Boston Attractions

The 3 mile/5km Freedom Trail, which takes in 16 of the city's principal historic monuments and sites, starts from Boston Common. Some of the sights form part of Boston National Historical Park. The Freedom Trail is marked by a line of red bricks in the sidewalk and by footprints at street crossings.

The Visitor Center in the Boston Common offers brochures with information on all the major attractions along the trail. Some of the historic sites include the State House and Old State House, Site of the Boston Massacre, King's Chapel and Burying Ground, Faneuil Hall, and Paul Revere House, to name just a few.

The Freedom Trail makes exploring the city quite easy.

5Wits in Boston features TOMB, an interactive walk-through adventure. Visitors explore a realistic Egyptian tomb while they search for a missing professor.

The Arnold Arboretum, designed in 1872, is a 265-acre botanical garden run by Harvard University. There are over 5000 kinds of trees, most originating from northern temperate forests. Two of the arboretum's highlights include the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection and the Lilac Collection.

The site of the house in which Benjamin Franklin was born and spent his early years is opposite the Old South Meeting House.

The Boston African American National Historic Site consists of 15 pre-Civil War buildings that give a clear picture of the 19th C Boston African American community. The buildings consist of the homes, businesses, schools, and churches.

The Boston Bel Canto Opera gives concert presentations with a focus on the masterworks of 19th century opera composers. Performances are held in Jordan Hall at the New England Conservatory of Music.

This Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area consists of 30 islands that abound in cultural and natural resources. Visitors will enjoy a Civil War era fort, exploring tide pools, climbing to the top of the historic lighthouse, hiking the numerous trails, camping, fishing, picnicking or swimming.

The Boston Lyric Opera was founded in 1976 with the mission to promote local and international singers, conductors, directors and designers. Each season the Boston Lyric Opera presents at least three different productions.

The Boston Marathon is the oldest in the county. The first was in 1896 and the 24.5 mile route went from the Irvington Oval in Boston to Metcalf's Mill in Ashland. Today, the distance has increased to 26.2 miles and the route starts in Hopkinton, continues through eight cities and towns and ends up near Copley Square in Boston.

Boston National Historical Park is a collection of sites that give an overview of the history of the city. The sites include Charlestown Navy Yard, Bunker Hill Monument, Faneuil Hall and the downtown visitor center on State Street.

Boston's large Irish population and friends come out in mid-March every year to dance, sing and parade down the streets of South Boston.

The Charles River is a natural boundary between Cambridge and Boston.

Where the river flows into Boston Harbor, it is spanned by several major bridges including the new Interstate 93 one supported by two inverted Y-shaped towers supporting a fan-shaped series of cables. These towers mimic the shape of the Bunker Hill monument.

Further up river toward Cambridge, the Charles's banks are natural boasting biking/jogging trails with views of islands and rowers in racing sculls.

A 17-mile (27 km) park lining both sides of the Charles River from the dam to Newton Upper Falls. The area has numerous bike paths, swimming pools, skating opportunities in the winter, rollerblading in the rest of the year, sailing, kayaking, tennis courts and baseball diamonds. It is operated by the Metropolitan District Commission, which has preserving natural areas in the city since 1893.

Chinatown in Boston is located between South Station, the downtown shopping area, and the theater district. There is a large gateway over Beach Street, the districts main thoroughfare. The area is filled with restaurants and specialty stores. It is especially vibrant during Chinese New Year's celebrations in January or early February. Reputedly, it is a dangerous area at night.

Boston's city hall was designed by acclaimed architects Kallman, McKinnell and Knowles and built between 1963 and 1968. The style of the pre-cast concrete building is known as brutalist modern and it created a stir of controversy at the time for it's unorthodox and anti-traditional appearance.

Boston Downtown is roughly bordered by the Central Artery to the north, Washington Street to the east, Essex Street to the south and Beacon Street to the west. It is the home of the Public Garden and Boston Common, the State House, Faneuil Hall and more.

East of Faneuil Hall is Faneuil Hall Marketplace, a successful example of urban renewal. Its three long halls (Quincy Market, North Market and South Market), dating from the early 19th century, are now occupied by a lively assortment of shops, restaurants and exhibitions.

Street performers and buskers put on shows continuously throughout the day in the square around the market.

Visitors will find the Marketplace to be an interesting experience. In addition to the numerous food stalls, there are also shops selling jewelry, clothing, gift items, and various one of a kind items. There are more than a dozen places to stop for a bite to eat or a beverage. The Hall also contains a military museum with weaponry, uniforms and paintings of significant battles.

King's Chapel is on the site of Boston's first Anglican church of 1686. The present building was built in Georgian style in 1749. This modest place of worship, Episcopalian until 1787, now belongs to the Unitarians. In the churchyard, the oldest in Boston, is the grave of Governor John Winthrop (1588-1649).

Logan International Airport New England's major transportation center. The airport is serviced by 55 airlines and provides direct international and domestic flights to a variety of destinations.

The Mary Baker Eddy Library in Boston explores the life and achievements of Mary Baker Eddy, an influential religious leader, publisher, teacher, and businesswoman. As the founder of the Christian Science movement, Mary Baker Eddy advanced at a time when women could not vote and were generally barred from pulpits, seminaries, and the medical profession.

One of the most notable exhibits at the library is the one-of-a-kind Mapparium, a three-story stained-glass globe that carries visitors on a journey through time and space.

The Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority serves 78 communities within its district of Eastern Massachusetts and another 64 outside of the district through commuter rail trains. There is a total of 183 routes and 252 stations (not including bus stops). There are four principal subway lines designated by the colors red, blue, orange and green. The latter was the first subway line in the US, opening between Park Street to Bolyston Street in 1897.

ATTRACTION IS NOW LOCATED IN NORTH ANDOVER.

The museum seeks to preserve graphic arts, printing equipment and printing craftsmanship and offers related displays.

Old City Hall is now occupied by offices and a restaurant. In front of it are statues of Benjamin Franklin and Josiah Quincy (1772-1864), second mayor of Boston and founder of Quincy Market. Also in School Street is Boston's first public school, at which Benjamin Franklin and John Hancock were pupils.

The Old Corner Book Store is one of Boston's oldest buildings. Originally built in 1712 as a dwelling house and business house, in the mid 18th century it was occupied by a publishing house. In the 19th century it was a meeting-place of writers and poets.

The Old Granary Burying Ground contains the graves of several governors of Massachusetts, Benjamin Franklin's parents, the victims of the Boston Massacre of 1770 and a number of notable Bostonians, including Samuel Adams, John Hancock and Robert Treat Paine, three signatories of the Declaration of Independence.

The Old South Meeting House was built by Puritans as a church in 1729. On December 16, 1773 more than 5,000 colonists spawned the idea for the Boston Tea Party. During that operation, patriots, loosely disguised as Native Americans snuck aboard English ships and dumped tea into Boston Harbor to protest British taxes.

Today, the plain brick and wooden structure is a museum with rare historical artifacts and interactive presentations such as audio reproductions of some of the famous speeches delivered here.

English architect Peter Banner designed Park Street Church in 1809. In 1829, William Lloyd Garrison made his first anti-slavery address from the pulpit of this Christopher Wren-style church. The 217-foot (66m) wooden steeple is a popular landmark of this active Evangelical Church in downtown Boston.

The Photographic Resource Center at Boston University features permanent and changing historic and contemporary photographs. Each year the gallery hosts 6-8 exhibitions.

Adjoining Boston Common, on the west side of Charles Street, is the24-acre Public Garden (opened 1859), with a large artificial lake (boating; skating in winter). It contains Victorian-style monuments and statues, including an equestrian statue of George Washington (1869) near Arlington Street.

A ride in the famous swan boats, first launched in the 1870's, is a popular pastime in the Gardens.

MUSEUM HAS MOVED TO LOWELL, MA.

A new type of museum that encourages more direct communication between artists and the public. Visitors can expect to see visual art exhibitions, fashion shows, film and video presentations, poetry readings and multi-media installations. It also tries to make use of abandoned spaces by filling them with public art.

Many of the city's theaters are found between Tremont and Tyler streets, south of Chinatown and north of Oak Street.