Boston Features

Boston Features

• Top Things to Do in Boston
  

  The world's oldest commissioned warship (dubbed Old Ironsides thanks to her seemingly impenetrable oak hull), was launched in 1797. Even landlubbers... read more

• Boston Today
  

  Boston is the undisputed epicenter of American History. Much of the political ferment that spawned the nation took place here, and visitors are... read more

• What the Locals Do in Boston
  

  Locals mark off the seasons by checking the sports line-up. The "Boys of Summer" arrive each spring, and the Bruins come out of hibernation in... read more

• Boston with Kids
  

  Costs add up when you're traveling with kids, so do your wallet a favor and download a "Family Friendly ValuePass" (www.bostonusa.com/greatdeals)... read more

• Free Things to Do in Boston
  

  Freedom may not be free, but the Freedom Trail is. So are 13 of the 16 attractions lining its route, and many of those individual sites offer... read more

• Fenway Park
  

  For baseball fans of any age a trip to Fenway Park is a religious pilgrimage to see the home of former baseball greats such as Ted Williams and... read more

• Tours Worth Trying
  

  Boston Movie Tours. Boston Movie Tours takes you to Boston's television and movie hot spots like the South Boston of The Departed, the Ally McBeal... read more

• Following the Freedom Trail
  

  More than a route of historic sites, the Freedom Trail is a 2½-mi walk into history, bringing to life the events that exploded on the... read more

• The Black Heritage Trail
  

  Until the end of the 19th century the north side of opulent Beacon Hill contained a vibrant community of free blacks—more than 8,000 at... read more

• Paul Revere's Ride
  

  Test: Paul Revere was (1) a patriot whose midnight ride helped ignite the American Revolution; (2) a part-time dentist; (3) a silversmith who... read more

• The Houses of the Back Bay
  

  The Back Bay remains a living museum of urban Victorian-residential architecture. The earliest specimens are nearest to the Public Garden (there... read more

• Prestige Lost
  

  Not long after its conception in the mid-1800s, the South End, somewhat unfairly, lost its elite status to the Back Bay. The literature of the... read more

• Old School
  

  Cambridge dates from 1630, when the Puritan leader John Winthrop chose this meadowland as the site of a carefully planned village he named Newtowne... read more

• It's Hip to Be Square
  

  In Cambridge any commercial area where three or more streets meet in a jumble of traffic and noise has been dubbed a "square." (There are literally... read more

• Candlepin Bowling
  

  It was back in 1880 that Justin White adjusted the size of his pins at his Worcester, Mass., bowling hall, giving birth to candlepin bowling... read more

• Brain Food
  

  As you wander through Cambridge it's safe to assume that almost every other person on the street attends a nearby institute of higher learning... read more

• Kid-Friendly Hotels
  

  Almost every Boston hotel allows kids, but a few go out of their way to make little ones feel welcome. The Fairmont Copley Plaza's resident Labrador... read more

• Lodging Alternatives
  

  Hotels are an obvious lodging choice, but they aren't your only option; there are plenty of other ways to stay in Boston, some with much more... read more

• Kid-Friendly Restaurants
  

  The vast majority of restaurants in Boston are happy to accommodate kids with simplified dishes and an out-of-the-way booth. Here are some particularly... read more

• The Boston Marathon
  

  Though it missed being the first U.S. marathon by one year (the first, in 1896, went from Stamford, Connecticut, to New York City), the Boston... read more

• Frugal Fun
  

  The nightlife and arts options we list are worth their weight in gold. Yet if you're feeling the pinch, you can be entertained without dropping... read more

• Boston Classics
  

  Not for nothing did Boston become known as the home of the bean and the cod: simple Yankee specialties—many of them of English origin—and... read more

• 'Off the Chain' Chains
  

  If you're on the go, you might want to try a local chain restaurant, where you can stop for a quick bite or get some takeout. The places listed... read more

• Cold Comforts
  

  Bostonians eat more ice cream per capita than anyone else in the U.S., according to an oft-repeated—though difficult to verify—factoid... read more

• Blue-Law Blues
  

  Why do Boston bars close so early? Something of the old Puritan ethic of the Massachusetts Bay Colony lingers in the so-called "blue laws" that... read more