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Patriots’ Day in Lexington
04.13.24 @ 9:00 am - 8:30 pm
Saturday, April 13th
| Time | Event | Event Details |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Liberty Ride Guided Trolley Tour: Visit the birthplaces of American liberty and 19th century literature! Board a classic trolley to ride along the historic Battle Road while your costumed guide recounts the exciting events of April 19, 1775, immersing you in the life of 18th and 19th century Americans, from farmers to literary giants to the heroes who would shape a new country.
Battle Green Walking Tour: On the one-hour tour, you will explore this National Historic Landmark with our costumed guide. You will learn about the notable sites and historic houses around Lexington Battle Green, where “the first blood was spilt in the dispute with Great Britain,” as George Washington wrote in his diary. It is considered consecrated ground, both for the blood that was shed on it and for the militiamen who are interred here. |
Tours can be booked online or in-person at the Lexington Visitor’s Center (1875 Massachusetts Ave). |
| 9:00 AM | Parker’s Revenge: Lexington Minute Men reenact the second call to arms from Captain John Parker on the afternoon of April 19, 1775, with additional dialogue from Rev. Jonas Clarke. Following this event, the Minute Men march up Mass Ave to Fiske Hill before continuing on to the Parker’s Revenge site in the Minute Man National Park for a skirmish reenactment. | Location: Lexington Battle Green Cost: Free and open to the public |
| 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM | Buckman Tavern Tours: Self-paced audio tours available. Built in 1710, Buckman Tavern was a gathering place for both locals and travelers, and the site of many important town meetings. Captain Parker and his militia gathered in this tavern in the early morning hours of April 19, 1775 to await the oncoming British Redcoat troops. The upstairs of Buckman contains galleries for rotating, special temporary exhibitions. | Location: 1 Bedford Street Tickets available online and on site. Advanced purchase not required. Cost: (Single house) Adults $14, Kids $8 (Three houses) Adults $28, Kids $14 |
| 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM | Hancock-Clarke House Tours: Guided tours available every half hour. Built in 1737, Hancock-Clarke House was the parsonage for the town of Lexington during the 18th century. Reverend Jonas Clarke was hosting guests John Hancock and Samuel Adams when they were awakened by Paul Revere and his famous warning in the early hours of April 19, 1775. Thanks to generous grant funding, this site is also the location of new research and exhibitions related to the enslaved and indentured black populations of Lexington in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. | Location: 36 Hancock Street
Tickets available online and on site. Advanced purchase not required. Cost: |
| 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Munroe Tavern Tours: Self-guided tours available. Built in 1735, Munroe Tavern was commandeered by the British Redcoat troops on their retreat back to Boston on the afternoon of April 19, 1775. Downstairs, the Tavern illustrates the British perspective of the day’s events. Upstairs, the story’s focus shifts to what it was like to have a family home taken over by enemy soldiers. The final highlight is the chance to see where President Washington’s dined when he visited the Tavern in 1789. | Location: 1332 Massachusetts Avenue Tickets available online and on site. Advanced purchase not required. Cost: (Single house) Adults $14, Kids $8 (Three houses) Adults $28, Kids $14 |
| 12:15 PM | Parker’s Revenge Wreath Laying Ceremony: Lexington Minute Men lay a wreath at the site of the Parker’s Revenge skirmish in honor of, Nathaniel Wyman and Jedediah Monroe, two of Parker’s militia who were killed that afternoon. More: www.nps.gov/mima |
Location: Minute Man National Historical Park (on the Battle Road Trail, off of Airport Road, near the Minute Man National Park Visitor’s Center)
Cost: Free |
| 1:00 PM | Parker’s Revenge Reenactment: Lexington Minute Men reenact the Parker’s Revenge skirmish which occurred in the afternoon of April 19th. The Lexington Militia Company, under Captain John Parker, ambushed the retreating Redcoats near the Lexington-Lincoln town line. More: www.nps.gov/mima |
Location: Minute Man National Historical Park (on the Battle Road off of Airport Road near the intersection of Old Mass Ave and Route 2A)
Cost: Free |
| For the following three events, additional free parking is available at the Scottish Rite Museum (33 Marrett Road) and Lexington Children’s Place (20 Pelham Road). | ||
| 1:00 PM | Third US Infantry Regiment, Old Guard/CINC Guard: Demonstration of Revolutionary War weapons and tactics. | Location: Tower Park (Mass Ave. between Pelham Road and Marrett Road) Cost: Free |
| 2:30 PM | William Diamond Junior Fife and Drum Corps performance: A traditional fife and drum corps based in Lexington, Massachusetts that is also the largest junior fife and drum corps in New England. |
Location: Tower Park (Mass Ave. between Pelham Road and Marrett Road)
Cost: Free |
| 4:00 PM | Battle at Tower Park. Follow the British retreat as they fight the Colonial Militia in Tower Park, featuring a working reproduction cannon. Organized by the Lexington Minute Men. | Location: Tower Park (Mass Ave. between Pelham Road and Marrett Road)
Cost: Free |
| 7:00 to 8:30 PM | Family Movie Night: Watch Disney’s 1957 adaptation of the classic book Johnny Tremain, which follows the adventures of a young patriot as he joins the Sons of Liberty and takes part in historical events. | Location: 13 Depot Square Cost: Adults $10, Kids 6 and under $5, kids 5 and younger are free. Get tickets. Presented by the Lexington Historical Society |
Visit the Town of Lexington’s website for additional information.
Photo courtesy of the Lexington Visitors Center
