I lived in Boston for around 20 years while I was writing about travel everywhere else. It wasn’t until my niece asked me to draw up a list of things to do in Boston for one of her Canadian professors planning to visit that I realized I hadn’t really thought of my favorite activities in my own old town.
Of course, when traveling there is a focus on seeing the “touristy” spots and the main sights, but at home, the focus is on enjoying the little things, fewer tourists and favorite restaurants. Here’s my list that mixes tourist stuff with insider tips and a clutch of great restaurants where no one can go wrong.
1. Plan an afternoon at the Kennedy Library. Hard to get to, but well worth an afternoon.
2. Visit the Boston Athenæum, private but it can be visited. Great for book lovers
3. Have lunch at the Top of the Hub (617-536-1775). With good weather the view is wonderful, food is good and affordable, drinks at sunset, even better.
4. Have dinner or lunch in the North End. Suggestion: La Summa (617-523-9503), then find a local pastry shop for cannoli.
5. Shuck oysters at the Union Oyster House at the raw bar.
6. Dinner at Dali Restaurant our in Somerville (next to Harvard Square, 617-661-3254) No reservations, but worth it for great Spanish tapas, good wines and a dining experience you’ll remember. (About two or three tapas is enough for each person, groups should plan on sharing.)
7. Another great unusual restaurant is Elephant Walk (617-492-6900). It’s a delightful French/Cambodian mix. Personally, I like the Cambodian fare. There are two, but my favorite is on Mass Avenue in Cambridge near Porter Square.
8. Museum of Fine Arts
9. The Freedom Trail and USS Constitution. My Freedom Trail favorites Old North Church, Bunker Hill and The USS Constitution. In Bunker Hill area try the Warren Tavern (617-241-8142).
10. Smallest, but best museum in Boston — Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Great music as well. Check their website. Eat in their café for lunch (617-566-1088).
11. The Institute of Contemporary Art — collection iffy, innovative approaches to art, but location, building and a stop for a bite and the view from the Water Café (617-478-3291) are worth the trip.
12. Walk through and get lost in Beacon Hill.
Of course there are the normal sights — the aquarium, the Museum of Science, Paul Revere’s House, the warren of streets in the center of Boston, theater district, Commonwealth Avenue, Beacon Street, the Boston Common, the Capital Building, walks through MIT and Harvard, etc.
The very adventurous can head to East Boston for great views back to the city and some of the best and oldest Italian restaurants in town. If you can find Rino’s Place at 258 Saratoga Street, 617-567-7412 you deserve the great daily specials they serve.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
