This historic inn in Lexington, Massachusetts, is located where the Revolutionary War began

It all started with a bang. Well, more precisely, it was a shot—the “shot heard round the world” that began the Revolutionary War.

On the night of April 18, 1775—into the early hours of the 19th—Paul Revere rode directly past the site where I stand, looking up at the Minuteman Statue illuminated by spotlights at twilight. Local historian and leader of the Footsteps of the Revolution tour Fred Silverstein knows the details so well that you would swear that he was actually there himself. “People are surprised to learn that Revere was not “on the opposite shore” to wait for a signal according to Longfellow,” Silverstein explains. “He wasn’t even the first rider summoned to warn Hancock and Adams in Lexington. Revere did arrive in Lexington first, having taken a shorter route with a faster horse.”

Despite Longfellow’s historical variations, the heart of the story is still accurate, and 250 years later, we’re all still sharing the start of the Revolutionary War that took place in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts.

Just steps from the Lexington Battle Green, history is everywhere at the Inn at Hastings Park. The 22-room luxury boutique hotel, owned by Trisha Pérez Kennealy, has a front-porch view of the site of the first confrontation between the Minutemen and the British. It’s so close that you can smell the gunpowder from the many reenactments.

The Inn’s past and present

Pérez Kennealy moved to Lexington as a child, and returned to raise her own family after living in New York, Boston, and London. “I wanted a business that was related to food,”  Pérez Kennealy says. “I have also always been passionate about Lexington’s history, so opening an inn seemed a logical way to combine these two passions.”

The property comprises three buildings—the Main House, the Isaac Mulliken House, named for a spirited local politician who lived there, and the Barn, which served as Mulliken’s original carpentry shop. The buildings date back to the 1800s, but the Main House was home to a descendant of one of Lexington’s first families who settled the town in the 1600s.

“Living in other places made me appreciate the historical significance, beauty, and sense of community that Lexington is known for,” Pérez Kennealy says.

When the property came on the market in 2012, Pérez Kennealy saw it as the opportunity of a lifetime. After a nearly two-year renovation, led by her father as project manager, the historic buildings were upgraded while preserving the property’s architecture, opening as an inn in 2014. “I wanted the design of the Inn to pay tribute to the historic and architectural significance of the buildings that comprise our hotel in a contemporary way,” Pérez Kennealy says.

She enlisted the help of local interior designer, Robin Gannon, to bring her vision of the property to life. All design aspects furnishings are from New England artisans and businesses, of which 80 percent are female-owned and operated. There are 26 different types of hand-painted wallpaper throughout the property, with bright colors and bold patterns, all of which honor the past but with a contemporary spin.

In-room locally sourced snacks, Molton Brown bath amenities, as well as on-site massages are also available.

In addition to a business background, Pérez Kennealy is also a graduate from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in London. Her culinary influence is felt throughout the property with craft cocktail classes, culinary weekends, and most notably, the Town Meeting Bistro, the culinary hub of the inn. Named for the Revolutionary era when town meetings were influential in New England, the bistro serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and high tea daily, and a Champagne brunch on Sundays, with seasonal menus that showcase local farmers.

(Related: It’s not too early to make plans for America’s 250th birthday in 2026)

Tours and reenactments

The Inn is situated along the Minuteman Bikeway, a 10-mile rail trail, and bikes are available for guests. History tours, like the Footsteps of the Revolution tour we took with Fred, leave from the inn.

The Lexington Battle Green, Minute Man National Park, and Buckman Tavern, the gathering place for Captain Parker’s militia when the British were coming, are all within walking distance of the inn.

After visiting those sites, take a short drive to the Minuteman National Historic Park, which begins in the neighboring town of Lincoln, and continue into Concord, following the route of the alarm riders. Walking across the Old North Bridge, where firing began, it’s easy to imagine the confrontation that took place there.

“It’s important that we remember what these civilian farmers, tradesmen, and shopkeepers were willing to do,” Silverstein says. “Some paid the ultimate price.” The Minute Man Statue there commemorates “the shot heard round the world,” and Meriam’s Corner marks where the battle became more intense.

The Belfry that held the bell that summoned the militia, the Hancock-Clarke House where Samuel Adams and John Hancock stayed, and Ye Old Burying Ground can all be visited by trolley tours, walking tours, and private tours.

History buffs should note that April is particularly popular for reenactments due to the anniversary, especially this year, and dates can be found on Lexington’s website.

Besides the Revolutionary War sites, the area is also a cradle of American literature. “The Alcotts moved next door to the Orchard House where daughter Louisa May wrote Little Women,” Silverstein says. “Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Alcott then were all close neighbors.” Walden Pond, where transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau lived and wrote, is also nearby.

“The ideals that were championed in the Battle of Lexington are just as relevant today as they were 250 years ago,” Pérez Kennealy says. “Lexington continues to be a vibrant and progressive community that is at the forefront of societal changes and movements.”