Greater Boston Convention and Vistors Bureau
Two Copley Pl. #105
Boston, MA 02116-6501
(617) 536-4100
Population
574283
Time Zone
Eastern
Latitude/Longitude
42.36° /-71.05°
Today's Forecast
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HIGH: 80
LOW: 61
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Known as "The Cradle of the Revolution" for its important place in the nation's history, Boston today is a major cultural center and commercial seaport. The narrow, winding streets found in the city's oldest sections contrast sharply with the soaring modern structures that have shot up in recent decades. It's this mix of old and new that gives Boston its unique energy and charm.
Boston MA Things to Do
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Storied places from Boston's past can be found around virtually every corner. Start your tour with an urban hike along the Freedom Trail. Two-and-a-half miles long, the trail winds through the city's oldest areas to 16 historic locations. Along the way, you'll see the Old State House and the nearby circle of cobblestones marking the site where colonists throwing snowballs were fired on and killed by British soldiers in the 1770 Boston Massacre, Paul Revere's House, Boston's oldest surviving structure, Old North Church, where lanterns hung in the steeple signaled the start of Paul Revere's ride, and Faneuil Hall, a lively aggregation of shops, restaurants, and entertainment spots, famous for its incendiary meetings of Revolutionary leaders. From central Boston, the trail crosses the river into Charlestown, where you can visit the U.S.S. Constitution, fondly called "Old Ironsides," the oldest commissioned warship in the world, and climb the 294 steps to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument, site of the first major battle of the Revolution.
Along the same lines as the Freedom Trail, more walking tours are available that detail other important aspects of Boston's past. The Black Heritage Trail celebrates the life of the town's African-American community in the 18th and 19th centuries. Brochures detailing the trail, which is one part of the Boston African American National Historic Site, can be obtained at the African Meeting House. You can also choose from among the nine different walks that make up the Boston Women's Heritage Trail.
Another way to take in the city is from above it all. To reach dizzying new heights, head for the Prudential Center's Skywalk Observatory, where the spectacular panorama sweeps 'round from the Atlantic Ocean to the Victorian mansions of Back Bay and beyond. Back at ground level, stop in Boston Common. The nation's oldest public park is a lovely 44-acre green where you can eat a quiet lunch or participate in lively public debate. Across the way, the Public Garden offers the spectacle of thousands of beautiful flowers and a chance to ride swan boats on the pond.
As a major American city, Boston has no shortage of major schools, libraries, and museums. The mighty Museum of Fine Arts continues to impress with its Asiatic, Egyptian, Classical, European, and American paintings and sculpture. Ensconced in a new home on the harbor, the Institute of Contemporary Art unveiled a permanent collection for the first time in 2006. The elegant Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum displays its outstanding collection in a 100-year-old home reminiscent of a Venetian palazzo. In addition to more than six million books, documents and manuscripts, the Boston Public Library offers a substantial collection of works by important American painters. And, the I.M. Pei-designed John F. Kennedy Library and Museum is an impressive structure with an extensive collection of Kennedy-related items.
Those interested in matters scientific will find ample reason to exercise their curiosity at the Museum of Science and the Hayden Planetarium, located in Science Park, a man-made island in the middle of the Charles River. In the harbor area, the exhibits in the Children's Museum can be enjoyed by young and old alike. Also along the harbor, penguins, seals, and thousands more sea creatures can be seen at the New England Aquarium. The aquarium's 200,000-gallon ocean tank hosts a full Caribbean coral reef as well as sharks, eels, and sea turtles.
More wild things can be seen at the Franklin Park Zoo, where animals live in natural-seeming habitats, and at Arnold Arboretum, where horticulturalists can see some 7,000 varieties of trees and shrubs.
Concert-goers will want to take in performances by the world-renowned Boston Symphony and the always delightful lighter fare offered by the Boston Pops. Both perform at Symphony Hall, with the Pops giving a series of free outdoor concerts in July along the Charles River Esplanade. Fine musical performances, plus dance, theatre, and touring productions, are also on the bill at the spectacularly ornate theatres of the Wang Center for the Performing Arts.
Boston sports fans cheer on some of the most popular teams in professional sports. The Red Sox play at Fenway Park, the Celtics and the Bruins are at TD Banknorth Garden and, down towards Rhode Island, the New England Patriots play at Foxboro Stadium.
Just north of the Charles River, Cambridge is home to the great learning centers of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the ivy-covered walls of historic Harvard University. The Harvard campus embraces two outstanding cultural institutions: the Fogg Art Museum and the Harvard Museum of Natural History. More art is on display at Harvard's Sackler Museum and Busch-Reisinger Museum.
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