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| TOP BOSTON AREA ATTRACTIONS |
| TD Banknorth Garden |
| TD Banknorth Garden is a sports arena in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is named after its sponsor, TD Banknorth, and is often called simply the Garden, or the traditional Boston Garden and formerly known as the Fleet Center and the Shawmut Center. It is the home arena for the Boston Bruins, an NHL team, and the Boston Celtics, an NBA team. It was formerly home to the Boston Blazers of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) but in 2008 will be home to another NLL expansion team. It is site of the annual Beanpot, and hosts the annual Hockey East Championships. The arena has also hosted many major national sporting events including the 1999 and 2003 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball First and Second Rounds and the 2006 Women's Final Four. In addition, the facility has hosted the 2001 US Figure Skating Championships, the 1996 and 2000 US Gymnastics Trials, the 2004 and 1998 NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship (aka the Frozen Four), the 1996 NHL All-Star Game, and World Wrestling Entertainment's WrestleMania XIV in 1998. It has also hosted the King of the Ring 2000, Royal Rumble 2003, and SummerSlam 2006. Like most sports arenas, it also hosts other events, such as concerts, shows, conventions, graduations, seminars, ice shows, circuses, and most notably the 2004 Democratic National Convention. |
| Boston PhotoWalks |
| PhotoWalks captures distinct angles on walking tours of Boston, with each of four tours -- Public Garden, Beacon Hill, Freedom Trail, and Waterfront -- accompanied by fascinating historic commentary and tips for composing artistic photographs of city sites and attractions. With or without a camera, PhotoWalks offers creative perspective.
Starting points are at Shaw Memorial and elsewhere, depending on tour. |
| Bull and Finch Pub Birthplace to Cheers |
| Across from the Public Garden, this neighborhood institution was the inspiration for Cheers, the long-running TV sitcom with Sam, Diane, Norm and the gang. The menu features wings, nachos and burgers along with Cheers memorabilia. Service is friendly, and clientele is heavy on out-of-towners. |
| Bunker Hill Monument |
| At the Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 – one of the Revolutionary War's earliest confrontations -- British troops incurred heavy losses as Americans held back their fire with inaccurate muskets until the last possible “whites of the eyes” moment. A 221-foot monument on Breed's Hill, where most of the blood was spilled, was dedicated in 1843. A 294-step spiral staircase leads to sweeping vistas. Dioramas and other exhibits tell how the British won the battle, while confirming American hopes of winning the war. |
| Charles Riverboat Tours |
| While cruising the Charles River, the captain notes historic sights of Boston and Cambridge including Beacon Hill, Esplanade Park, Back Bay, Boston University, M.I.T., and Harvard. Sunset cruises also are scheduled.
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| Franklin Park Zoo |
| On 72 acres within historic Franklin Park and a crown jewel of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace Park System, Franklin Park Zoo is operated by Zoo New England as a year around playground for animal lovers of all ages. More than 200 species roam within Butterfly Landing, Franklin Farm, Giraffe Savannah, Kalahari Kingdom, Serengeti Crossing, Tropical Forest, and on Australian Outback Trail. Changing exhibits such as Summer 2004's Dinosaur Kingdom showcase fresh aspects of zoo wonders. |
| Fenway Park |
| Generations come and go, yet the Boston Red Sox home remains, much like on opening day, April 20, 1912. Harking back to an era before so-called state-of-the-art parks began replacing fields steeped in hot dog and mustard lore, Fenway Park is the smallest major league ball park, its record attendance of 47,627 (for a Sept. 22, 1935 Yankees doubleheader) now reduced by fire laws to a capacity of 33,871. Even so, no player has ever hit a home run over its right field. Why Fenway? As the new park's opening neared, Red Sox owner John I. Taylor (who already had changed the club's name from Pilgrims to Red Sox) noted its location in an area known as the Fens, adding “It's in that section of Boston, isn't it? Then call it Fenway Park." From a pigeon's perspective, Fenway has had up and down moments. In 1945, Athletics outfielder Hal Peck‘s throw hit a pigeon flying over. The ball then deflected to the A's second baseman, who tagged out Boston's Skeeter Newsome trying to stretch his hit into a double. The pigeon flew onward unharmed, sans only a few feathers. But in 1974, another low-flying pigeon was not so lucky when Willie Horton hit a foul ball into the air at Fenway, slamming the bird so hard it fell from the sky — dead — landing in front of home plate. |
| Harvard University |
| Founded in 1636, Harvard is the oldest university in the United States, and among its graduates are six U.S. Presidents – John Adams, John Quincy Adams, Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt, Rutherford B. Hayes, and John F. Kennedy. Historic Harvard Yard has such noteworthy buildings as the circa 1726 Wadsworth House (headquarters for Gen. George Washington in 1775); Daniel Chester French's 1884 statue of John Harvard (French also sculpted Abraham Lincoln in the Washington D.C. Memorial) and Widener Library, housing the world's largest university book collection with more than 13 million volumes.
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| John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Library and Museum |
| The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library and Museum are dedicated to the nation's 35th president, and “to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world.” Within a 9.5 acre park landscaped Cape Cod-style with pine trees, shrubs and wild roses, the site features Kennedy's 26' foot sloop Victura and a 135,000 square foot library along with an 18,000 square foot museum. Library holdings include JFK's papers (4,200 linear feet), still photos (180,000), audio tapes (1,000) and printed materials (70,000 volumes). The museum includes a full-scale replica of JFK's Resolute desk, originally presented as a gift to President Hayes by Queen Victoria. Also on display are mock-ups of the 1960 Democratic convention floor and a recreation of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy's office at the Justice Department. Through Oct. 31, 2003, the museum showcases a celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Sept. 12, 1953 wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier to JFK. Highlights include the bride's ivory-silk-taffeta wedding dress, her emerald-and-diamond Van Cleef & Arpels engagement ring, and rarely seen color footage of the wedding reception taken by the President's friend Paul “Red” Fay, zooming in on the couple dancing to "I Married An Angel."
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| New England Aquarium |
| Home to more than 7,000 fish and aquatic mammals, the focal point of the New England Aquarium's main building is the 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank, encircled by a four-story spiral ramp. It contains a replica of a Caribbean coral reef and an assortment of sea creatures. To help keep the peace, scuba divers feed the sharks several times a day. Other exhibits showcase freshwater and tropical specimens, sea otters, and the ecology of Boston Harbor. At the Edge of the Sea exhibit, visitors can touch the sea stars, sea urchins, and horseshoe crabs in the tide pool. The first stage of expansion was the dramatic West Wing, echoing waves on adjacent Boston Harbor. It holds exhibit space, the gift shop, and a cafe with views of the city and harbor. Harbor tours teaching "Science at Sea" run daily spring to fall. Aquarium whale watches aboard Voyager II or Voyager III, which have indoor/outdoor seating and full service galleys, not only look for the world's largest mammals, but also provide on-board hands-on exhibits.
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| USS Constitution |
| As the world's oldest floating commissioned ship (and far better known as Old Ironsides), the USS Constitution, launched in 1797, is docked adjacent to the museum. Principal service was in the War of 1812, and of 42 engagements, her record was 42-0. The Museum has artifacts and hands-on exhibits, and most questions about the USS Constitution's history are addressed within A Most Fortunate Ship, by Cdr. Tyrone G. Martin, USN (Ret.), (Naval Institute Press, 1997), available through the Museum Store. The book provides perspective on how designer Joshua Humphrey used new “Yankee” technology resulting in a faster, more heavily armed frigate that awed and frightened the British.
Pier 1. |
| Museum of Science |
| Interactive exhibit on natural history, astronomy, medicine and physical science. |
| Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum |
| Fire damage forced closure of the Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum, with plans to reopen after restoration. The Boston Tea Party Ship and Museum offers a multitude of exhibits, films and memorabilia. A full-size working replica of one of three original Boston Tea Party ships, allows visitors to walk along her decks, explore the galley, crew's quarters, and cargo hold.
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