanover Street is basically the North End’s main street. It is full of Italian restaurants and gelato stands, with specialty and souvenir shops mixed in.

As such, it can be a chore to navigate in the warmer months, when tourists crowd its sidewalks and crosswalks. But it’s essential for North End people-watching and ambiance.

Paul Revere House

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It’s exactly what it sounds like: The one-time house of the revolutionary silversmith famed for his April 1775 midnight ride through the Boston area.

Dating from around 1680 (about 100 years before Revere and family moved in), the timber house is downtown Boston’s oldest. There is a museum attached to it too.

Christopher Columbus Park

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This expansive park on the south side of the neighborhood includes sweeping waterfront views, a rose garden, and plenty of room for movement, even when it’s a little crowded.

Christopher Columbus Park is also a good jumping off point for exiting the North End. The New England Aquarium is just a little bit to the south, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway carousel is just across the street.