Things to do in Boston
Inside Boston
Freedom Trail
www.thefreedomtrail.org
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that leads you to 16 nationally significant historic sites, every one an authentic American treasure. Preserved and dedicated by the citizens of Boston in 1958, when the wrecking ball threatened, the Freedom Trail today is a unique collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond. Tours start from both Boston Common and Faneuil Hall.
The Fogg Art Museum
www.artmuseums.harvard.edu
The Fogg Art Museum, which opened to the public in 1895, is Harvard's oldest art museum. Around its Italian Renaissance c ourtyard, based on a sixteenth-century façade in Montepulciano, Italy, are galleries illustrating the history of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present, with particular strengths in Italian early Renaissance, British pre-Raphaelite, and nineteenth-century French art. The museum is located at Harvard University in Cambridge. 32 Quincy Street (at Broadway).
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
www.jfklibrary.org
Tour the Museum at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and relive the powerful story of the Kennedy years. There are three theaters, period settings, and 25 dramatic multimedia exhibits to enjoy and visitors will enter the recreated world of the Kennedy Presidency for a "first-hand" experience of John F. Kennedy's life, legacy and leadership. See events of the 1960s through President Kennedy's eyes and narrated in his voice. Located on Columbia Point, the Library and Museum are set on a 9.5 acre park landscaped with pine trees, shrubs and wild roses reminiscent of the landscape of Cape Cod familiar to President Kennedy.
Fenway Park: Home of the Boston Red Sox
www.boston.redsox.mlb.com
No trip to Boston would be complete without a trip to Fenway. Though generations have come and gone, Fenway remains, much like it did the day it opened on April 20, 1912. The home of the Boston Red Sox resounds with the echoes of great baseball players: Cy Young, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Jimmie Foxx, Carl Yastrzemski, Pedro Martinez and David Ortiz, just to name a few. Tours are available throughout the year.
Faneuil Hall
www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com
Faneuil Hall Marketplace is actually four great places in one location - Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, North Market and South Market, all set around a cobblestone promenade where jugglers, magicians and musicians entertain the passers-by. In 1742, Boston's wealthiest merchant, Peter Faneuil, as a gift to the city, built Faneuil Hall. The edifice was home to merchants, fishermen, and meat and produce sellers, and provided a platform for the country's most famous orators. It is where colonists first protested the Sugar Act in 1764 and established the doctrine of "no taxation without representation." The once-thriving marketplace was tagged for demolition until a committed group of Bostonians sought to preserve it in the early 1970's. Today, what is known as Faneuil Hall Marketplace is still Boston's central meeting place, offering visitors and residents alike an unparalleled urban marketplace. The unique and burgeoning array of shops, restaurants and outdoor entertainment have made it a premiere urban destination that attracts more than 18 million visitors annually.
Old State House
www.bostonhistory.org
The Old State House, the oldest surviving public building in Boston, was built in 1713 to house the government offices of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It stands on the site of Boston's first Town House of 1657-8, which burned in 1711. The Old State House was a natural meeting place for the exchange of economic and local news. As the center of political life and thought in the colonies, the Old State House has been called one of the most important public buildings in Colonial America. 206 Washington Street.
Swan Boats
www.swanboats.com
A uniquely Boston experience, Swan Boats have been gliding along the pond in Boston Public Garden since 1877. The Swan Boat is a pontoon-style boat that seats about 20 people. It is powered by the driver who uses a paddle wheel. The paddle wheel is conveniently located behind the swan.
The Swan Boats are operated by a fourth generation of the founding Paget family who also created the first boats. Visitors can ride the Swan Boats from April to Labor Day. Tickets are a quite reasonable $2.75.
Outside Boston
Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a magical place where art galleries line the streets and byways, museums provide insights into the Cape's-and America's-historical, geographical and cultural roots.
Celebrate Cape Cod's four centuries of architecture and endless miles of stone walls either by visiting the plethora of historic homesteads and societies or by taking a leisurely drive along Route 6A, the Old King's Highway-the nation's largest historic district, covering 70 miles and 380 years of American history and architecture. The arts and culture of Cape Cod celebrate the land, people and enduring history of this amazing peninsula.
Foxwoods Resort Casino
www.foxwoods.com
Feeling lucky? It takes less than two hours to drive to Foxwoods Resort Casino in Con necticut , the largest casino in the world, with 340,000 square feet of gambling space. Foxwoods, which was opened in 1986 by the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation, sees more than 40,000 visitors every day. They try their luck in the hall's six casinos that collectively provide more than 7,000 slot and video poker machines, where you can gamble with anything from a penny to $100. 39 Norwich-Westerly Road, Ledyard, Conn.
Plimoth Plantation
www.plimoth.org
Go to Plymouth, Mass., and immerse yourself in the 17th century at Plimoth Plantation (137 Warren Ave.; (508) 746-1622) - yes, they spell it "Plimoth," as Governor William Bradford did way back when.
In the plantation's 1627 Pilgrim Village, with its timber-framed houses and livestock, you can talk to costumed role players who portray Pilgrims going about their daily lives. At Hobbamock's (Wampanoag) Homesite, you'll be surrounded by soft furs and firelight as modern-day Native American staff speak about the history and culture of the Wampanoag people and talk about the arrival of the English from the Native American point of view. In the Visitor Center, check out an indoor exhibit called "Thanksgiving: Memory, Myth & Meaning," which covers the history of Thanksgiving, discussing present-day traditions and going back in time to explore the origins of the holiday. The exhibit also takes a look at the 1621 harvest celebration (now often called "the first Thanksgiving"). 137 Warren Ave., Plymouth, Mass.
Martha's Vineyard
www.mvy.com
Rent a bike and pedal around this 9-mile-wide, 23-mile-long island - the largest in New England. Check out the colorful gingerbread cottages, ride the Flying Horses Carousel (the oldest operating merry-go-round in the United States), soak up the view from the top of the Gay Head Cliffs, tour the winery at Chicama Vineyards, browse the shops and even pick raspberries. Martha's Vineyard offers a wide variety of restaurants and hotels. You can fly to the island, but taking the ferry from Cape Cod is half the fun. From Boston, drive south about 85 miles to Woods Hole and board a ferry for a 45-minute ride. The ferries, which run year-round, carry both passengers and cars.
Mystic, Conn.
www.mysticseaport.org
Visitors love strolling through Mystic, Conn., a seaside town about 100 miles south of Boston. Check out the Mystic Seaport, a recreated 19th century seafaring village, or browse the many gift shops in the Old Mystic Village. Visitors can also spend the day at the Mystic Aquarium, which has beluga whales, dolphins and seals. Mystic is approximately 100 miles south of Boston and is located within a mile or two of Interstate I-95.
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