Fun Ideas for Adults in Boston

Also get a tour of Fenway. That was reallly cool when we did that.

Grab Italian dinner in the North End... it's some of the best Italian food I've ever had, short of Italy.

Fanieul Hall and the Holocaust Memorial is fun. Go hungry (to Hall, at least.). Open food market in there and you can sample lots of stuff. There's also good shopping in that area.

We always like going to Harvard's campus and strolling around. You can go see the first computer ever made there. Quick ride on the T.

We took the generic tourist bus tour where you hop on/off. You can see some cool old cemetaries that way, and you'll get down to the water front (Legal Seafood...YUM!).

Boston is such a great city. Anytime we go, we usually just wind up wandering around to enjoy being there. Less of "stuff to do" and just taking it all in.

I'm sure you'll have some locals that can make good recommendations too.

Duck tours, the Freedom Trail...there's a Boston Beer Works on Brookline Ave by Fenway Park and a Legal Seafood at Copley Place...and yes, Copley Square, the top of the Prudential Building or the Hancock Builing(they're very close) for the view...and then go across the Charles and hang out in Harvard Square, Cambridge...

Enjoy!

Boston is a restaurant haven. The North End specializes in Italian (you can eat dinner and then hit one of the dessert places for cannoli), there are waterfront places with outdoor seating for great steak and seafood, small cafes on Newbury Street, expensive but great views from Top of the Hub on the roof of the Prudential Building, and there are ethnic places of every shape and size. You can look up the Phantom Gourmet (which does a lot of local food TV shows) for hidden gems that suit your SO's palate. Without knowing his tastes, it's hard to give a definite recommendation.

I'd stay in Boston rather than waste time heading out to surrounding towns - you're only here for a weekend and there's plenty to do.

Quincy Market is a colonial marketplace that's now a lot of food kiosks (not all fast food by any means) plus restaurants and shops. If it's oppressively hot or raining, you could do the Museum of Science or the Aquarium (which just re-opened its giant ocean tank). There are a number of Boston Harbor cruises, from dinner cruises to 90 minute narrated harbor cruises which take you past the Boston Harbor islands and the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). And there are Duck Tours in amphibious boats that do the city streets as well as a segment right into the Charles River. They give you an overview of history which might suggest some places you want to revisit.

Boston is a haven of history as you know. There's something called the Freedom Trail which is a self-guided walking tour. There is a red stripe literally painted on the sidewalks and you can pick it up and leave it anywhere you want - Paul Revere's House, old churches and burying grounds, lots of things you can look at if you're into that.

Boston is a small city and it's easiest to get around without a car. Use the subway system (color-coded and easy to follow) or cabs.

Your hotel concierge will have plenty of recommendations for restaurants and also sometimes they have an "in" for reservations. You can find a lot of info on the stuff I've listed on line too. Let me know if you want more specifics - happy to provide. I've lived in Boston and also outside of Boston for decades. My son just got an apartment in the city and he's having a fabulous time exploring.

We're going to Boston with the kids later this month. I am looking forward to walking around the Harvard Campus and riding the Swan Boats in the Public Garden. I'd love to go eat in the North End, but don't think it's going to happen (son has food allergies and Italian restaurants are usually hard for us).

If you like to shop, hit up Newbury street - kind of like 5th Avenue.

Sounds like you have a busy enough agenda - don't add too much. Spend some time just walking around.

Honestly, lots of good restaurants and lots of dumpy ones, too. So plan ahead. If you're at the Boston Common or State House (beautiful library inside), stop at the 21st Amendment for lunch or dinner. It's located on the side street of the State House. Clean and friendly. Excellent pub food and service. Very willing to split meals, with large portions and reasonable prices. Then walk the back streets of the area of beautiful homes, called Beacon Hill. Charming and a real taste of old Boston.

I enjoyed throwing fake "tea" into the Harbor. If they have a duck tour, that's always fun. And isn't the Cheers bar up thataway? It's also not far from Salem.