From the meeting house to the ships

Tours begin in a meeting house set in rebellious 1773 Boston, where Samuel Adams presides over a colonial town meeting on the tax on tea. The group then boards one of two restored vessels moored outside: the brig Beaver or the ship Eleanor. The Beaver replica is more than a century old and began life in Denmark as a Baltic cargo schooner before its deck and topsides were rebuilt to resemble the original ship; the Eleanor measures 90 feet on deck. Both carry crew and captain's quarters, and the copper sheathing on their hulls came from the Paul Revere Copper Company.

The Robinson Tea Chest

Indoors, the museum's most important object is the Robinson Tea Chest, the only known surviving chest from the Boston Tea Party. According to the museum, a young apprentice named John Robinson found it in the sand off Dorchester Heights and carried it home, and his family kept it safe and passed it down for generations before it came back to Boston.

After the tea

The later rooms move to the morning after: a Patriot and a Loyalist argue the consequences on Griffin's Wharf, and talking portraits stage the war of words between King George III and Samuel Adams. The tour closes with Let It Begin Here, a multi-sensory film on April 19, 1775, Paul Revere's ride and the first shots at Lexington. It includes a battle scene the museum warns can be loud and intense for some visitors.

Abigail's Tea Room & Terrace

Abigail's Tea Room & Terrace, named for Abigail Adams, is open to anyone without a museum ticket. It pours the five teas thrown overboard in 1773 alongside lemonade and cider, with scones, muffins and pies, grab-and-go sandwiches, salads and chowder at lunch, and Sam Adams beer and wine for adults. The terrace looks over the waterfront, and the room holds a few historical exhibits of its own.

Sources: Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, museum FAQ, tickets, parking and directions, museum fact sheet. Checked September 27, 2026.