A trip to Boston isn’t complete until you connect with the city’s rich history. The Freedom Trail invites locals and tourists to visit historic sites while strolling through the city. Follow the red line along the 2.5-mile trail, which takes you from Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown to the Boston Common, passing the U.S.S. Constitution, Old North Church, the Old State House and a few other historic destinations along the way.
The walkable city streets offer new sights, too. Sample from the menus at foodie destinations in Back Bay, shop for luxury brands along Newbury Street or explore the boutiques around Harvard Square. When you need a break, the city’s emerald parks await. Explore the Victorian grounds at the Public Garden, the country’s first public botanical garden. Here you can stop to smell the roses or ride the famed Swam Boats through the scenic lagoon.
Boston breeds champions on the field, from the New England Patriots to the Boston Bruins, the Boston Celtics and the Red Sox. Take in a ball game at Fenway, football at the Gillette Stadium in nearby Foxboro, and ice hockey or basketball at the Boston Garden. The streets around the stadiums located in Boston also offer plenty of entertainment, before and after the game.
Art lovers should visit the Museum of Fine Arts, where the vast permanent collection ranges from ancient artifacts to contemporary art, including John Singleton Copley’s famous painting of Paul Revere. Over at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, art aficionados find a small but immaculate collection curated by the museum’s namesake. Designed to feel more like a home than an institution, the historic building houses such jewels as Titian’s “Europa” and an early self-portrait by Rembrandt.
Theater-goers can catch Shakespeare at the Shubert, musicals at the Boston Opera House or Wang Theatre, and new plays at the American Repertory Theater. Boston Symphony Hall offers world-class acoustics for classical music concerts.