Leaders, Legacies and Landmarks: A Walking Tour of Harvard University

Harvard University is America’s oldest institution of higher learning, founded in 1636 before the United States even existed. On this walking tour, you’ll hear how a desperate Puritan colony’s need for literate ministers evolved into the world’s most prestigious university, and how it continues to shape American history.

The tour starts at the Harvard Student Center in Harvard Square. You’ll pass through the famous gates into Harvard Yard, where the oldest collegiate buildings in America still house students today. You’ll stroll through the historic campus, passing the iconic Widener Library with its tragic Titanic connection, the whispering arches of Sever Hall, and Memorial Church.

Along the way, you’ll get a sense of why Harvard’s $55 billion endowment makes it the wealthiest university on Earth. With plenty of jokes, unbelievable tales from history, and a few details you’d never find on your own, this tour will open your eyes to the hidden forces that make Harvard one of the most recognizable brand names on the planet. The tour ends at Weld Hall, where eight future US presidents once lived, and where you’ll see JFK’s legendary room.

Along the way, you’ll have a chance to:

• Discover the Porcellian Club’s origins in a student rebellion that involved a live pig and a silent Bible study
• Hear about the movie stars, astrophysicists, political leaders, and war heroes who count themselves among Harvard’s alumni – from Matt Damon to John Hancock
• Experience Sever Hall’s whispering arch, where you can hear perfectly across the archway
• Visit Memorial Church, built as a World War I memorial, where Harvard’s celebrity-studded graduation ceremonies take place
• See where the Underground Railroad may have operated in a professor’s secret room
• Explore the courtyard where naked freshmen run the “Primal Scream“ before final exams
• Meet the “Statue of Three Lies“ and learn why tourists shouldn’t rub John Harvard’s shiny foot

By the end of this 90-minute tour, you’ll have a sense of two sides of Harvard: an elite institution that shaped America, and a college where students still embrace time-honored traditions of rebellion and celebration.