Going to Boston for 3-4 days in August?

Question

We are a couple from England with an 11 year old daughter and would like some advice on what things we must see and do during our stay. We could also use suggestions for central hotels. Thanks

Answer 1

Luckily for you, most things are very close. You can almost walk to many things!

In Boston, Fanuiel Hall / Quincy Market is a must. It’s a little touristy now, but still a place to revel in history while eating and shopping to your heart’s content.

Freedom Trail as well, except don't walk the whole thing. Just hit some of the highlights. Go to the old North Church, Old South Meetinghouse, Paul Revere’s house, and the nearby Cemetery to see John Hancock and other famous people tombstones.

If you like museums, the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) is one of my favorite in the world (that and the Musée D'Orsay in Paris). Museum of Science is pretty neat too. Both the Museum of Science and the New England Acquarium would probably be enjoyed by you and your daughter.

If you like Baseball, you might be able to catch a Red Sox game. You can probably get tickets cheap now that they'll probably be out of the pennant race by then. ;-)

If you like to shop, go to the shops at Prudential Center / Copley Plaza. Also, be sure to walk down nearby Newbury St just for fun and window shop.

Harvard Sq can be entertaining to walk around. Or you can bounce down to MIT and walk those hallways as well. Next to that is the esplanade, where you can walk the Charles River, which is gorgeous in the summer time, walk downtown and grab something to eat near Fanueil hall!

You can also get a day pass for the "T" (subway) and ride all over just for fun!

If you want to kick back while others give you a tour, take one of the Boston Duck tours. Y'all should like this. Here's the link for more info.

http://www.bostonducktours.com/



If you want to wander outside of Boston (like if you have a car),

There's also

Salem (north of Boston),
Bunker Hill memorial in Charlestown (and you can climb it)
Old Ironsides (USS Constitution) in Charlestown,
Lexington and Concord (where it all started) out Route 2 (about 30-40 min away).

Be sure to have a meal at a restaurant in Boston’s famous Italian North End.

Enjoy the seafood too! For affordable seafood, No Name's is the place to go. Outside of that, you could do the old reliable Durgin Park @ Quincy Market.

As for hotels, just use expedia and hotels.com first to gauge prices. Then use priceline to get your room. I've had wonderful luck w/ priceline over and over again for Boston.

As you might be able to tell, Boston's one of my favorite cities. Hope you have a fantastic time!

Answer 2

The Boston Aquarium takes up a nice part of a relaxing off-day. -Say if it's raining or something.

There's Museum of Fine Arts, and there's Science museum.

If I would say anything is a "must" for your family, I guess Fanuel Hall and Beacon Hill are what come to mind first.
I would reccomend gazing down at Boston and the area from the top of the JohnHancock tower.

At the bottom of Beacon Hill there is the main park; the public Gardens is a nice place to be. It's often remembered for the swans and the pond.

Adding: Yes, the DuckTours of course! They drive into the Charles river. Land/and/water. They have wheels and it is also a boat!

Answer 3

There are a few things that might be fun to do with children. Riding the Swan Boats & feeding the ducks in the Public Garden can be fun, but this may appeal more to younger children. There's also the Duck Tours, acquatic vehicles that run tours through the city and the Charles River. This can be pleasant, but you have to reserve a spot early in the day. I believe tickets can be purchased around the Prudential Center. The Children's Museum and Science Museum are fun--seeing a film in the Science Museum's Omni Theater is great fun. Fanuel Hall and Quincy Market are also must-see attractions. During the summer there are many street performers here, and these are fun to watch/participate in no matter what age you are. Quincy Market also has great food and fun shopping. Want to encourage your daughter to achieve academically? Take her to Harvard Square, walk through Harvard Yard, and point to one of the dorms: "In eight years, you could be living here!" The Esplanade along the Charles River is a great place to take a walk/roller skate/ride bikes.

And of course, there's plenty of shopping options, from Copley Place and the Prudential Mall, to Newbury Street, Downtown Crossing, Quincy Market. If you have money for one good dinner, find a place on Newbury Street for pleasant outdoor dining.

There are plenty of centrally-located hotels, but you'd have to shop for prices. Hilton, Sheraton, and Marriot have a few locations around the city I know for sure.

Answer 4

A week should be sufficient for what you are planning - of course depending on exactly how much time you want to spend at each place. As HyannisPort is on the Cape and Martha's Vineyard is simply a ferry ride from the Cape to the island you could do the cape in a few days. Again depending how much time and what you want to do at each spot. Hyannis is about an hour and a half drive from Boston. And to boot it you can take a ferry right from Hyannis to Martha's Vineyard. To stay on the island is more expensive so you could simply stay in Hyannis and spend the day on the island or you could stay on the island for a night or two. I would suggest if you plan to go to the Cape and islands that you do so during the week. It will less crowded (still crowded in the summer), but much less so than the weekend. You can do a tour of the island - there is one that leaves from Oak Bluffs - if you want to see almost the entire island (at the least you see the best spots). I prefer Edgartown to Oak Bluffs, but you can of course go to both. It is pretty easy to get around just with their buses. Fenway Park is right in Boston - you can do a tour or try and get tickets for a game - you will need to check a head of time to see when they will be home. Fortunately with the Red Sox not being as good as they have in the past (well fortunate for you), tickets are a bit easier to get than in the past. That should be only part of a day. Cambridge is a simply just a few subway stops away on the red line from Boston. So again you can easily see anything you want in Cambridge in a day.

Answer 5

The best hotel in Boston in my opinion is the Boston harbor hotel its right on the wharf 10 min walk to the aquarium, walking distance to fanuel hall and downtown crossing which are three spots u definetly have to check out. The science museum is also fun and if you are history buffs u can walk the freedom trail to see all the sights from the revolutionary war.

Answer 6

I can certainly recommend the childrens museum and the science museum. For some shopping try Faneuil Hall Marketplace and if you're looking for bargains, try Filene's Basement on Boylston St.
If the weather's good, a slow walk around the freedom trail is interesting.
There really is loads to do, you'll probably come home and wish you'd had longer!
Have a look at: http://www.boston.worldweb.com/