A Weekend in Boston

Boston, Boston, Boston! There is so much do to there and it’s loaded with history. I have been many times but Jake had never so for Christmas I decided we’d take a trip there so he could experience it all. My first piece of advice for a Boston trip is to make a plan and schedule when you are going to do all the things.

Creating a schedule was really helpful for us so we knew the hours of when everything opened and closed. This is especially important when going in the off season because hours can vary greatly. We roughly planned out our day to make sure we got to do and see what we wanted before they closed. It’s important to mention that we didn’t have a minute by minute schedule because we wanted to have some flexibility and take our time but we did have a list of what we wanted to do each day and listed our the hours of operation so nothing was missed.

We bought a pass called “Go Boston Card” which allowed us to get into a bunch of places at no cost except for the go pass itself. They are available for a variety of days and will save you lots of money if you plan on going to all the places they partnered with. Make a list of the places you want to go first and make sure the Go Boston Card is worth it for your situation. This website has card for a bunch of cities so check to see what other locations you can visit and save some money in the process!

The very first thing we booked was a hop on hop off bus tour. This was perfect because the tour guides narrated history facts as we drove from each location to the next. There are a few bus tours to choose from so make sure you select one that more of the stops you want. (Old Town Trolly, CityView Trolly Tour Check out Groupon for a discount!)

Boston is home to a ton of history which means an ample amount of museums for all those history buffs out there. I’m not huge into museums and deeply historical settings but the list of places to visit is very long. The freedom trail walking tour is really neat but best in warmer temps as you’ll be walking around outside quite a bit. This leads you to many of Boston’s historical sights such as the Massachusetts State House, Old Granary Burial Grounds, Old Meeting House, Boston Massacre Site, Bunker Hill Monument (get ready to walk up 294 steps at this monument!), USS Constitution and so many other places. It start out at the Boston Common and leads you throughout the city from there. Most of the site will have a tour of some sort wether self guided or narrated. The facts are quite fascinating!

The New England Aquarium is a must! It’s a bit pricy to visit but it’s well worth it in my opinion. You get to see a ton of fish as well as sea lions and penguins. You also have the chance to touch a star fish and pet a sting ray! The center of the aquarium is a massive tank with two huge sea turtles. I’ve been to plenty of aquariums but this one is one of my favorites!

With all of this adventuring comes a hungry stomach! Quincy Market is a great place to stop and get a bite to eat. It’s a busy place so be prepared but there are lots of options for different kinds of food all in one space. There are also a few restaurants around Quincy Market (Faneuil Hall) if you are looking for more of a restaurant feel rather than a buffet type style.

Be prepaid to pay for parking. One thing to keep in mind when traveling about Boston is parking fees. They are so expensive and once you find a spot or garage plan on leaving your vehicle there for the whole day unless you really want to rack up some hefty parking expenses.

Don’t forget to check out the unique breweries and pubs around the city as well. Sam Adams is a must and they are putting in a tap room right down the street from Quincy Market in 2019 or you’d have to drive to the brewery which is a little ways out of town. Trillium is another awesome place to try some delicious brews!

Even if you aren’t into baseball taking a tour of Fenway should definitely be on your list. You’ll get tons of fun facts about the stadium as well as a tour that takes you up on the Green Monster!

One more thing that I had never done before was the Skywalk Observatory. This was really cool! It’s located in the Prudential building and at the 50th story there is a 360 degree view of Boston. They’ll give you a device that you can take with you along perimeter and learn about different building and plots of land as far as you can see! After the observatory check out Flour. This is a small bakery/cafe and their food is phenomenal! It’s right down the street so you won’t have to walk fat at all!

Make sure to wear good walking sneaker, carry along some water and don’t forget your camera!