Boston

1767 Milestones

Milestone #6

Proclaiming six miles to Boston, this milestone was placed here in 1729 by Paul Dudley. Once a part of a colonial "superhighway" called Boston Post Road, which stretched from downtown Boston to Wall Street in New York City. The settlers copped the idea from Native Americans, who called the trail Pequot Path and had been using it long before Europeans arrived. Seven markers remain in the greater Boston area. This one has somehow escaped being mowed down by a fire truck or errant moving van over the years. Can you spot the other one nearby? Hint: check out the library in Lower Allston.

24 hours daily·Free

54th Regiment Memorial

This monument serves as a reminder of the brave men who, as one of the first official African-American military units in the US, fought for the Union during the American Civil War. The sacrifice and fighting spirit displayed by these men was instrumental in encouraging the enlistment and acceptance of African-American troops in the north. Still, unfair treatment was institutional, and the men of the 54th would receive only $7 per month, in contrast with the $13 paid to their white brothers in arms. Refusing this monthly paycheck became a point of pride among the soldiers, who would wait about 18 months to see their wages paid in full.

24 hours daily·Free

Acorn Street

Spend a quick moment at one of the most photographed spots in the city. Your social media feeds will reward you.

24 hours daily·Free

Arnold Arboretum

Almost 15,000 different species of plant live in this gigantic park, covering 281 acres! Swing by the office for the particulars if you're interested, or just start exploring. Don't miss the bonsai collection, some are over 250 years old. If you want to have a picnic in this gorgeous place, make sure to do it on "Lilac Sunday", the only day picnics are allowed. It doesn't look it, but this is actually an active research facility, staffed by 20-30 people year round. Harvard University founded the Arboretum in 1872 by combining two large country estates after their owners passed. It's still owned by Harvard today. The land was deeded to the City of Boston in 1882, and leased back to the university for a thousand years. How's that for long-term planning?

Visitor center: 10AM-4PM daily, grounds: sunrise-sunset daily·Free

Belle Isle Marsh Reservation

This protected Saltwater Marsh is Boston's last, and the perfect place to stroll and explore during fall, spring and summer months. The park itself is 241 acres, and 28 of them are available to the public.

9AM-dusk daily·Free

Boston Athenæum

One of the oldest independent libraries in the USA, the Boston Athenæum was founded in 1807 by a few young Harvard graduates. Its purpose today is the same as it ever was; serving others by providing cultural programs and preserving architecture, books and works of art. Some notable members of this storied organization include Louisa May Alcott, John Adams, and John F. Kennedy. Art and architecture tours are open and available to the public Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3PM, 1PM Sundays, and at 5:30PM Mondays.

Mon-Thu 9AM-8PM, Fri 9AM-5:30PM, Sat 9AM-4PM, Sun noon-4PM·$5, free for members

Boston Children's Museum

Look for the iconic milk bottle out front. The Children's Museum is the best place in the city to go with kids ranging from newborn to about 9. Featuring many interactive exhibits designed for kids, as well as the Kyoto House—a real traditional Japanese home moved from Japan to Boston. Kids love the three story climbing structure, it allows them to move around without using the boring elevator or stairs. The museum also supports fitness and environmental sustainability programs, and they even have a green roof! Definitely worthwhile if you're bringing the kids with you to Boston.

Sat-Thu 10AM-5PM, Fri 10AM-9PM·$16

Boston City Hall

City Hall Plaza

This area used to be known as Scollay Square and was demolished in the 1960s to build a new city hall for the city of Boston. The Hall is a hulking Brutalist architecture and an expansive brick plaza, contrasting sharply with the Fanueil Hall facade directly behind it. Some people love the bold choice of color, form and materials. Everyone else hates it, and considers it to be an eyesore of the first degree. The windswept plaza was mostly deserted until the city began holding seasonal events, festivals, and sports viewings here. Life is slowly creeping back to the center after Government Center station was rebuilt, and plans to make the area more pedestrian friendly are ongoing.

Mon-Fri 8:30AM-5PM·Free

Boston Common

Founded in 1634, this is the oldest park in the United States. Over the years, the Common has been used for everything, from grazing cows and livestock, to British encampments in the revolutionary period, to modern protests during the 20th and 21st centuries. Early after the city was founded, this was also the site of a town gallows, responsible for executing Quakers and "witches" alike. Today the Common is a nice spot for walking around and people-watching at all times of year. The Frog Pond, Central Burying Ground, and various monuments are all worthy of investigation, and scattered throughout the park. If you're visiting in winter, the big Christmas tree near Brewer Fountain is donated by Halifax, Nova Scotia, in thanks for Boston's help after an explosion there in 1917.

7AM-9PM daily·Free

Boston Fire Museum

The history of firefighting in Boston on display. Mostly artifacts from the 20th century, but a few items are much older. Only open on Saturdays, this museum is often overlooked, so you're likely to receive more of a personal tour from the staff. They're not burned out from saying the same thing over and over.

Sat 10AM-4PM·Free, donations appreciated

Boston Public Library

BPL

This is the headquarters of the Boston Public Library (BPL). This branch is defined by its two buildings, the original McKim building from 1895, and the newer Boylston building, opened in 1972. They were built to similar scale and use similar materials, but the ornamentation–or lack thereof–clearly separates them. The Boylston building completed extensive renovations summer of 2016; featuring a new cafe, radio station, and other amenities for the people of Boston. Don't miss the beautifully quiet interior courtyard, a place to spend a solitary moment reflecting in the heart of the city.

Mon-Thu 9AM-9PM, Fri Sat 9AM-5PM, Sun 1-5PM·Free

Boston South Station

Many transit routes go through this station, notably several Amtrak and MBTA train routes. The building was built in 1899 and once had a train shed that was the largest in the world. Architectural features inside the station include the coffered ceiling, the Ionic columns, a hand-operated clock which is the largest of its kind in New England and its curved entrance.

Boston Stone

Imported from England in the 17th century by a painter, today you can see the Boston Stone embedded in the foundation of a building in the Historic Blackstone District. No one really knows its exact function, or why it was placed there. The current theory is that it's 18th-century advertising for the shops and stores along this historic street; or a sort of London Stone copycat.

24 hours daily·Free

Bremen Street Community Park

This sprawling 18-acre park in the heart of the neighborhood has bocce courts, Asian themed public gardens, playgrounds for the kids, as well as walking and bike paths.

8AM-8PM daily·Free

Bunker Hill Monument

For the history buffs in the family there is the Bunker Hill Monument. Even for those who are unfamiliar with history that dates back to 1775 will enjoy the history lesson given on the site of this revolutionary war landmark. Climbing to the top of the monument is free, but during the months of April, May, and June, a pass must first be obtained from the nearby Bunker Hill Museum, which are issued on a first-come, first-served basis.

Mid-Mar to Nov: 9AM-5PM daily; Dec to mid-Mar: Mon-Fri 1PM-5PM, Sat-Sun 9AM-5PM·Free

Charlestown Navy Yard

Boston Navy Yard

Another Historical landmark are the grounds of the Charlestown Navy Yard, which was established over 200 years ago. The navy yard is located in the Boston National Historical Park, and from here you can access a visitors center, museum, and of course the USS Constitution and the Cassin Young.

24 hours daily·Free

Chinatown Gate

Paifang Gate

Found at the corner of Beach Street and Surface Road this is the most visible symbol of Chinatown for tourists. The urban plaza on the east side of the gate was built as part of the Big Dig highway project.

24 hours daily·Free

Christian Science Center

Christian Science Plaza

This strikingly beautiful site stretches out over almost 15 of the most expensive acres of land Boston has to offer. Functioning as the center of Christian Science in America, which is a metaphysical belief system professing "sickness is an illusion that can be corrected by prayer alone". The Mother Church (1894) and its enormous extension (1906), are architecturally significant, seeming to flow into one another with fantastic detail. The long reflecting pool is great to stroll around and people watch. You'll also find a giant water fountain to the north end of the pool, a real hit with the kids during sweltering summer days.

24 hours daily·Free

City Square

City Square is one of the city's newer parks, although the history of parks on this site dates back to 1629 when Market Square was laid out and Charlestown was still a separate city. In 1901, an elevated railroad was built through the square and then the busy Tobin Bridge was constructed. The rail line was eventually torn down and the Tobin ramps were put into a tunnel in the 1990s, allowing the park to be reconstructed above the highway.

Commonwealth Museum

Massachusetts Archives

Operated by the Massachusetts Archives, this often overlooked museum takes musty old documents and brings them to life. Several exhibits showcase the State's own copies of the Declaration of Independence & Bill of Rights, the original Mass Bay Colony charter from 1629, and of course the requisite ephemera from Paul Revere and John Hancock. This place is not on a lot of to-do lists, but it's definitely worth stopping in if you're doing the JFK Museum already.

Mon-Fri 9AM-5PM; 9AM-3PM Memorial Day-Labor Day·Free

Constitution Beach

Watch the jets come in for a landing at this nice public beach. Newly constructed bathhouse and concession stand, and there are lifeguards are on duty June to September.

24 hours daily

Copp's Hill Burying Ground

The city's second cemetery founded in 1659, Copp's Hill Burying Ground contains more than 1200 marked graves. The remains of notable early Bostonians are interred here, including much of the Mather family; Samuel, Increase, and Cotton. During the Revolutionary war occupying British forces would use the headstones of particularly hated patriots for target practice. Visitors can still see the impressions made by musket fire in the gravestones today.

9AM-5PM daily·Free

Dorchester Heights

This is the spot from where George Washington and Henry Knox aimed their guns at the British ships occupying Boston harbor, forcing them to leave and breaking the siege. Today you will find a quiet park space with some signage, a little tower, and locals walking their dogs.

Sunrise-sunset daily·Free

Faneuil Hall

The Cradle of Liberty

It was built in 1742 as a market building adjacent to a busy waterfront dock. Town meetings held here between 1764 and 1774 heard Samuel Adams and others lead cries of protest against the imposition of taxes on the American colonies. The building was enlarged in 1806. Social justice leaders like Frederick Douglass, William Lloyd Garrison, and Lucy Stone brought their struggles for freedom here in the 19th century. A museum and gift shop dominate the first floor. Most people pronounce it with two syllables like "FAN-yull", while a minority prefer the three syllable "fan-YOU-ull" pronunciation. You'll be fine as long as you don't say anything crazy like "fa-KNEW-lee".

9AM-5PM daily·Free

First Baptist Church

Brattle Square Church

Admittedly a "deep cut" of Back Bay churches, this building houses a congregation formed all the way back in 1665, during a time when being Baptist was a punishable offense. The current building was opened in 1872 and designed by H. H. Richardson, the very same architect of the more famous Trinity church anchoring Copley square. Another notable element here are the friezes seen ringing the top of the tower. These were carved on site by Frédéric Bartholdi, who would later create the Statue of Liberty in New York.

24 hours daily, services Sun 11AM-noon·Free

Forest Hills Cemetery

Take in a festival, light lanterns, or visit the grave of E.E. Cummings in this 275 acre greenspace.

7AM-dusk daily·free

Fort Independence

A star fort built around 1850 to provide defenses for Boston harbor. Today, the guns are long gone, and it's a great place to go exploring. Fantastic views are rewarded to those who scale its granite walls. Even if the fort is closed, the grounds are always open. It's a great place to see families picnicking, going for a stroll around Pleasure Bay, or out flying kites in the brisk wind blowing in from the water. Kids love seeing (and hearing!) the planes up close, as they make their final approach to Logan Airport.

Thu 7PM-dusk, Sat Sun noon-3:30PM·Free

Franklin Park

The crown jewel in Frederick Law Olmstead's Emerald Necklace system of parks, Franklin Park brings together rural scenery, a woodland preserve, and areas for recreation and sports. Although funding for upkeep has been inconsistent over the years, the park's 485 acres provide thousands of city dwellers with unmatched green space. Take your time and investigate the old stone bridges and ruins scattered along the 15+ miles of rustic walking/hiking paths. Urban explorers shouldn't miss the Long Crouch Woods, site of Boston's first zoo, or the historic White Stadium, built in 1949, home of nearby public high school Boston Latin School's football team, and host of a large Black Panther rally back in 1969. A grand staircase, deteriorating for a century, arcs up to reveal a long arcade lined with giant bear cages built of iron. If you're looking for a more focused undertaking, check out the entries for the golf course and modern zoo below.

24 hours daily·Free

Gibson House Museum

The Gibson House was one of the first to be built in Back Bay, and has an unparalleled state of preservation that includes wallpaper, textiles, furnishings, and family artifacts and collections. A nice reminder that no matter how rich you were in 1860, you couldn't buy air conditioning!

Wed-Sun 1-3PM·$9, students and seniors $6, kids $3. Cash only

Governor’s Alley

Walk up these oddly placed steps just as British Royal Governors would have done 300 years ago. At one time they led up to a sumptuous governor's mansion, although George Washington put a stop to that in 1775. Today you'll find the Marliave's al fresco dining patio awaiting you in summer, and an unsightly dumpster or two when it's cold. Check the plaques for more information.

24 hours daily·Free