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It's easy to get lost in the North End.

That's only figuratively speaking, because our day trip to Boston's Italian neighborhood was carefully planned, and following the two-by-two bricks and red lines that make up the city's Freedom Trail makes actually getting lost near impossible.

But it's effortless to lose track of time walking cobblestone streets steeped in history, lined with chatter, music and a seemingly endless supply of eye-catching happenings.

It was my latest travel into a 50/50 trip - spending a day packed with fun, food and activities less than 50 miles away for $50 or less.

The plan was to enjoy a walk through Boston, something anyone who grew up in its suburbs has done countless times - but maybe not so much as a grownup - and hit a couple of tried and true Bostonian spots. We mapped out a section of the city's Freedom Trail from its start at the Statehouse through Faneuil Hall and the North End.

A nice walk, a snack at Quincy Market, a drink at an Italian restaurant and a real Italian pastry to cap it off.

History in your backyard.

It's a phrase that's been used probably way too many times, but when you talk about Boston - less than an hour's drive away and bursting with lessons and reminders of our country's formative years - it hardly seems cliche.

Following Boston's Freedom Trail, a 2.5-mile route outlined by red bricks and, in some places, thick red lines that takes visitors past 16 nationally significant historic sites, including museums, churches, meetinghouses, burial grounds and parks.

It was preserved and dedicated by Boston citizens in 1958.

Markers will tell you the story of the American Revolution and other important events that helped make Boston, and the United States, what it is today.

For about $12 you can take a guided tour of the trail organized by the Freedom Trail Foundation. It's a 90-minute, narrated tour that gives you the story behind to the sites you are seeing.

(Some themed tours, including a pub crawl, are a bit more expensive.)

But we opted to walk it ourselves and found the real lesson is in, quite simply, taking in the fact that you are standing where so many historical figures once stood and where so many important events took place. While we didn't walk the whole trail, we found that going from the Statehouse to the North End gave us several peeks into history we'd long forgotten we'd already seen.

Make the walk a little richer by starting before the Statehouse at the any entrance to Boston Common and take a stroll through the park before you begin your history lesson.

Boston Common is, of course, a day in itself, with feet splashing available at the Frog Pond, acres of grass for a snooze or a picnic, and plenty of vendors ready to serve you an inexpensive snack.

On our shortened Freedom Trail walk, we actually saw most of the sites, including Granary Burial Ground, which sometimes is called America's Westminster Abby, and where you can see the tomb markers of John Hancock, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and Benjamin Franklin's parents.

An unexpected treat was actually running into to one of the guided tours and seeing the tour guides adorned in Revolutionary-style garb.

There are 16 sites in all to see, and fully exploring all of them could be an entire day for the family.

We stopped at Faneuil Hall, one of the trail's famous sites, for a snack.

Faneuil Hall hosted America's first town meeting and was built by merchant Peter Faneuil in 1741. It has served as an open forum meeting hall and marketplace for more than 250 years, so walking its cobblestone path is a lesson in history itself.

But the real fun, we think, is in taking in whatever happens to be going on that day. We saw a group of acrobatic dancers, a magic show, and throngs of people shopping the carts that line either side of Quincy Market.

Inside the marketplace, we decided it was time for a snack, so we selected the Oyster Bar, which provided a much-needed half hour to rest our feet.

We carefully selected the spot for its prices and fish, a Boston treat.

For $6.67, we split a bread bowl of Rockport lobster bisque, which was filled with lobster meat, and a lobster roll with chips for $12.86. Though the roll had a little less meat in it, it still was yummy and we were able to sample the New England clam chowder. Following our Boston-themed day, we also had a Sam's Summer Ale. Yum.

Just remember to bring a few dollars if you go here; it's cash only and you don't want to end up paying those ATM fees.

Refreshed, we continued on and took a minute to stop at the new North End parks on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, which opened in November 2007. Each sit on three acres of land between Faneuil Hall and the North End. Plenty of people were taking in some sun and getting their feet wet at the sprinklers, and finally seeing one result of the Big Dig was a bonus.

There are chairs, tables and benches for readers and picnickers, but since we had our eyes fixed across the street, we marched on to the North End.

Hanover Street, the neighborhood's main drag, is bursting with activity most any time of the day, but I was happy our wandering and sight-seeing meant we stayed until after dusk to take in the pre- and post-dinner crowds.

Still daylight when we arrived, we took a stroll down the entire street to the water's edge, passing by some famed best of Boston eating and drinking spots, not to mention a bustle of people gathered outside in small groups, nibbling on cannolis and chatting away.

What I didn't know about the North End is that martinis seem to be a big thing. There's even a restaurant called Limoncellos, so we set out to find a refreshing spot to take in some people watching and sip a cocktail.

Nico's Meatballs and Music wouldn't let us sit by the window for just a drink, so we ventured down side streets and found Riccardo's Ristorante on North Street, which actually is on the Freedom Trail.

Executive Chef Richard Travaglione Jr. told me his family is third-generation Italian, and that his father, Richard Travaglione Sr., worked for years at Felicia's in the North End before opening this restaurant 141/2 years ago. If you go for dinner, he recommends the calamari dishes or the veal chop.

The hostess immediately told us to feel comfortable sitting wherever we'd like and we sat for a good while by the window, enjoying the weather and red and green martinis. John, my travel companion and boyfriend, had a Pama Pomegranate meriting with UV citrus vodka, and I tried the Limoncello with UV raspberry vodka. They were $10 each, and very much worth it.

The restaurant was lovely, the servers friendly, and as a little time went on, its popularity became clear as people began to fill all its seats.

Though we didn't eat dinner, I'm happy to report their prices are not outrageous, either.

After drinks, it was time to try what I'd heard were the best cannolis it town at Mike's Pastry back on Hanover Street.

The shop has been a legend for generations, and it's easy to see why everyone loves it.

No matter when you go, I'm told, there are lines to wait in, but the result is worth it. And it wasn't just a rumor. I tried the chocolate mousse cannoli. The pastry was crisp, the melted chocolate delectable and the filling was out of a five-star restaurant.

And, at $5.25 for that plus a small coffee - which John and I shared as the cannoli was big enough for three people - it was a bargain.

Our Faneuil Hall snack, martini accessorized people watching and Italian dessert put us at right at our $50 mark. But a day spent rich in history and fun made us forget about the price tag.

REBECCA KEISTER can be reached at 508-236-0336 or at rkeister@thesunchronicle.com.