Follow that tour

Author: By Richard P. Carpenter, Globe Staff

Date: SUNDAY, June 8, 1997

Page: M1

Section: Travel

But not in Boston.

Oh, you can still take some good bus tours. But you can also experience the city, its history, and its panache by trolley (in your choice of color), on foot, by boat, and even in a hybrid land-and-sea vehicle called a Duck. When touring in Boston and environs, you can quaff specialty beers, visit an aromatic Italian kitchen, follow the path of John F. Kennedy, take a walk with Benjamin Franklin, relive Revolutionary War battles, hunt for ghosts, look for whales, or maybe go underground. And, depending upon the tour, you can spend as little as an hour or as much as a day doing so. Costs generally range from $5 to $38.

Boston's most familiar tour vehicles are undoubtedly the trolleys. Depending upon the company, these vehicles -- which are actually cleverly disguised buses -- come in orange-and-green (Old Town Trolley), red (Beantown Trolley), white (Discover Boston), and blue (Minuteman Trolley Tours) and hold about 40 people each. A basic narrated tour provides a good overview of the city and usually allows you to get off for as long as you wish at the city's top tourist attractions, such as Faneuil Hall Marketplace, then climb aboard again. Thus, you can make a day of it. Or, if you're in a hurry, the new Minuteman Tours offers an 80-minute excursion covering all the key sites.

Whatever the tour, you may hear fascinating information about Boston. Did you know, for instance, that the two Christian Science Center buildings are identical, except that one is horizontal and the other vertical? (You may occasionally hear a bit of misinformation, too, but by and large the conductor-guides are quite good.)

But such general tours are only the start of what you can do on a trolley. How about stopping for a microbrew? Old Town Trolley Tours has teamed up with three Boston area microbrewery-restaurants for a three-hour tour that provides a sampling of several kinds of locally brewed beer, porter, ale, and stout, along with appetizers and a look at the brewing process. Trolley-goers visit John Harvard's Brew House in Cambridge, the Commonwealth Brewing Co. in Boston and the brew moon restaurant & microbrewery, also in Boston. At each, passengers sample two kinds of beers plus appetizers, including the Commonwealth Brewery's ``Best Damn Yankee Ribs.'' Along the way, tour-takers get a bit of scenery and beer history, too, learning among other things that George Washington was an enthusiastic home brewer. (You'lll be happy to learn that the drivers do not join in the brew sampling.)

Old Town Trolley Tours also offers ``JFK's Boston,'' a three-hour, anecdote-filled tour created in conjunction with the John F. Kennedy Library. The tour, given only on Sundays, takes passengers to sites connected with our 35th president, with the tape-recorded voices of JFK and other family members heard along the way.

A key stop is in Brookline to see the relatively modest house at 83 Beals St. that patriarch Joseph Kennedy bought for $6,400 -- the house where JFK was born in 1917. There is a picture stop (and a visit inside the house if the tour group isn't too large), then a National Park Service guide hops aboard to point out other Kennedyesque sites during a ride around the neighborhood, such as St. Aidan's Catholic Church, where a young JFK roller-skated to Mass. Another principal stop is at the new museum at the Kennedy Library in Dorchester, where, in addition to the dozens of exhibits about JFK, there is a new section on the president's wife, Jacqueline. On display are rare photos, the camera she used as the ``Inquiring Camera Girl'' for the Washington Herald Tribune, her poems and paintings, items from her childhood, and clothing such as the red suit the first lady wore while conducting a televised White House tour, which is continually shown on video. Through Labor Day, her ivory silk taffeta wedding dress is also on display.

Boston tours aren't confined to land, however, because the city's waters and islands are rich in history and legend. There are tales of a mysterious tunnel beneath Boston; of the sighting of a sea serpent; of a grisly occurrence at Castle Island that may have inspired Poe to write ``The Cask of Amontillado''; of women pirates every bit as fierce as their male counterparts; of hangings; of a treasure reputedly buried on one of the harbor islands; and of the Lady in Black, whose ghost is still sighted on Georges Island.

Several companies offer sails of various lengths of Boston Harbor and its islands. Among them: the Boston Harbor Cruise Co., Massachusetts Bay Lines (which also has blues and rock cruises), and the schooners Liberty and Liberty Clipper. Those tall ships also present an evening musical-at-sea called ``Shipwrecked,'' a rousing performance filled with swashbuckling duels, cannon fire, and those aformentioned tales of the harbor.

For those who like a meal along with their sightseeing, the Odyssey, the Spirit of Boston, and the Liberty are among those offering brunch, lunch, dinner, and midnight cruises.

If it's whale-watching you're after, there's no shortage of those tours, either. A.C. Cruise Line, Boston Harbor Cruises, the East India Cruise Co., and the New England Aquarium offer four- to six-hour tours from the Boston area, and most of the time you do see the magnificent creatures.

One of the city's most popular tours, though, takes place on land and sea, in renovated World War II vehicles nicknamed Ducks and bearing names such as Beantown Betty and Fenway Fannie. Boston Duck Tours offers an 80-minute ride through Boston history, led by conDUCKtors who are as colorful as their vehicles. They drive through city sites, encouraging passengers to quack at passersby and often pointing out Boston's many ``firsts'': first World Series victory (by the Boston Pilgrims in 1903), first subway, first public park, first public school, first credit union, first witch hanging in the colonies, first submarine sandwiches in America, first use of ether, first telephone, first drawbridge, first chocolate factory, first animal hospital, and plenty more. But for many, the highlight is a plunge into the Charles River -- whee! -- for some of the most scenic views of Boston available anywhere. The Charles Riverboat Co., meanwhile, offers hourlong cruises of the Charles.

If you enjoy walking tours, start lacing your shoes. Boston, after all, calls itself ``America's Walking City.'' The famed Freedom Trail has been refurbished with a permanent brick line to follow, distinct signage and maps, and 16 bronze medallions to identify the official sites, ranging from Boston Common to Paul Revere's house. You can tackle the 3-mile tour on your own, of course, but guided tours of all or part of the trail may add a new dimension of knowledge. Was the Boston massacre really a massacre? And how did it actually start? Questions such as those often result in surprising answers. The National Park Service, the City of Boston Park Rangers, Boston Adventures, Boston by Foot, Discover Boston, Historic Neighborhoods, and New England Stepps are among those conducting Freedom Trail and/ or other tours, including the Black Heritage Trail and tours especially designed for families.

Or maybe you'd like to take a walk with Benjamin Franklin. Well, he's actually Bill Meikle, an Emmy winner who looks and acts a lot like Ben. He, in fact, calls himself a ``member of the AARCP -- the American Association of Recycled Colonial Persons.'' In July and August, Ben leads a delightful three-hour tour of the Boston he remembers. It's an easy walk, less than a mile, but on it you'll discover what Colonial Boston was like. You'll hear Franklin talk about where he played and worked, and you may well hear his opinion on such luminaries as John Hancock. The tour ends at Maison Robert -- now a fine restaurant but once the site of Franklin's school -- with elegant dining and conversation. (If you order a Sam Adams beer, Ben may well tell you that that's the Sam Adams achievement he approves of.)

And the tours keep on coming. One unique trip is a 90-minute excursion through the city's 100-year-old subway system -- the oldest in the nation -- conducted by Boston by Foot. The tour, given on Sundays, encompasses 18th-century crypts and cellars, 19th-century engineering feats, and the 20th-century Big Dig, that massive road construction project now under way. Participants hear the history of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, or ``T'' as it is lovingly known locally, and ride 'neath the streets of Boston, but not forever as Charlie was doomed to do in that evergreen Kingston Trio song.

Another unusual excursion is almost guaranteed to make the tummy tingle: Michele Topor's 4-hour tour of the markets of Boston's Italian North End. Toper, an authority on Italian wine, food, and culture, will have you tossing around words like sfogliatelle and digestivi as you visit a salumeria, or Italian deli; an enoteca, or wine bar; and a pasticceria, or dessert shop. Guests also view one of New England's oldest brick ovens, which holds up to 150 loaves of bread, and check out the ricotta, mozzarella, etc., in a cheese shop. Lunch at a selected trattoria is optional, but after experiencing the sights, sounds, and especially smells of this colorful section of the city, lunch will be hard to resist.

Then again, you might prefer to go chasing after ghosts.

Ghost Guide Tours takes you through the cracks and crevices of Boston's North End. The hourlong walking tour, by candleight for the evening version, is filled with tales of ghouls and ghosties, including the Lady in Black (there she is again), a young bride whose husband was captured during the Civil War, and the Ghost Horse, who is reputedly still trying to make up for the evil deeds a pirate forced him to commit long ago. The walk also delves into mysteries of the Old North Church, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, and a place called Spite House.

The hourlong Boston Spirits Tour, run by New England Supernatural Ghost Tours, is a walking tour of downtown Boston, conducted by Jim McCabe, who comes from a long line of storytellers. The tour begins on Boston Common, where tales of the supernatural abound. Participants visit the city's most infamous execution site, where a great elm once stood from which witches and other undesirables were hanged. Other stops include the Central Burying Ground, where some have seen a ghostly young girl with a sunken face staring intently at them; the Public Garden, where two elderly women in white are sometimes seen and then are suddenly gone; the Boston Athenaeum, where a scholarly Dr. Harris is said to haunt the building; and the Parker house, whose founder, Harvey Parker, is thought to roam the floors, seeing to guests' comfort. Quite an accomplishment, seeing that he died nearly 100 years ago.

Boston (and Cambridge) trolley tours cost $14 to $18 (less for seniors and children) and can be boarded at various locations. For more information, call Old Town Trolley, (617) 269-7010; Beantown Trolley (run by Gray Line), (617) 236-2148; Discover Boston Trolley, (617) 742-1440.

The new Minuteman Tours (run by Old Town Trolley) offers a One If By Land express tour for $15 and a Two If By Sea Tour, which adds a visit to the Boston Tea Party Ship, for $18. Boarding is in front of the New England Aquarium every 30 minutes from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (617) TROLLEY.

The Boston Brew Pub Tour costs $38 and is by reservation only. Call (617) 269-7150.

The JFK's Boston Tour leaves from the New England Aquarium every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Admission is $22 for adults and $12 for children. Call (617) 269-7150.

Boston sailing tours are of various lengths and prices; the ``Shipwrecked'' musical at sea aboard the Liberty costs $35. For more information: Schooner Liberty, (617) 742-0333; Boston Harbor Cruise Co., (617) 227-4321; Mass. Bay Lines, (617) 542-8000; Odyssey Cruise Co., (617) 654-9700; Spirit of Boston, (617) 457-1450; A.C. Cruise Line, (617) 261-6633; East India Cruise Co., (508) 741-0434; New England Aquarium, (617) 973-5281. The Charles Riverboat Co.'s cruises of the Charles cost $8 for adults, $5 for children, and $6 for senior citizens; call (617) 621-3001.

While not strictly giving tours, other boats provide a good way to get around. Among them: Boston by Boat offers a shuttle between the Children's Museum, the Computer Museum, the North End/Old North Church, the USS Constitution Ship and Museum, and the New England Aquarium; call (617) 422-0392 or (800) 235-6426. And the Bay State Cruise Co. offers trips to Cape Cod; call (617) 457-1428.

Boston Duck Tours leave from 101 Huntington Ave. at the Prudential Center daily from 9 a.m. through sunset every half-hour. The cost is $19 for adults, $16 for students and seniors, $10 for children 4 through 12, and a great big 25 cents for children 3 and under. For more information, call (617) 723-DUCK.

Most Boston by Foot Walking Tours, including the Underground Tour, cost from $5 to $8. For more information, call (617) 367-3766 or (617) 367-2345. The Underground Tour leaves Sundays at 2 p.m. from the Sam Adams statue at Faneuil Hall. Boston Adventures has three 90-minute sightseeing tours, at $20 for adults, $15 for seniors and $10 for children. The price includes admissions to various historic attractions. Tours leave from Bostix Tickets in Copley Square. For more information, call (617) 748-9569.

Ben Franklin's Boston Walking Tours begin Wednesday, July 2, and continue each Wednesday thereafter through Aug. 27 at 9:45 a.m. This year because of continuing renovations at the Old South Meeting House, tours will begin in the upstairs seating area of the cafe at Borders bookstore, directly across from the meeting house. The price is $32, including lunch. For more information, call (617) 482-6439.

Michele Topor's tour of the North End markets is held Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The cost is $35, with lunch optional and extra. For required reservations and information, including where to meet, call L'Arte Di Cucinare at (617) 523-6032.

Ghost Guide Tours are given nightly except Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Afternoon tours are at 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. Tours meet in front of the Paul Revere Statue on Hanover Street, across from the Old North Church. The cost is $10 for adults and $7 for seniors and students; children under 5 pay nothing. For more information, call (617) 232-5539.

The Boston Spirits Tour takes place various afternoons at 1 and evenings at 7:30. The tour leaves from the Boston Common Visitor information center, 147 Tremont St., and costs $10 for adults, $8 for children under 12. For required reservations or information, call (617) 235-7149.

And if you do want a bus tour -- and they have their virtues, too -- Gray Line offers a variety of them, covering Boston and beyond. For information, call (617) 236-2148. Boston Sightseeing Tours Inc., meanwhile, conducts 20-passenger bus tours of Boston from suburban hotels. For information, call (617) 899-1454.