Things to do in/around Boston?

T

Tree City

Member
I think we'll be traveling to Boston this spring. DD got into one of her top college choices, so we want to tour the school and make a little vacay of it. (None of us has ever been to Boston except DH and that was for work so he only saw the inside of an office building lol.) We could be there 3 days, or 7. Who knows?! :D Please give me a "long weekend" itinerary and a "nice, week-long vacation" itinerary because I'm honestly not sure what we'll end up doing...but if there is lots to do, I'd like to go for a week!

We also have a 13yo DS who loves history, so I feel like this trip could be fun but also educational. What must we do? DS loves chowder (which he is now calling "chow-dah" rofl), and we're all adventurous eaters. DD loves fashion and art. I love books and art. We all love museums. I know there are very standard Boston Landmarks: if you know the area, please let me know areas where we should stay and good places for food and fun. TIA!
 
My son lives in Boston! Feel free to reach out by pm if you would like. I would definitely recommend exploring the Freedom Trail for a lot of history, famous burial sites, etc., Boston Common is a large green space in the midst of the city, the Boston Public Gardens are beautiful and right next to the common, the North End for delicious Italian food and pastries, the Science Museum and Aquarium are also great. There is SO much history and so many different sections of the city to explore if you have time. I'll think some more about must do's. :) Fanuiel Hall and Quincy Market are great for shopping and lots of food options.
 
I agree with all that Lori said. We were there last fall and experienced all that she recommended. If you are a foodie, not far from the Boston Common is Guy Fieri's restaurant. There is a cool bookstore in that area too that has a book sale outside in the adjoining lot, fun to browse there. The public library is very cool to see. It's an old opera house I believe. Take the ferry. Explore Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The north end has amazing Italian food. Visit the Cheers (remember the tv show?) restaurant. Go to the top of the Prudential Center for spectacular views of Boston (two floors, one indoor and one outdoor).
 
Boston area native here!! There's so many things to see and EVERYTHING is walkable downtown. Springtime is also the best time to be here!

You can walk along the Freedom Trail which runs through downtown hitting many of the famous spots. It's literally a painted red line running down the sidewalk. It will take you past some interesting sites like Faneuil Hall - which is a touristy market but still fun to walk through - and the North End, which is where Paul Revere's house is.

The North End is also Boston's Italian neighborhood and has amazing food. You have to get a cannoli while there. We also have an ongoing city debate over whether you can get a better cannoli at Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry. I personally prefer Mike's but they're both amazing.

The Boston Public Garden is absolutely divine in the spring. Across the street from the Public Garden is Charles Street which is worth a stroll. I highly recommend stopping by the Beacon Hill Bookstore and Cafe while there.

I saw the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum mentioned earlier and I agree that is a wonderful place to go! Also nearby is the Museum of Fine Arts if you have extra time. Museum of Science is skippable.

If you do have a longer trip I also recommend a stop by Harvard Square, especially if you have a history-loving kid with you. You feel like you're in a movie down there, it's beautiful. You can get there by taking the MBTA Red Line from downtown.

You can get clam chowder everywhere. The most famous place is the Union Oyster House. It's been open since the 1800s and tons of presidents have eaten there over the years. People will say it's overrated and overpriced but I still think it's cool as heck to have a place that is as old as it is and I think the food is perfectly fine for the experience of eating there.

That's all I can think of for now but I'm happy to answer any more questions!
 
Look into the City Pass. So many options included in that. We loved the aquarium and right at the dock we ate at Legal Seafood. A little pricier but everything we had was amazing - including the stuffed lobster, chowder, scallops.. all of it. We did the Fenway Park tour and caught a game that same night. The tour is really cool! We also went whale watching, did the tour of the USS Constitution and a harbor tour. We tried to cram as many of the options on the City Pass into one week. The roast beef sandwiches at Kelly's roast beef are amazing and their seafood isn't bad either (lobster rolls!!)! The SpotHero app was amazing at helping us find parking for all the places we went. It's a great city! You'll have fun no matter what you do!
 
You have all provided so many options! Thank you!
Having said that, if anyone else has info, please share! :) We love food rofl, so restaurant recs are def welcome. But really anything is welcome!
 
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