A little over a month ago I returned home from a visit to Boston, Massachusetts. We spent 10 days exploring the city and surrounding areas. The area offers everything from seashores, to cityscapes, to historical attractions.
One of my favorite stops on the trip was the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum.
Before getting into the museum, let’s cover a little history!☺️
The Boston Tea Party was an act of protest which was a precursor to the start of the American Revolutionary War. Before 1776, there was no United States. Instead, the eastern seaboard of North America was comprised of 13 British colonies.
Citizens of these colonies were forced to pay high taxes on goods imported and exported from their ports. The items taxed included lead, glass, oil, paper and tea. Colonists felt these taxes to be unfair as they were British citizens but were not allowed to send representatives to the House of Commons.
To protest the taxes, colonists implemented a non-importation agreement. This agreement saw American ports refuse the unloading of British goods. As a result, colonists became more self sufficient. They also purchased items they could not make or grow themselves from French, Spanish and Dutch smugglers.
The pressure of the boycott saw taxes lifted from all commodities except for tea.
On May 10, 1773 British Parliament passed The Tea Act. This law basically gave the British East India Company a monopoly on tea sales in the colonies. Growing resentment of unfair taxes and the undercutting of American tea merchants fueled discontent throughout the colonies.
Under cover of darkness the night of December 16, 1773 group of men known as The Sons of Liberty boarded three British ships docked at Griffin’s Wharf. These ships were loaded with tea. Over the next three hours, the Sons threw approximately 92,000 pounds of tea into Boston Harbor. This act of defiance is seen as an early spark in America’s quest for independence from Britain.
The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum is a one hour fully immersive experience. Each guest is assigned the role of a historic figure who participated in the Tea Party. Actors, also playing historic characters, guide visitors through the museum and are available to answer questions. The museum has replicas of the British ships, and guest can even throw boxes of tea overboard!
One of the character cards assigned to each visitor at the start of the tour.
One of the Sons of Liberty.
Replica of a British sailing ship.
The TEA!
Throw that tea into the harbor!
The Boston Tea Party experience begins with an orientation/historical re-enactment in a replica of Boston’s Old South Meeting House. Guests then board one of the tall ships. Here they can tour below deck and throw tea overboard. This is followed by a 3D experience where visitors hear the perspectives of both Patriots and Loyalists regarding the Tea Party. The next area visited is a small museum featuring the most important articfact of the time - the ONLY surviving chest of tea from the night! The tour concludes with a documentary short film depicting the dramatic start of the Revolutionary War.
After the tour visitors have a chance to dine in the museum’s tea room. A wide variety of pastries are available along side specialties of the late 18th century. Heirloom teas are also available to sample with the purchase of a special cup.
The tea room
Tea tasting
