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Adams National Historical Park
Categories: Active Life Parks Public Services & Government Landmarks & Historical Buildings Parks, Landmarks & Historical Buildings [Edit]
1250 Hancock StQuincy, MA 02169
(617) 770-1175
- Nearest Transit:
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Quincy Center Bus Station (210, 211, 212, 214, 214/216, 215, 216, 217, 220, 221, 222, 225, 230, 236, 238, 245)
Burgin Pkwy @ Quincy Center Station (215, 225, 230, 236, 238, 240)
Quincy Center Station - Outbound (Red Line)
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 9 am - 5 pm
- Good for Kids:
- No
7 reviews for Adams National Historical Park
7 reviews in English
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Review from Mallory S.
Boston, MA
4/25/2010
Best $5 every spent in Quincy! This includes 2 hours of Adams family history including the birth places of John Adams and John Quincy Adams and the Adams residence at "Peacefield" that includes over 75,000 original artifacts covering four different generations. The Stone Library is remarkable.
The amount of work that curator's do each year to preserve this estate is remarkable. The video playing at the President's Place Visitor Center is also interesting and lasts for about an hour if you want to find out more about the details of John Adams presidency -- he had his work cut out for him!
Now I really want to check out the HBO miniseries! -
Review from Ana R.
3/26/2012 5 photos
Even in the winter-time, a stroll through Peacefield is a lovely way to spend some time in the Quincy area. You can't walk into the house, but you can stroll through the grounds (especially during this early Spring) and enjoy the crocus fields, sit on John Adams' porch and imagine yourself in a different time.
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Review from Danielle K.
Quincy, MA
I took the trolley tour out of the visitors center today. For $10 you can buy a pass that can be used by 4 adults, once a day for a year. My parents have asked about attending the tour, so getting a pass was a no-brainer for me.
You board the trolley at the visitors center and a driver brings you to the birth houses of the Adams and then Peacefield, where park rangers meet you to give tours.
Our tour group was very small, only 5 people (Me & a family of 4 from out of state). So, we felt like we had a private tour.
As other reviewers have said, the real gem of the tour is Peacefield, a 23 room mansion with original furnature and a beautiful garden. The ranger there gave a great tour and kept us all entertained.
Just a warning, the tour bus and most of the stops do not have AC, so be prepared for the heat if you take the tour in the summer.
I had a great time as a tourist in the city I live in, and will be back soon to take my family on the tour with me.Listed in: My Quincy Neighborhood
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Review from Alexandra G.
New York, NY
8/9/2009
My friend and I went to Boston for the weekend, and this was, unexpectedly, our favorite stop! We decided to go because it was relatively close to our hotel, and I'm a bit of a nerd for early American history.
We signed up for the tour of the birth houses and "Peacefield," a large house where multiple generations of the Adams family lived (including John Adams and John Quincy Adams). The tour starts at the national park's visitor center, which is across the street from the Quincy Center stop on the T's Red Line. The visitor center was well-maintained and had a plethora of Adams-related books and the like available for purchase. College students can go on the tour for free (regular admission is $5).
You and your fellow tour group members board a trolley which first takes you to the birthplaces of John Adams and John Quincy Adams (they're right next to each other). Frankly, I didn't find either one exceedingly interesting - they're pretty spartan, and most everything in the houses are reproductions anyway. You don't even get to go to the actual room (it's upstairs) where John Adams was born.
On the other hand, the stop at the Peacefield house is absolutely wonderful! Most everything in the house is from multiple generations of the Adams family (70,000+ original artifacts according to tour guide). Our tour guide pointed out many of the interesting pieces and often told stories related to what we were seeing, such as elaborating on the life of someone in a painted portrait on display (and there are many!). You'll see John and Abigail's bed, the desk where John wrote the Massachusetts Constitution (with his glasses on top), John Quincy's desk, a unique Japanese-style dresser worth millions, and much more. The surrounding gardens and the library near the house are beautiful, too.
The tour is exceedingly cheap and definitely worth your time, especially if you enjoy American history (or even just the John Adams HBO miniseries). -
Review from Vanilla P.
San Lorenzo, CA
8/21/2008
Some tips for visiting the John Adams tourist attractions:
1. Skip the "Birth Houses": Nothing except the hearth is original inside. Some big ass fire burnt the crap out of this place, so everything is restored. Lovingly, of course, but save yo self some bread and go to the "Old House". For $10 only, you will feel smarter and more worldly.
2. Write down some of the awesome books that are in the Old House's stone library, then learn French (or whatever language they're written in), and marvel at the brilliance that is the collective Adams' families mind. Also, enjoy the AC in the Stone Library - It's the only place on the tour that you will feel unsweaty.
3. Don't refer to, quote, or believe the HBO miniseries. The tour guides have heard it all, and yes, they're tired of debunking the sensationalism that makes the miniseries so freaking great.
4. Do not, DO NOT, DO NOT bring any child older than baby bjorn age or younger than 16 years. This tour isn't Disney-esque, and with all the spoken historical crap, the kiddos will be miserable. My daughter slept the entire time (yes, in the baby carrier) but the unhappy four year old on the tour was a giant pain in the ass, and made me want to slap his mother for being a moron and bringing him.
5. Check out all the sweet books they have for sale. My favorite was the book of letters between John and Abigail... Poetic, heart-breakingly honest, and incredibly insightful into life before microwaves and IPODS.
6. Sit on the front porch at the Old House, and drink in the sunlight bathing the flowers and gardens. It's amazing.Listed in: Smrt Stuff
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Review from Phillip Y.
Des Moines, IA
3/21/2011
This is probably one of the best NHP tour in Boston. First, you meet at the visitors center and book a ticket to visit the house. You take a quick trolley ride to the house and a ranger meets up with you. You get the grand tour of the whole property which is nice. If you have done the whole historic walk through Boston, then you might have missed this one. Definitely check this one out.
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Review from hester h.
Las Vegas, NV
8/19/2011
my favorite tour ever. getting to tour the john adams library alone is worth the price of admission.
