Many of you will be passing through Boston before or after the wedding. Boston is the unofficial capital of New England, so most New Englanders have some favorite things to do in the city, here are some of Nova and Jacob’s:

  • Getting out on the water! You could take a Duck Boat tour down the Charles River or take a harbor cruise
  • Grabbing lunch at Faneuil Hall and listening to the street performers
  • Strolling through Boston Common with gelato in hand and watching the Swan Boats
  • Seeing the collections and current exhibits at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, or the Fogg Art Museum
  • Harvard’s Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments is fascinating and the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology boast impressive collections
  • Walking along the Charles around Harvard/MIT (Harvard Square is fun to explore as well)

A possible one-day itinerary might include a morning trip to the MFA or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum followed by a stroll through Boston Common (and maybe a Swan Boat ride). Then you could get lunch at Faneuil Hall before going on a Freedom Trail Tour (either self-guided or with an official tour group). After the tour, head to the North End for a delicious Italian meal. There are delicious North End options to fit every budget. You should cap your day with a cannoli from Mike’s Pastry (touristy, but the cannoli sono molto buoni)!

If the Red Sox are in town, you could catch a ballgame at the iconic Fenway Park. The Yankees are scheduled to play the Red Sox on July 25, though game time is TBD.

For people traveling with little ones, the New England Aquarium, the Boston Children’s Museum, and the Boston Museum of Science feature many excellent interactive exhibits.

Boston is great for exploring on foot! If you just like wandering, you might consider exploring Back Bay and Newbury Street (home to high-end shopping) or Beacon Hill. Cambridge, which is full of lots of small shops, is also fun to walk around. Walking along the Charles River paths on the Boston or Cambridge side is nice, especially by the Esplanade (thanks to Dana for the native Bostonian tip)

And if you’re visiting Boston for the first time from Seattle and are wondering why so many places in Seattle and Boston share the same name (e.g. Beacon Hill), it is because Seattle was initially colonized by Bostonians, who set up a whaling outpost in the Puget Sound.