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| Freedom Trail | @photonicstories |
| Retrace Your Steps |
| History comes alive in Boston, and nowhere else in the country is American patriotism quite as strong as on the Freedom Trail. This 2.5-mile circuit passes major historical buildings and markers that played prominent roles in the nation’s founding. From the first public school in America to the famed Faneuil Hall, there are so many historical goodies on this trip that you’ll feel like you’re in the movie National Treasure. If you aren’t finished walking, try wandering the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, a spectacular stretch of grassy park linking several downtown neighborhoods. Or stroll the route of the Boston Marathon, stopping at the finish line to pay tribute to the victims of the 2013 attacks. |
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| East Boston Waterfront | @wanderblustphotos |
| Into the Harbor |
| Get ready for lots of jokes about throwing tea into the harbor. These days, the Boston Harbor is less known for its hatred of tea tariffs and more for its lively atmosphere and range of activities. When the weather is warm, a ferry trip through the 34 harbor islands offers a fresh view of the city. Stop by the popular Georges Island (home to a Civil War era fort) or Spectacle Island, which is ideal for hiking and swimming. If you feel inclined, join local fishermen and go lobstering, catching a crustacean of your own (which you’ll release safely back into the water). If you just can’t get enough of the sea, drive up the coast to one of the many sleepy coastal towns in Cape Cod or Rockport for some small-town fun. |
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| Boston Public Library | @kankankavee |
| My Boy’s Wicked Smart |
| Boston is home to a whopping 35 universities, including a few of the favorites - Harvard, MIT, Boston University, and more. It’s no wonder this city has a history of innovation and barrier-breaking. Even if your college days are long over, taking a tour of these prestigious universities lets you glimpse into the lives of 10% of Boston’s population. Stop by the college bars and bookstores, or get a ticket to the latest sports game or artistic performance. Elsewhere in the city, explore Boston’s literary scene, visiting the historic Brattle bookshop (America’s oldest) which spills into the open lot next door, or the incredible Boston Public Library, the second-largest in the country. |
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| Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | @semperaugustus |
| More Than Arts and Crafts |
| Known for raucous sports and thick accents, Boston’s art scene is equally boisterous, and you can’t miss out on a few staples. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is our favorite – a gorgeous Italian-style estate housing a large art collection (or what’s left of it). Also worth visiting is the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, which is the fifth-largest in the country. If you’re more into the local art scene, visit the SoWa arts district, wandering through galleries or joining in on First Fridays. |
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| @smoranphotography |
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| "Fenway Park is the oldest professional ballpark in America, and you will feel that history the second you enter those gates. The smells, the sights, the sounds and the feeling you get when you walk up that dark tunnel onto a bright field will never leave you. It sounds so corny but every time I bring a friend to Fenway for the first time I always make them close their eyes as we walk through the tunnel from the concourse to the stands, and to imagine a century of baseball history before their eyes. When they see the Green Monster, Pesky’s Pole, the 100-year old wooden seats where generations of memories were made, and the bright green grass in which so many legends before have played, it’s truly a moment that they will remember for the rest of their lives." |
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