Colonial History, Contemporary Art, Fresh Seafood

Built in 1927 as America’s first Ritz-Carlton, The Newbury Boston overlooks the Boston Public Garden, steps from famed Newbury Street. On-site, Contessa serves northern Italian fare with a view, The Street Bar offers elevated cocktails, and the Library Lounge provides a quiet place to unwind.

Located on Boylston Street in historic Back Bay, Mandarin Oriental, Boston features spacious rooms with classic New England elegance and Asian-inspired touches. Dine at Ramsay’s Kitchen for Gordon Ramsay signatures, then unwind at the award-winning spa, home to a vitality pool and crystal steam room.

The oldest public park in the United States, Boston Common served as an encampment for British troops during the Revolutionary War and a pasture for cattle until the 1830s. Nowadays, the Frog Pond attracts ice skaters in winter, while theater lovers turn up in summer for Shakespeare on the Common. Year-round activities in Boston Common include picnicking, people-watching, and strolling through this 50-acre green space, crisscrossed by trails and dotted with monuments.

Samuel Adams and Paul Revere helped lay the cornerstone of this Federal-style building, which was designed by renowned local architect Charles Bulfinch and completed in 1798. Take a free tour to learn about the historic paintings and artifacts inside.

John Winthrop, Massachusetts’s first governor, and Mayflower passenger Mary Chilton are buried at Boston’s oldest cemetery, the 1630-era King’s Chapel Burying Ground. From there, walk a few minutes to another 17th-century resting place, Granary Burying Ground, where early patriots like John Hancock and Samuel Adams are buried.

A significant building in America’s colonial history, the Old South Meeting House is where debates heated up over Britain’s controversial tea tax—eventually leading to the Boston Tea Party in 1773. Exhibitions pay tribute to that turbulent moment in time.

Built in 1713, the Old State House has withstood massacres, revolutionary battles, and fire. Explore every room on an interactive walkthrough that includes art pieces and essential artifacts dating back to the early 1700s.

At the intersection of State and Congress Streets, the Boston Massacre marker is a cobblestone ring that commemorates the deaths of five civilians during an uprising against British rule in 1770.

Faneuil Hall opened in 1742 with market stalls on the ground floor and meeting space upstairs that was used by revolutionary leaders as well as abolitionists, women’s suffragists, and labor unionists. A gilded grasshopper-shaped weathervane makes this one of Boston’s most recognizable landmarks. The adjacent Faneuil Hall Marketplace offers food stalls, shops, and daily street performances.

This North End cemetery is where many merchants, builders, preachers, and craftspeople were buried, including Robert Newman (believed to have hung the signal lanterns before Paul Revere's famous ride) and Edmund Hartt (builder of the USS Constitution). It’s also notable as the final resting place of many free and enslaved African Americans.

Docked at the end of the Freedom Trail, the USS Constitution, built in 1797, is the oldest active ship in the US Navy. The ship is free to board and explore. She earned the nickname ‘Old Ironsides’ after a War of 1812 battle victory in which she helped the Navy capture and defeat five British warships.

This large, granite obelisk was built between 1827 and 1843 to commemorate its namesake: the Battle of Bunker Hill between American Patriots and the British in June 1775. Get schooled on the early confrontation’s significance at the nearby Bunker Hill Museum.

It feels tranquil and inspiring inside the Renaissance Revival halls of the Boston Public Library’s flagship location, which is also our nation’s first public library. Tours shed light on its significance and highlights like murals by John Singer Sargent. The Courtyard Tea Room offers elegant afternoon tea overlooking the library’s lovely courtyard (bpl.org).

One of the sweetest activities in Boston is stopping at this shop and café just off Newbury Street for handcrafted chocolates made with exceptional ingredients. Cozy up with a rich drinking chocolate, coffee, or tea, and pick up a box of the award-winning animal-shaped chocolates—such as adorable penguins and mice—as a satisfying souvenir (burdickchocolate.com).

Established in 1837, the Public Garden was the first public botanical garden in America. It encourages embracing old-time pleasures like a long wander along the water or a cruise on the lagoon in one of the famous Swan Boats, a Boston tradition.

Great minds have gathered here to learn and exchange ideas since 1807. Indeed, the membership-driven library has included Massachusetts luminaries such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, John Quincy Adams, and John F. Kennedy. The building houses an extensive collection of rare books, thousands of paintings, drawings and artifacts, and a public gallery.

Amsterdam-born Natalie van Dijk has been introducing Boston to talented furniture and accessory designers since opening Lekker Home in 2003. It’s a destination for those creating a home from scratch as well as shoppers in search of a statement piece or a standout gift. You might pick up a cozy throw, quirky candleholder, or serving dish to treasure (lekkerhome.com).

Patch NYC was founded by Don Carney and John Ross after they bonded over their love of the handmade process and vintage items. Both designers have spent their whole lives creating and crafting—and, along the way, developed an eye for selecting distinctive home décor and fashion pieces (patchnyc.com).

Michele Mercaldo is a master craftswoman who has created intricate works by hand for over thirty years. Her boutique sells her clean and minimal handcrafted jewelry, incorporating a range of precious metals and stones, along with those of like-minded jewelers, many of them local. The South End space doubles as a working studio, offering a glimpse into the craftsmanship behind each piece (michelemercaldojewelry.com).