20 Top Reasons to Visit Boston

There’s no place quite like Boston. It’s one of the most historic cities in the United States with more character, cobble stone streets, museums and colleges than you can count! Read on for the top 20 reasons to visit Boston!  

1.     Most photographed street in the USA: I don’t know who’s counting, but apparently Acorn Street in Beacon Hill is the most photographed street in the USA! It’s easy to see why it holds this title, with picturesque shutters on uniform brick walls, greenery around the windows and American flags adorning the walls.

2.     Chinatown: Boston has a thriving Chinatown with delicious East Asian restaurants everywhere, plenty of bubble tea and all the Asian products you could want.

3.     Best colleges: There’s a reason they call Boston the Athens of America. Boston has over 100 colleges, two of which are the world-renowned Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Even if you aren’t college age, it’s certainly worth your time to visit one of these gorgeous campuses.

4.     Walkable: While Boston is a large city, it’s still very walkable. In fact, it’s probably better to walk or swipe your Charlie card to take the T (the public transportation system) because parking in Boston can be a nightmare.

5.     The Boston Public Garden: The Public Garden is absolutely stunning in every way. It’s a peaceful escape from the city, and also holds some history and a lot of whimsy. There are little duckling statues hidden somewhere in the park that the locals enjoy dressing up and iconic swan boats you can rent to paddle around the pond pictured above.

6.     Seafood: Considering Boston is right next to the Atlantic Ocean, it makes sense that the seafood is amazing! Good seafood is found almost anywhere in Boston and don’t forget to try the New England clam chowder, a Boston classic.

7.     Boston Tea Party Reenactment: It was the moment that started a revolution. If you’re unfamiliar with the story, one night Bostonians snuck onto a British tea ship and dumped all the tea into the harbor to protest against the tea tax. It is often labeled as the event that started the fight for independence. Bostonians are very proud of this historic act of defiance. So if you go down to the harbor, there is a floating museum commemorating the event with plenty of reenactments.

8.     Fall Foliage: Boston is well-known as one of the best destinations for fall foliage in America. When fall comes, the leaves all turn a fiery orange that lends itself to some truly amazing photos.

9.     Mike’s Pastry: The entire North End of Boston is filled with incredible Italian food, but Mike’s Pastry definitely takes the cake. It’s ranked number one in all of Boston on Trip Advisor and on the weekends the line for a precious cannoli stretches all the way down the street. The pastries definitely live up to the hype. If the lines are too long though, another local favorite and rival across the street is Modern Pastry!

10.  Gorgeous Architecture: In Beacon Hill and Back Bay, the Victorian brownstone homes are the best-preserved examples of 19th century urban architecture in the United States.

11.  Fenway Park: Even if you don’t like baseball, you’ve got to admit that seeing the oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball is pretty cool. You can still watch a baseball game with friends in ole Fenway with a hotdog in hand.

12.  Snow, snow, and more snow: A few years ago Boston got so much snow in one winter (20 feet) that people were building bridges of snow just to walk around. This may sound like a terrible thing, but if you’ve ever wanted to see a true winter wonderland, head to Boston!

13.  A Wide Variety of Museums: Like art? The Museum of Fine Arts has got you covered. Don’t prefer art, but like science? Behold, the Museum of Science. Don’t like either of those but want Instagram inspiration? The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum (pictured above) is perfect for you! Also, entrance fees to the ISG Museum are discounted if you’re wearing Red Sox memorabilia and free if your name is Isabella! No matter what your interests, Boston probably has a museum to keep you entertained.

14.  The Boston Marathon: The annual Boston Marathon held on Patriot’s Day is a holiday celebration of the strength of some of the world’s best runners! It is a 26 mile run through many towns in the Greater Boston Area ending in Boston itself. It’s actually the world’s oldest annual marathon and attracts around 500k spectators each year!

15.  Dunkin’ Donuts: While this chain store is a rarity on the west side of America, you’ll find one every block in Boston! Dunkin’ Donuts is a Boston native chain for delicious donuts and other breakfast fare. There is plenty of loyalty to Dunks in Boston, so do not get into an argument about whether Starbucks or Dunkin is better while you’re visiting unless you want to hear an earful.

16.  Duck Tours: Not many places have a tour bus that navigates by land and by sea. Yes, you heard that right, Duck tours, as they’re so called, will drive tourists around historic streets before driving straight into the harbor and continuing the tour that way.

17.  The Public Library: Not only is the Boston Public Library highly accessible and full of great study spots, it also has some stunning architecture! And the perks don’t stop there – there’s also a great little cafe nestled inside where you can grab a bite to eat when you get a bit peckish.

18.  Freedom Trail: Yes, there is a Freedom Trail actually paved into the sidewalks. The Freedom Trail is a painted yellow line that connects 16 locations significant in American history. Paul Revere’s House and the Old State House are just some of the stops. You can easily take yourself on a self-guided tour of the trail, and learn about America’s early history!

19.  Brattle Book Shop: If you couldn’t find that book in the library, there is also an outdoor bookstore! Well, a good portion of the bookstore is inside but there are plenty of outdoor racks to browse from. It also makes for a fantastic photo.

20.  Free activities: It’s not expensive at all to have fun in Boston! Many of the things I have mentioned above are free; many of the museums have free admission at certain times, the Freedom Trail is always free, the Public Library and Public Gardens are free to explore, college tours are free, and all those beautiful photogenic spots are free too!

So are you headed to Boston yet? Have you been before and have more reasons to add? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!