10 Top Things To Do In Boston

Boston is a city with a long history and a reputation for art, culture, sports and education. That last point is what brought me to town when I became a Tufts University student in 2006 and decided to settle here long-term, but Boston and its many satellite cities aren't just great places to live — they're also fun to visit.

Boston's location in the heart of New England means it's beautiful on crisp fall days, and its close connection with the Revolutionary War means you're never far from a historic site. If you've never spent much time in Beantown (a name no local ever uses with a straight face), it's a perfect place to visit as part of a cruise vacation. That's true whether it's your point of departure for a Caribbean jaunt or a stop on an exploration of the Northeast.

The following are 10 fun things to do in Boston, whether you're there for one day, a weekend or a whole week, before, during or after a cruise vacation. Once you start exploring, you'll likely find that this list just scratches the surface, and there's plenty more to see within reach of the T (that's the subway, Bostonian-style).

1. Walk The Historic Freedom Trail

Boston has a lot of walkable attractions, from Boston Common and the Public Garden to Faneuil Hall and the USS Constitution. What's the best way to navigate from one to the next? In a handy move, the city has made it easy for you, creating a trail that connects notable sites, including some of the most iconic places in Boston. You just have to look for the stripe on the sidewalk (usually brick, sometimes just a red line of paint) and follow for as long or short a journey as you'd like.

While you can take a professionally led and narrated tour of the Freedom Trail, there's also nothing stopping you from simply walking it on your own. Along your way, you can ride in one of the city's famous swan boats in the Public Garden, admire the resilient USS Constitution (launched in 1797 and still afloat) and visit the site of the Boston Massacre, one of the inciting incidents of the revolution.

2. Explore Boston Harbor By Land And By Sea

Walking near Boston Harbor is a fine way to spend an afternoon before or after you take a cruise from Boston. You can stop in for crab or lobster at one of the fresh-catch seafood restaurants, or head over to the seaport area to try a new brew at the Harpoon or Trillium taprooms. But being by the harbor may make you wonder what you'd find if you took a ferry across the water. The answer? The Boston Harbor Islands.

The Boston Harbor Islands are a national park, and though they're quick to reach, they're a world apart from the bustling action of city life. You can take a wildlife-spotting tour of these islands in any season and admire their picturesque lighthouses and coastline.

On Georges Island, you'll find Fort Warren, a stone fortress dating back to the Civil War. Paranormal devotees won't want to miss this stop, because the fort is reputed to be haunted by the specter of a lady put to death on the island in 1862. 

3. Take Yourself Out To The Ballgame

Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, has been a local icon since it opened in 1912. It's a must-visit destination during your trip to New England, whether you're seeing a Sox game, taking a tour of the grounds or even stopping in for a concert. I tend to end up there at least once a season, taking in a game with friends or family. Sure, the aisles are a little narrow and the seats are a bit cramped, but its charm is unmistakable.

If it's not baseball season when you visit Boston, sports are still very much part of the experience. The Bruins and Celtics both play home games at TD Garden, conveniently located directly on top of North Station, one of the two main train hubs.

4. Get Lost In The Library

The Boston Public Library's Central Library location isn't just a place to check out books or use a computer. It's a historic spot, with one of its structures, the McKim building, dating back to 1895. That building is decked out in artwork and its architecture, including a marble Grand Staircase and murals by John Singer Sargent, is well-known in its own right.

The more modern attached Boylston Street building opened in 1972 and contains a studio in the foyer where you can watch radio broadcasters as they go on the air. If you're feeling fancy, you can make a reservation to have tea or cocktails in the refined on-site Copley Tea Room. Just remember to think ahead for this experience when planning your cruise.

5. Have An Artful Encounter

Art museums are a key part of the culture in Boston. One of the most legendary is the Isabella Stuart Gardner. This museum's collection is intriguing enough, but it gains extra mystique from being the site of a still-unsolved art heist. It's also located very close to the large and impressive Museum of Fine Arts, so you can spend an entire day immersing yourself in great works across media, styles and eras.

If you're traveling with family, the kids may be in the mood for dinosaurs and robots rather than oils and sculpture. In that case, you can head to the Museum of Science, where the interactive exhibits and multimedia shows are so cool that visitors will barely even realize how much they're learning.

6. Sample Candlepin Bowling, New England's Pastime

Candlepin bowling is a fun, fast-paced variation on the standard game, with skinny pins and a smaller ball. If you come from New England, you may have played it at a friend's birthday party growing up — who could forget those weekend afternoons at Ryan Family Amusements on Cape Cod? If you're from somewhere else, you may have no idea it exists. Either way, it's worth booking a lane at a local bowling alley and giving it a try.

While you're out and about bowling, you may as well add some other activities to your agenda. Plenty of bowling alleys have attached game rooms where you can get in some action on the arcade cabinets and pinball machines. You can also seek out a karaoke spot, whether you prefer to book a private room with friends or show off your talent to the world.

7. See The Sea Life At The Aquarium

The New England Aquarium is one of the best-loved aquariums in the U.S., as well as the destination of many a field trip, and it provides a perfect opportunity to come face-to-face with marine creatures of all descriptions. Major highlights include the enormous central tank that runs through the building, as well as the penguin enclosure and the sea lion shows.

The aquarium is right on the waterfront and close to plenty of other destinations, so you don't have to go out of your way to add it to your agenda. You can spend the morning coming face-to-face with sharks and octopi and then start following the Freedom Trail to an afternoon of adventures.

8. Catch An Arthouse Movie

Boston is a top destination for cultural activities, including live theater, music and film. The movie theaters in and around Boston offer adventurous programming, including indie festival circuit hits and well-chosen re-releases alongside the usual blockbusters.

The Coolidge Corner Theater is an Art Deco landmark in Brookline, a neighborhood conveniently located on the T's Green Line. Other movie destinations, outside of Boston proper but still easily reachable via subway, include the Brattle in Cambridge and the Somerville Theatre in my current home city of Somerville.

One of the key things to learn about Boston is that as long as a satellite city is on the T, the attractions there are well within reach, even if the address doesn't say "Boston." So feel free to have fun in Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Arlington and all the rest.

9. Tour A World-class Campus

One of Boston's major calling cards is its status as a capital of higher learning. If you'd like to see this side of the city, you can explore the campuses of Boston College or Boston University, Harvard, MIT, my alma mater Tufts or countless other schools. Once again, even though many of these schools are in places like Cambridge or Medford rather than Boston proper, they're all easy to get to.

College campuses around Boston often offer free or affordable museums, along with public art and other attractions. You can even attend a football game, though New England schools tend to fare much better in other sports like hockey than they do on the gridiron.

10. Experience The North End

Boston is a city of neighborhoods, perhaps none more iconic than the restaurant-dense North End. Even if you just limit your browsing to Italian bistros, you'll still have more options than you can possibly visit in one trip to the city.

Once you've walked the cobbled streets and had a nice gelato, it's easy to travel from one neighborhood to another on foot or via the T. You can see the North End, Southie, Cambridge and more, all in one day of exploring.

Get To Know Boston On Your Travels