Boston & Cambridge

Sightseeing Boston

Things to do in Boston:
Arnold Arboretum Must see lilacs in May.
Black Heritage Trail
This 1.6 mile walking tour takes you past 14 historic sites, including the African American Meeting House, John J. Smith House, the Phillips School, George Middleton House, and the renowned Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial.
Battleship Cove
Beacon Hill/Charles Street Great trick or treating on Beacon Hill.
Blue Man Group (student tickets)
Boston Ballet
Boston Common/Public Gardens picnic -The spring is gorgeous. Read "Make Way for Ducklings" over by the duck statues. Christmas Tree Lighting in December.
Boston Duck Tours Tour Boston in a "DUCK", an authentic, renovated World War II amphibious landing vehicle. Get on board at the Prudential Center or the Museum of Science. 617-723-3825
Boston Harbor Islands/Boston Lights
Boston Marathon In April
Boston Pops
Boston Public Library Beautiful architecture
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum The Boston Tea Party ships and Museum are temporarily closed for renovations until summer of 2010.
Bunker Hill
Cambridge War Memorial Recreation Center
Candlelight Carols at Trinity Church (Dec.)
Castle Island (fort open on weekends thru Oct. 9)
Charles River canoe/kayak
Chinatown Not like NYC but fun
Christian Science Center Garden reflecting pond and spray fountain.
Fenway Park Go Red Sox!
Frog Pond Wading pool in summer. Ice Skating starts in November.
Freedom Trail A 2.5 mile walking tour of 16 sites and structures of historic importance in Boston. The tour begins at Boston Common, goes downtown, to the North End, over the bridge to Charlestown, and up to the Bunker Hill Monument. A red line on the sidewalk leads you from site to site. Tours are available from the Visitor Center at 15 State Street on the spring, summer and fall, weather permitting. Call 617-242-5642 for daily schedule.
Harvard Football Game
Harvard Square
Haymarket, Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market In the heart of Boston. Great place to hang out with family or friends. 17 restaurants and pubs as well as one of the most visited food halls in the world.
Head of the Charles Regatta In October
BeanPot Hockey game – In the winter there is the Beanpot, which consists of the 4 college teams in Boston playing at the Garden. The teams are usually ranked in the top 10 in the nation, so they are very competitive and fun games.
Ice Skating in Harvard Square at Charles Hotel, small rink but cute.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is located on a ten-acre park, overlooking the sea. It is dedicated to the memory of the nation's thirty-fifth president and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world. 617-514-1600
Liberty Fleet of Tall Ships Long Wharf
Louisburg Square "Boston's Most prestigious address in Beacon Hill"
Minuteman Bike Path11 mile path for skiing, biking, running etc.
Mt. Auburn Cemetery walk I totally recommend going to the Mt. Auburn cemetery in the fall and just walking around. It is so pretty there! My daughter loved climbing up the tower there and looking down on all of the fall colors
Mount Vernon Street"The most civilized Street in America" Henry James.
Newberry Street Great for nice shopping and people watching on a summer day.
North End Italian Food and Mike’s Pastries, , Briccos, Il panino, Great shopping in this area too!!
Old North Church Famous church where 2 lanterns were hung as a signal for Paul Revere on April 18, 1775.
Old State House Boston Historical Society & Museum
Old Town Trolley Tours Travel around the city of Boston in style - on a trolley! Tickets include all day on/off privileges, tour guide drivers, and a 45 minute Boston harbor cruise. Best of all, Boston residents ride free when accompanied by a paying out-of-towner. Check out the website to sign up for your "Hometown Pass". Kids under 12 always ride free.
PawSox Game (Pawsox games)
Play intramural sports on campus
Pictures on HBS campus
Puppet Showplace Theatre
Reel Mom Movies 11 am every Tuesday at Loews Boston Common Theater, babies invited.
Sledding Hill behind Fresh Pond Mall, off Fresh Pond Parkway
Sledding at Tufts University Campus, Jamaica Pond, Larz Anderson Park, Prospect Hill (Waltham), Benjamin Hill Park (Shirley), Jericho Hill (Marlborough)
Skywalk at Prudential Center
Swan Boats at the Public Garden open in April, close in the Fall
Theater District
Tour the State Capitol building
Top of the Hub Eat dessert at Prudential Center
Trinity Church Founded in 1733 and located in the center of Boston's Back Bay on Copley Square.
Unofficial tour of Harvard University Starts at Harvard Square T stop. Ask at the booth there, they have set hours for tours. Run by undergrad students. Very interesting and a great thing to do with visitors.
USS Constitution Ship
Weston Ski Track Child size cross country skis for rent.

A few helpful tips for living in Boston
The University of Nebraska State Museum offers memberships at a discounted rate ($45) which provide you access, through the passport program, to the Children’s Museum, the Science Museum, and the Museum of Fine Art.

Local libraries have passes for many of the museums in Boston, including but not limited to MFA, Aquarium, Museum of Science, Drumlin Farms, Orchard House, and so on. Some of these passes allow you free admission while others give you a great discount. We saved $50 going to the Musuem of Science with the library pass. All you need is a local library card. Ask at the front desk of any local library for more information.

Two helpful websites:
• Art and Entertainment Overview
• Boston Nightlife Guide

Beaches
Cape Anne
Cape Cod
Crane Beach Ipswich- Pay for parking during summer season. Go early in the day or during late afternoon, after 3. I think parking is discounted after 3 pm.
L Street BeachSouth Boston. Toddler friendly.
Manchester beach
Martha’s Vineyard Look into before traveling costs extra to take a car on the ferry.
Nantucket
Wingaersheek Beach, Gloucester I highly recommend this in the off season. Parking is expensive and the beach is crowded on a summer weekend. Plus parking is limited so if you get there after 11 you might be turned away. After 3 pm parking is discounted. In the off season I’ve heard you can find starfish and sand dollars. Lots of rocks for kids to climb and explore. Beautiful.

Farms
Codman Community Farm
Davis Farmland (Fall/Spring)
Drumlin Farm Highly recommend visiting. Groundhog day event.
HoneyPot Farms Berry and apple picking
Kimball Farms/Wilson Farms Ice cream/animals
Tougas Family Farm Apple and raspberry picking

Festivals
Boston Fashion Week September
Boston Harbor Festival July
Cranberry Festival in Edaville, MA (October)
Cranberry Harvest around Carver
Dragon Boats In April or June
Duckling Day Parade In May
Harvard Arts Fest April or May
Hidden Gardens of Beacon Hill In May
Lilac Sunday In May
Oktoberfest at Harvard Square (October)
Patriots Day Parade (April) Reenact Paul Revere’s midnight ride.
North End Feast Days, all summer
Reenactment of Boston Tea Party December
Restaurant Week
Scooper Bowl In June
South End Housing Tour October
Tanglewood Jazz Festival August/Sept

Museums/Aquariums/Zoos
Aquarium It is located downtown near Faneuil Hall. They have a huge aquarium as their main exhibit with giant fish and sea turtles. There are even sharks in the tank. At the aquarium there is also a giant Imax (the biggest screen in New England!!) The Imax is great to see movies. We saw The Dark Knight there and it was awesome.
Children’s Museum ($1 on Friday evenings, or Library tickets)
Children’s Discovery Museum in Acton
DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park Modern Art with large sculpture area outside.
Franklin Park Zoo
Gore House Waltham
Gropius House
Hammond Castle Gloucester
Harvard Museums Free for Harvard affiliates/MA residents
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Library tickets
Longfellow House
MIT Museum
Museum of Fine Arts Free Wed after 5pm, Library ticket
Museum of Science Library tickets, plus $5 per person
National Basketball Hall of Fame Western MA
Norman Rockwell Museum Stockbridge, MA
Southwick Zoo Mendon, Ma
Stone Zoo Stoneham

Outside of Boston
Bear Notch Road, New Hampshire, Great for Leaf peeping
The Birkshires Two hours west of Boston, the rolling hills, beautiful mansions and lakes will take your breath away. Don’t miss the exceptional Norman Rockwell Museum. Visit the quaint towns of Lenox, Stockbridge and Lee. Tanglewood Music Center, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, offers great outdoor concerts for the whole family during July and August. For shoppers, there is great outlet shopping in Lee and in Manchester, VT.
Blue Hills Cross Country skiingBurlington, VT. In northern Vermont, on the banks of Lake Champlain, Burlington is a bustling city with lots to do and see. Burlington is home to Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company, Vermont Teddy Bear Factory, and borders Stowe Mountain Resort.
Ben & Jerry’s offers a fun tour of their factory and of course offers samples of their delicious ice cream! The Teddy Bear Factory is fun for kids and also offers factory tours.
Cape Cod 2 hours south of Boston is Cape Cod, land of beautiful beaches, lighthouses, quaint towns, and scenic drives. The Cape is always fun and can be really inexpensive if you go in the off season. A great day trip but if you want to make a weekend out of it, catch the ferry to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket from Hyannis. Kids will love the Zooquarium and the Glass museum!
Christmas lights at Marblehead
Coco Key
Concord a fifteen-mile drive from Cambridge. A quaint town with historic sites such as Walden Pond, the Alcott Home (Little Women author, not recommended for young children), the Old North Bridge, Emerson’s home, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, and cute shopping downtown
Edaville Railroad Fall/Christmas
EcoTarium Worchester, Ma. Cute museum for kids includes a train and live polar bear outside.
Gloucester, MA. America’s oldest seaport, Gloucester is located 30 miles northeast of Boston. An attractive downtown, museums, tours on land and sea.
Great Brook Ski Touring Center Carlisle Ma. Cross Country Skiing.
John Adams Historical Site Quincy Ma. 14 miles south of Boston, Quincy is great for John Adams fans or anyone who is interested in the American Revolution.
Kankamangus Highway New Hampshire. Great for Leaf Peeping
Lexington A fifteen mile drive from Cambridge, on the way to Concord. The location of the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Don’t miss the great multi-media presentation about the beginning of the war at the ranger station at Minuteman National Historic Park. (You can also stop at Wilson Farms just off Rte. 4) re-enactment on Patriot’s Day in April.
Lyman Estate (Waltham, Ma). A great place to visit during the winter. There is a beautiful greenhouse that makes any cold winter day not so gloomy.
Maine (Bar Harbor/Acadia NP, Ogunquit beaches,Kennebunkport and Kittery)
Marblehead, MA 20 miles north of Boston, a beautiful yacht and mansion town with a great park on the beach, too. A Christmas walk through the streets of old Marblehead is a must for an authentic New England Christmas. Call the Marblehead Chamber of Commerce at 781-621- 2868 for more information.
Mount Snow Valley Great Skiing, The Weathervane Lodge, and Swiss cuisine
Nantucket/Martha’s Vineyard
Newport, Rhode Island An hour and a half outside of Boston, this city is full of shopping, beautiful beaches, the mansions on Bellevue Avenue and Ocean Drive, the Cliff Walk -- a 3 mile coastal path that travels behind several estates and much more.
Newburyport
Plimouth Plantation
Plum Island
Portsmouth, New Hampshire A great little coastal town to visit.
Providence Town Ma
Santa’s Village Jefferson New Hampshire
Old Sturbridge Village, MA. About one hour west of Boston. People are dressed in the costume of the 1830s and go about their business in character.
Walden Pond great when it's warm, kids can play in the water, or just beautiful walk in the fall
World’s End Hingham MA
Woodstock, VT