Things to Do in Boston

Sights Overview

Name	Category	Location

Acorn Street Surely the most photographed street in the city, Acorn is Ye Olde...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Appalachian Mountain Club The bowfront mansion that serves as the headquarters of one of...	Educational Institutions	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Arlington Street Church Opposite the Park Square corner of the Public Garden, this church...	Religious Sites	Back Bay and the South End

Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University This 265-acre living laboratory is incongruously set in a dense...	Gardens / Arboretums	Boston Outskirts

Back Bay Mansions If you like nothing better than to imagine how the other half...	Houses / Mansions	Back Bay and the South End


Bay Village This pocket of early-19th-century brick row houses, near Arlington...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Back Bay and the South End

Beacon Street Some New Englanders believe that wealth is a burden to be borne...	Architectural Sites	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Benjamin Franklin Statue/Boston Latin School This stop on the Freedom Trail commemorates the famous revolutionary...	Public Art (Mural / Sculpture / Statue)	Downtown Boston

Blackstone Block Between North and Hanover streets, near the Haymarket, lies the...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Government Center and the North End

Boston Athenaeum It was William Tudor, one of the cofounders of the Boston Athenaeum...	Libraries	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Boston Center for the Arts Of Boston's multiple arts organizations, this city-sponsored...	Arts / Performance Venues	Back Bay and the South End

Boston Common Nothing is more central to Boston than the Common, the oldest...	Parks	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Boston Common Visitor Information Center This center, run by the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors...	Information Centers	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Boston Massacre Site Directly in front of the Old State House a circle of cobblestones...	Memorials / Monuments	Downtown Boston

Boston Opera House Originally the B. F. Keith Memorial Theatre in the days of vaudeville...	Arts / Performance Venues	Downtown Boston

Boston Public Garden Although the Boston Public Garden is often lumped together with...	Gardens / Arboretums	Back Bay and the South End

Boston Public Library This venerable institution is a handsome temple to literature...	Libraries	Back Bay and the South End

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum After a lengthy renovation, the museum is, as of this writing...	Museums / Galleries	Downtown Boston

Boston Tea Party Site The Boston Tea Party occurred on Atlantic Avenue near Congress...	Memorials / Monuments	Downtown Boston

Boylston Street Less posh than Newbury Street, this broad thoroughfare is the...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Back Bay and the South End

Brattle House This 18th-century, gambrel-roof Colonial once belonged to the...	Houses / Mansions	Cambridge

Brattle Theatre Occupying a squat, barnlike building from 1890, the Brattle Theatre...	Arts / Performance Venues	Cambridge

Bunker Hill Monument Three misunderstandings surround this famous monument. First...	Military Sites	Charlestown

Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts This gravity-defying mass of concrete and glass, built in 1963...	Arts / Performance Venues	Cambridge

Castle Island Park South Boston projects farther into the harbor than any other...	Parks	Boston Outskirts

Cathedral Church of St. Paul Though it looks a bit like a bank, St. Paul's is actually the...	Religious Sites	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Cathedral of the Holy Cross This enormous 1875 Gothic cathedral dominates the corner of Washington...	Religious Sites	Back Bay and the South End

Charles Street Chockablock with antiques shops, clothing boutiques, small restaurants...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Charlestown Navy Yard A National Park Service Historic Site since it was decommissioned...	Nautical Sites	Charlestown

Chestnut Street Delicacy and grace characterize virtually every structure on...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Children's Museum Most children have so much fun here that they don't realize they're...	Museums / Galleries	Downtown Boston

Chinatown Boston's Chinatown may seem small, but it's said to be the third...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Downtown Boston

Christ Church This modest yet beautiful gray clapboard structure was designed...	Religious Sites	Cambridge

Christopher Columbus Park It's a short stroll from the Financial District to a view of...	Parks	Downtown Boston

Church of the Covenant This 1867 Gothic Revival church at the corner of Newbury and...	Religious Sites	Back Bay and the South End

City Hall Over the years, various plans—involving gardens, restaurants...	Government Buildings	Government Center and the North End

Commonwealth Avenue Mall The mall that extends down the middle of the Back Bay's Commonwealth...	Promenades / Boardwalks	Back Bay and the South End

Copley Place Two bold intruders dominate Copley Square—the John Hancock...	Stores / Malls	Back Bay and the South End

Copley Square Every April thousands find a glimpse of Copley Square the most...	Squares	Back Bay and the South End

Copp's Hill Burying Ground An ancient and melancholy air hovers like a fine mist over this...	Cemeteries	Government Center and the North End

Crane Beach on the Crane Estate The 1,200-acre Crane Beach on the Crane Estate, an hour's drive...	Beaches	Boston

Dexter Pratt House Also known as the "Blacksmith House," this yellow Colonial is...	Houses / Mansions	Cambridge

Dorchester Heights Monument and National Historic Site In 1776 Dorchester Heights hill commanded a clear view of central...	Memorials / Monuments	Boston Outskirts

Ebenezer Clough House Built in 1712, this house is now the only local survivor of its...	Houses / Mansions	Government Center and the North End

Elmwood Shortly after its construction in 1767, this three-story Georgian...	Houses / Mansions	Cambridge

Emmanuel Church Built in 1860, this Back Bay brownstone Gothic Episcopal church...	Religious Sites	Back Bay and the South End

Esplanade Near the corner of Beacon and Arlington streets, the Arthur Fiedler...	Promenades / Boardwalks	Back Bay and the South End

Exeter Street Theater This massive Romanesque structure was built in 1884 as a temple...	Architectural Sites	Back Bay and the South End

Faneuil Hall The single building facing Congress Street is the real Faneuil...	Historic Districts / Sites	Government Center and the North End

Federal Reserve Tower On Atlantic Avenue, across from South Station, is this striking...	Financial Institutions	Downtown Boston

Fenway Park For 86 years, the Boston Red Sox suffered a World Series dry...	Sports Venues	The Fenway

First Baptist Church This 1872 structure, at the corner of Clarendon Street and Commonwealth...	Religious Sites	Back Bay and the South End

First Church of Christ, Scientist The world headquarters of the Christian Science faith mixes the...	Religious Sites	Back Bay and the South End

First Parish in Cambridge and the Old Burying Ground Next to the imposing church on the corner of Church Street and...	Cemeteries	Cambridge

Franklin Park Zoo Lion and tiger habitats, the Giraffe Savannah, and a 4-acre mixed-species...	Zoos / Aquariums	Boston Outskirts

Gibson House Through the foresight of an eccentric bon vivant, this house...	Houses / Mansions	Back Bay and the South End

Granary Burying Ground "It is a fine thing to die in Boston," A. C. Lyons, an essayist...	Cemeteries	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Hanover Street This is the North End's main thoroughfare, along with the smaller...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Government Center and the North End

Harrison Gray Otis House Harrison Gray Otis, a U.S. senator, Boston's third mayor, and...	Houses / Mansions	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Harrison Gray Otis House If the name sounds familiar, it's because a Beacon Hill home...	Houses / Mansions	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Harvard Art Museums The artistic treasures of the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, and...	Museums / Galleries	Cambridge

Harvard Museum of Natural History Many museums promise something for every member of the family...	Museums / Galleries	Cambridge

Harvard Square Tides of students, tourists, political-cause proponents, and...	Squares	Cambridge

Harvard University The tree-studded, shady, and redbrick expanse of Harvard Yard...	Educational Institutions	Cambridge

The Haymarket Loud, self-promoting vendors pack this exuberant maze of a marketplace...	Markets / Bazaars	Government Center and the North End

Henry Vassall House Brattle Street's seven houses known as "Tory Row" were once occupied...	Houses / Mansions	Cambridge

Holocaust Memorial At night its six 50-foot-high glass-and-steel towers glow like...	Memorials / Monuments	Government Center and the North End

Hooper-Lee-Nichols House Now headquarters of the Cambridge Historical Society, this is...	Houses / Mansions	Cambridge

Institute of Contemporary Art Housed in a breathtaking cantilevered edifice that juts out over...	Museums / Galleries	Boston Outskirts

John F. Kennedy Federal Office Building Looming at the northwest edge of City Hall Plaza, these twin...	Government Buildings	Government Center and the North End

John F. Kennedy Library & Museum Chronicling a time now passing from memory to history, the library-museum...	Museums / Galleries	Boston Outskirts

John F. Kennedy National Historic Site This was the home of the 35th president from his birth on May...	Memorials / Monuments	Boston Outskirts

John Hancock Tower In the early 1970s, the tallest building in New England became...	Financial Institutions	Back Bay and the South End

Kenmore Square Two blocks north of Fenway Park is Kenmore Square, where you'll...	Squares	The Fenway

King's Chapel Both somber and dramatic, King's Chapel looms over the corner...	Religious Sites	Downtown Boston

King's Chapel Burying Ground Legends linger in this oldest of the city's cemeteries. Glance...	Cemeteries	Downtown Boston

Leather District Opposite South Station and inside the angle formed by Kneeland...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Downtown Boston

Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge The crown jewel of the "Big Dig" construction project, the 1,432-foot-long...	Bridges / Tunnels	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

List Visual Arts Center Local Boston-area artists and art students consider the List...	Museums / Galleries	Cambridge

Longfellow National Historic Site If there's one historic house to visit in Cambridge, this is...	Houses / Mansions	Cambridge

Louisburg Square One of Beacon Hill's most charming corners, Louisburg Square...	Squares	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity One of the largest single collections by and about an American...	Libraries	Back Bay and the South End

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Incorporated in 1811, MGH has traditionally been regarded as...	Hospitals	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Massachusetts Historical Society The oldest historical society in the United States (founded in...	Libraries	Back Bay and the South End

Massachusetts Institute of Technology Celebrated for both its brains and its cerebral sense of humor...	Educational Institutions	Cambridge

Memorial to the Irish Famine A reminder of the rich immigrant past of this most Irish of American...	Memorials / Monuments	Downtown Boston

MIT Museum A place where art and science meet, the MIT Museum displays photos...	Museums / Galleries	Cambridge

Mt. Auburn Cemetery A cemetery might not strike you as a first choice for a visit...	Cemeteries	Cambridge

Mt. Vernon Street Mt. Vernon Street, along with Chestnut Street, has some of Beacon...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Museum of African American History Ever since runaway slave Crispus Attucks became one of the famous...	Museums / Galleries	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Museum of Fine Arts Count on staying a while if you have any hope of seeing what's...	Museums / Galleries	The Fenway

Nantasket Beach Nantasket Beach, a 45-minute drive from downtown Boston, has...	Beaches	Boston

National Park Service Visitor Center Ranger-led tours of the Freedom Trail leave from the National...	Tours	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

New England Historic Genealogical Society Are you related to Miles Standish or Priscilla Alden? The answer...	Libraries	Back Bay and the South End

Newbury Street Eight-block-long Newbury Street has been compared to New York's...	Stores / Malls	Back Bay and the South End

Nichols House The only Mt. Vernon Street home open to the public, the Nichols...	Houses / Mansions	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Old City Hall Just outside this site sits Richard S. Greenough's bronze statue...	Government Buildings	Downtown Boston

Old Corner Bookstore Site Through these doors, between 1845 and 1865, passed some of the...	Houses / Mansions	Downtown Boston

Old North Church Standing at one end of the Paul Revere Mall is a church famous...	Religious Sites	Government Center and the North End

Old South Church Members of the Old South Meeting House, of Tea Party fame, decamped...	Religious Sites	Back Bay and the South End

Old South Meeting House This is the second-oldest church building in Boston, and were...	Religious Sites	Downtown Boston

Old State House This colonial-era landmark has one of the most recognizable facades...	Museums / Galleries	Downtown Boston

Old West Church Built in 1806 to a design of the builder and architect Asher...	Religious Sites	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Park Street Church If this Congregationalist church at the corner of Tremont and...	Religious Sites	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Park Street Station One of the first four stops on the first subway in America, Park...	Transportation Sites	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Paul Revere House Originally on the site was the parsonage of the Second Church...	Houses / Mansions	Government Center and the North End

Paul Revere Mall This makes a perfect time-out spot from the Freedom Trail. Bookended...	Squares	Government Center and the North End

Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology With one of the world's outstanding anthropological collections...	Museums / Galleries	Cambridge

Pierce-Hichborn House One of the city's oldest brick buildings, this structure, just...	Houses / Mansions	Government Center and the North End

Plum Island The well-groomed beaches of Plum Island are worth the effort...	Beaches	Boston

Prudential Center The only rival to the John Hancock's claim on Boston's upper...	Stores / Malls	Back Bay and the South End

Quincy Market Not everyone likes Quincy Market, also known as Faneuil Hall...	Markets / Bazaars	Government Center and the North End

Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study The famed women's college, situated around a serene yard, was...	Educational Institutions	Cambridge

Revere Beach Just north of the city, Revere Beach, the oldest public beach...	Beaches	Boston

Rose Kennedy Greenway The Rose Kennedy Greenway, a winding series of parks marking...	Parks	Government Center and the North End

Rowes Wharf Take a Beacon Hill redbrick town house, blow it up to the nth...	Marinas / Piers	Downtown Boston

Rutland Square Reflecting a time when the South End was the most prestigious...	Squares	Back Bay and the South End

Salem Street This ancient and constricted thoroughfare, one of the two main...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Government Center and the North End

Semitic Museum An almost unknown gem, this Harvard institution serves as an...	Museums / Galleries	Cambridge

Singing Beach Singing Beach, 32 mi north of Boston in a quiet Cape Ann town...	Beaches	Boston

South Station The colonnaded granite structure is the terminal for all Amtrak...	Transportation Sites	Downtown Boston

St. Stephen's Rose Kennedy, matriarch of the Kennedy clan, was christened here...	Religious Sites	Government Center and the North End

State House On July 4, 1795, the surviving fathers of the Revolution were...	Government Buildings	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

State Street During the 19th century State Street was headquarters for banks...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Downtown Boston

Symphony Hall Acoustics rather than aesthetics make this hall, the home of...	Arts / Performance Venues	Back Bay and the South End

TD Garden Diehards still moan about the loss of the old Boston Garden...	Sports Venues	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Trinity Church In his 1877 masterpiece, architect Henry Hobson Richardson brought...	Religious Sites	Back Bay and the South End

U.S. Custom House This 1847 structure resembles a Greek Revival temple that appears...	Architectural Sites	Downtown Boston

Union Oyster House Billed as the oldest restaurant in continuous service in the...	Restaurants	Government Center and the North End

Union Park Cast-iron fences, Victorian-era town houses, and a grassy area...	Parks	Back Bay and the South End

USS Cassin Young From a later date than the Constitution, this destroyer saw action...	Nautical Sites	Charlestown

USS Constitution Better known as "Old Ironsides," the USS Constitution rides proudly...	Military Sites	Charlestown

USS Constitution Museum Artifacts and hands-on exhibits pertaining to the USS Constitution...	Museums / Galleries	Charlestown

Vilna Shul As the oldest synagogue in Boston, this historic treasure is...	Religious Sites	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End

Wadsworth House On the Harvard University side of Harvard Square stands the Wadsworth...	Houses / Mansions	Cambridge

Widener Library Harvard University's Harry Elkins Widener Library was named for...	Libraries	Cambridge

William Hickling Prescott House A modest but engaging house museum has been installed in this...	Houses / Mansions	Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Old West End
Sights Overview »

New on Fodors.com

Travel Deals in Boston

$161* & up -- U.S. Flight Sale (R/T incl. Tax) CheapOair.com
$199-$215 -- 4-Star Boston Hotel thru Summer, up to 50% Off Sheraton Boston
$138 -- Boston: 3.5-Star Cambridge Hotel Hotwire.com
$156 & up -- Flights from Raleigh on Sale (R/T incl. Tax) — $156 Major Airlines on Fly.com

View all travel deals

* Some taxes, fees additional

Things to Do in Boston

Things to Do in Boston

New on Fodors.com

Travel Deals in Boston

Sign In Using: