Boston Women's Suffrage Tour: Back Bay & Copley Square

Walk the streets where Boston's suffragists changed American history

A 2.5-hour walking tour of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood traces the city's central role in the American women's suffrage movement from 1870 to 1920. Your local guide leads a small group through Victorian-era streets, stopping at the homes of key activists and financiers, the Boston Public Garden, Copley Square, and the Boston Public Library, sharing the stories of the Bostonians who assembled the movement.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each2 stops

1. Boston Public Garden15m
2. Boston Public Library10m

Votes for Women History Walking Tour

• Meet guide at Boston Public Garden
• See bronze duckling sculptures
• Pass George Washington statue
• Explore Boston Public Garden
• Visit Pauline A. Shaw school site
• Stop at historic church
• View Elizabeth Putnam's home
• Visit Julia Ward Howe's home
• Pass Blanche Ames' home
• See Ames-Webster Mansion
• Walk along Back Bay boulevard
• View Mary Shreve Ames' home
• Pass first women's college club
• Visit former Museum of Natural History site
• Pass former MIT chemistry lab
• Explore Copley Square
• See iconic church in Copley Square
• Visit Boston Public Library
• Pass Chauncy Hall office site
• Stop at Boston Marathon finish line
• Pass Hotel Kensington site
• Walk Newbury Street shopping area
• Pass former Spiritualist Temple
• Visit memorial for Adams, Wheatley, Stone

The experience

The tour starts inside the Boston Public Garden at the northwest corner opposite 67 Beacon Street, where bronze sculptures of a mama duck and her ducklings (based on Robert McCloskey's 1941 children's book) mark the meeting point. From there, the route moves through Back Bay's tree-lined streets, passing the equestrian statue of George Washington and the Public Garden itself: the first public botanical garden in the United States, established in 1837. The guide walks you past the homes of Julia Ward Howe, who authored "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and co-founded the American Woman Suffrage Association in 1869; Blanche Ames, a pro-suffrage cartoonist and early birth control advocate; and Elizabeth Putnam, an anti-suffragist and the first woman to preside over a state electoral college. These contrasting figures show how the suffrage debate split Boston's elite families.

The walk takes in Copley Square, the cultural heart of Back Bay designed in 1883, where Trinity Church (recognized by the American Association of Architects as one of the top ten buildings in the United States) stands alongside the Boston Public Library, the third-largest public library in the country. You'll see the former site of the Museum of Natural History and pass Newbury Street, the wide central boulevard lined with greenspace and statuary. The route also covers the offices where pro-suffrage organizations like the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association and The Women's Journal operated, and the Hotel Kensington, which once housed the Massachusetts Association Opposed to Further Extension of Suffrage to Women: a reminder that the movement faced organized resistance in the city itself.

Groups stay under fifteen people, which keeps the pace manageable and lets the guide answer questions as you move through the neighborhood. The tour is wheelchair accessible, and infants can ride in a pram or stroller. You'll be on your feet for the full 2.5 hours, so a moderate level of physical fitness helps. The guide speaks English and weaves the stories of individual activists into the larger history of how Boston shaped the national fight for women's rights.

What’s included

• Small group of up to fifteen guests.
• local guide in English.
• access to women's rights landmarks throughout Back Bay.
• the Boston Public Garden, Copley Square, and the Boston Public Library as key stops on the route.

Options for this experience

3 options

Back Bay plus Trinity ChurchGuide in English · 10:00Tour lasting 2.5 hours plus a historic church: guided or audio tour of Trinity Church, open Wednesday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM (valid for 7 days after the tour date)

Back Bay plus Gibson HouseGuide in English · 10:00Tour lasting 2.5 hours plus one museum: guided visit to Gibson House Museum, open Thursday to Sunday, 1 PM to 3 PM (about 45 minutes, valid for 7 days after the tour date)

Back Bay plus Trinity and GibsonGuide in English · 10:00Tour lasting 2.5 hours plus a church and museum: guided visit to Gibson House (Thursday to Sunday, 1 PM to 3 PM, 45 minutes) and a self-guided or audio tour of Trinity Church (Wednesday to Saturday, 10 AM to 4:30 PM)

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Information

Lasts 2h 30m, runs Saturday and Sunday at 10:00, from US$ 42 per person, with a live guide in English, in groups of up to 15 and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesSaturday and SundayDeparts at 10:00Another time? ›

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (6 and older) · Under 6: can't be booked

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Moderate physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Hub Town Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want to understand Boston's specific role in the national suffrage movement through the stories of real activists and the streets where they lived and worked. The small group size and 2.5-hour length fit a morning or afternoon in the city without dominating your day, and the walking pace lets you absorb the neighborhood's architecture alongside the history.

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Top questions

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is the Boston Public Garden and why does the tour start there?

The Boston Public Garden, established in 1837, is the first public botanical garden in the United States. The tour begins at its northwest corner opposite 67 Beacon Street, where bronze sculptures of a mama duck and ducklings (from Robert McCloskey's 1941 children's book) serve as the meeting point and introduce the neighborhood's role in Boston's history.

Who were some of the key suffragists whose homes we pass on this tour?

Julia Ward Howe, who authored "Battle Hymn of the Republic" and co-founded the American Woman Suffrage Association in 1869, lived in Back Bay. So did Blanche Ames, a pro-suffrage cartoonist and early birth control advocate. The tour also passes the home of Mary Shreve Ames, president of the Massachusetts Anti-Suffrage Association, showing how the movement divided even wealthy Boston families.

What is Copley Square and what will we see there?

Copley Square is the cultural center of Back Bay, designed in 1883 as the new heart of the neighborhood. The tour visits Trinity Church (1877), recognized by the American Association of Architects as one of the top ten buildings in the United States, and the Boston Public Library, the third-largest public library in the country.

How long is this tour and what kind of fitness do I need?

The tour runs 2.5 hours on foot through Back Bay's streets. You'll need at least a moderate level of physical fitness and should be comfortable standing for extended periods. The route is wheelchair accessible, and infants can ride in a pram or stroller.

What time period does the tour focus on?

The tour delves deeply into the years 1870 to 1920, the tumultuous decades that culminated in women earning the right to vote in the United States. The guide traces how Boston's activists and financiers shaped the national suffrage movement during these fifty years.