Massachusetts - Greater Boston and Cambridge

Ten Great Things to Do in Greater Boston and Cambridge Massachusetts

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Eagle-Eye View of Boston

The Blue Hills Reservation, headquartered in Milton, covers 7,000 acres from Quincy to Dedham and Milton to Randolph, provides a green oasis in an urban environment. From the rocky summit of Great Blue Hill visitors can see the entire Boston metropolitan area. The Blue Hills Trailside Museum presents replicas of natural habitats, displays about Native Americans, and live animal exhibits.

Four Generations of American Leadership

Adams National Historical Park in Quincy tells the story of four generations of the Adams family (from 1720 to 1927). The park has several sites: the birthplaces of John Adams and John Quincy Adams, the second and sixth presidents of the United States; Peacefield, including the “Old House,” home to four generations of the Adams family; and the Stone Library, which contains more than 14,000 volumes. Open to the public April through November.

Hug a Tree

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In the Jamaica Plain section of Boston lies an oasis of meadows, forest, ponds, and wildlife. No, it’s not an urban mirage, it’s the Arnold Arboretum , where you can find thousands of different varieties of plants, hiking and biking trails, and world-renowned horticultural collections surrounded by 15,000 gorgeous trees. Owned by the city of Boston and leased to Harvard University for 1,000 years back in 1882, Arnold is the oldest public arboretum in North America. The extensive Bonsai collection, a cultivated Herbarium, majestic snow-covered cedars and pines in the winter, and nearly 200 different varieties of fragrant blooming lilacs come May, are just a few of the reasons to spend a day here any time of the year. Phone: 617-524-1718‎.

Salsa on Sundays

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Every Sunday night from 8 p.m. to midnight, The Beehive, a bistro on Tremont Street in Boston’s South End, hosts a night of Latin music and dance. With rhythmic sounds of the Latin music and dance group, Cincoson, guests can listen to the beats or dance the night away. It is a south-of-the-border vacation in the heart of South Boston. Take your dancing shoes and a hot date for some fun and hot music, on from your seat or on your feet. Phone: 617-423-0069

See Boston Through Hollywood’s Eyes

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When people think about movies, Boston is usually not the first place to come to mind. However, the people at Boston Movie Tours is working to change that. Based out of Hamilton Place in Boston , this walking tour offers an interactive sight seeing opportunity to explore the scenic contributions Boston has made to American movies. While spotting your favorite actor is unlikely, movie buffs will love the thrills they will get from visiting locations where A-List actors have shot films. Nothing is more fitting then capping off this 1.25 mile tour by grabbing a pint at then bar where everybody knows your name, Cheers! Open seasonally. Phone: 866-movie45.

Shopping Like Nowhere Else

Newbury Street in Boston’s Back Bay is a shopping esplanade laced with charm because of the fine merchandise and the beauty of the architecture. For eight blocks, Victorian and other 19th-century styled houses spill shops and cafes onto the sidewalk. Brand-name boutiques, clothing and antique stores jostle closely with sidewalk eateries and strolling sightseers.

Shutterbugs Get Guidance
for Great Boston Images

Here is a truly original idea: a guided walking tour that takes amateur photographers to the primo spots for taking pictures of Boston and in Boston, complete with insider tips. The experts of the PhotoWalks tours offer creative photography tips and interesting commentary about Boston. Tours are designed for people of all ages and skill levels. The tours include Beacon Hill; Back Bay, centered around Copley Square; Freedom Trail and the North End, with many Colonial-ear sites; the Public Garden; and the Waterfront. This is a chance to soar to new photographic heights. Phone: 617-851-2273.

Truely Bad Bad Art

The headline above is the slogan for the Museum of Bad Art, located in the basement of the Dedham Community Theatre in downtown Dedham. This community-based institution is dedicated to the collection and celebration of bad art in all its glory. On the Frequently Asked Questions section of its website, a viewer inquired, “Is this some kind of joke?” and got the answer, “This institution works long and hard at building the finest bad art establishment in the world. Frankly, we are shocked and indignant at your derisive innuendo.” Our publisher’s comment: “I hope the place is big enough.” Entrance to the museum is next to the movie theater’s men’s room.

Wilderness on Boston’s Edge

Fells is an old Saxon word for rocky, hilly land, and the Middlesex Fells Reservation, on the outskirts of Boston, shows how correct that name is. This 2,060-acre landscape of rocky hills, meadows, wetlands, forests, ponds, and panoramic vistas covers parts of Medford, Winchester, Stoneham, Melrose and Malden. Walkers on the quiet hiking trails may forget how close they are to Boston.

It's a Seal's Life

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The New England Aquarium on Central Wharf in Boston is now home to a new Marine Mammal Center. The naturally lit, open-air exhibit gives visitors a front-row seat to see Northern fur seals in action. The exhibit features interactive panels that let you touch fur seal teeth and see an underwater image the same way a seal does. The entire experience centers on the expanded Northern fur seal pool, where you can witness these graceful animals in action. The new enclosure gives these sleek animals plenty of room to gallop and swim and offers a shallow pool for midsummer lounging and speedy surface skimming. Thanks to the tiered seating, seal fans can get a good view of all these behaviors. Arf! Phone: 617-973-5200.

Just for the Record…

Your iPod might be able to store thousands of songs and fit in your pocket, but it will never be as cool as a real-life record. Every collector will tell you that music sounds better on vinyl, and there is no better place to find it than in Boston’s independent record stores. Browse the bins at Looney Tunes Records on Boylston Street, or at the legendary In Your Ear, just a block away from Harvard Square. Make a day of it and check out Nuggets in Kenmore Square or venture out to Cambridge and sift through the new and used vinyl at Cheapo Records, Twisted Village, and Stereo Jack’s.

400 Years of Boston History
on Display Via Walk to the Sea

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Boston is now home to a great, free activity that is ideal for families and people who love history, urban architecture, and the outdoors. The new Walk to the Sea is a self-guided trail that encompasses four centuries of Boston history. Beginning at the State House on Beacon Hill, overlooking Boston's ancient Common, the Walk passes among historic landmarks and skyscrapers. The walk from summit to sea, spanning one mile and descending a hundred feet, brings Boston history to life. Large panels are situated along the walking trail to guide and educate walkers. Stops along the trail are Beacon Hill, King’s Chapel, Government Center, Old State House, Exchange Building, Custom House, Rose Kennedy Greenway, and Long Wharf. Starting in May 2009, people can go onto the Walk to the Sea website and download an audio tour for the walk right to ipods to have access to a free personal tour guide.

Adams, Samuel = Great Beer

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Here’s what you might not know: Samuel Adams (1722-1802), cousin to John Adams, was a Bostonian, statesman, patriot, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Here’s what you know: some people Boston make a fine beer named in honor of Sam. If you are connoisseur of fine beers and great cities, make a visit to the Sam Adams Brewery on Germania Street in the Jamaica Plain section of Boston. Taste the special malts used to brew Samuel Adams beers and smell the Hallertau and Tettnang hops. The brewery conducts tours and tastings daily except Sundays, and also has a neat gift shop. All tours depart approximately every 45 minutes and last about one hour, and Saturdays are especially busy. Phone: 617-368-5256

American History on Display
From Many Diverse Angles

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The National Heritage Museum at Marrett Road in Lexington is an American history museum founded and supported by 32 degree Scottish Rite Freemasons. A visit to the National Heritage Museum is truly an experience in the American spirit. The exhibitions tell thrilling stories of patriotism, adventure, invention, community and dissent -- all aspects of how we as a people have worked, and played, struggled and achieved. For instance, some current exhibits describe illustrated American sheet music, teenage hoboes in the Great Depression, American decorative arts, the enchanted clocks of Gelrge McFadden, art and folk heritage in Massachusetts. Phone: 781-861-6559.

An Old New Look

The global economy is on the outs and times are tough – but that doesn’t mean you can’t look good. Spend a day perusing the racks in the fabulous consignment and vintage stores of the Boston area, where you can score designer clothes at more “fashionable” prices. If you’re looking for contemporary and vintage clothing and accessories at relatively low prices, start in Harvard Square at the eclectic Oona’s, then try Urban Renewals on Brighton Avenue or Boomerangs in Jamaica Plain. Slightly pricier high-end and designer threads can be found at Second Time Around on Beacon Hill or The Closet on Newbury Street and, for a more nostalgic shopping experience, check out the retro attire at The Garment District in Cambridge or Bobby from Boston’s, a men’s upscale vintage shop that helped to outfit the cast of films like Titanic and A Beautiful Mind.

Armada of American Ships Was Born at Quincy

Quincy has a proud shipbuilding tradition that includes producing many of the U.S. Navy ships that fought in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Today, visitors can tour one of the ships built at Quincy's world famous shipyard: the heavy cruiser USS Salem. Berthed at the U.S. Naval Shipbuilding Museum , the Salem offers visitors the chance to experience life on the former flag ship of the Sixth Fleet. Open June through September. Note: Quincy is also the birthplace of the popular catch phrase "Kilroy Was Here.” During World War II, James Kilroy, a worker at Quincy's Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, chalked the message next to rivets he inspected on ships under construction. Eventually, the phrase traveled the globe, with GIs scrawling it wherever they went. Phone: 617-479-7900.

Art for Art's Sake

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Visitors to the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston are just as likely to be awestruck with the outside of the building as they are with what’s inside. The unusually shaped 65,000-square-foot structure sits directly on the waterfront and, from a certain vantage point, looks as though it might topple into the bay. With a little luck, guests will stay dry long enough to enjoy the gallery’s impressive permanent collection of paintings, sculpture, and photography by artists from all over the world. Now through November, 2010, catch Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone’s breathtaking wall of colorful mirrored glass windows in the ICA lobby. And don’t miss the first ever museum survey of street artist Shepard Fairey’s iconoclastic work, on view February 6 – August 16, 2009. Phone: 617-478-3103.

Blaschka Glass Models Charm With Compact Artistry

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One of the most famous treasures of the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Oxford Street in Cambridge is the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, the “glass flowers." This unique collection of over 4,000 models was created by the glass artisan Leopold Blaschka and his son, Rudolph. The commission began in 1886 because the founder of the Botanical Museum, wanted life-like representatives of the plant kingdom for teaching botany. At the time only crude papier-maché or wax models were available. The parts were shaped after the glass was softened by heat. Some models were blown. Colored glass was used for many, and others were cold painted with a thin wash of colored ground glass or metal oxides. Phone: 617-495-3045.

Boston From the Sidewalk

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Boston calls itself the birthplace of the American Revolution, and you are likely to agree after taking an information-packed stroll with Boston CityWalks, a walking tour that shows off the old and contemporary beauties of this world-class city. Starting in downtown, the tour takes in some of the Freedom Trail, visits Beacon Hill, and then moves on to the Public Garden, to enjoy the Swan Boats and the world’s smallest suspension bridge. Learn how Back Bay was filled and admire the beauty and elegance of Copley Square. Enjoy the 19th-century beauty and elegance of the Back Bay, its fine restaurants, shopping, and cultural attractions. From there, walkers may choose to have lunch at an outdoor café on Newbury Street, shop in Copley Place and Prudential center, or visit one of Boston’s fine museums. Walks are held daily, year-round, starting at 10 a.m. at the northwest corner of State and Congress streets (outside 28 State Street). Call to confirm. Phone: 866-939-2557.

Charming Shops and Delicious Food

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Perhaps the most distinct feature of Boston’s Porter Square is the 46-foot stainless steel windmill-like sculpture entitled "Gift of the Wind,” but there’s more to do here than simply enjoy the public art. Get your nerd on and check out the independently owned Porter Square Books or get in touch with your crunchy side and head to Greenward where you’ll find eco-friendly treasures like hand-made jewelry and stationary made from recycled paper. If shopping makes you hungry, choose from Chinese, Salvadoran, Thai, Cambodian, or good old American cuisine at one of Porter Square’s many restaurants before trying out your new set list at the Lizard Lounge’s weekly open-mic night.

Colonial Characters Come to Life on This Boston History Tour

Few people would pay good money to hear histrionics from their teenagers. But Boston’s Histrionic Academy is a whole different story, and one worth seeking out on a visit to this historic city. The Histrionic Academy is a group of actors, educators, and interpreters who bring history to life through theater. It offers a number of different historical walking tours led by costumed interpreters, including The Path of Independence, a tour through Colonial Boston that includes lively stories of the fire-breathing days of the American Revolution. Captain David Hawkins, Corporal Jonathan Hoyt, Freelove Bliss, and others are waiting to show you Boston's Historic Trail like you've never seen it before. Offered daily. Phone: 978-741-1170

“Thoreau” Yourself into Nature

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Walden Pond State Reservation, located in Concord , was home of the famous author Henry David Thoreau as well as his muse for the book “Walden,” a description of the experiment in simple living that Thoreau conducted as a resident of Walden Pond from 1845 to 1847. Walden Pond is considered the birthplace of the conservation movement in America. Park interpreters provide tours and educational programs, amongst the area of 2680 acres that surrounds the pond. Now part of the Massachusetts Forests and Parks, Walden Pond is a host to hikers, swimmers, and nature enthusiasts all year round. Offering nature experiences year-round, Walden Pond is a must visit. Phone: 978-369-3254.