Local inns a great way to explore Boston
Visitors flock to Boston to see where it all began—the history of our country is in the buildings, the pavements, the monuments and cemeteries. Much happened here or nearby—the Boston Tea Party, the plotting and first shots of the Revolution, the Boston Massacre. Many of these sites are lined along a walkable 3-mile Freedom Trail, with re-enactors and markers along the way.
One of the first things you notice about Boston is its architecture. In the Back Bay, South End, Roxbury and other neighborhoods, the prevalence of lovely, old Victorian townhouses give major parts of the central city a genuine Old World feel, and some of these old homes have been converted into inns and airbnbs. These can be accessed through their websites, or at airbnb.com.
Staying in an inn or airbnb is a great way to experience the city like the locals do, and like they did more than 100 years ago, and to get friendly, personal service. Hosts at such inns are usually knowledgeable about the area and helpful, anxious to offer any advice you seek about best places to shop and dine, and how to navigate the city. Hosts can also guide you toward special sites to visit for art, music, history, and architecture, as well as to the homes of your favorite sports teams.
These inns with historical connections and architecture are often less expensive than more impersonal, pricey downtown or chain hotels. Glitzy newer towers near Copley Square and downtown hold offices, shops, and condos, giving the city a contemporary, international flare.
Located in the former home of Haffenreffer Brewery foremen and their families during Boston’s brewery heydays, the c.1860 Fort Hill Inn is a typical historic inn, on a quiet private way near the Orange Line on the T/subway. This inn is a short walk to universities, medical centers, the Museum of Fine Arts, and Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox. Check forthillinn.com for photos, prices and amenities.
People come from all over the world to see the city’s architecture and art, read its books and listen to its world-class symphony and the many other orchestras performing classical music and jazz, often for free. They come to stroll its many parks, beautiful in any season, smell its roses and revel in its many Monets and Picassos, at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, The Gardner Museum, and numerous other art museums around the city. Knowledgeable hosts at inns like the Fort Hill can guide you to favorite museums, concerts, restaurants, events, shopping and more.
Boston has more to do than one could do in a lifetime, yet it is compressed into a small enough space that one can walk most anyplace—or, take its easy-to-manage, color-coded subway (the “T”), or hail a cab, Uber or Lyft.
The Boston Public Library (BPL), Symphony Hall, and the Museum of Fine Arts are all cultural institutions housed in architectural gems that are critical stops on your Boston trip. All have shopping and in-house or nearby dining. The BPL fronts onto Copley Square, across the park from the H.H. Richardson-designed Trinity Church, opened in 1870.
Of course, no discussion of Boston is complete without the Red Sox, New England Patriots, Boston Celtics, and the Bruins hockey team. The city’s sports fans are at least as rabid as its arts fans. Fenway Park, in particular, is of historical value, being the oldest baseball park in the major leagues. If you can’t snag tickets to a game, you can tour the park, near Kenmore Square.
Boston’s famous Marathon on Patriot’s Day in April is the country’s oldest such running race, and the city hosts the world’s largest two-day rowing event, Head of the Charles Regatta, in October. At Marathon time, the city is usually in full bloom, with magnolias, daffodils, and other spring beauties; for the Head of the Charles, river banks are in full autumn regalia.
The city has a lively theatre scene, with elegant old theatres and new homes for classic and contemporary plays. Shopping, along Newbury and Boylston Streets in the Back Bay, and at Copley Square and Downtown Crossing, is always fun, and restaurants range from coffee shops and pubs to outdoor luncheon spots and fine dining of every type. Hosts at Fort Hill Inn or wherever you stay can point out good dining for your needs.
Education is one major reason visitors come to Boston, and Harvard University at Harvard Square in Cambridge is particularly worth seeing, along with MIT, Boston University, and many other colleges of note.
All in all, a visit to Boston offers so much to experience that it’s wise to spend several days in the city. Ask your hosts to point you toward specialties for your tastes.