Become a Boston By Foot Docent

Do you like history and learning new things?
Do you enjoy sharing what you know with others?
Does getting out in the fresh air by walking around Boston energize you?
Would you enjoy meeting new friends who have the same interests?
Would you like to be part of a professional group?
Have you always wanted to do something totally different?

If you answered “Yes” to any or most of these questions, if you have enjoyed reading my posts about Boston, if you are ready to open yourself to new experiences, I have an opportunity for you.

Boston By Foot is a non-profit organization that promotes public awareness of Boston's rich history and architectural heritage by offering a wide range of guided tours delivered by volunteer guides.Boston By Foot has just announced its training schedule for the 2016 season. Now is the time to jump in with both feet and join one of Boston’s most respected walking tour organizations.

What’s Boston By Foot?

Boston By Foot is a non-profit organization that promotes public awareness of Boston’s rich history and architectural heritage by offering a wide range of guided tours delivered by volunteer guides. This year marks our 40th season of offering in-depth and content-rich walking tours throughout the city.

As one of over 200 @BostonByFoot volunteers, you will be joining a vibrant community of lifelong learners, an educated and engaged group of folks who love to share their passion for Boston. Our wide range of tours includes explorations of Boston’s neighborhoods, deep examinations into many historical topics and even an Architecture Cruise on the Charles River and Boston Harbor.

Docent leading a tour in North Square

As one of over 200 @BostonByFoot volunteers, you will be joining a vibrant community of lifelong learners, an educated and engaged group of folks who love to share their passion for Boston. Our wide range of tours includes explorations of Boston’s neighborhoods, deep examinations into many historical topics and even an Architecture Cruise on the Charles River and Boston Harbor.

How Do I Start Becoming a Docent?

New guides complete Boston By Foot’s annual training program, that is scheduled for six Saturdays from March 19 through April 23, 2016. Led by distinguished professionals, this course traces Boston’s history and architecture from 1630 to the present. The training series also provides you with everything you need to know to lead informed, insightful and engaging tours.

You will also learn the practical skills involved in running a tour and go out on most of the group’s regularly scheduled tours. That means poking into alleys and courtyards you might not normally see, learning the architecture and history of a building you may have walked past a thousand times, understanding why the city raised a statue of a man you’ve never heard of, and discovering the history behind the names of ordinary streets.

New guides complete Boston By Foot's annual training program, that is scheduled for six Saturdays from March 19 through April 23, 2016. Led by distinguished professionals, this course traces Boston's history and architecture from 1630 to the present and provides you with everything you need to know to lead informed, insightful and engaging tours.

Docents in training learn to look up

You’ll learn to look UP at architectural features you never noticed before. You’ll look DOWN to discover the ghostly outlines of streets and building that no longer exist. And you’ll look all AROUND as if through new eyes as you come to understand what you’re seeing.

It’s fun, it’s educational, and it’s exciting. Boston By Foot training also expands your experience of Boston beyond the Bruins / Red Sox / Patriots or whatever group is playing a concert at the TD Garden. BTW, the “Gaahden” is located on Causeway Street. But do you know why it’s called Causeway Street?  Or how it was part of the Bulfinch Triangle? Or why Charles Bulfinch was an important part of Boston city planning? You can learn all this and much, much more. We also have tours designed for children and even a dog-friendly tour.

Learn More Right Now

To learn more about the Boston By Foot volunteer experience, watch video interviews with Lisa and husband and wife duo, John and Mary-Anne. Visit Boston By Foot’s website  for more information and view more volunteer interviews on the organization’s YouTube channel.

 We also have tours designed for children and even a dog-friendly tour.

Boston By Little Feet tour teaches kids about Boston

To read how much I have enjoyed my experience as a docent for Boston By Foot, read my collection of posts About Boston. They include a dozen of Boston’s Hidden Gems and a quartet of angels. I have just started a new series on Boston’s Bronze Menagerie.

I put all these posts on one page to make it easier for you to find them and to read through parts of a series you may have missed.

Discover the city for yourself and gain a whole new skill — as well as a group of new friends. Join Boston By Foot’s spring training and I’ll see you on the road!