USS Lexington Memorial, 1875 Massachusetts Ave, Lexington, MA 02420, US

The Lexington Battle Green is the site of "The Shot Heard 'Round the World," which signified the start of the American Revolution in 1775. The Battle Green is a favorite spot among locals for picnics and frisbee games in warmer weather, but tourists come from around the world to see where America's independence got its start.Parking and public transportation at the Lexington Battle GreenThe Lexington Battle Green is located in Lexington's charming town center, and there is a fair amount of parking. Parking meters are located around the Battle Green itself and throughout the center's streets. Additionally, there are parking lots of metered spaces behind the stores on either side of Mass Ave, the main street that runs through the center. All meters have two-hour limits, though locals frequently feed the meter or move their cars to new spaces. There is another lot behind Depot Square, and this has a flat fee for unlimited day parking. Many T (Boston's public transportation system) buses stop in Lexington Center, and the Lexpress (Lexington's local bus system) originates here.Best and worst time go to the Lexington Battle GreenBecause the Lexington Battle Green is the town's common, it neither opens nor closes and is a beautiful place to visit any time. The nearby Visitors Center is open 362 days per year. It's best to visit April through October, as this is when you might find a tour guide dressed in Colonial garb to take you to and explain the monuments, markers, and houses that memorialize the Revolutionary War and its start in Lexington. This time frame is also when you can take the Liberty Ride, an award-winning, guided, 90 minute trolley ride through Lexington and Concord. Weekends are busiest but also offer the best opportunity to find a tour guide on the Battle Green, and parking is free on Sundays.Admission to the Lexington Battle GreenVisiting the Battle Green and the Visitors Center is free, as are tours of the Battle Green. The Liberty Ride is $28 for adults, $12 for students under age eighteen, and free for kids under five. AAA members, seniors, and military personnel are discounted, and a ticket for the Liberty Ride includes merchant coupons as well as free parking for the day in Lexington Center. Some attractions at stops along the Liberty Ride charge separate entrance fees.Must see/do at the Lexington Battle GreenWander the Green and find the monument to "The Shot Heard 'Round the World." Climb the steps to the Old Belfry, which sounded the alarm of the coming of the Redcoats. Visit the nearby Old Burying Ground with gravestones dating back to 1690.Other places to visit near the Lexington Battle GreenYou can check out a few historical houses where George Washington dined and Minutemen nursed their wounded. The Buckman Tavern is right next to the Battle Green and is probably the most visited. A short drive away (and stops along the Liberty Ride), you'll find the Hancock-Clarke House and Munroe Tavern. (These have additional entrance fees.) You can also visit out Lexington's Minute Man National Historic Park and the National Heritage Museum.Insider tip for visitors to the Lexington Battle GreenPatriot's Day is a big deal in Lexington. Get to the Battle Green at 4am and watch a live reenactment of the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Follow it with one of many local pancake breakfasts and later, a parade.Author's bio: Deborah Jarvis is a freelance writer who grew up in Lexington and currently lives in the Greater Boston Area. She never pahks her cah in Hahvahd Yahd and tries not to drive like she's from Boston if she can help it. She actually spent a summer wearing a tricorn hat and giving Battle Green tours and can probably be found in the photos of many tourists who visited Lexington in 1995.

Lexington

A Woman's Place

Lexington Visitors Center

Liberty Ride