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Boston Attractions
New England Aquarium
Phone: (617) 973-5200
Located on the city's waterfront at Central Wharf off Atlantic Ave. (T: Aquarium).
Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9-6, Fri.-Sun. and holidays 9-7, July 1-Labor Day; Mon.-Fri. 9-5, Sat.-Sun. and holidays 9-6, rest of year. Closed Jan. 1 until noon, all day Thanksgiving and Dec. 25
Admission charged.
The aquarium displays more than 15,000 specimens representing more than 600 species of fish and aquatic animals. An outdoor seal exhibit features a raised tank for visitors to view the animals above and below the water's surface. In the west wing, a 6,000-square-foot gallery highlights changing exhibits. Rising from the center of the building is a four-story, circular glass tank containing a coral reef, more than 200,000 gallons of water and hundreds of tropical fish and marine life, including sharks, turtles and moray eels. A colony of penguins is on the ground level. "Edge of the Sea" lets visitors handle tide pool animals. Whale-watch cruises and "Science at Sea" harbor tours are offered April 1 to November 1 for a fee. An IMAX theater is on site. Food is available. Allow 2 hours minimum.
The USS Constitution
Charlestown Navy Yard
55 Constitution Rd, Charlestown, Boston, 02129
617- 426 -1812
Open: daily
The last stop on the Freedom Trail is Charlestown Navy Yard, home of the USS Constitution. The ship is the oldest officially commissioned warship in existence. It never lost a battle, and its victories during the War of 1812 are legendary. The ship is open daily 10 am-4 pm, with self-guided tours of the top deck available (sailors are on hand to answer questions). The adjoining museum is open daily 9 am-6 pm May-October, 10 am-5 pm November-April. Anchored at an adjacent pier is the World War II destroyer USS Cassin Young. Admission Free.
Boston Public Library
700 Boylston Street, Copley Square, Boston
617-536-5400.
(Copley T stop on the Green Line),
Monday-Thursday 9 am-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm; October-May, also open Sunday 1-5 pm. One-hour art and architecture tours daily, except Wednesday. Call for times.
America's first free municipal library offers visual arts, as well as books. This magnificent Italian Renaissance Revival building houses a John Singer Sargent Gallery on the third floor. The Bates Reading Room is a work of art with its impressive vaulted ceiling. Monday-Thursday 9 am-9 pm, Friday-Saturday 9 am-5 pm; October-May, also open Sunday 1-5 pm. One-hour art and architecture tours daily, except Wednesday. Call for times. Free Admission.
Franklin Park Zoo
1 Franklin Park Road, Boston, 02121
(617) 541 5466
This 72-acre site nestled in historic Franklin Park was founded in 1911 and recently underwent a period of expansion. Highlights include one of the world's largest indoor exhibits of western lowland gorillas, the Bongo Congo (zebra, ibex and ostrich), the Giraffe Savannah, Australian Outback (kangaroo, wallaby and emu), Franklin Farm (including a "contact corral" where visitors can pet goats, sheep and other farm animals) and, late May-September, a butterfly enclosure.
Old State House
206 Washington St.
(State T stop on the Blue and Orange lines, Downtown Crossing T stop on the Red and Orange lines, or Park Street T stop on the Green and Red lines)
Boston, MA 02109 USA
(617) 720-1713
Admission charged.
Hours: Daily 9-5.
The first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in Boston took place from the balcony of the Old State House in 1776. Two centuries later, Queen Elizabeth II delivered an address from the same spot during the U.S. bicentennial celebrations. The building overlooks the cobblestone circle that marks the site of the Boston Massacre. Built in 1713, this is the oldest public building in Boston and now functions as the city's history museum.
Paul Revere House
19 North Sq.
Boston, MA 02113 USA
Phone: (617) 523-2338
Admission charged.
Hours: Daily 9:30-5:15, Apr. 15-Oct. 31; daily 9:30-4:15, Apr. 1-14 and Nov.-Dec.; Tues.-Sun. 9:30-4:15, rest of year. Closed Jan. 1, Thanksgiving and Dec. 25
Paul Revere House, 19 North Sq. (T: Haymarket), was built about 1680 and is the oldest house in downtown Boston. The restored home, which Paul Revere owned 1770-1800, contains 17th- and 18th-century furnishings and Revere memorabilia including silver. A Colonial herb garden and Revere-made bell are on the grounds.
Faneuil Hall
4 S. Market St.
Boston, MA 02109
Phone: (617) 242-5675
Admission Free
Hours: National Park Service Rangers give historical talks every half-hour daily 9-5. Museum open Mon.-Fri. 9-3. Marketplace open Mon.-Sat. 10-8, Sun. 10-6, third Mon. in Apr.-Dec. 24; daily 10-6, rest of year.
(T: State Street or Government Center).
The 1742 building was given to the city by Peter Faneuil. It burned in 1761, was rebuilt in 1763 and was enlarged in 1805. The upper story served as a meeting hall, the scene of many gatherings during the Revolutionary movement. British officers used the building as a theater during their occupation of the city. Known for its grasshopper weather vane, the hall contains a military museum and paintings of notable battles.
The Faneuil Hall Marketplace includes North and South Markets, Faneuil Hall and the adjacent Quincy Market, a renovated 19th-century complex containing more than 125 restaurants, boutiques, produce stands and retail pushcarts. Street performers entertain continuously.
Museum of Afro-American History
46 Joy St.
Boston, MA 02114
Phone: (617) 725-0022
Admission charged.
Hours: Daily 10-4, Memorial Day-Labor Day; Mon.-Sat. 10-4, rest of year. Closed Jan. 1, Thanksgiving and Dec. 25
Museum of Afro American History is at 46 Joy St. The museum includes the African Meeting House, dedicated in 1806 and said to be the oldest standing African-American church building in the United States, and the Abiel Smith School. Changing exhibits are displayed in the gallery. Guided gallery tours are available. The museum's Black Heritage Trail walking tour links 14 historic sites; maps and guided tours are available.
New State House
Beacon St. & Park St.
Boston, MA 02133 USA
Phone: (617) 727-3676
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9-5; closed holidays.
Admission: Free. Guided tours by appointment.
The New State House is on Beacon St. at the head of Park St. (T: Park Street). The golden dome, which is one of the city's best known landmarks, marks the political center of Boston. Completed in 1795, the "new" State House was designed by architect Charles Bulfinch, who later planned the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The original brick front section, completed in 1798, remains almost unchanged. Statues, historical paintings, transparencies of battle flags and war relics are displayed inside. Across the street, Shaw Memorial, a bronze bas-relief of Col. Robert Gould Shaw by Augustus Saint-Gaudens, recalls the first black regiment to serve in the Civil War.
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