Taking the Kids: One of the most famous walks in the country

Boston is a city where it is easy -- and fun -- to go from the 18th century and back to the 21st century as often as you like, stopping for a bowl of clam chowder and souvenirs at Faneuil Hall where patriots debated and which, today, is tourism central with shops, food stalls and street entertainers outside or pizza and gelato in the North End, the famous Italian neighborhood. Where Paul Revere lived is now Boston's oldest downtown building. Visit the Old North Church. (It was from here on April 18, 1775 that patriots signaled "two if by sea" the British were advancing.)

It is also from here that Paul Revere set out on April 18, 1775 on his famous ride to Lexington to warn the patriots that the British were coming. Contrary to Boston poet's Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's famous poem ("Listen, my children, and you shall hear/Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere"), Paul didn't yell, "The British Are Coming!" He managed to warn some patriots, but was stopped by the British before he got to Concord. Longfellow's poem wasn't written until nearly 100 years after Revere's ride and despite what it got wrong, it is credited with turning Paul Revere into a national hero. Today, Revere's famous ride is re-enacted every year on Patriots' Day.

Make sure to point out the grasshopper weather vane on top of Faneuil Hall. It's not only a well-known Boston symbol but it was used to unmask suspected spies during the American Revolution. Locals would ask suspects to identify the object on top of Faneuil Hall; If they couldn't, they were believed to be British spies.

Along the way, explore the Black Heritage Trail (www.nps.gov/boaf). You may be able to take a tour with National Park rangers.

But for every historic site -- 16 sites right on the Freedom Trail (www.thefreedomtrail.org) there are marvelous 21st-century attractions -- the New England Aquarium (www.neaq.org), the hands-on Boston Museum of Science (www.mos.org), the holograms and robots at the MIT Museum in Cambridge, shopping on Newbury Street and the downtown Prudential Center or Harvard Square.

"Take it all in!" advised Rebecca, 14, from Lockport, Ill.

Opt for the popular high-speed Codzilla boat tours in Boston Harbor (www.bostonharborcruises.com) where you're guaranteed to get wet or the Boston Duck Tours (www.bostontours.com) that take you past famous sites on land and into Boston Harbor on amphibious vehicles.

Imagine Boston Common packed with British soldiers: At the Granary Burying Ground, see if the kids can find the most famous revolutionary-era Bostonians, including Paul Revere, John Hancock and Samuel Adams.

"I love it -- the history, the atmosphere and the shopping," said Kathryn, 14, visiting from Hooksett, N.H.

Who says history can't be fun?

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Check out Eileen's new Kid's Guide to Boston one of series of her City Guides for kids and available from major booksellers and online. For more on touring Boston and other cities with kids, visit www.takingthekids.com and @takingthekids on Twitter and Facebook.