Freedom Trail: There are 16 “official” sites along the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail, a collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond. Sites include:

• The Boston Common
• The State House
• Park Street Church
• Granary Burying Ground
• King’s Chapel
• King’s Chapel Burying Ground
• Benjamin Franklin Statue/Boston Latin School
• Old Corner Book Store
• Old South Meeting House
• Old State House
• Site of the Boston Massacre
• Faneuil Hall
• Paul Revere House
• The Old North Church
• Copp's Hill Burying Ground
• Bunker Hill Monument
• USS Constitution

You can start your tour in the beginning, the middle or the end and wend your way through the streets of Boston. While most locations are closed on Christmas Day, you can download the map of the Freedom Trail and follow the (literal!) red path through history on your own.

Boston HarborWalk: The HarborWalk is a series of seven interconnected walks that wind through the city's waterfront neighborhoods and downtown district. The HarborWalk includes:

• Charlestown (includes Charlestown Navy Yard, Building 114, City Square Park, and Tudor Wharf)
• Deer Island
• Dorchester (includes JFK Library and Museum, Neponset II Park, Old Harbor Park, and Pope John Paul II Park)
• Downtown/North End (includes Battery Wharf, Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, India Wharf, Long Wharf, and Puopolo Park)
• East Boston(includes Belle Island Marsh, Condor Street Urban Wild, and Constitution Beach)
• Fort Point Channel (includes Boston Children’s Museum, Federal Reserve Building and Grounds, Fort Point HarborWalk and Parks)
• South Boston (includes Carson Beach, Commonwealth Pier, Fish Pier, ICA, South Boston Maritime Park).

Again, most locations along the walks will be closed on Christmas Day, but the walks take you through different neighborhoods and places you may not usually have time to explore. Take a look at the comprehensive map to plan where to visit, and then download the individual map for that neighborhood. And check out the accompanying audio tours that are available for download.

Walk to the Sea: The Walk to the Sea spans one mile and encompasses four centuries of Boston history. Beginning at the State House on Beacon Hill, overlooking Boston's ancient Common, the Walk passes among historic landmarks and skyscrapers, including King’s Chapel, Government Center, Old State House, Custom House, Rose Kennedy Greenway, and Long Wharf. To get even more out of your excursion, visit the website prior to heading out for a quick video that gives a bit of history about each attraction.

Of course, as we are all too well aware, and Mark Twain so aptly stated, “if you don’t like the weather in New England, just wait a few minutes.” If Christmas Day comes and it’s just too cold or too wet or too snowy to spend much time walking around, keep in mind that most of the large movie theater chains are open on Christmas Day, and there are plenty of first-run movies to choose from this time of year.