Ruckus Boston Revolutionary Experience: Gamla South & State Houses

Wow, wow, wow. This has been open since July and is a MUST SEE in Boston. I suggest buying the BOSTON 250 pass which gets you in to 5 historic museums. Ruckus was quite the surprise. I was just going into the great hall meeting room to get a feeling of the place and was informed that 'the show' had just started. Ruckus Boston is a highly technical show of Boston's history and it surrounds you with dynamic sound, lighting, and projected animations of fiery revolutionaries, determined citizens, and some unlikely troublemakers whose courage shook these walls and sparked the American Revolution. It would be fantastic for all ages.

Really great show! Was unsure what to think going into it but it was a really immersive experience that is engaging for all ages. It really gave Disney-esque vibes. The projection mapping and holograms are as cute as they are informative. Definitely would recommend, especially since the ticket also includes the Old State House

We really enjoyed sitting in the meeting hall & watching the multi sensory show on the revolution. It was nice and cool and neat to see the events in the room that it happened. I bought the Boston 250 pass which I was happy I did because it took the sting out of paying at each site. It definitely added to the Freedom trail to go into the sites and this was our favorite of them.

I did a walking tour of the Freedom Trail first, then the next day I returned to the locations I wanted to see in more detail. If you purchase a ticket at the door, you can get a dual entrance to the Old South Meeting House as well as the Old State House for $18. Well worth it. Don't skip either. The Old South Meeting House has great stories and a few artifacts within, but the coolest thing was the new immersion video experience of how the building was helpful along with a few key events in Boston's history. I had nonidea what to expect, but the meeting house walls literally turn into a theater for children and adults alike to experience an animated retelling of history. The experience is about 25 minutes long and I loved it! As a visual learner myself, I thought it was interesting to view and accessible even to children (probably ages 5 and up. The littles will like the animations and should stay engaged throughout). I left and kept recommending everyone I ran into to go see the film because I enjoyed it so much. The curators told me it was brand new, only about 2 weeks old! I'm so glad I was able to experience it. Highly recommended, don't miss this one! (Then don't forget to take your dual ticket to the Old State House to visit the balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read to the city of Boston on July 18, 1776! SO amazing!)

History comes alive at Ruckus - in the room where it happened! It is an amazing theatrical experience. Fictional cartoon characters mix with real historical figures to retell the events that led to the Boston Tea Party. The immersive show uses both drama and humor to capture the past in a way that all ages will find informative and extremely entertaining.

Do not miss the splendid new 'Ruckus' at the Old South Meeting House. This multi-media experience tells the story of the Boston Tea Party as well as events that shaped the Patriots' rebellion. And it all happened right here. A combination of animation, music and graphics, 'Ruckus' is hugely entertaining and informative. Kids in the audience loved it as well as the adults. Got a well-deserved standing ovation.

Imagine traveling to Boston to take in its rich history and to learn along the freedom trail. When suddenly, while visiting the old south meeting house, you can’t see any of the exhibits because the inside is dark. Why is it dark? Because they’ve created a new immersive experience where you sit in the seats and watch what is essentially a cartoon version of the history surrounding the revolutionary war and the old south meeting house and its significance. I was completely flabbergasted by the moment. Clearly an incredible amount of work when it to creating this new experience, but it’s essentially a kids’ show being force fed to us who went in to appreciate something about our history and that building. I don’t know who thought this would be a good idea, but for this overpaying visitor, it definitely was not. A faux pas of historic proportions, if you ask me.

We arrived a few minutes after the docent had begun speaking about the Old South Meeting House and we were very impressed with how much we learned in less than 20 minutes. She did an excellent job explaining what led to the Boston Tea Party and how Boston operated as a Puritan community.