Any locals can give some ideas of things to do (Boston: house, neighborhood)

[Upstateman92]

I'll be In Boston for a weekend . I was woundering what are some ideas of stuff I could do . I planned on going to Fanueli hall Friday night , but Friday during the day , Saturday and Sunday I was looking for stuff to do and see .

I'm up in the air between the whale watch and cod Zilla. The aquarium I want to do , but any other ideas?

Also what are some restaurant recommendations . I'm more into the pub style brewery type of places no chains

[gf2020]

When is your visit?

[Upstateman92]

Originally Posted by gf2020

When is your visit?

Arriving Friday July 14th early in the morning . Leaving Sunday the 16th after dinner time .

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

I'll be In Boston for a weekend . I was woundering what are some ideas of stuff I could do . I planned on going to Fanueli hall Friday night , but Friday during the day , Saturday and Sunday I was looking for stuff to do and see .

I'm up in the air between the whale watch and cod Zilla. The aquarium I want to do , but any other ideas?

Also what are some restaurant recommendations . I'm more into the pub style brewery type of places no chains

Where are you staying, and when are you coming?

I'd skip Codzilla (almost every coastal city has an equivalent - it's a definitive tourist trap), and definitely do the whale watch instead. If you have a car when you stay, I'd consider doing the Whale Watch out of Gloucester or Plymouth instead because A) it's cheaper (by more than $10 with an AAA discount), and B) it'll give you an opportunity to see a coastal New England town outside of Boston at the same time. But if you do the Boston one, it's not bad at all. I'd honestly skip the Aquarium unless you're REALLY into that. It's going to be crowded, and I don't think it's on par with the best in the U.S. (i.e. Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, Monterrey Bay, etc.).

If you want something touristy/fun to do, try a duck tour. Good way to take in a lot of the city in a short time. You should also consider walking the Freedom Trail, check out the harborwalk, do a Fenway Park tour, check out Harvard Square (and walk around the campus), possibly go to one of the harbor islands, etc. If you like beer do a brewery tour at Sam Adams (free), or Harpoon (cheap).

There's really no shortage of good food in town. Lord Hobo in Cambridge would be on my list of food/beer destinations. It's not a brewery, but the Tip Tap Room is also on the list (good food, good selection of beer). Deep Ellum and The Publick House are also really good. It's worth heading to Somerville to try Brass Union or Winter Hill Brewing. Slumbrew has a taproom there too. If it's just a beer you're after, you can try the Trillium Beer Garden on the Greenway downtown. I'd say brunch at Rosebud in Davis Square is a good way to round off your weekend too (they have excellent food and boozy milkshakes). Sunset Tap on Brighton Ave is a landmark. Bleacher Bar at Fenway is a pretty good spot to grab a beer (you look right out on the field). Yelp will help you find anything else good nearby.

*edit*
Just saw your last post- this all still stands.

[Upstateman92]

Originally Posted by lrfox

Where are you staying, and when are you coming?

I'd skip Codzilla (almost every coastal city has an equivalent - it's a definitive tourist trap), and definitely do the whale watch instead. If you have a car when you stay, I'd consider doing the Whale Watch out of Gloucester or Plymouth instead because A) it's cheaper (by more than $10 with an AAA discount), and B) it'll give you an opportunity to see a coastal New England town outside of Boston at the same time. But if you do the Boston one, it's not bad at all. I'd honestly skip the Aquarium unless you're REALLY into that. It's going to be crowded, and I don't think it's on par with the best in the U.S. (i.e. Baltimore, Atlanta, Chicago, Monterrey Bay, etc.).

If you want something touristy/fun to do, try a duck tour. Good way to take in a lot of the city in a short time. You should also consider walking the Freedom Trail, check out the harborwalk, do a Fenway Park tour, check out Harvard Square (and walk around the campus), possibly go to one of the harbor islands, etc. If you like beer do a brewery tour at Sam Adams (free), or Harpoon (cheap).

There's really no shortage of good food in town. Lord Hobo in Cambridge would be on my list of food/beer destinations. It's not a brewery, but the Tip Tap Room is also on the list (good food, good selection of beer). Deep Ellum and The Publick House are also really good. It's worth heading to Somerville to try Brass Union or Winter Hill Brewing. Slumbrew has a taproom there too. If it's just a beer you're after, you can try the Trillium Beer Garden on the Greenway downtown. I'd say brunch at Rosebud in Davis Square is a good way to round off your weekend too (they have excellent food and boozy milkshakes). Sunset Tap on Brighton Ave is a landmark. Bleacher Bar at Fenway is a pretty good spot to grab a beer (you look right out on the field). Yelp will help you find anything else good nearby.

*edit*
Just saw your last post- this all still stands.

Thank you for all that great info !
I was unsure if whale watch was worth it because it's over 100 bucks and a lot of the reviews said it wasn't worth it becauS you only see a few and they are way out . But where could I find info on the other whale watching you recommended ?


I'm staying in back Bay Area and going to a concert Saturday night at paradise rock .

I want to avoid driving , so I was going to rely on uber and the T

[jayrandom]

Walk the freedom trail. It's (nominally) free and everyone I've taken there has enjoyed it.

[Upstateman92]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

Walk the freedom trail. It's (nominally) free and everyone I've taken there has enjoyed it.

What exactly is it ?

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

What exactly is it ?

It's a walking tour of old Boston. There's literally a line on the ground you can follow through a lot of historic places. There are museums and attractions along the way you can stop at, but you don't have to.

[MMS02760]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

It's a walking tour of old Boston. There's literally a line on the ground you can follow through a lot of historic places. There are museums and attractions along the way you can stop at, but you don't have to.

It is a 2.5-mile, red-lined route that leads you to 16 historically significant sites. The sites mostly pertain to places related to the period in and around the Revolutionary War. Some however such as the USS Constitution (War of 1812) and the Statehouse/54th Regiment Relief (Civil War) are later.




Freedom Trail Link
The Freedom Trail

[Cloudship]

Originally Posted by Upstateman92

What exactly is it ?

It's free, it's dumb, it's the Freedom trail!

Sorry, just a little flashback to 5th grade field trips.

The Freedom trail is a planned route that takes in a lot of historic sights in downtown Boston. Technically it is a National Historic Park, which encompasses a number of sites. Walking along Washington St. near the State St. end, it is not uncommon to witness people dressed up in colonial clothing talking on their cell phones. These are interpreters going to and from work. A slight amusement anyways.

You don't have to stick to the trail. In fact one thing I think Boston is one of the most interesting US cities for is just wandering around. It is very walk able, and unlike most other US cities each neighborhood has it's own style and charm. Most of it does not conform to a grid, and the downtown financial district is very different from Back Bay, which is different from the South Boston waterfront. One warning - use your phones GPS. Especially downtown - roads that look parallel are not, and after a few block you may end up far away from where you think you were headed!

Instead of hitting Faniuel Hall at night, do a late lunch. Find something you like (food there is not that great), get it to go and walk out the front towards the water. Follow the crowd to the end of Long Wharf and enjoy lunch watching the harbor.

If you are even the slightest bit interested in art, I would also check out the Art museum (probably Boston's best museum) as well as the Museum of Contemporary Art.

Since it sounds like you have a few days, maybe take the water ferry over to Provincetown on the cape. Definitely an all day thing, but you get a nice boat ride and get to see quaint Cape Cod to boot.