Hi everyone!
I am traveling to Boston for a weekend from NYC. Leaving Friday afternoon and coming back Sunday afternoon. What are some things I should do while I am there? I would like to avoid a ton of crowded tourists areas since I have little time to explore everything. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.

You might find some ideas here:

http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...idge-salem.cfm

Telling us about your interests will help people help you. You could try using the Destinations tab, above, too.

I just want to get the best local experience I can get. Not into too many touristy things. And I would like to visit MFA and other museums and experience the full art but we are sort of pressed for time. So basically anything that is worthwhile but wouldn't take up too much time

When?

The next month is crowded with dozens of academic graduations, the city will be packed, and many hotels have been pretty well booked for months.

I'll be going in July. I may take the Old Town Trolley hop on/hop off tour since you can use it for 2 days at your pace and can choose a little cruise in the harbor or a museum inclusive in the price.

We were also there in July. Using the HoHo trolley is not the way to avoid crowds, but we did it for the first day to escape the oppressive heat. And I think everything will be crowded- I saw a lot of school aged groups on the Freedom trail, a lot more big groups than I expected. But I don't really remember long lines to get into anything except restaurants and the special exhibit at the MFA.

I found that Boston was a very walkable city, and I much preferred that over the trolley after the first day. We did get our money out of the package, though, and the cruise was one of the highlights. Actually, it was hot enough that anytime we spent on the water was a highlight! If I did the trip over, I would allocate more time for exploring the harbor. It was very interesting.

I will be going on Mother's Day weekend so may 8-10

Tiffbrose- sorry, mixed up you as OP with SeaF. With your limited time, I'd pick two things you really want to see- I'd do old State house and the Isabella Gardner, if you haven't been before. MFA is glorious but that would certainly kill an entire day if you like museums (and if you are coming from NYC, I'm going to assume you have access to museums of a similar caliber). Isabella Gardner is beautiful and unique, a good place to move slowly and savor your surroundings.

The Mapparium at Mary Baker Eddy sounded absolutely amazing and one of kind, so you may want to check that out. I ran out of time, sadly. Got distracted in the MFA!

marvelousmouse - yes! I did have mapparium on my list. I do not want to spend time at the MFA mostly because I'm pressed for time and it sounds like I could really enjoy it in its entirety when I have much more time to spare. Also you are absolutely correct I've been to the museums in NYC countless times so I want to get to enjoy things I might not necessarily see in NYC

Northeastern, Berklee, Emmanuel, and Mass College of Pharmacy all graduate that weekend.

Though only Northeastern is a big one, I would be so happy to know that you have some place to stay.