Sights in Boston
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Arnold Arboretum
Under a public/private partnership with Harvard University, the 265-acre Arnold Arboretum is planted with over 15,000 exotic trees and flowering shrubs. This gem is pleasant year-round, but it’s particularly beautiful in the bloom of spring. Dog walking, Frisbee throwing, bicycling, sledding and general contemplation are encouraged (but picnicking is not allowed). The southern Forest Hills gate is located on the Arborway about 60ft west of the metro station.
A visitors center is located at the main gate, just south of the rotary at Rte 1 and Rte 203. Free one-hour walking tours are offered several times a week from April to November.
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Ancient & Honorable Artillery Co of Massachusetts
The brick colonial building – topped with the beloved grasshopper weather vane – was constructed in 1740 at the urging of Boston benefactor and merchant Peter Faneuil. In 1805 Charles Bulfinch enlarged the building and enclosed the 1st-floor market, and designed the 2nd-floor meeting space, where public ceremonies are still held today. It’s normally open to the public, who can hear about the building’s history from NPS rangers. On the 3rd floor the Ancient & Honorable Artillery Co of Massachusetts, which was chartered in 1638, maintains a peculiar collection of antique firearms, political mementos and curious artifacts.
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Beauport Mansion
The lavish ‘summer cottage’ of interior designer Henry Davis Sleeper is known as Beauport Mansion, or the Sleeper-McCann mansion. Sleeper toured New England in search of houses about to be demolished and bought up selected elements from each: wood paneling, architectural elements and furniture. In place of unity, Sleeper created a wildly eclectic but artistically surprising – and satisfying – place to live. Now in the care of the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, Beauport is open to visitors. Beauport also holds afternoon teas, evening concerts and other special events.
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Dorchester Heights
High above the Boston Harbor, this strategic spot played a crucial role in overcoming the British occupation. The Georgian revival tower that stands today was built in 1898.
In the winter of 1776, rebel troops dragged 59 heavy cannons to Boston from Fort Ticonderoga in upstate New York. On the night of March 4, they perched them high atop Dorchester Heights, from where the British warships in the Harbor were at their mercy. The move caught the British completely by surprise, and ultimately convinced them to abandon Boston. To reach the Dorchester Heights Monument, walk east along West Broadway from the T station, turn right onto Dorchester St and head up any of the…
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Copley Square
Copley Sq is graced on all sides with amazing architecture. With eyes constantly drifting upward, it's easy to miss the square's plebeian-sized, down-to-earth elements. Boston's most famous annual event, the Boston Marathon, finishes right here. Runners congregate in a staging area on the square, where they are commemorated by the Boston Marathon Monument, embedded in the sidewalk (on Boylston St near Dartmouth St).
Paying tribute to the runners who subscribe to the 'slow and steady' strategy is Nancy Schon's sculpture Tortoise & Hare (Schon also cast Make Way for Ducklings in the Public Garden).
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Georges Island
Georges Island is the transportation hub for the islands, as the inter-island shuttle leaves from here. It is also the site of Fort Warren, a 19th-century fort and Civil War prison. While NPS (National Park Service) rangers give guided tours of the fort, it is largely abandoned, with many dark tunnels, creepy corners and magnificent lookouts to discover.
The extensive picnic area attracts large groups of kids, as do the family programs like children's theater (Fri) and family fun days (Sat & Sun). This is one of the only islands with facilities like a snack bar and rest rooms (most other islands have outhouses).
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Robert Gould Shaw Memorial
The magnificent bas-relief memorial opposite the State House was sculpted by Augustus St Gaudens over nearly 13 years. It honors the 54th Massachusetts Regiment of the Union Army, the nation's first all-black Civil War regiment, depicted in the 1989 film Glory. The soldiers, led by 26-year-old Shaw, steadfastly refused their monthly stipend for two years, until Congress increased it to match the amount that white regiments received. Shaw (the son of a wealthy Brahmin family), and half his men were killed in a battle at Fort Wagner, South Carolina. The NPS tour of the Black Heritage Trail departs from here.
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Abbott Hall
Every American is familiar with The Spirit of ’76, the patriotic painting (c 1876) by Archibald M Willard. It depicts three American Revolution figures – a drummer, a fife player and a flag bearer. The painting hangs in the selectmen’s meeting room in Abbott Hall, home of the Marblehead Historical Commission. The red-brick building with a lofty clock tower is the seat of Marblehead’s town government, and houses artifacts of Marblehead’s history, including the original title deed to Marblehead from the Nanapashemet Native Americans, dated 1684.
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Motif No 1
Dock Sq is the hub of Rockport. Visible from here, the red fishing shack decorated with colorful buoys is known as Motif No 1. So many artists of great and minimal talent have been painting and photographing it for so long that it well deserves its tongue-in-cheek name. Actually, it should be called Motif No 1-B, as the original shack vanished during a great storm in 1978 and a brand-new replica was erected in its place.
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Plimoth Plantation
The Plimoth Plantation, a mile or so south of Plymouth Rock, authentically recreates the Pilgrims’ 1627 settlement. Everything in the village – costumes, implements, vocabulary, artistry, recipes and crops – has been painstakingly researched and remade. Hobbamock’s (Wampanoag) Homesite replicates the life of a Native American community in the area at the same time.
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Otis House
This stern, Federal brick building was the first of three houses designed by Charles Bulfinch for Mr Harrison Gray Otis at the end of the 18th century. These days it is the headquarters of Historic New England, a preservation society that has recreated the interior of Otis’ day, complete with flashy wallpaper and exquisite period furnishings.
A real-estate developer, congressman and mayor of Boston, Otis and his wife Sally were renowned entertainers who hosted many lavish parties here. Since then the house has had quite a history, serving as a women’s bath and rooming house.
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Nichols House Museum
This 1804 town house might be your only opportunity to peek inside one of these classic Beacon Hill beauties. Attributed to Charles Bulfinch, it is unique in its merger of Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles.
Equally impressive is the story told inside the museum – that of the day-to-day life of Miss Rose Standish Nichols, who lived here from 1885 to 1960. Miss Rose was an author, pacifist and suffragette. The museum has reconstructed her home, furnished with art and antiques from all over the world, as well as some impressive examples of her own needlepoint and woodwork.
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Audubon Bird Sanctuary
Marblehead Neck, a 2-sq-mile swath of land that juts into the ocean, is mostly residential and very fancy, with only a few points of public access to the water. On the southeastern side of Marblehead Neck, a short walk takes you to Castle Rock, with views of the Boston Ship Channel and Boston’s Harbor Islands. At the northern tip of Marblehead Neck, Chandler Hovey Park, by Marblehead Light, offers views of Cape Ann and the islands of Salem Bay. The Audubon Bird Sanctuary is not on the water, but it is a peaceful place for a stroll.
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Thompson Island
Thompson Island was settled as early as 1626 by a Scotsman, David Thompson, who set up a trading post to do business with the Neponset Indians. Today this island is privately owned and inhabited by Thompson Island Outward Bound, a nonprofit organization that develops fun and challenging physical adventures, especially for training and developing leadership skills. As such, the public can explore its 200-plus acres only on Sunday, when it’s wonderful for walking, fishing and birding. A dedicated ferry leaves from EDIC Pier in the Seaport District; see the website for details.
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Deer Island
Funny thing about Deer Island: it’s not actually an island. A hurricane in 1938 created the causeway that now connects the ‘island’ to the mainland, so the Harbor Express boats do not go here (it’s accessible only by car). The other funny thing about Deer Island is that it is dominated by a gigantic sewage treatment plant, which is one of the key factors in the clean-up of Boston Harbor. The facility is surrounded by 60 acres of parkland, with 5 miles of trails. Tours of the waste water treatment facility are also available, with advance arrangements.
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Grape Island
Grape Island is rich with fruity goodness – not grapes, but raspberries, bayberries and elderberries, all growing wild amid the scrubby wooded trails. The wild fruit attracts abundant bird life. Park rangers lead an interesting ‘wild edibles’ tour highlighting the fruits of the earth. Grape Island is also the starting point for twice-daily sea-kayak outings led by park rangers. Unlike many of the Harbor Islands, Grape Island has no remains of forts or military prisons; but during the Revolutionary War, it was the site of a skirmish over hay, known as the Battle of Grape Island.
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Rotch-Jones-Duff House & Garden Museum
New Bedford’s grandest historic house was designed in Greek revival style by Richard Upjohn (1802–78), first president of the American Institute of Architects. Occupying an entire city block, it was built for whaling merchant William Rotch Jr in 1834 and owned by three prominent families in the following 150 years. The house contains the furniture and trinkets of these families, tracing the progression of the house’s history through the years. The grounds are absolutely lovely landscaped gardens, and include the irresistible Woodland Walk.
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Chinatown Gate
The official entrance to Chinatown is the decorative gate, or paifong, a gift from the city of Taipei. It is symbolic – not only as an entryway for guests visiting Chinatown, but also as an entryway for immigrants who are still settling here, as they come to establish relationships and roots in their newly claimed home.
Surrounding the gate and anchoring the southern end of the Rose Kennedy Greenway is the new Chinatown Park. Incorporating elements of feng shui, the park design is inspired by the many generations of Asian immigrants that have passed through this gate.
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Bryan Gallery
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Arlington Street Church
The first public building erected in Back Bay in 1861, this graceful church features extraordinary Tiffany windows and 16 bells in its steeple. The church’s Unitarian Universalist ministry is purely progressive, as it has been since Rev William Ellery Channing preached here in the early 19th century. (A statue in his honor is across the street in the Public Garden.)
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Central Burying Ground
Dating to 1756, the Central Burying Ground is the least celebrated of the old cemeteries, as it was the burial ground of the down-and-out (according to one account, used for ‘Roman Catholics and strangers dying in the town’). Some reports indicate that it contains an unmarked mass grave for British soldiers who died in the Battle of Bunker Hill. The most recognized name here is the artist-in-residence, Gilbert Stuart. Sometimes called the ‘Father of American Portraiture,’ Stuart painted the portrait of George Washington that now graces the dollar bill.
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Appleton Farms
One of the country’s oldest continuously operating farms, Appleton Farms is now maintained and operated by the Trustees of Reservations. Four miles of trails wind along old carriageways, past ancient stonewall property markers and through acres of beautiful grasslands. The store sells fresh, organically grown produce, not to mention tantalizing jams, spreads and sauces made with said produce. From MA 128 take MA 1A north. Turn left on Cutler Rd and drive 2 miles to the intersection with Highland Rd, where parking is available.
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Monument Square
The grassy center of Monument Square is a favorite resting and picnicking spot for cyclists touring Concord's scenic roads. At the southeastern end of the square is Wright Tavern, one of the first places the British troops searched in their hunt for arms on April 19, 1775. It became their headquarters for the operation. At the opposite end of the square is the Colonial Inn, the center of Concord socializing, now as then.
Old Hill Burying Ground, with graves dating from colonial times, is on the hillside at the southeastern end of Monument Sq.
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Boott Cotton Mills Museum
Five blocks northeast along the river, the Boott Cotton Mills Museum has exhibits that chronicle the rise and fall of the industrial revolution in Lowell, including technological changes, labor movements and immigration. The highlight is a working weave room, with 88 power looms. A special exhibit on Mill Girls & Immigrants (978-970-5000; 40 French St; admission free; 1:30-4:30pm) examines the lives of working people, while other seasonal exhibits are sometimes on display in other historic buildings around town.
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Cambridge Common
There’s a lot to Harvard Sq besides the university: it’s a hotbed of Colonial and revolutionary history. Opposite the main entrance to Harvard Yard, Cambridge Common is the village green where General Washington took command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775. The traffic island at the south end, known as Dawes Island, pays tribute to the ‘other rider’ William Dawes, who rode through here on April 18, 1775, to warn that the British were coming (look for bronze hoof prints embedded in the sidewalk).
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