Best attractions in Boston: Top 25
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Boston is the “cradle of liberty,” the capital of Massachusetts, and the beginning of America’s historical beginnings. The kilometers of streets traversed here and visits to Boston’s landmarks are transformed into emotions, impressions, and thoughts. They confidently tell the story of the country’s emergence and formation. Regardless of the purpose of your visit, visitors can find something to see in and around Boston.
What to see first in Boston
There are entire neighborhoods with historic buildings that still have the spirit of good old New England in them. Let’s list the best sights in Boston, mysterious in its own way, cozy and beautiful.
1. Massachusetts State Capitol
An important, eye-catching building sits above Boston Common Park. Executed in red with a white colonnade over the arches, it is interesting with a gilded dome. The layer of gold leaf applied to its surface is so thin that it lets in light. The top of the building is crowned with a pine cone as proof of the importance of the forest industry to the country’s economy.
Official website: https://malegislature
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2. Boston Tea Party Museum
What a trip to England without real English tea! The museum’s exhibits will tell the history and traditions associated with the English tea ceremony. After a theatrical performance, visitors can see the ship, followed by surprises prepared according to the tour, and at the end - the ceremony itself in person.
Official website: https://www.bostonteapartyship
3. The sailing ship USS Constitution
The oldest military frigate is a Boston landmark. It stands in dry dock on props most of the time, having last been launched in 1997. Today it operates as a museum. Even if it’s closed, you’ll enjoy it without climbing aboard, so mesmerizing is the ship.
4. Community Garden
The park is organized in the style of an English landscape. It is always crowded. There are squirrels scurrying about and lots of birds, especially ducks. You can go boating in the pond. Wedding couples often choose this place for photo sessions. Separate recommendations of tourists are to have a picnic directly on the grass of the park, like many English families.
Official website: https://www.boston.gov
5. Boston-Common Central Park
The world’s first public park has a well-deserved reputation for its huge, manicured grounds. Concerts, competitions, and citizen protests are held here all the time. In a remote part of the park is the Boston Central Cemetery with burials of famous personalities in England.
Official website: https://www.boston.gov/parks
Check out the gorgeous views of Boston in this beautiful video!
6. Arnold Arboretum
There’s plenty to see in Boston for fans of the art of landscape design. James Arnold was a whaling merchant who bequeathed his property to Harvard University. Establishing the arboretum was his last will and testament. Among the 7,000 varieties of plants in the collection are original specimens growing in an interestingly designed landscape: meadows, valleys, hills, and mountain formations.
Official website: https://www.arboretum.
7. New England Holocaust Memorial
As you consider Boston’s landmarks with names and descriptions before your trip, you’re sure to stop at this memorial. It is a tribute to the 6 million Jews who died in the Holocaust. The structure consists of 6 glass towers erected according to the number of the largest death camps. The place evokes a reverent awe, especially when you feel the air blowing through the bars at the base of the towers and symbolizing the breath of the dead.
Official website: https://www.nehm.org/
8. Old North Church
Any tourist overview contains this powerful Georgian-style building, one of the oldest in the city. It was on its steeple that the churchwarden hung lanterns, making his famous midnight trip to warn everyone of the arrival of the British. The bottom of the building is painted brick; the top, along with the spire, is white. This is one of the sites on the Freedom Trail.
Official website: https://oldnorth.com/
9. Trinity Church
Your trip to Boston should not be without a visit to this place. The building looks like a fairy-tale mansion with massive towers and heavy stone arches, its interior is just as beautiful: huge stained glass windows depicting the life of Christ, gold bas-reliefs with biblical subjects, and a pulpit decorated with carvings. The temple is active.
Official website: https://trinitychurchboston
10. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
We recommend what to visit in Boston for connoisseurs of the beautiful. It is a private art gallery located in two buildings. In the construction of the modern building, glass was mainly used, so it turned out to be bright, with lots of open space. The educational studio offers master classes. The second building does not look very presentable. But the courtyard has a stunning garden with an extensive art collection and a year-round defined climate. Of the amazing stuff, there’s a collection of Sargent’s work.
Official website: https://www.gardnermuseum
11. Museum of Fine Arts
Another recommendation for places to go in Boston. The museum owes its creation to the citizens of the city: it was their initiative that founded it, and local businessmen and scholars added interesting items to the exhibitions. Today it has more than 1 million exhibits from various periods.
Official website: https://www.mfa.org/
12. Science Museum
The museum exhibit has about 500 interactive exhibits on medicine, astronomy, natural history, 100 rare animal species, and a host of curious exhibits, such as a model of the solar system. The presentation halls tell about the history and prospects of our planet, and special rooms show interesting experiments. There is an IMAX movie theater and planetarium on site.
Official website: https://www.mos.org/
13. Boston Public Library
The library has gained an inordinately high rating because of its enormous collections. Here you can borrow literature even if you are not a local resident. The architecture of the building and the cozy atmosphere inside is fascinating. In the open green patio you can read or have a snack in the open air.
Official website: https://www.bpl.org/
14. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library-Museum
Despite the name, the library is not only dedicated to the famous president and his wife. The tourist will learn here about the history of America during the 1950s and 1960s, see interior items of the time, typewriters, board games, election paraphernalia, and gifts from leaders of other countries.
Official website: https://www.jfklibrary.org/
15. Harvard University
The legendary Harvard University with huge competition. To get in here, you need exceptional ability. “The University has a wealth of information: 18,000 students, 10 departments, its own forest, a botanical garden, several museums and the world’s largest library. This, by the way, is where the Schnobel Prize awards ceremony takes place.
Official website: https://www.harvard.edu/
16. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The institute is located in Cambridge, near Boston. It deservedly occupies the first positions among the most prestigious educational institutions in the world in general and the States in particular. One of the buildings of the institute is made in a bizarre form in the style of architectural deconstructivism (remember the “Dancing House” in Prague). The buildings are numbered, and this one is number 32. There are some interesting laboratories in this building.
Official website: http://web.mit.edu/
17. Freedom’s Way
If your hiking preferences are strictly about history, here’s advice on what to see in Boston in 1 day. This red-brick trail makes the historic city accessible in just a few hours. You can see 16 historic landmarks all at once as you follow the trail. The trail begins at Boston Common Park, and a special app will help you stay on track.
Official website: http://www.thefreedomtrail
18. The Old Capitol
This historic building, the oldest in the city, brings many tours in Boston as it operates in a museum format. It is located on the Freedom Trail and shows visitors various historical exhibits, though not in very large numbers. Of interest is the reconstructed Boston Governor’s Chamber. The building is an example of the Georgian architectural style.
Official website: https://www.bostonhistory
19. Fanel Hall
It is not only a shopping center, but also a historical monument, endowed with the status of a historical and cultural landmark of America. There are stores with all sorts of goods on the first floor, and a conference room on the second floor. The 11th location on the Freedom Trail.
Official website: https://faneuilhallmarketplace
20. New England Aquarium
There are some interesting places in Boston that are not directly related to history. The building itself has an original oval shape. The cylindrical aquarium of enormous size is entangled in a spiral staircase. Moving along it, one can observe sea animals settled on the same levels in which they live in their natural habitat. In the shallow lagoon, tactile contact with the animals is allowed. There is an IMAX movie theater in the building.
Official website: https://www.neaq.org/
Boston sights: what else to visit in Boston?
Hospitality hotels in Boston offer different price points, but are united by one thing: excellent service. Let’s list the main Boston attractions briefly for those who are going to stay here for a while.
21. Quincy Market
For an introduction to city life, the best alternative to restaurants would be the local market, where you can sample the same delicacies, only at a more pleasant price. There are the most popular cuisines with dishes to suit all tastes. Italian, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, fruits, seafood, and pastries. A true gastronomic paradise!
Official website: https://faneuilhallmarket
22. Fenway Park
For baseball fans, this is the place to go. A great place, the home arena of the BostonRedSox. To be in Boston and not go to the RedSox is a crime. Even if you’re not familiar with the rules of the game, it’s interesting to observe the traditions of English fans and get into the atmosphere of the stands.
Official site: https://www.mlb.com/redsox
23. TD Garden Sports Complex
Another place for sports fans is the indoor sports complex downtown with a seating capacity of more than 17,500. Several famous basketball and hockey teams “live” here. In addition to games the complex hosts concerts of world famous artists. Thus, Boston Garden had the honor to host Madonna and the Rolling Stones.
Official website: https://www.tdgarden.com/
24. Granary Cemetery
The old cemetery will be advised to visit guides in Boston, and they will also take you along the Freedom Trail. Famous people are buried here. The location of the cemetery, downtown, is unusual. Surrounded by skyscrapers, the headstones make a mysterious impression, suggestive of the meaning of life.
Official website: https://www.boston.gov
25. Boston Lighthouse
Since its construction in 1787, the 28-meter-high lighthouse has only stopped working during World War II. For two and a half centuries it has been reliably illuminating the seaway to Boston Harbor. The oldest in the United States, it is a National Historic Landmark.
It’s worth coming to Boston to see how New England began and get into its spirit. Read also about Chicago landmarks and be inspired to travel further across the United States.
