Boston may be the American city with the most colonial and Revolutionary War-era heritage. Hence, it is not surprising that its key locations have evolved into a pilgrimage route for Americans and other people hoping to gain an understanding of that history.
But more than that, the Freedom Trail connects with or passes by some of the city's most popular tourist attractions, making it a fantastic introduction to the city as it is now. The majority of Boston's attractions are within walking distance of one another, and the T, America's first subway system, connects the city's key neighborhoods.
Cambridge is located across the Charles River from the Boston shore of the watery summer recreation area known as the Esplanade park. Despite being a separate and independent city, Cambridge is a part of Boston for touristic purposes and is connected by the same transit system.
Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, two of America's most prestigious and significant universities, are located here (MIT). These as well as the numerous other schools and universities in the region aid in keeping Boston a young and energetic city with a thriving cultural scene. You'll never run out of things to do in Boston at night because to the city's many opportunities for music, theater, and entertainment, as well as its multitude of dining alternatives.
Using this helpful guide to Boston's tourist sites and things to do, choose the ideal time to come and then make the most of your vacation.
1.Go the Freedom Path
16 of the most significant historical monuments and sites in the city are passed by and entered on the three-mile Freedom Trail. The line of red bricks in the walkway and the footprints at the street intersections make it simple to follow. Before going to the State House, start by collecting pamphlets on the sights at the Boston Common Visitor Center.
You can visit Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock's graves at Old Granary Burying Ground, the graves of Governor John Winthrop and two Mayflower passengers at King's Chapel Burying Ground, the Old South Meeting House, the Boston Tea Party's birthplace, and the Old State House along the trail. The Boston Massacre took place here, which is also Boston's oldest public structure.
The 54-gun USS Constitution and the 220-foot granite Bunker Hill Monument are located in Charlestown, where the Freedom Trail concludes after passing the Paul Revere Mansion and Old North Church in Boston's North End.
2. Attend a Game or Visit Fenway Park
Fenway Park | Picture by Stillman D. Rogers Photography, with permission
One of the most famous sports facilities in the nation, Fenway Park is known as "America's Most Beloved Ballpark." Even if you're not a sports enthusiast, a tour of it is entertaining and educational. The Boston Red Sox's stadium still resembles it did on April 20, 1912, when it first opened.
The Green Monster, a 37-foot green wall in left field, is one of the park's most iconic features, and other "old time" baseball relics like the manually controlled scoreboard are still present. Moreover, it has the smallest Major League seating capacity, with only 33,871 people (a fact that makes tickets exceedingly scarce).
3.Faneuil Hall
Faneuil Hall, also referred to as the "cradle of liberty," was constructed in 1740–1742 as a market hall by Huguenot businessman Peter Faneuil and donated to the city on the understanding that it would always be accessible to the general public.
Market booths are still there on the ground floor, while an upper floor council chamber served as a gathering place for revolutionaries and later abolitionists during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Museum, which features armor, uniforms, and artwork of major battles, is located on the building's fourth floor.
Three broad halls (Quincy Market, North Market, and South Market) of the adjacent Faneuil Hall Marketplace, built in the early 19th century, are today home to a bustling collection of boutiques, eateries, and exhibitions.
Together with the numerous food stalls, there are shops selling jewelry, clothing, presents, and souvenirs. In good weather, you can find street performers and buskers putting on shows in the square surrounding the market. Some of Bostoners' preferred lunch spots are the market stalls.
4. Swan Boat Rides at Boston Common and Public Garden
Boston Common, the nation's first park and the starting point of the Freedom Trail, is located in the center of the city. Several monuments including the Central Burying Ground from 1756 are located in this sizable open park, which is frequented frequently by people all year long. From November to the middle of March, you may rent skates to use on the Frog Pond. While there, you can take in the spring blossoms and fall foliage colors that reflect on its surface, and in the summer, you can watch kids splash around in the wading pool.
Along with Victorian-style monuments and statues, including an equestrian statue of George Washington and well-known contemporary bronzes of a family of ducks immortalized in Robert McCloskey's children's book Make Way for the Ducklings, the 24-acre Public Garden, which is adjacent to it and is America's oldest botanical garden, can be found on the west side of Charles Street. Riding the renowned Swan Boats, which were first introduced in the 1870s, around the lake at the garden's center is one of Boston's most recognizable experiences for people of all ages.
5. Boston Museum of Fine Arts
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, one of the top art museums in the nation, is renowned for its collections of Impressionist paintings, artifacts from ancient Egypt, Asian and Persian works of art, and pieces from ancient Greece and the Middle East.
The creation of a full American Wing to house exceptional collections of American paintings, furniture, decorative arts, folk art, silver, glassware, and design extending from pre-Columbian arts to the Art Deco and Modernism eras is its latest and greatest accomplishment.
Highlights elsewhere include an ivory and gold statue of the Minoan Snake Goddess from 1500 BC, a statue of the Egyptian king Mycerinus and his queen from 2548–2530 BC, and Korean painted screens from the 12th century.
6.Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is housed in a structure that its eccentric founder fashioned after a Venetian palace from the 15th century. The building's rooms are arranged around a central courtyard with a fountain and four stories of flowering plants.
The magnificent 2,500-piece collection of artwork, sculptures, tapestries, decorative arts, books, and manuscripts reflects Mrs. Gardner's own preferences and extensive knowledge, and her own flamboyance furthers the museum's appeal.
The museum can display remarkable contemporary works and artists thanks to a 70,000 square foot glass-clad building behind the palazzo that Italian architect Renzo Piano created. This building also generates spectacular venues for music and the visual arts. Piano's wing merely offers a fresh window through which to observe Mrs. Gardner's palazzo; it doesn't compete or clash with the original structure.
There are continuous views of the castle and grounds through transparent walls from practically anyplace in the new building. After visiting the museum, take a stroll across the vast, green Fens to uncover a lovely rose garden that is in bloom from June through October.
7. Bunker Hill and the USS Constitution (Boston National Historic Park)
The USS Constitution, often known as Old Ironsides, is the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy and is still captained and manned by Naval personnel. Visitors are welcome on board, and they can descend below desks to learn more about the ship's construction and operations at sea.
The USS Constitution Museum, which is located across the dock, gives historical context through engaging displays that depict life two centuries ago on board a navy ship. The Cassin Young, a World War II destroyer, is another vessel that you can visit here.
The Bunker Hill Monument and Museum, also located in the park, is only a short stroll from Charlestown Navy Yard, which is a part of the Boston National Historical Park. Prior to the Battle of Bunker Hill, the first-ever pitched fight of the American Revolution, New England soldiers constructed an earthen fort on top of the hill, which is now marked by a 221-foot-tall granite monument.
8. Science Museum
This large science museum's exhibits encourage learning via practical application of science and technology, but it's not just for kids. More than 700 permanent hands-on exhibits that cover physics, biology, chemistry, ecology, zoology, astronomy, computers, and more are augmented by stage presentations and interpreters.
Highlights include a fossil found in the Dakota Badlands that is 65 million years old, an electricity dome with ongoing programming, the Butterfly Garden, where you can stroll among free-flying butterflies in a conservatory full of exotic plants, a live animal center, an opportunity to learn weather forecasting alongside local meteorologists, and ComputerPlace, where you can operate a robot and investigate how your computer stores information. The Mugar Omni Theater boasts a five-story domed screen, and the planetarium offers daily laser and star displays.
9. The Harvard Art Museums and Harvard Square
The oldest university in the United States is Harvard University, which was established in 1636 and is regarded as one of the top academic institutions in the world. For a fun and engaging free campus walking tour led by a student who will discuss history, Harvard lore, and personal insight, visit the Harvard Information Center. A tour may also be downloaded from their website.
Harvard Yard is located in Harvard Square, a bustling gathering spot for students, "townies," and tourists that is home to numerous stores, bookshops, and ice cream parlors, supposedly more than any other American city.
The Harvard Art Museums, which house three once independent collections and are each rated highly as significant U.S. art museums, are housed in the Renzo Piano-designed building that is adjacent to Harvard Yard. Such impressive collections are seen in few universities. The Busch-Reisinger focuses on Expressionist art of central and northern Europe, featuring Bauhaus items and paintings by Kandinsky and Klee, whereas the Fogg Art Museum emphasizes Italian early Renaissance art.
One of the best collections of Chinese jade, Chinese bronzes, Japanese prints, Indian art, and Greco-Roman antiquities, particularly vases and sculptures, is another noteworthy aspect of the museums.
10. Boston's North End and Old North Church
One of Boston's oldest neighborhoods is the North End, which is home to a vibrant Italian community. Paul Revere, a silversmith and prominent campaigner, lived there during the American Revolution. The only home owned by a patriot on the Freedom Trail is the Paul Revere House, which is open for tours. He purchased it in 1770 and resided there when he made his infamous ride.
You can ascend to Old North Church's tower to see where, in April 1775, lights were strung to warn Paul Revere that British forces were en route to Lexington to detain the patriot leaders and seize the munitions stockpiles. The church's antique box pews are still present in its stunning white interior.
Beyond its significant historic sites, there are many more factors that make the North End a popular destination for travelers. It still maintains an Italian feel and dynamic flair, despite some changes over the years since it was populated by freshly arriving immigrants from Italy. Italian bakeries, cafes, restaurants, and businesses may all be found there. The fragrances of preserved olives, freshly roasted coffee, and Italian cheeses fill the air.
The North Bennet Street School is another location where you may learn crafts including violin making, cabinet and furniture making, carpentry, silver and gold work, and bookbinding. It's a great place to find one-of-a-kind gifts and their gallery shop is akin to a museum of exquisite craftsmanship.
11. Ships & Museum of the Boston Tea Party
Angry Bostonians protesting a tax on goods brought to the colonies stormed ships from England on the night of December 16, 1773, more than a year before the start of the American Revolution, and tossed the tea into the bay here. The Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum provides tours with a participatory reenactment of that event, using full-scale replicas of the original ships from which the Sons of Liberty spilled tea overboard.
Visitors are guided through that historic night by dressed historical interpreters through hands-on exhibits, movies, and sensory encounters. Everyone is free to throw tea into the harbor, of course. You can view the sole known tea chest from that tragic cargo in the museum. It's not surprising that this is one of the most popular activities for families in Boston because kids are lured into the excitement while learning about shipboard life and American history.
12.New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium, which overlooks the water, is home to more than 20,000 fish and aquatic creatures from 550 different species. A man-made coral reef in the Caribbean is home to a wide range of tropical fish and marine creatures, including as sharks, turtles, and moray eels. Visitors can handle tiny invertebrates like crabs, starfish, and urchins in the Edge of the Sea touch tank.
Visitors can observe harbor seals playing, performing, and living in their enclosed habitat outside the aquarium. In addition to hosting educational events and whale-watching excursions outside of Boston Harbor, the New England Aquarium also runs a nearby IMAX Theater where 40-minute documentaries about the natural world are screened.
13. Glass Flowers at Harvard Museums
The four museums that make up this complex house priceless items like the Lewis and Clark artifacts, but for most visitors, the highlight is the more than 3,000 models of 830 different species of flowers and plants, some of which have insects. These models are all so lifelike that you won't believe they are made of glass.
The flowers were crafted between 1887 and 1936 by master craftsmen Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, and their special method has never been duplicated. The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, the Mineralogical Museum, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the Botanical Museum all house large research collections from Harvard that are displayed together under one roof.
While the very best things to do in Boston are worth a visit year-round, now’s the time for winter activities like ice skating and skiing. Number one on our list is still the Freedom Trail, gives you access to many attractions in Boston join us https://t.co/K9m2wWlYvs pic.twitter.com/AczxbaUu1B
— Pine Manor ELI (@PMCELI) February 3, 2020
The Peabody exhibits items and works of art that are interpreted as belonging to a live culture, even when that culture has since disappeared, and is especially strong in Native American exhibits. You may view some of the best Native American artworks from a variety of time periods and tribes, as well as how these works transformed as Europeans opened up a new market for their products.
The Pacific Islands balcony will appeal to those who enjoy the Victorian "Cabinet of Curiosities" atmosphere of old-style museums; it feels like traveling back in time. Louis Agassiz founded the Museum of Comparative Zoology in 1859, and it now houses a sizable fossil collection, including a 25,000-year-old mastodon. A stunning exhibition of uncut and cut gemstones, a well-known meteorite collection, and rocks, ores, and minerals from many parts of the world are all included in the mineralogy collections.
14.Newbury Street and Back Bay
Boston's Back Bay, which was previously submerged before a hill was leveled to fill it in, is the city's 19th-century core and the residence of the fabled "Proper Bostonian." It is both evocative and stylish. The grid of streets between the Public Garden and the Fenway, bordered on the north by Storrow Drive and the Charles River Esplanade, is lined with quiet streets of Brownstone and brick townhouses.
The city's tree-lined avenues, especially Newbury Street, have a very European feel with their assortment of small (mainly trendy) stores and boutiques, art galleries, and cafés and restaurants that open onto sidewalk terraces. The neighborhood's architecture is varied, with some lovely examples of brick and terra-cotta ornamentation.
15. Copley Square and the Boston Public Library
Buildings from both the past and the present surround the Back Bay neighborhood's central square. The Boston Public Library, the nation's first publicly funded lending library, forms one side. It was established in 1848. The current building was designed in 1895 by architect Charles Follen McKim.
Enter the building to see the murals by John Singer Sargent and Edwin Abbey and the library's Renaissance Revival design. The renowned American sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens is responsible for the granite medallions that hang over the entry arches. Daniel Chester French designed the vestibule's three sets of bronze doors. Frequent Art and Architecture Tours are one of the many Boston attractions that are free to enjoy.
Trinity Church is a Richardson Romanesque-styled red sandstone structure facing the library across a grassy lawn where you can have a picnic lunch with nearby office workers. Richardson designed Trinity Church. Most people agree that Trinity is his best work. John La Farge created the interior murals, frescoes, and painted decorations, and Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris created the majority of the exquisite stained glass.
The historic Fairmont Copley Plaza is located on one of the square's sides; together, these three structures and the skyscraper's sheer glass wall form a beautiful urban scene. Look for the Boston Marathon's finish line one block down Boylston Street, which is completed each April on Patriot's Day.
A short distance away is the 32-acre Prudential Center, which contains a 52-story tower, stores, restaurants, and apartments. You can visit the Skywalk observation deck on the building's 50th floor for a 360-degree view of Boston and its surrounds.
16. Whale-watching cruises in Boston Harbor
You can board the Odyssey from Rowes Wharf and go through Boston Harbor by way of Castle Island, George's Island, Little Brewster Island, the Boston Light, and Charlestown Naval Yard before returning to the wharf.
You can take in the views of the Boston skyline while having lunch, dinner, or Sunday brunch. You can enjoy a full moon or starlight cruise at night, when the skyline is particularly stunning.
On Boston Whale Watching Cruises, you can leave the boundaries of Boston Harbor for a chance to observe humpback and fin whales, as well as dolphins and porpoises, in the wild. These three-hour, naturalist-led trips are extremely well-liked and promise to see whales on each trip.
17.John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
The museum, created by renowned architect I.M. Pei and inaugurated in 1979, is the recognized national memorial to JFK and is devoted to the memory of the 35th U.S. President. Three theaters, relics from JFK's life, images, and historical displays are all included in the museum, which is located on the shoreline south of the city.
The presidential campaign path, the White House, First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, and the Kennedy family are all covered in the exhibits. The free, kid-friendly Highlights tours and the Hands-on Cart programs, which cover the PT-109 tale and give you a closer look at the Race for Space, are interactive experiences offered here.
18. The Black Heritage Path and Beacon Hill
The south side of Beacon Hill, one of Boston's most picturesque districts and conveniently located in the heart of the city, has long been the residence of Boston's "old money" families, also referred to as "Brahmins." Its streets are lined with well-kept brick homes in the Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles, and at its center, Louisburg Square, homes look out upon a lush private park. From 1880 through 1888, author Louisa May Alcott called this place home.
The Nichols House Museum, a Federal-style residence designed by Boston architect Charles Bulfinch, exhibits the lifestyle of upper-class Beacon Hill residents and is crammed with collections of furniture and ornamental arts from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Charles Street is lined with boutiques and shops that have historically catered to the neighborhood and are well-liked by tourists at the western foot of Beacon Hill. The Bull and Finch, a 1969 establishment that faces the Public Garden and is located beyond Charles Street, served as the model for the hit television series Cheers.
From the early 19th century, immigrants, including a substantial African American community, have lived on the north side of Beacon Hill, which is much more humble. From April through November, National Park Service Rangers provide free guided tours of the Black Heritage Trail; however, you can also walk the path at any time on your own.
The 15 pre-Civil War homes, businesses, schools, and churches that make up the Boston African American National Historic Site paint a picture of the city's African American community during the 19th century. The African Meeting House, the nation's oldest (1806) church constructed by and for Black Americans and now restored to its 1854 look, is run by the Museum of Afro-American History.
The first public grammar school for African Americans was the Abiel Smith School, founded in 1834. Artifacts, movies, works of art, and sculpture pertaining to the black experience in Boston and New England are on display at both locations.
19. Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park and Boston HarborWalk
Since its early days as a colonial shipping port, the Boston shoreline has seen numerous alterations. An ambitious reconstruction plan gave the region new life in the mid-1970s after it had been in a state of decay for the most of the 20th century.
Today, HarborWalk, a lovely waterfront path with parks, public art, benches, cafés, explanatory signage, and access to numerous ways to explore the port by cruise boat, ferry, or water taxi, connects this unusual combination of residential and business space. Moreover, a shuttle boat travels to Charlestown Navy Yard.
The part you won't want to miss travels from the North End past the wisteria-draped pergola of Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, past Commercial Wharf, India Wharf, Long Wharf, and by Rowes Wharf before curving along the harbor into the thriving Seaport District to the Institute of Contemporary Art, an art museum dramatically cantilevered above the water.
20.Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, number
The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, one of Boston's newest parks and green areas, covers the area of downtown Boston left vacant by the Central Artery's demolition.
The financial center, the North End, Chinatown, and Faneuil Hall Market are just a few steps from the linear park and are connected by about 1.5 miles of parks and gardens.
The park is enhanced by public art, gardens, seats, a farmers market, food trucks, and playgrounds. It also features a fancy carousel with imaginative animals where kids may ride on bunnies, butterflies, turtles, lobsters, and grasshoppers, among other creatures.
21. Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops
Symphony Hall, one of the most acoustically ideal concert venues in the world, opened its doors in 1900 and hosted the Boston Symphony Orchestra's first performance there in 1881. Its conductors have over the course of more than a century included legends including Pierre Monteux, Serge Koussevitzky, Charles Munch, Seiji Ozawa, and James Levine.
In addition to hosting the Boston Pops Orchestra, which sets the bar for performances of lighter music internationally, the hall also hosts the regular season of the symphony. A Pops concert, whether at Symphony Hall or the Hatch Memorial Shell, an Art Deco outdoor music venue on the riverside Esplanade that has become a Boston landmark, is frequently cited as the highlight of a trip by tourists.
The Boston Pops' annual July 4th performance of the 1812 Overture is perhaps its most well-known event, although the shell also hosts a regular schedule of concerts and other special events. Views of Cambridge, Back Bay, and Beacon Hill may be seen from where spectators sit on the lawn in front of the shell. On a tour of Symphony Hall, you may peek behind the scenes and learn about the background, customs, and musicians and conductors of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
22.Arnold Arboretum
The Arnold Arboretum, known as a "museum of trees," is particularly vibrant in the spring when cherry trees, lilacs, or magnolias are in bloom and in the fall when maple trees are blazing in reds and yellows. But, the Arnold Arboretum is lovely throughout the entire year. Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing are popular activities on the 281-acre property's pathways when they are blanketed in snow.
The Arboretum, a National Historic Landmark and a teaching tool for Harvard University, was created by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. Exquisite collections of lilacs, azaleas, and rhododendrons are among the many trees, shrubs, vines, and perennial flowering plants that may be found there, and the Bonsai & Penjing Collection is another highlight.
Two of the largest Franklin trees in the world, a species that is now extinct in the wild, may be found in the Explorers Garden, a small microclimate within the grounds. All abilities are welcome on the quarter-mile introductory and 90-minute Keeper's Tours lead by docents.
23.Massachusetts College of Technology
Fans of modern and postmodern architecture will particularly like the 150-acre MIT campus, which features works by renowned architects such as Alvar Aalto, Eduardo Catalano, I. M. Pei, Frank Gehry, and Eero Saarinen.
Moreover, the campus showcases hundreds of sculptures and art installations by artists including Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Jacques Lipchitz, and Auguste Rodin that can be seen with the aid of a self-guided walking tour map. Ship models are displayed at the Hart Nautical Gallery, and modern art is on display in the Compton Gallery.