The 50-acre Boston Common is the country’s oldest public park. If you have any doubt, refer to the plaque emblazoned with the words of the treaty between Governor Winthrop and William Blaxton (aka William Blackstone), who sold the land for £30 in 1634.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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1. Park St Church

0.02 MILES

Shortly after the construction of Park St Church, powder for the War of 1812 was stored in the basement, earning this location the moniker ‘Brimstone…

2. Brewer Fountain

0.05 MILES

Dating to 1868, this lovely bronze fountain depicts four aquatic deities from antiquity.

3. Granary Burying Ground

0.06 MILES

Dating from 1660, this atmospheric atoll is crammed with historic headstones, many with evocative (and creepy) carvings. This is the final resting place…

4. Robert Gould Shaw Memorial

0.09 MILES

The magnificent bas-relief memorial opposite the State House was sculpted by Augustus St Gaudens. It honors the 54th Massachusetts Regiment of the Union…

5. Boston Athenaeum

0.09 MILES

Founded in 1807, the Boston Athenaeum is an old and distinguished private library, having hosted the likes of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne…

6. Great Elm Site

0.14 MILES

Now marked by a plaque, the Great Elm stood on this site for more than 200 years. History has it that the tree was used for public executions in the 17th…

7. Millennium Tower

0.15 MILES

On the site of the former Filene's Department Store, the Millennium Tower is a high-rise residential tower and the tallest Boston skyscraper outside the…

8. King's Chapel & Burying Ground

0.15 MILES

Puritan Bostonians were not pleased when the original Anglican church was erected on this site in 1688. The granite chapel standing today – built in 1754 …