We, Michael and Jan, sample some history - and some great seafood. 

Boston is a warm-hearted, welcoming city. But it wasn't always so. Founded in 1630 by Puritans who had been persecuted in England for their beliefs, the town's leaders demonstrated their own bigotry by attempting to drive out of Boston any new settlers who did not share their beliefs. And only Puritans could vote or hold public office. As the jovial driver of our Old Town Trolley Tour puts it, "The Pilgrim Fathers landed on Plymouth Rock — a lot of people wished it had landed on them." 

We found trundling around Boston on a Trolley — with the option of hopping off and on whenever you like — is an ideal way to explore the city known as the 'Cradle of Liberty' because it was the birthplace of the American Revolution. This is a town that is proud of its history and flaunts it with style.

You can board a sailing ship and participate in a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party and throw tea chests into the harbour. Or, as part of the Old Town Trolley Tour, you can take a free ferry cruise across the harbour to the US Constitution. Launched in 1797, 'Old Ironsides' is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world.

It's also worth walking The Freedom Trail, a marked path that weaves its way through Boston's past, highlighting sixteen famous historic landmarks. You can stroll across Boston Common — America's oldest public park — where once hangings kept the crowds amused; drop into the Old Corner Bookstore, a favourite haunt of Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow; and check out Paul Revere House — the oldest building in downtown Boston — home to the man famed for riding his horse into the night shouting, "The British are coming! The British are coming!" Today, he would doubtless be riding a microphone at a local radio station proclaiming, "The tourists are coming! The tourists are coming! Welcome!"

Given that Boston is also known as 'Beantown', you might think that dining out could be a rather ho-hum experience. Far from it — Boston is right up there in the fine food stakes. The 'Beantown' tag stems from the early Puritan settlers' belief that cooking on Sunday was a sin. Many Puritan women prepared baked beans every Saturday and served them for Sunday dinner. Hence the nickname 'Beantown'.

Boston is justifiably renowned for its seafood and we can't get enough of it. One of our favourites is New England Clam Chowder, a speciality of the Legal Seafood Restaurants (legalseafood.com) that has been served at the past six out of seven US Presidential inauguration dinners. Another delight is Maine lobster — a succulent treat weighing in at over a kilogram. 

In addition to various chowders, seafood soups, seafood casseroles and oysters, mussels, calamari, clams, tuna, salmon, shrimp, trout, haddock and swordfish presented in a variety of styles, featured dishes included Baked Boston Scrod, Louisiana Catfish Matrimony and Sautéed Shrimp and Scallop Tanjore.