Long Weekend Guide To Boston
Friday
If you are lucky enough to be in Boston on the first Friday of the month go to SoWa First Fridays. This is their art festival that displays the work of local artists. The art is displayed inside a building where you walk from room to room to view the art from different artists.
SoWa (Bostonian for South of Washington) is a fun district any time of the month with plenty of restaurants, galleries and shops.
We took a short walk from our hostel in South Boston to the SoWa neighborhood.
Grab a quick bite and a drink: We recommend Worden Hall, a retro-rustic gastro pub, for a quick snack and a handcrafted cocktail or local beer before heading over to SoWa.
Saturday
We started our Saturday with coffee, of course, as we start every day, caffeinated and ready to go we started our day!
Where we got coffee in Boston: Equal Exchange in north town serves delicious coffee while promoting fair trade and sustainability programs with their partners. Gracenote Coffee is a hipster mecca of amazing artisan style coffee near Chinatown and we recommend it for the true coffee enthusiast.
Freedom Trail
Our first scheduled activity was the Freedom Trail. You can buy tickets online or at Faneuil Hall, that rad old building where America’s founding fathers used to convene for important meetings. The freedom trail is a 2.5 mile walking tour of historic locations lead by a guide dressed in traditional clothing from the revolutionary war era. You can expect plenty of funny quips and anecdotes along the way.
You can also opt to download the app and guide yourself through the stop or even just go to the stops you are interested in. We loved our tour and would recommend it. We learned so much from a very informative guide, and we probably couldn’t have done as well on the app or by ourselves. Tickets cost 14.00 for adults and 12.00 for students. This was worth every penny.
The Freedom Trail is instantly recognizable as a red brick line in the sidewalk when walking around Boston.
Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market
Before or after you go on the Freedom Trail tour, stop by Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Faneuil Hall is where you will get your tickets but is worth a stop itself. If you go through the doors on the side of the square you can go inside the Hall and hear about the history from a guide while sitting inside the main chamber where the Boston Tea Party was planned. You can sit where America’s founding fathers sat and worked to shape the future of our country. Crazy!
Now go across the square to Quincy Market and eat to your heart’s content.
Quincy Market was established so people could finally have one place where they could get all their goods as well as sell any goods they had.
Quincy Market has continued on this tradition, it is a place where people can come and get any food imaginable. We had the best clam chowder here at Boston Chowda Co. and lots of other treats. As you walk through the market you will see all sorts of food including sushi, pizza, sandwiches, seafood and gelato. I would recommend sampling from several of the venders. Come hungry and leave happy!
North End
Head on over to North End, you can walk, uber, or take the subway there. North End includes many historical hot spots such as Paul Revere’s house and the fabulous Little Italy. The North End is full of wonderful restaurants, pastry shops (Mike’s Pastry is a popular one), and charming bars.
Sunday
SoWa Market
Who doesn’t love a good market?! So, we headed back to the area briefly because it was close by (and there are vintage and antique stores, what’s there not to love?).
Every Sunday there is the market on Harrison Ave from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Theres is something for everyone here from vintage clothing to beer and food. This was a perfect Sunday morning activity!
The market is separated into different sections:
- Vintage Market- located downstairs at 450 Harrison Ave
- Arts Market– 460 Harrison
- Farmers Market– 500 Harrison
- Food Trucks– 530 Harrison
- Beer Barn– 540 Harrison
Chinatown
Visit Chinatown and eat everything! Come hungry. We had a blast exploring Chinatown and going in and out eating in different restaurants. There are also shops that sell imported goods from bamboo to Hello Kitty chopsticks.
Where we ate in Chinatown: Gourmet Dumpling House is a classic hole-in-the-wall, no frills shop in the heart of Chinatown. You won’t find it on many travel guides, but it was some of the best Chinese food we’ve ever had (so good that Derek ate there twice!). There will likely be a line, so be prepared. What to order: Pork steamed dumplings, and the Szechuan chicken dish (be careful, this is big enough for two).
Baseball Game at Fenway
No trip to Boston is complete without seeing 9 innings of baseball at the historic Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox.
This is one of America’s sports venue meccas. First opened in 1912, it is the oldest major league baseball stadium in the country. Fenway has seen over a century of history and several World Series championships. Its iconic left field wall, known as “the Green Monster” towers over the outfield grass and is a wonder to see in person, as is the rest of the old school park. From the charmingly inconvenient poles that hold up the upper deck to the old brick that makes up the facade to the bustling nightlife district around it, Fenway is not to be missed.
When to go: Plan your trip to Boston during late spring, summer or early fall. The baseball season runs from April to early October. There are also year-round guided tours of the park that you can book, which many people will do before they attend a game but we didn’t have time. Red Sox tickets are expensive so try to buy them as far in advance as you can.
Monday
We could not miss Salem while in Boston! I was mildly obsessed with the witch trials as a kid so we had to immerse ourselves in the history and the charm of Salem. We went to Salem in September so we just missed the Halloween craze but nonetheless had a wonderful time! Check out the following sites and funky witch shops! And follow the red line, the line will guide you to all the must sees in Salem.
Getting there: From North Station, take the Rockport/Ipswich Line (a 30 minute ride). At the Salem Depot, exit up the stairs. It’s a 5 minute walk to the Visitor Center.
Salem Witch Trials Museum
When in Salem you have to learn about the world famous witch trials at the Salem Witch Trials Museum. The museum is very different from most museums in the fact that you are guided through an exhibit of the historical events of with Witch Trials of 1692 and of the history of witches in general and the idea of witch hunts. The museum and guides were extremely informative and enjoyable! Plus the gift shop has some unique finds as well!
*Adults are 12.00 entrance fee.
Try Some Delicious Seafood
You are right on the coast after all. Salem has some wonderful seafood restaurants with fresh and delicious choices. Some locals recommended that we stop at Turner’s Seafood at Lyceum Hall, raving that it was the best in town and we were not disappointed. It was truly wonderful. We tried the oysters and the crab cakes and they were perfect.
Check out some Spooky Shops
There are plenty of spooky witch themed shops and even a shop dedicated to selling handcrafted wands!
Walk around Boston Commons
If you go to the Freedom Trail you will either begin or end at Boston Commons. Boston Commons is an area that was historically a gathering place for protests, political discussions, and continues to be a place for locals and visitors alike to gather. It is a beautiful park to walk around.
Tuesday
Cambridge
When in Boston you can easily hop on over to Cambridge where the world famous Harvard University is located. You can take a campus tour of Harvard for free through the university or you can walk around and explore yourself. We opted to explore Harvard and the town of Cambridge without a tour. Harvard was a beautiful campus and the town was full of sweet little book shops and charming coffee shops. This was a great relaxing day of exploring to end our trip.
Boston Gardens
We almost skipped the Boston Gardens because of time which would have been a huge mistake. This was my happy place, a sprawling garden full of beautiful flowers, bridges, ponds, and even swans. This is the perfect spot to sit and watch the world go by. You can easily walk from the Boston Commons to the Boston Gardens.
Cheers Bar
If you are a fan of the 80’s sitcom Cheers, the Cheers Bar is a must. You can come in and sit down and drink a beer. You’re going to feel like a tourist here, but so what. It’s pretty cool to see a cultural icon in person.
The Cheers Bar is right across the street from the Boston Gardens so it’s convenient enough for a quick pit stop if you’re not hungry.
Rondo’s
Rondo’s Submarine Sandwiches was one of the highlights of our trip to Boston. Rondo’s was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s show, No Reservations.. Anthony has inspired us to travel to seek out parts unknown of the world and share our adventures. He will forever be our inspiration and our hero. When possible we always follow in his footsteps and go to the places he has featured on his show. Rondo’s was no exception. We are so glad we did. Rondo’s is a sub shop that is a local favorite for Southies.
They serve these heaven-sent subs full of flavor and spice. Their secret is the perfected ratios of flavorful meat, multiple types of peppers, oils and spices all sizzled on an old grill that looks like decades of history and flavor steam off the surface.
It’s the kind of place you take a bite and remember that first bite forever and play it over and over again in your head. We make a pit stop at Rondo’s every time we’re in Boston.
Extra Time?
Of course we did not have time for everything. Here are some other spots we heard wonderful things about but ran out of time to explore. If you get a chance to go to these spots, let us know how they were!
Longfellows– coffee and bar- Cambridge
Clink– A prison turned bar. Need I say more? Sounds so cool.
Polcari’s Coffee– This place was featured on Andrew Zimmern’s show, The Zimmern List. The are known for their famous lemon slushies among other specialties located in the North End. For $1.50, the refreshing, sweet lemon slush can’t be beat.
Roxy’s Grilled Cheese– Known for their amazing Grilled Cheese and secret arcade speakeasy
We hope you enjoy Boston as much as we do and fall in love with its grit and charm. Let us know your recommendations for Boston! We are always on the hunt for great local spots that support the communities we visit! Happy Travels!