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Boston - restaurants, things to do, side trips
My husband wants to visit Boston this summer for his 30th. We will have four full days and three nights in Boston in late summer.
I already know he wants to visit a brewery and tour Fenway Park. We'll do the Freedom Trail and the big historic attractions. I'm thinking possible side trips to Salem (by train) and Lexington/Concord (thinking we can do both in one day with a rental car?).
I know there's some Boston people here, and I'm open to any other ideas, including off-the-beaten path stuff. My husband loves local bars/breweries and food. I love history, art, and architecture.
Haven't thought about hotels yet, but recs welcome.
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Re: Boston - restaurants, things to do, side trips
Given your respective interests, sounds like Boston is the perfect place for you guys to visit
Here is my standard list of suggested things to do in Boston:
Duck Tour - http://www.bostonducktours.com. Fun tour that provides a good overview of the city and its history via an amphibious vehicle. Book tix in advance via the web site
Freedom Trail - This walking tour will take you through most of the historic sites of Boston. You can do a guided tour or I've heard there's a downloadable iPod tour so you can do a self-guided thing.
Public Gardens/Boston Common ? Not such a great visit in the winter, but otherwise a nice public space to walk through. There's a Make Way for Ducklings bronze statue here that the kiddies might like if you have them. The Swan Boats are also a personal favorite, though not a must do.
Beacon Hill/Charles St. ? Quintessential old New England neighborhood with great architecture and quaint little boutiques to shop in. Just a few minutes walk from the Common.
Newbury Street (shopping) ? Just across the street from the Commons. Great for people watching and grabbing a bite to eat too.
SOWA Open Market ? Outdoor artisan market that runs on weekends in the summer and fall. Check the website for dates.
Sam Adams or Harpoon Brewery tours ? self-explanatory
Faneuil Hall ? Historic area now full of shopping and restaurants. Mostly chain places, but can be fun to walk around, see street performers, etc.
Fenway Park ? game tickets are hard to come by but you can sign up to take a tour of the stadium.
Museum of Science - great exhibits and a domed IMAX theater that's amazing and shows lots of great documentary-style films.
JFK Museum
Children?s Museum ? Really fun for the kids
Art museums ? We have top-notch art museums: Museum of Fine Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art
Whale Watch Tour ? You can leave from the Aquarium downtown or, if you have a car or are willing to take the commuter rail, go up to the one in Gloucester and check out the neighboring Rockport area (very quaint seaside town).
Harvard ? Campus is pretty and Harvard Square is fun to walk around
A little farther out:
Salem Witch Museum ? a history of the infamous Salem witch trials. I haven't been there since I was a kid though and I think it might be kind of cheesy now.
House of Seven Gables ? also located in Salem
Walden Pond ? site where Thoreau penned Walden. You can see the site of his cabin as well as a recreation of the building.
As for restaurants...so many options.
$$$$$
No. 9 Park (Boston) ? you must have the prune-stuffed gnocchi appetizer if you go. Trust me.
O Ya Sushi (Boston) ? The omakase is very good, but very pricey.
Salts (Cambridge) ? the honey lavender whole-roasted duck for two is amazing. Reserve it in advance; they only offer a few each night.
Blue Ginger (Wellesley) ? Ming Tsai?s Asian fusion restaurant. The butterfish is my favorite dish.
Mooo (Boston) ? steakhouse
$$$
Atlantic Fish Company (Boston) ? As the name implies, seafood is their specialty. There?s no real need to go to a seafood-specific restaurant in Boston as most good restaurants in the area will have excellent seafood options (see Blue Ginger?s butterfish above), but AFC really does a great job. I?ve tried cod, swordfish, haddock, and sea bass there and all were excellent.
Anything in the North End (Boston) ? It?s our Little Italy, located right near Faneuil Hall. I don?t have a favorite restaurant here, but for the most part you can?t go wrong with anything in the area. Just wander around until something strikes your fancy. Then go to one of the pastry shops afterwards (Mike?s is the most famous especially for their cannolis, but others are equally good, like Modern).
$$
Legal Seafood (various locations) ? Get a bowl of clam chowder here. The rest of the food is pretty forgettable though.
Stella (South End, Boston) ? I?ve only had brunch there but I know others like it for dinner. The brunch offers large portions at reasonable prices. You can also walk over to the SOWA Open Market from there (see the things to do list) and those things together can make for a great summer/fall afternoon.
Geoffrey?s Caf? (Boston) ? I?ve never been but a lot of people have raved about their donut muffins....
Cafe Luna (Cambridge) ? also has an amazing brunch menu. It?s small though so call ahead.
East Ocean City (Chinatown, Boston) ? great place for dinner. Everything on its menu is good, but they?re well-known for their seafood and their salted steamed chicken.
Hei La Moon (Chinatown, Boston) ? good Hong Kong-style dim sum restaurant.
$
Dumpling Caf? (Chinatown, Boston) ? the best xiao long bao (soup dumplings) I?ve had in town. I dare say I like them better than the ones I?ve had in Taiwan.
Hong Kong Eatery (Chinatown, Boston) ? wonderful Chinese comfort food (their wonton noodle soup is awesome).
Ho Yuen and Hing Shing (Chinatown, Boston) ? the best bakeries in Chinatown. For egg tarts, though, go to Crown Royal?sooooo good.
Not worth it
These are my personal opinions, of course, but three popular restaurant recommendations that I wouldn?t waste my time on are Top of the Hub (horrible service) and Fugakyu and Oishii (average sushi at elevated prices).
As for your more specific questions, Lexington/Concord are right next door to each other and definitely doable in a day IMHO.
Where to stay: the Back Bay/Copley and Downtown/Commons areas are both great. Boston is very small and walkable and either of those locations will put you in striking distance by foot or T to 95% of what you'll want to see and do. Try Priceline for a great deal.
Go to Olde Union Oyster House. It's like the oldest restaurant in America or something like that. Honestly, they have the best clam chowder! And yummy corn bread.
And I like going on the swan boats in Boston Garden.
While Salem has some very great architecture and is rich in history, I have to say that I was a bit disappointed when I visited. Of course that's just my personal opinion though.
I think a fun side trip would be going to Rockport - it's a cute coastal town that's very New England. My Place by the Sea is a nice place to go for lunch or dinner too. Try to get a table over looking the water.
Have fun.
I ended up taking the bus to Lexington/concord so it is doable. I liked Warren Tavern near the shipyard.
When in the summer? There are some special event that happen on the 4th of July - Boston Pops concert, turnaround of the USS Constitution, plus many other events along the freedom trail.
Adventures of A Girl and Her Apron
I wanted to go to a game, but we're going over Labor Day and they have no home games. My husband is a Red Sox fan and wants to do the tour...was it really awful, or an ok thing to do for a fan?
I wanted to go to a game, but we're going over Labor Day and they have no home games. My husband is a Red Sox fan and wants to do the tour...was it really awful, or an ok thing to do for a fan?
Hi! I haven't done the tour in a long time, but I think it would be a good thing to do especially since he's a sox fan and it's not too expensive compared to other touristy things. You could also eat lunch (or dinner) at the Bleacher Bar, which over looks the park.
Labor day can be a little busy in the city because all the college kids are returning and a lot of families are in town. A lot of locals will usually leave town for the Cape, NH, Maine, etc so it evens out a little bit.
A fun Boston day trip is George Island and the rest of the Boston Harbor Islands, if you're looking to get away, without even getting away. George's Island has a lot of history and there are great views of the city. You can jump to other island too if you'd like.
If you can, I would recommend doing the Brewery tour on a weekday, I would avoid Saturday if possible. It can get a little hectic, especially in the afternoon, but they are a lot of fun
I've done the tour three times and haven't been disappointed. Sure, you don't get to go on the field or in the dugout like I'm pretty sure you can in other ballparks, but in my experience, the tour guides are awesome and it's about a 90min-2hr tour for like $12 or $13. Well worth it, especially for a Sox fan. Going to a game would be amazing, but since you can't, definitely do the tour.
i really would not recommend this if you only have four days. especially not labor day weekend when cape traffic will be horrific. if you had a week and could go mid-week, then sure.
rock-n-voll's list is very close to what i would suggest. if you go to top of the hub, just get one drink and enjoy the view. harvard university has a bunch of really good museums and is a nice way to spend an afternoon.
have fun!