GUIDEBOOK : Black Heritage Trail

Tours: Free guided tours of Boston’s Black Heritage Trail are offered by the National Park Service. In the summer, tours are given daily at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. The rest of the year, tours are by appointment only; call the Boston African American National Historic Site, (617) 742-5415, for current schedules and reservations.

A brochure outlining a self-guided tour of the trail is available at the Boston National Historical Park Visitor Center at 15 State St. (downtown, across from the Old State House) or at the Museum of Afro-American History, Abiel Smith School, 46 Joy St. (on Beacon Hill).

Handicapped access: The Shaw/54th Memorial is accessible to wheelchairs but other sites have no curb cuts. Handicapped visitors may arrange to see a videotape of the trail at the Boston African American National Historic Site; call (617) 742-5415 in advance.

More information: Contact the Boston African American National Historic Site, 46 Joy St. Boston, Mass. 02114, or the Museum of Afro-American History at the same address, telephone (617) 742-1854.