Greater Boston & Cambridge have a huge variety of great things to do & see

Massachusetts > Boston > Things to Do and See > 90 Great Things to Do in Massachusetts

Great Things to Do in Boston and Cambridge MA with VisitNewEngland.com

Boston and neighboring Cambridge, facing each other across from the bridge-sprinkled Charles River, has been called the Athens of America for its wealth of universities and museums. A trip here is a great vacation for couples of families; among the highlights are the grand food, music, and heritage-related festivals, from Fourth of July on the Esplanade to the Christmas lights of Faneuil Hall.

Find a quaint, urban boutique hotel or a hotel with a lavish spa and delve into Revolutionary history, performing arts, and luxury.

Discover Quincy

Quincy Chamber of Commerce - 1400 Hancock Street, Suite 1A Quincy, MA, 02169 Phone: 617-471-1700

Variety is the spice of everyday life in this welcoming coastal city

From history to hiking, there’s tons to do in Quincy. Visit the birthplaces of two presidents at Adams National Historical Park, take in a symphony performance, learn about granite quarries or shipbuilding at user-friendly museums, dine at a clam shack or an upscale waterfront restaurant. If you want to enjoy the great outdoors, the Blue Hills Reservations boasts 7,000 acres featuring paved and unpaved hiking and biking trails as well as spectacular panoramic views. Throughout the city there are places where you can go golfing, play tennis, charter a fishing boat or just cast your line off a pier. Fancy a beach? There are several to choose from, on the ocean, ponds and river, many with playgrounds.

Spirit of Boston

200 Seaport Boulevard - Commonwealth Pier Boston, MA, 02210 Phone: 617-748-1450 Toll-Free: 866-310-2469

Harbor cruise lets you see Boston from a unique – and fun – vantage point

Why not see scenic Boston from the sea? Take a Spirit of Boston cruise and check out all the sights, from the Boston Tea Party site to the Old North Church, the Bunker Hill Monument and Old Ironsides. Two-hour lunch and three-hour dinner cruises feature fresh, buffet-style offerings served in a comfortable, climate-controlled inner deck. You can even reserve a window table to savor the city – and a cocktail. The view from the huge observation deck is breathtaking, whether it’s a mid-day look at the spectacular Zakim Memorial Bridge or a sunset panorama of a sparkling cityscape. Onboard activities include games like tabletop shuffleboard and giant Jenga. There’s also a dance floor and DJ-provided music. Look for special holiday cruises and deals.

Franklin Park Zoo

One Franklin Park Road Boston, MA, 02121 Phone: 617-541-5466

Learning, having fun co-equal partners at this engaging park zoo

There is nothing passive about a day spent at the Franklin Park Zoo! Fun and engaging experiences include feeding budgies from seed sticks in the Aussie Aviary to making butterfly masks at Butterfly Hollow to looking at African lions up close through the glass at a ranger station. Play next to red pandas at the Children’s Zoo, feed the goats at the Franklin Farm petting zoo or slip down the giraffe-like tube slide at the 10,000-square-foot playground. Go on a behind-the-scenes tour, or stroll through the organic garden and hear about the role bees play in the ecosystem. Adults can chat with a zookeeper, kids can stretch their legs and imaginations at nature play stations with discovery tables.

Dining with a Great View - Taj Boston Hotel - Boston, MA

The Newbury Boston

1 Newbury Street Boston, MA, 02116 Phone: 617-536-5700

Rooftop Sunday Brunch with spectacular views of the Public Garden and Boston

Enjoy traditional breakfast preparations, contemporary New England cuisine, and Indian specialties, alongside a bounty of dessert items made in-house by our talented pastry team.
Every Sunday, April-November, with seatings from 10:30am - 2pm. Reservations suggested.

Follow that Petticoat to Learn about Boston’s Past

Freedom Trail guides are easy to spot: they look like they just stepped out of the 1700s. The guides are out every day leading fun and educational tours. For example, Massachusetts State House Tours teach about the history and architecture of the building. King's Chapel's Bells and Bones Tours visit the crypts below the Chapel and the 1816 Paul Revere bell. The Old North Church offers Behind the Scenes Tours and Bones and Burials Tours. The USS Constitution crew members offer presentations about the ship's storied past. The pleasure of a visit is amplified when you know more about the history around you.

Come Aboard Old Ironsides

Visit Old Ironsides and the USS Constitution Museum at Building 22 in the Charlestown Navy Yard in Charlestown for for a deep dive into the fascinating history of the USS Constitution. Exhibits at the museum include "Old Ironsides in War and Peace," "All Hands on Deck: A Sailor’s Life in 1812," and "Today's Crew." The museum is open year-round. Phone: 617-426-1812. The ship itself is owned by the U.S. Navy, which hosts tours Wednesdays through Sundays. Tours include the spar deck, gun deck and berth deck.

Chuckles at McGreevy’s

Every Monday and Tuesday evening, McGreevy's , the famous pub at 911 Boylston Street in Boston, hosts a free standup comedy show. There’s a new lineup at each show. Performers of the past have included comedians who have appeared on “Saturday Night Live,” Comedy Central, HBO, and more. Sam Adams Brewery & Deep Eddy Vodka sponsor the show, making it an incredible experience every night. Hosted by Brian Higginbottom. Doors open 7:30 p.m.; show at 8 p.m.!

Astonishing Nature Lessons

There is always something interesting to see and learn at the Harvard Museum of Natural History on Oxford Street in Cambridge. Classes and lectures and videos for kids and adults on many fascinating subjects – from the source for our food to nature drawing -- are ongoing. Permanent exhibits include the Great Mammal Hall, Evolution, Arthropods: Creatures that Rule, The Glass Flowers, The Zoological Galleries, the Mineralogical and Geological Gallery. One the museum’s most notable and popular collections is the Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, also called the “glass flowers." Four thousand models, representing more than 830 plant species, were built by glass artisans Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, Czech glass artists. 617-495-3045

Jump Now at the Trampoline Park

Which of you adults is deeply envious of the little kids who get to play in the bouncy house at carnivals and parties? Yep, we thought so. Here’s your solution. Sky Zone Indoor Trampoline Park at 91B Sprague Street in Boston is an indoor trampoline park with 10,000 square feet of bounce space, open to the people of all ages daily and for special events like birthday parties. In addition to open jump hours, Sky Zone offers walled 3-D dodge ball courts; extreme fitness classes for kids, teens, and adults; daily Open Jump playtime and a Saturday-night SkyJam.

History of Innovation

Located on the banks of the Charles River in the historic 1814 Boston Manufacturing Company textile mill, Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation at 154 Moody Street in Waltham is America’s first factory. Hands-on exhibits feature American innovation and invention from 1812 to modern day. Exhibits feature the Boston Manufacturing Company, The Orient Bicycle and Metz Automobile, the Waltham Watch Factory and more. Museum topics include textile history, watches and clocks, steam power, and marvelous machines. A favorite exhibit is Steampunk Form & Function, showing works of artists spanning all areas of the retro-futuristic movement. Open year-round, Thursdays through Sundays. Phone: 781-893-5410.

You Might Find Some Local, and Mighty, Authors Here

Local authors? Oh yeah. The Barrow Bookstore on Main Street in Concord, MA, is sitting on a gold mine on local authors from the Transcendentalist period of the 19th century. The building is owned by Louisa May Alcott's great-nephew, and on any given day visitors may find rare and unique works by Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Ralph Waldo Emerson on display. That includes a first edition set of “Little Women.” As visitors peer into the glass case holding Louisa's novels, they will find Louisa's father, Bronson Alcott, looking down on them from above, where his portrait and signed autograph sentiment hang on the wall. Authentic? Yes!

Nosh and Learn

The KITCHEN at The Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover Street in Boston is a community gathering place that promotes seasonal cooking to anyone who is interested, be they expert cooks or curious beginners. The KITCHEN hosts events, hands-on classes, workshops, demos and tastings. The emphasis is on local, seasonal ingredients combined with health and wellness programs to help guests become informed cooks and consumers. A small sampling of classes in 2020, for instance, includes Caribbean flavors, French crepes, savory pastries, gnocchi, spirits-infused truffles, and handmade pasta. Private classes, too, can be arranged. Email: kitcheninfo@thetrustees.org

Icon of Folk Music Is Underground in Cambridge

Club Passim, a brick-floored subterranean music venue at 47 Palmer Street in Cambridge is one of the nation's legendary cultural icons and epicenter of great folk and acoustic music. A place where musicians like Joan Baez, Tom Rush, Jackie Washington, Peter Wolf, Taj Mahal, Patty Larkin, Goeff and Maria Muldaur, Shawn Colvin, and Suzanne Vega cut their musical teeth. For more than 50 years, Club Passim has been known as a premier national venue presenting new and established traditional, folk, and acoustic musical performers. Also, home of the annual Celtic Music Festival. 617-492-7679.

High Style in Shopping

Located in the historic Back Bay, at 100 Huntington Avenue in Boston, Copley Place is a distinctive shopping destination with 75 stores including Neiman Marcus, Barneys New York, Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, Intimacy, Tourneau, Salvatore Ferragamo, Porsche Design, David Yurman, and more. A lovely and sophisticated mixed-use complex, Copley Place includes two levels of shopping, restaurants, office buildings, parking spaces, The Westin Hotel and The Boston Marriott Copley Place. Especially fun during holidays.

A Little Walk; a Little Chocolate; and Repeat

Off The Beaten Path Food Tours are a fun outing where you and friends can poke along at a walking pace through a historical neighborhood and taste local culinary treats, all under the care of a knowledgeable guides. One favorite, the Harvard Square Chocolate Tour, with stops at a variety of local eateries for chocolate tastings along the way. It’s about a mile of urban walking with five to six stops in about 90 minutes. A fee of $35 includes all the food and sights. Fine of all ages. Meet at Harvard Square.

Hayden Planetarium Thrills Star Gazers at Boston Museum of Science

The Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Boston Museum of Science is a bustling place for star gazers. A featured presentation is “Undiscovered Worlds: The Search Beyond Our Sun,” an astronomy show that explores planets outside our solar system. On weekend evenings, Music Under the Done immerses visitors in unusual musical offerings, Friday evening activities may include stargazing in the Museum's Gilliland Observatory on clear nights. 617-723-2500.

Lyman Greenhouses Bring the Outdoors Indoors

Here’s a fast treatment for the blahs: a visit to the Lyman Estate Greenhouses on Lyman Street in Waltham. The complex consists of an 1804 grape house, 1820 camellia house, 1840 orchid house, and a 1930 sales greenhouse. Rare orchids bloom throughout the year. The horticultural staff offers assistance. The gift shop sells gardening books, sundials, sachets, , pottery, rustic twig furniture, and more. Open year-round; days vary by season. Guided tours\. 781-891-1985.

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