American history texts are chock-full of Boston, and travel guides on Boston are chock-full of history. While reminders of the past dominate the city's landscape, from Boston Common (the oldest public park in the United States) to the Old State House (the city's oldest public building, erected in 1713), the city thrives on its past, rather than being embalmed in it.

Boston offers much more than relics of the wigged, knickerbockered set. Its history lives and breathes -- along the soon-to-be modernized Freedom Trail, in its off-beat museums, in its chic and artfully down-chic shops, even amid its bustling rock music scene. In Boston, the past hasn't gone anywhere, but it sure has come a long way

For a tour of Boston's living heritage, click on the images at the right.