I’m taking my son to Boston to visit a few schools in a couple of weeks. What would be some good spots to take my son to experience the city. Also, places that college kids would likely frequent if they were attending school there.
Fenway Park, if the Red Sox have a home game. The Freedom Trail. The Boston Museum of Art. The 54th Massachusetts memorial across from the State House.
If you want to explore Cambridge, Harvard’s newly combined museum is exceptional, and their others (Peabody, et al) are also quite good. The Institute for Contemporary Art has a beautiful waterfront location. What is your son interested in?
Even if the Sox aren’t in town, take a tour of Fenway.
Also, take a duck boat tour - best way to see the sights.
There’s a hop on - hop off bus that brings you around to all of the important (and some not so important) sights.
Take the bus tour around Boston if there is time, tour Lexington and concord, and visit the museum
Beacon Hill and the North End are wonderful.
Places college students would likely frequent are less the sights and more the neighborhoods. Check out Harvard Square and walk along the Charles to watch the rowers. Davis Square (near Tufts) is one T stop away, and Central Square is one T stop in the other direction. On the Boston side of the river check out the Common and the Public Garden. Go for a walk up Newbury Street, Charles Street and Beacon Hill (students like to window shop here - too pricy). I agree on the duck tours - fun way to see the city. Faniuel Hall and a walk to the North End (old Italian neighborhood filled with great restaurants is also a great break from college viewing. Boston will be filled with college kids even in the summer.
Be sure to stop in the original Newbury Comics if you’re on Newbury street.
The observation deck on the top of the Prudential building is spectacular on a clear day or night. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a Boston classic. The Boston Common and Public Garden are great for a stroll and a parkbench lunch. Sometimes there are performances in the Common.
Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions.
I do want to mix some sightseeing in with showing him where the college students hang out so @1012mom your information on neighborhoods is extremely helpful. Would you know the best time of day to visit Harvard Square where we would likely see the rowers?
@woogzmama My son is interested in sports so I can see taking him to Fenway Park. He loves walking around vibrant cities so I know he’ll enjoy many of the spots mentioned above. He plans to study engineering and wants to visit MITs museum. I’ll look into Harvard’s new combined museum too.
The MIT museum is excellent. Great gift shop, too.
Stop at J.P. Licks (several locations, including Davis Square and Harvard Square) for ice cream. And if you feel like seeing a movie, the Somerville Theater on Davis Square right at the T stop also features the Museum of Bad Art, free with your admission ticket.
What about Lexington/Concord where the revolutionary war started. Especially the Old North Bridge and the Minute Man in Concord. Walden Pond is nearby too.
The Constitution, Paul Revere’s house, Bunker Hill (yes, I know it is Breed’s Hill), the Granary Burial Ground, maybe tickets to Blue Man Group.
Eat at Ye Olde Union Oyster House. I think it is one of the oldest restaurants in the country.
Schools you may want to add to your visit: Tufts, Northeastern.
Amusing photo at Harvard, or MIT: Take a photo of the tourists taking a photo of the students.
Fenway on a nice summer night home game is worth the trip. Get down there 60-90 minutes before gametime if you want the full experience. It would be better if they were playing well this year but still fun.
Public Garden and swanboats. Esplanade. Newbury and Boylston Streets/Back Bay. Beacon Hill, Harvard and Central Squares and museums there. River along Memorial Drive.
by school:
BU- Commonwealth Ave. campus (BC is way up Commonwealth), Brookline and Brighton
Northeastern- Huntington Ave., student area witih NEC and Berklee,also near Museum of Fine Arts
MIT- Mass. Ave. and Kendall Square areas, MIT Museum is small but good
Harvard- Harvard Square, dorms near river, museums of art and natural history
Tufts- Davis Square
Suffolk- Beacon Hill
Park Street station on the Common is a Boston hub: there is an old graveyard across from King’s Chapel up there; the statehouse is nearby. Red Line from Park to Charles across the river (nice view) to Cambridge.
A lot of students at Harvard and MIT don’t get over to Boston much. I would focus most deeply on the areas around schools he is interested in.
If he’s a foodie, either a dim sum brunch or a late night dumpling stop in Chinatown, a frequent stop for cheap eats for my kids and their college friends.
I have a kid at tufts. As a freshman this year, he went to Davis and harvard squares regularly on the weekends & got into Boston occasionally. Went to Celtic games with a bunch of his friends. This upcoming fall, he’ll take world art history both bc he’s interested in it & it fulfills the world culture distribution. For that course, he’ll be using the Boston museum of fine arts & harvard’s Fogg museum as resources. So I’d say check out the Squares…Davis, harvard, Kendall, museums.
One of my sons (age 24) was just at a conference in Boston this week. He enjoyed looking around MIT and Harvard, Back Bay. He seemed to really enjoy the North End, said it was a cool area to just walk around in.
OP, in answer to your question there are usually more rowers in the AM and evening, but there are so many boathouses on the Charles there is almost always someone out on the river during daylight hours in the summer.
If your son is interested in engineering my guess is that you are focusing on MIT, Tufts, Northeastern and BU. The first two are on the Cambridge side where students hang out in the Squares (Harvard, Davis, Central). Although I believe some of the MIT frats are across the river near Kenmore and BU.
Northeastern is on the other side of the Fenway from BU. Fenway is the neighborhood where the ballpark sits - and home to many grad students and twenty-somethings. I don’t think Northeastern has quite the city neighborhood feel of some of the other schools, but it is near the art museum and the New England Conservatory, Mass Art and Design and Simmons College. Northeastern was primarily a commuter schools up until the last few decades so it does not have quite the history in the neighborhood as some of the others.
I also second the advice about exploring the neighborhood near the particular schools you are visiting. They all have different characters and it may help your son get a sense of fit. If you want the real city experience get a Charlie card travel between campuses on the T. Have fun!