Venue

Highlights in the Boston area in Early October

  • Columbus Day Parade - This parade travels from East Boston to the North End

  • Massachusetts Cranberry Harvest Festival - Columbus Day weekend, held in Tihonet Village in Wareham, MA.
    October 9 & 10, 2010, from 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM each day.
    www.cranberryharvest.org

  • The nation's oldest county fair, the Topsfield Fair, recalls our farm heritage. Now, 186 years since the first fair, the Society still strives "to encourage, promote and preserve Essex County agricultural activities and to educate the general public regarding their importance in an atmosphere of fun and excitement through the medium of the Topsfield Fair."
    www.topsfieldfair.org

  • The Bruins (National Hockey League) and Celtics (National Basketball Association) both start their 2010 – 2011 seasons.
    Boston Bruins: http://bruins.nhl.com/
    Boston Celtics: http://www.nba.com/celtics/

  • Harvard University's Arnold Arboretum (in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood) bursts with colorful fall foliage.
    http://arboretum.harvard.edu/

  • If the Red Sox make it into the World Series tournament, enjoy a Major League baseball game.
    www.redsox.com

Boston Attractions

Public Gardens

Arlington Street and Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

Just across Charles Street from the Boston Common, the Public Garden is elegantly landscaped with flower beds, lagoons, walking paths and statues, including a notable monument of George Washington on a horse. You can watch couples posing for their wedding photos every summer weekend. The children's story Make Way for Ducklings took place here, and there is a popular sculpture of the ducklings in the northeast corner of the park. A ride in the famous Swan Boats is an essential experience for any visitor.

Prudential Center Skywalk Observatory

4 South Market Building, 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02129

There are more than 100 places to eat, shop and drink at Faneuil Hall Marketplace also known as Quincy Market. French merchant Peter Faneuil gave the hall that precedes the marketplace to his adopted home of Boston in 1742. It has been called the "Cradle of Liberty" because of the number of revolutionaries and abolitionists who delivered important speeches here. The hall is now a tourist center, but public meeting facilities are still available.

Boston Common

Tremont Street and Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116

Boston Common is America's oldest park in the heart of Boston, offering recreation opportunities and a glimpse into history through numerous monuments to the past. Designated as public space in 1640, British soldiers later camped here during the Revolutionary War. Part of the Freedom Trail , the park adjoins the Massachusetts State House and Beacon Hill . A favorite spot is the Frog Pond, which doubles as an ice skating rink. The park is the beginning of the "Emerald Necklace," a seven-mile (12-kilometer) string of local parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted.

Freedom Trail

99 Chauncy Street, Boston, MA 02111-1707

Freedom Trail is a three-mile ribbon of red paint that links 16 historical sites. Most visitors start the trail at the Boston Common. The National Park Service offers 90-minute guided tours starting at the Boston National Historical Park Visitor Center. Maps are also available here. Stops include the Old State House, Faneuil Hall and the Old North Church . You can also discover Paul Revere's house, the site of the Boston Massacre, and the Copp's Hill Burial Ground. At the end of the trail in Charlestown, the Bunker Hill Monument and the U.S.S. Constitution await you.

New England Aquarium Whale Watch

1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110-3309

There are other boat companies offering whale watches departing from Boston Harbor, but this one by the New England Aquarium is the only one run by an organization dedicated to preserving whales and the waters where they live. Trips last three to five hours. If no whales are sighted on your trip, you receive a voucher for a return free trip.

Paul Revere House

19 North Square, Boston, MA 02119-3359

In 1775, local silversmith Paul Revere left this house to warn fellow rebels Sam Adams and John Hancock that British troops were headed to Lexington to arrest them. That night was immortalized by Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride." The home was built in the late 1600s and bought by Revere in 1770. It just escaped the wrecking ball when Revere's descendants recovered the property in 1902. Now a national historic landmark, the building is the oldest in downtown Boston.

Chinatown

38 Ash Street, Boston, MA 02111-1517

Spanning the area between South Station and the Boston Common , Chinatown is filled with many Chinese immigrants and their businesses. There are numerous Chinese restaurants as well as bakeries and teahouses. In addition, there are Japanese, Korean and Vietnamese restaurants in the neighborhood. Specialty shops sell everything from medicinal dried roots and herbs to fine jade jewelry. Food markets sell fresh fish, hard-to-find Asian vegetables and even live poultry. The traditional Chinatown Gate—paifang is flanked by foo lions on each side to ward off evil. Foo lions are believed to ward off evil and are popularly known as guardian lions usually seen at the entrance of important buildings and establishments.

Peddock's Island

Boston Harbor, Boston, MA 02108

This island is part of the Boston Harbor Islands national recreation area. You can see some of the island's history as you wander through the ruins of Fort Adams, which was a war post in the early 1900s and a World War II POW camp. You will also find nature trails and vistas that overlook the harbor and mainland. Brisk sea breezes will cool you on the hottest days of the year. A free water taxi to the island is available from George's Island . Summertime camping is allowed with a permit Gates open at 9 am daily.

Further Information

For more information on experiencing all that Boston has to offer, visit: http://www.bostonusa.com/