From the time of the colonies to the Revolutionary War, Boston may have the most history of any place in the United States. If you want to get a sense of that history, it’s not a surprise that its key sites have become a pilgrimage trail for Americans and other people.
On top of that, the Freedom Trail is a great way to see what the city is like now because it connects or goes near some of the most popular tourist spots. The T, America’s first subway system, serves Boston’s most important neighbourhoods and makes it easy to get around on foot.
Cambridge, Massachusetts, is across the Charles River from Boston. The Boston shore of the river is set aside as the Esplanade Park for summer leisure. As a tourist destination, Cambridge is part of Boston and is linked by the same public transport system, even though it is its own city.
Between these two places are Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), two of the most famous and important universities in the United States. Because there are so many universities and schools in the area, Boston stays a young, lively, and culturally interesting place to live. At night, you’ll never run out of things to do in Boston thanks to its many restaurants and music, theatre, and entertainment venues.
Although it has many tall buildings, I find Boston to be a very pleasant place to visit. This may be because I used to live there and know how confusing the downtown streets can be. Learn about the best things to do in Boston with this helpful guide to the city’s best sites. Walk with me through my favourite city.
1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Modern and postmodern architecture fans will enjoy the 150-acre MIT campus, which is like a live museum with buildings by famous architects like Alvar Aalto, Eduardo Catalano, I. M. Pei, Frank Gehry, and Eero Saarinen.
With the help of a self-guided walking tour map, you can also see hundreds of sculptures and art works on campus. These are by artists like Pablo Picasso, Henry Moore, Alexander Calder, Jacques Lipchitz, and Auguste Rodin. You can see models of ships in the Hart Nautical Gallery and modern art in the Compton Gallery.
- Address: 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts
2. Arnold Arboretum
As a “museum of trees,” the Arnold Arboretum is most beautiful in the spring, when cherry trees, lilacs and magnolias are in full bloom, and in the autumn, when the maples are ablaze with red and yellow leaves. But the Arnold Arboretum is lovely all year round. Cross-country skiers and snowshoers like to use the trails that wind through the 281-acre park when it’s snowy.
The Arboretum is a National Historic Landmark that was created by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmstead. It is taken care of by Harvard University, which also uses it as a teaching lab. There are many different kinds of trees, shrubs, vines, and perennial flowering plants. There are also beautiful collections of lilacs, azaleas, and rhododendrons. The Bonsai and Penjing Collection is also a feature.
The Explorers Garden has two of the world’s biggest Franklin trees, which are now rare in the wild. It is in a small microclimate on the grounds. There are a variety of docent-led tours, from a quarter-mile introduction that is good for all skills to a 90-minute Keeper’s Tour.
- Address: 125 Arborway, Boston, Massachusetts
3. Boston Pops and Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra played its first concert in 1881. It also played its first concert at Symphony Hall, which opened in 1900 and is one of the best music halls in the world in terms of sound quality. It has had great directors like Pierre Monteux, Serge Koussevitzky, Charles Munch, Seiji Ozawa, and James Levine over its more than 100-year history.
The hall is home to both the normal symphony season and the Boston Pops Orchestra, which is known all over the world for its performances of light music. It’s the highlight of many tourists’ trips to see a Pops concert, either in Symphony Hall or at the Hatch Memorial Shell, an Art Deco outdoor music shell on the riverside Esplanade that has become a sight to see.
The shell is often the site of concerts and other special events. The Boston Pops’ performance of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture every July 4th is one of its most famous events. People sit on the lawn in front of the shell and have views of Cambridge, Back Bay, and Beacon Hill. Real cannon fire and ringing Boston church bells accompany the Pops music.
A beautiful fireworks show over the river follows the music and is shown on TV all over New England. I used to take my lawn chair and a book to a green area near the Shell at 10 a.m. to get the best spot when I lived on River St., which was a block from the Esplanade. You’ll have to wait until noon to claim your spot now.
On a walk of Symphony Hall, you can see what goes on behind the scenes and learn about the history and traditions of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, its musicians, and its conductors.
- Address: 301 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts
4. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway
The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is one of Boston’s newest public parks and green areas. It fills in the empty space in downtown Boston left by the removal of the elevated Central Artery.
Several different neighbourhoods, such as the business district, the North End, Chinatown, and Faneuil Hall Market, are linked by almost 1.5 miles of parks and gardens. All of these areas are only a few steps away from the linear park.
The park has playgrounds, gardens, seats, a farmers’ market, food trucks, and public art. It also has a carousel with silly animals on it, where kids can ride on rabbits, butterflies, turtles, lobsters, and grasshoppers. The Greenway Carousel’s 36 animals were all based on pictures made by kids in Boston. This carousel is carefully made so that adults and kids with disabilities can ride it.
5. Boston HarborWalk and Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park
From its early days as a colonial shipping port, the Boston waterfront has gone through a lot of changes. In the middle of the 1970s, a bold plan to rebuild the area brought new life to an area that had been in decline for most of the 20th century.
HarborWalk, a pretty path along the water with parks, public art, benches, cafés, interpretive signs, and access to several ways to explore the harbour by cruise boat, ferry, or water taxi, connects this interesting mix of residential and business space today. Some boats also take people to and from the Charlestown Navy Yard.
The trail goes from Charlestown to South Boston and will soon go much farther. The part you won’t want to miss starts in the North End and winds through Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park’s wisteria-draped pergola, past Commercial Wharf, India Wharf, Long Wharf, and Rowes Wharf. It then curves along the harbour into the lively Seaport District and ends at the Institute of Contemporary Art, an art museum that is dramatically suspended above the water.
6. Beacon Hill and the Black Heritage Trail
Traditionally, Boston’s “old money” people, called “Brahmins,” have lived on the south side of Beacon Hill. This is one of the city’s most beautiful neighbourhoods and it’s right in the middle of the city. The streets are lined with well-kept brick homes in the Federal and Greek Revival styles. There are trees to provide shade, and at its centre is Louisburg Square, where houses face a private park with lots of trees. Lousiana May Alcott lived here from 1880 to 1888.
The Federal-style home designed by Boston architect Charles Bulfinch, now known as the Nichols House Museum, shows how wealthy people in Beacon Hill lived. It is full of collections of furniture and decorative arts from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Charles Street, which runs along the western foot of Beacon Hill, is packed with small shops and boutiques that have long served the neighbourhood and are also popular with tourists. The Bull and Finch, which opened in 1969 and faces the Public Garden, is located beyond Charles Street and was the inspiration for the famous TV show Cheers.
On classy Charles St., restaurants and bars come and go quickly. But Toscano has kept its elegant atmosphere and traditional Tuscan country menu. You can eat a simple four-cheese pizza or veal scaloppini that melts in your mouth.
On the north side of Beacon Hill, things are much less fancy. Since the early 1800s, foreigners have lived there, including a large African American community. From April to November, National Park Service Rangers lead free walks of the Black Heritage Trail. You can also take a self-guided tour of the trail any time of the year.
The 15 homes, shops, schools, and churches built before the Civil War that are in the Boston African American National Historic Site show what life was like for African Americans in Boston in the 1800s. The Museum of Afro-American History runs the African Meeting House, which is the oldest church in the country (1806) and was built by and for Black Americans. It has been renovated to look like it did in 1854.
For African American kids, the 1834 Abiel Smith School was the first public secondary school. Both museums have displays with artefacts, films, sculptures, and art that are connected to the lives of black people in Boston and New England.
7. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is the official national memorial to the 35th U.S. President. It was built by the famous architect I.M. Pei and opened in 1979. There are three theatres, personal items, photos, and history displays about JFK’s life and presidency at the museum, which is on the shore south of the city.
The campaign path for president, the Oval Office, First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, and the Kennedy family are all shown in exhibits. Family-friendly Highlights walks and Hands-on Cart programmes, such as the PT-109 story and a closer look at the Race for Space, are interactive ways to spend time here.
FAQ’s
Q1. What is the Freedom Trail, and why is it a must-do activity in Boston?
The Massachusetts State House and Paul Revere's House are two of the 16 historically important places along the Freedom Trail, which is 2.5 miles long. It's a fun way to learn about the city's long history and colonial era.
Q2. Why is Fenway Park a must-visit for sports enthusiasts?
The Boston Red Sox play at Fenway Park, which is one of the oldest baseball parks in the country. People who tour the park can learn about its past and see its unique architecture. They can also feel the energy of this famous sports arena.
Q3. What makes Boston Common and Public Garden popular attractions?
Boston Common is the oldest public park in the United States. The Public Garden, which is right next door, is a lush green area right in the middle of the city. People can take walks through beautiful scenery, ride boats, and see the famous Swan Boats.
