This tour is an exercise in appreciation of the spirit of independence that began in Boston to define this country--that's what the tour guide told us. She was referring to the difficulty in scheduling more than the three stops along the way, since the museum homes in Cambridge & Concord refuse to open and close at about the same time. Some do not open until noon, when the tour is finished. I and my companion found this curious in a city so full of history. We also found it disappointing, since Boston's public transit doesn't go to these sites in Concord. Some of our country's most important literary and historic sites, then, are inaccessible to tourists using either public transit or regularly-scheduled tours. Even worse, if you make great effort and go to great expense to visit a site such as the Old Manse on your own, you may not find it dependably open.
So, if you want to tour a site out in Concord, better call first to make sure it will be open when you get there. The web address above lists 17 sites (with links) on this tour and explains the self-guided tour, which is only $19, instead of $30. You can visit each website individually, check hours and directions, and decide if you want to navigate yourself in and around Boston. You may be able to see more--if you live through the experience! (Boston web sites do warn tourists not to drive in Boston anytime soon.) However, if you go on your own, you can visit the sites the tour only drives by.