Boston help needed About This Page:

[phoebec]

We are considering a trip to Boston, probably 3or4 nights. Need suggestions for great restaurants (we have 3 kids ages 11,9 and 6), and must see attractions. We are considering a duck tour, maybe a whale watch, a good seafood place, maybe an Italian restaurant, and historical sites. Any and all tips or ideas will be appreciated. Also, a nice place to stay in a convenient location?
Thanks!!!!!!!!!

[Pax]

Hmm, let's see.

The New England Aquarium is a good attraction to take your kids on. They also offer Whale Watch cruises, for a separate ticket purchase.
--- New England Aquarium Home

A DUCK Tour would probably go over well, too.
--- Boston Duck Tours - Tickets to Duck Boats and Sightseeing in Boston MA

I'd recommend walking the Freedom Trail, but with a six-year-old, that might be a bit more walking than is best.
--- Freedom Trail | City of Boston

The Faneuil Hall Marketplace can be a fun place to poke around for some shopping - there's some neat kids's stores with educational toys and such, and the food court area has a lot of nice options. Small FYI, the local pronunciation is "fannel" or "fanyul".
--- Faneuil Hall Marketplace | Shop, Dine & Experience

A block or two away from Faneuil Hall, you can find the IMO excellent New England Holocaust Memorial. The kirs, especially the younger two, might not care much - but it's small, quickly seen, and not far out of your way.
-- The New England Holocaust Memorial | Boston, Massachusetts

A day or half-day trip to the Civile War era fort on George's Island might be worth thinking about. Can only get there by ferry, and they're quite strict about cleaning up after yourself, but it's a neat spot nonetheless.
--- Boston Harbor Islands Trip Planner | Georges Island | Boston Harbor Islands

The U.S.S. Constitution, or "Old Ironsides", might be of interest to all three kids.
--- http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/

The Boston Museum of Science is fun for kids the ages you cite.
--- Home | Museum of Science, Boston

As is the Children's Museum, naturally.
--- Boston Children's Museum

Sadly, it's been a long time since I've been to Boston, and mostly then, to visit the Museum of Fine Arts, which would probably bore your youngest two to tears. Maybe the eleven-year-old, too. And you'd have to be ever-vigilant to prevent touching, on top of that. All of the places I listed, are at least a little bit kid-friendly.

[Huntermom]

How fancy do you want for seafood? You can get anything from a basic clam shack type place to pretty upscale. Will you have a car?

My kids have always loved Faneuil/Quincy Market as a good place to roam and when they were young loved the street acts. They also liked the aquarium and museum of science and the children's museum, although your older child may be a little old.

I would definitely walk around the public gardens/common and check out the swan boats and duckling statues. If you kids are good walkers, walk the freedom trail.

Depending on where you are coming from, Plimouth Plantation can be a good outing, especially if you stay south of the city,

If you have sports fans, there is a tour of Fenway I have heard great things about. There is also a sports museum in Cambridge.

You can save a lot of money by staying a bit out of the city and taking the T in. My kids always loved the T (and still use it as adults). Parking in the city can be expensive, There is on street metered parking but getting a space depends on timing. I taught in Back Bay a year ago and always managed to get a space on the street for my 9:00 AM class, not as lucky for afternoon faculty meetings..

[Huntermom]

I posted the same time as Pax but forgot to say, Whale watching is seasonal. If you want to see "good" whales (IMHO humpbacks, rights and fin whales) you need to go when they are around. Some whale watches guarantee sightings but count minke whales, which are small and to me not the real thing.

[modisney]

We've been a couple of times and have enjoyed:
The aquarium
A hop on, hop off trolley tour and stopped at the historic spots along the way
The boat ride/tour out to George's island to see the fort out there
We took the train up to Gloucester and went on a sailing schooner
Drove down to Plymouth, seeing the rock is cheesy but the recreated village was neat

We stayed at the Bostonian right across from Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market for breakfast and sometimes a quick lunch.

In the Little Italy we LOVED an Italian place called Picola Vinizzo (?on the spelling)

Have a great time!

[PhilsEagles08]

I have done the Fenway Tour in May of this year & it was really cool. I also loved Pour House (restaurant/bar) & we went to Cheers. Of course I didn't go with any kids so I'm not a huge help.

[Pax]

Speaking of parking and such - if you will be driving, and can find a hotel somewhere near Alewife Station in Cambridge, that's one terminus of the Red Line subway / light rail. They have plenty of parking at very reasonable rates (I think free, actually, but it's been a while ...).

And Boston's mass-transit system is pretty thorough, especially within the City proper. Most attractions should be within a block of at least one, and probably more, subway stations.

Just a thought.

[Pax]

Jut found out, by the by: there was a new baby Fur Seal born last week at the Aquarium.

Marine Mammal Trainers: It's a girl!

[HollyH]

I would highly recommend a Hop On/Hop Off Trolley ( I tend to prefer Old Town Trolley). The drivers give a good bit of information about sights around the city. I prefer that to a Duck Tour as you can use it as transportation to various interesting sights around the city. I love both New England Aquarium and The Boston Science Museum and I would also highly recommend the tour of Fenway Park.

A few places not yet mentioned are Mike's Pastry in the North End . There will be a long line, probably out the door, but the goodies inside are worth it -trust me! We recently toured a chocolate factory in Somerville called Taza Chocolates. That was fun, informative and very inexpensive ($5 per person). We drove there but it isn't far from a T station. Their website has the details. And finally, the JFK Presidential Library has an excellent museum, and what a view from their cafe!

I wish I could help more with restaurants. I don't like seafood (okay, you can kick me out of New England now ) but Legal Seafood is an institution in Boston. You can find any number of Italian restaurants in the North End. Durgin Park in Fanuiel Hall is a unique experience. My Mother loves that you can buy a lobster roll at McDonalds in Boston, but I'm not a big fan of lobster or McDs.

[Huntermom]

Parking at Alewife is $7.00 and actually one of the more expensive T lots. Wellington, north of the city is $4.00 as are most of the other lots. Alewife can also be pretty packed if you don't get there first thing in the morning and getting in and out of the lot is a bit tricky. I can't think of any hotels within walking distance.

I would look at a map and stay just outside the city where it is convenient to the attractions you want to see and you can get a reasonably priced hotel.

One other bot of advice. If you don't have a time planned for your vacation, avoid the end of August early September when colleges are getting pack in session. Boston is truly a college town but all those parents taking kids back to school pack of the hotel rooms and can make a room, not necessarily a reasonable room, pretty hard to find.

I love Boston, it will always be one of my favorite cities.

And Holly, I have always liked the lobster rolls at MsD's. Panera also had a nice, albeit expensive one. Of course neither of them are really authentic ones. If ou have a car, I love the Clam Shack in Kittery for fresh road side seafood although I'd also avoid Kittery when back to school shopping is in full swing.

ETA: New England McD's also serve Newman's own coffee, which I find really good. And I think it's only $1./cup. I think I may be one of the few New Englanders who don't like Dunkin's

[HollyH]

Originally Posted by Huntermom

ETA: New England McD's also serve Newman's own coffee, which I fond really good. And I think it's only $1./cup. I think I may be one of the few New Englanders who don't like Dunkin's

I don't like seafood (especially lobster!) and you don't like Dunkin! How can we call ourselves New Englanders

McD's also has $1 medium iced coffee.

[jbd]

I wouldn't add much to these lists!

The Museum of Science and the Aquarium are amazing. Your kids will really like them.

Behind Quincy Market is a beautiful open area for walking. There is some grass and places to sit.

I like Long Wharf and Rowe's Wharf (my wedding was on Rowe's Wharf and my husband used to live on a boat at Long Wharf). They're very scenic and close to the Aquarium.

I've never done the trolley tours where you can get on and off, but the Duck Tours are fun. The drivers are funny, they give you a good history of the city, and they go for swim near the Museum of Science. They're not cheap, but they are fun.

If you decide to come to Boston, I hope you'll enjoy your trip!

[phoebec]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful tips and advice. I know I can always count on PPers for the best inside info. What about whale watches? worth it? Also, are there any areas of the city to avoid looking for hotels in? I don't want to end up in a bad part of town.

[Huntermom]

We went on our first whale watch out of Boston Harbor over 30 years ago and have been on many since. They can be very exciting and an experience everyone should have.

They are seasonal though. The whales are not around New England year round. Also the time can vary a great deal and some ports require a lot of travel to get out to the whales (and they are in different areas at different times). Some boats are also a lot faster so take less time and others more stable so there is less sea sickness.

When you will be around makes a big difference. I would not take a whale watch at the end of the season for fear of missing the whales. Also, Boston can get pretty cold in the fall, so you can freeze out at sea or go on a nice warm day and have a pleasant trip.

If you want to stay in the city itself, I think anywhere in Back Bay, Downtown or the wharf area would be safe. Roxbury and Dorchester are probably the highest crime areas but I don't think of them as areas with a lot of hotels, although there are a few right off 93. Where you stay depends on your budget. The Hotel Sonesta is in Cambridge but right on the Charles and walking distance to the Museum of Science (and a T stop). I haven't stayed there in years but it used to be very reasonable. With so many schools in Boston, prices rise when parents/alumni will be in town. If you let people know what time of year, they may be able to help out with places to stay/avoid. Pick up and drop off times are bad as well as grad weekends. Some schools can really fill up nearby hotels if there is a big game/Homecoming weekend but that tneds to be in the close environs of the school.

[Shawnam1868]

All great suggestions. I'm Boston born and bred, and we always say we're going to do a duck tour, but at almost $40 a person, it's tough to justify, when we know all the stops anyway. Public Gardens are great (ride the swan boats). Love the Museum ofScience, I'm not a huge fan of the Aquarium or the Childrens Museum though. The North End is amazing, I love Mike's Pastry, a lot of people prefer Modern Pastry, which is right up the street, but I found a hair in my cake there once and haven't been back, plus Mike's has a way better selection. But...my all time favorite hidden gem is Bova's. It's at the corner of Salem St and some other teeny tiny street. About a 5 minute walk from Hanover St. In my opinion, their food is far superior to Mike's and Modern. Plus, they have sandwiches, which the other 2 don't have. Pizzeria Regina in the North End is kind of a Boston staple, but I've never been there. I've been to the one at Quincy Market, but not the actual restaurant.
As for areas to avoid, Dorchester and Roxbury are the places I'd most avoid. A few weeks ago, I was on the T from Braintree with a couple from Oregon, they were staying at a hotel across from the Braintree T station. As someone who has grown up in the area, I know that is NOT the place to stay, but they seemed happy. FYI...When you see something as being listed in the "South End", don't be fooled, that's really Roxbury. There is a hotel over that way, by Boston Medical Center. It's called Roundhouse Suites, and it's a circular hotel. And it's right up the street from a methadone clinic and the people in the area are generally undesirable. As for parking, most of the T lots are $7 now. Depending on when you go, I am going to suggest taking the blue line on the T to Revere Beach, it's the country's first public beach. And, even better than the beach is Kelly's Roast Beef. The BEST lobster roll around. But, their roast beef isn't bad either and you can get a surf n' turf, which is a small roast beef sandwich and a small lobster roll.
As for seafood, I am ashamed to admit I don't eat out very often in town. I have had scallaps at the Grand Canal, but that's more of a bar. And I love LTK, which is on the waterfront, I think they're calling the area Fan Pier now. LTK stands for Legal Test Kitchen, it's where they try new recipes for Legal Seafood. It's almost into Southie. Which reminds me, you have to hit Castle Island, a good place for lunch is Sullivan's at Castle Island. Little walk up joint, they have the best hot dogs. If you'll have a car, my new favorite restaurant is the Ship in Lynnfield. Just opened a few months ago. Kowloon in Saugus is like the big Chinese restaurant, but I have to be honest, it's not my fave.