Here's a list of the Boston Neighborhoods and what you will find in them:

http://www.10best.com/destinations/m...port-district/
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Alot of the historical locations have become tourist traps up in Massachusetts. We went up to Plymouth rock last year, it was alright. They have the Mayflower II moored up and you can walk around on it.

As for food, Make your way about 40 minutes south and get yourself some of these bad boys.


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Phipps Street Burial Ground in Charlestown, at the other end from the Bunker Hill Monument has some historical folks buried there like John Harvard of the university. The Granary cemetery on Tremont Street is probably on the Freedom Trail has a lot more Revolutionary War patriots buried though. Sam Adams, Paul Revere, Boston Massacre victims including Crispus Attucks, John Hancock and even Mother Goose ( based on local claims). It's pretty scary and haunted-looking too.
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Still worth visiting imo. So are people supposed to avoid historical places because there are other tourists there being marketed to because they're there.

Come on...even seeing the architecture in parts is worth it. Even I enjoyed it being born and raised there.
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I'm in class, so no time to read through this thread right now. My family and I will be in Boston this weekend for the first time. Look forward to reading your suggestions. Thanks for posting, everybody!
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Ohh, I wasnt shitting on it. More of just a warning that all of these places have been super monetized.

That being said, the boston tea party museum and ships are cool.
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Don't drive.

You're welcome.
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I like how you normally distance yourself from us and run around calling them "Massholes", but then lovingly refer to us as "feisty" and include yourself in the group.

:-)


That said -- most of BEP's points on this topic are pretty spot on.
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So, Boston has many great points, and a few weaknesses. Rather than cover specific items on a "to do" list, which I will gladly do if you have specific questions, let me address some good and bad things to help you tailor your trip accordingly. If you have questions, fire away. GLAD TO HELP.

Good:

Food -- especially Italian (North End), Irish (fucking everywhere), and every other thing you can pretty much think of. A trip to Faneuil Hall is pretty much always in, as it's along the Freedom Trail and is pretty cool.

Aquarium -- ours is top shelf. If you're into that.

Walkability -- Boston is about the most "walkable" big city there is. Because it's really freaking small to be honest.

Museum of Fine Arts -- pretty underrated. Not ridiculously big like some, but a pretty damn good collection, again, if you're into it.

History. Yeah, we got it. BOY do we got it. Whatever you want. The Freedom Trail is the obvious go-to. I think the USS Constitution is pretty awesome to visit.

Beaches -- plenty. Cape Cod is pretty awesome, but a Cape Cod vacation and a Boston vacation have little to do with one another. It also gets VERY crowded down there during peak season, so plan ahead/accordingly. There are some very nice beaches that aren't on the Cape, of course. Be warned, the water isn't terribly warm most of the time. We're not Florida.

Salem -- more on the history front, but tons of history and stuff relating to the Salem Witch trials. The Peabody Essex Museum up there is great and very underrated. Salem isn't the nicest town, but others on teh North Shore are really nice. Rockport, Gloucester, and others are very nice.

Hammond Castle -- yes, we have an actual castle. Well, sort of, anyway. It's in Gloucester, and it's pretty cool, if you're doing North Shore stuff.

Shopping -- your wife can be made happy easily. You, however...

Harvard Yard -- yeah, I'm putting it on the list, but it's just a yard. I've never understood the appeal. Harvard Square is funky/interesting, if you're in Cambridge.

Duck Boat Tours -- Yeah, do this. http://www.bostonducktours.com/

Shows -- we have multiple theaters, Blue Man Group, etc. Plenty in that realm.


Bad:

Traffic/driving. I'm not kidding -- unless you are staying in the 'burbs, do NOT plan to drive yourself around. It's not the aggressive drivers (they are, but we're good at it), or the heinous traffic (it's fucking HEINOUS), it's the confusing layout. Boston is a city built around cow paths and the like. WAAAY too many one ways, and the directions/signage is terrible. So download and use Waze if you must, but be prepared to be caught in the wrong lane wanting to take a left and such anyway. Seriously -- our bus and especially train system are pretty good. Use those, or cabs/Uber. You'll probably be alot happier. Or walk (see above).

Zoo -- we have one, or two, or something. They suck. Don't go there.

Weather -- nobody comes here for it. It's highly variable. Nothing else to say. Good luck with it.
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Go to South Boston with everyone in your group wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts. Should be an exciting afternoon
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Would've been 30+ years ago. Now nothing at all would happen. The entire area has been redeveloped, gentrified, and is now home to yuppies/hipsters/whatever they call 'em these days.

Southie is NOTHING like what it was.
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On a related note, I was pondering coming to Massachusetts to run the Nantucket Half-Marathon and mark Massachusetts off my race list. I decided not to do it this year, primary because I wanted a little more planning time than I had. It was kind of a last-minute idea this year.

So here's my question. If a person flies into Boston or Providence and wants to go to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard (which also has its own half-marathon), what's the best way to get there? It seems stupid to rent a car and then just park it at the ferry the whole time, but it seems too far for a cab or uber or something. What's the best way to get myself from the airport to the ferry?

I'll probably do one of those two races next year. I want to have a plan in mind.
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Is it prohibitively expensive to take a puddle jumper from TF Green in Providence to Nantucket/MV? I would kinda think there'd be a shuttle service or something.

Meanwhile, Google found this, which may or may not be helpful.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...achusetts.html
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I priced flights from Denver to Nantucket, and it seemed like a majority of the cost was that last little jump from Boston or Providence. It didn't seem worth it. But I only checked on orbitz, so I thought maybe there are some puddle jumpers that aren't national that the locals know about. Or maybe there was a train or shuttle bus or something from the airport to the ferry that a tourist wouldn't know about. (Preferably one where I could chat with a 1980's-era Crystal Bernard.) It sounds like that's not the case, though.

I'll check out the link.
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I haven't been to either MV or Nantucket in at least 15 years, and if I did have to go I'd drive to Woods Hole, so I'm afraid I can't be terribly helpful. Not anything I've ever had to look into.

I don't know what teh price differential is, but getting otu of TF Green and finding your way to Woods Hole somehow, and then ferrying it, does seem like a fair bit of additional aggravation rather than switching to a plane for a short flight, but maybe the jet-setters have caused the price on that puddle jump up to be a ridiculous amount.
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