Walking tours of historic Ipswich are led by local historian Gordon Harris, who tells the stories of the town’s historic houses and the people who lived in them. The historic neighborhoods of Meeting House Green, High Street, the East End, and the South Green offer well-preserved streetscapes of early Ipswich homes.
This walking tour starts at the Ipswich Visitor Center, 36 South Main Street in Ipswich. The Sidney Shurcliff path takes us along the Ipswich River and two of our four stone arch bridges. Our route continues past First Period houses on Water, Summer, County, and East Streets to Meeting House Green, with stops for several historic places, including the Devil’s Footprint. We return to the Visitor Center over the 1764 Choate Bridge and along South Main Street.
This faster-paced walking tour covers 1.3 miles and takes about 2 hours. Persons with limited mobility will enjoy the shorter walking tour from Meeting House Green on Sunday, July 26. View all tours, including private & genealogy tours, on the Walking Tours page on this site.
START LOCATION: Ipswich Visitor Center, 36 South Main Street in Ipswich. View map
DATE AND TIME: Sunday, July 19, 2:00 PM
COST: The charge for scheduled tours is $20/person by Venmo or with cash when we meet. Registration for this tour is limited to about a dozen persons.
TO RESERVE: Email Ipswich historian Gordon Harris at gordonharris2@gmail.com or by text to (978) 979-6598. Please indicate the tour date you are requesting and the names of the participants.
Historic Ipswich 
When does the tour begin?Sent from my iPadOn Jul 12, 2026,
2:00 pm. Sorry the automatic email to subscribers didn’t show the time, but it’s on the web page and the embedded Walking Tours calendar.