As the cost of living continues to rise, the
extra funding for an extravagant couples getaway continues to decline. For
couples just starting out on their own, any income not going to paying bills
and buying everyday necessities is going towards saving for larger purchases
like a house or car. For those of us who love taking summer vacations with our
special someone, having no money to spare for a week away together is a
depressing thought…
However, there is no need to worry! Here in
Boston, we live in a world-class city, and in all of our travels, we have really taken that fact for granted. It doesn't matter if you and your partner are “two-peas-in-a-pod” or if you’re in a more
“opposites-attract” kind of relationship, the city of Boston offers something
for each of you to enjoy doing, and you just might find that you’ll enjoy them
even more together!
To keep things interesting, I have created a
list of some of the great, under-appreciated spots in Boston that you should
visit for the first time, or visit again! I've organized them into 10
can't-miss "day" trips. This list is chock-full of ideas. You may find
that each "day" trip contains more than you would be able to
accomplish in one day, so you might have to choose the attraction(s) that
appeal most to you and your partner. Be sure to visit the websites for each of
the suggestions for more information. I have tried to choose cost-effective
suggestions so that your week off won't break the bank. All you need is your T
pass and loved one for a wonderful couple’s "Stay-cation" week in
Boston!
1. Day Trip #1: Fine Arts and Culture
If you live here, you have probably spent time
at the Museum of Fine Arts and Symphony Hall at some point, but there are MANY
other ways to explore arts and culture in Boston. Stop by two or three of these
lesser known spots for a very enriching day! I would suggest an art museum or
two in the morning and afternoon and a performance in the evening. You could
even head over to Newbury Street to have lunch at the Trident Booksellers & Cafe (food and drink/bookstore). Be sure to click below and visit the various
websites ahead of time for hours, special show and exhibit info.
* Take in some art at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
* Visit the Institute of Contemporary Art on
the waterfront
* Get tickets to a show at or take a tour of
the recently restored Boston Opera House
* See a show at Emerson College's Cutler Majestic Theater...
* ... or at Harvard's American Repertory Theater
* ... or at Boston University's Huntington Theater
* ... or at the exciting Boston Center for the Arts
* Watch some Shakespeare on the Common
presented by Commonwealth Shakespeare Company
* Catch some amazing music at the Berklee Performance Center
* Support music of the 20th century through
the Boston Modern Orchestra Project
2. Day Trip #2: Sports Appreciation
The Boston teams have provided fans with excitement
and anticipation through each season, and continue to be the center of the sports
universe (at least for us Bostonians), whether they’re winning or losing.
Between the Red Sox, Patriots, Bruins, Celtics, and Revolution, Boston has a
team to support through every season of the year. When thinking about what to
see in Boston, sports appreciation is at the top of the list! While watching a
major sports game together might be out of your price range, there are
countless ways to appreciate sports in this city. Check out a few of these
options:
* Take a tour of historic Fenway Park and
check out the famous Citgo Sign
* Visit the Sports Museum (in the TD Banknorth
Garden)
* Attend a game at Boston College, Boston University, or Northeastern (some are easier to get tickets to than
others!)
* Visit the site at Northeastern that was once Huntington Avenue Grounds (original Red Sox home)
* Stop by the historic Boston Braves Field
(Now BU's Nickerson Field)
* Catch a horse race at Suffolk Downs
* Visit Harvard Stadium
* Watch a Boston Lobsters Tennis Match
I would suggest lunch/dinner at Game On, The Fours, Cask 'n Flagon, or Boston Beer Works for the full Boston sports experience!
3. Day Trip #3: City of Learning
Above all else, when people think about
Boston, they think of the rich academic culture that our city embodies. Boston
has more colleges per square mile than any other city in the world. Naturally,
we are a city that is overflowing with learning opportunities. Why not spend
some time appreciating those opportunities? Whether you and your partner met at
one of the many area colleges, or you’re new to the area, here are some
wonderful ways you can spend the day learning in Boston. Break for lunch at the
Boston Public Library’s Courtyard Restaurant or Maproom Cafe!
* Visit the historic and beautiful Boston Public Library
* Stop by the Boston Athenaeum
* Take a free walking tour of Harvard
University or MIT
* Spend an afternoon in one of many used book
stores in Boston or Cambridge
* Take a class at the Boston Center for Adult Education
* Learn about how beer is made! Take a tour of the Samuel Adams Brewery
* Visit the Mary Baker Eddy Library and its
famous Mapparium
After your intense day of learning, you'll
need to kick back - stop by the Thirsty Scholar Pub for some dinner and a drink and give your
brains a break!
4. Day Trip #4: History
It can easily be argued that there is really
no city in the United States that is more historically significant than Boston.
The city wears this identity well while still looking toward the future, mixing
centuries-old beautiful buildings with modern towering skyscrapers. If you
(and/or your partner) work downtown, unless you walk slowly and read the signs
you pass each day (and who does that around here?) you may not realize the
significance of the buildings around you. I'm sure that if you grew up around
here, you have walked the Freedom Trail once or twice, but there may be more
obscure historical landmarks that you have never even noticed! Take a day for
the two of you to walk around a little more slowly, visit some of these
interesting landmarks, and look up once in a while! While you are at it, stop
by Boston's oldest restaurant, the Union Oyster House, and enjoy a delicious seafood dinner for two!
* Learn about the lives of a well-to-do family
in historic Boston at the Gibson House Museum
* Visit the headquarters of Historic New
England at the Otis House Museum
* Pay your respects to our forefathers and
foremothers at Granary Burying Ground and King's Chapel Burying Ground
* Visit the Museum of African American History and walk the Black Heritage Trail
* Take a walk along the Boston Women's Heritage Trail
* Tour the historically and architecturally
significant Trinity Church
* Tour Paul Revere's house and Old North Church
5. Day Trip #5: Island Hopping
It is a little-known fact that Boston has an
amazing National Park right off the coast of the city. If you and your
significant other are looking for an island getaway without paying for airfare
or a cruise to get there, the Boston Harbor Islands are where you want to be! The park is
comprised of 34 small islands (11 of which are open to the public) just minutes
away by boat. The islands vary as far as what you can do on each of them, so
use this list as a guide to get you started. The National Park Service
recommends picking no more than two islands to visit in one day, so take a look
and choose one or two that look interesting to the two of you. Concession
stands are available at Georges and Spectacle Islands, but why not bring a
picnic lunch for your visit to the islands! It's the perfect excuse for a romantic
picnic on the beach!
* Camp overnight on Grape, Bumpkin or Lovells
Island - Permits are required
* Visit Lovells Island for the day for trails that pass by dunes and
woods, picnic areas, an unsupervised swimming beach, and the remains of Fort
Standish
* Visit and explore Deer Island and learn about its fascinating history
* Visit popular Georges Island, the transportation hub for the system of
islands, its open fields, paved walkways and gravel beach - be sure to tour
historic Fort Warren while you are there
* Check out Little Brewster, home of Boston Light, the country's oldest
continuously running light house
* Experience a wide range of natural beauty
and check out historic Fort Andrews at Peddocks Island
* Visit Spectacle Island, which features a marina, visitor center,
cafe, a life-guarded swimming beach, and five miles of walking trails that lead
to the crest of a 157 foot-high hill, offering panoramic views of the harbor
and the city
* Take a tour and enjoy nature at Thompson Island, which is a particularly good choice if you
have a large group (like a company or school), but is still fun for the two of you
* Picnic, fish and enjoy walking trails at Webb Memorial State Park
* Enjoy Hingham Bay, rocky beaches, ledges,
cliffs, patches of salt marsh and an area of freshwater marsh at Worlds End Reservation
6. Day Trip #6: Beach Bum
If the only great vacation you can imagine is
one in which you and your significant other are laying on a beach for at least
a day, there are many great options for the two of you around here! You might
assume that you have to drive down to the Cape or up to the North Shore for
great beach experiences, and if so, you will be pleasantly surprised by the
following recommendations. There are several great options easily reachable in
or very near the city by subway or bus. A day at the beach requires beach food,
in my opinion, and so I suggest a stop at Sullivan's at Castle Island or
Kelly's Roast Beef in Revere. I've also suggested a few options that are
outside the city, but easily accessible from the commuter rail, if you really
want to get away from the city for the day.
* Take the Blue Line to America's First Public
Beach, Revere Beach
* Throw on your swim suit and take advantage
of The Boston Harborwalk
* Take the Red Line to JFK and visit Carson Beach, L and M Street Beaches, Pleasure Bay and Castle Island, which are all connected
* Take the Commuter Rail north to Ipswich
Station, then board the Ipswich-Essex Explorer Shuttle to Crane Beach
* Take the Commuter Rail north to
Manchester-by-the-Sea and walk a short way to Singing Beach
* Take the Amtrak Downeaster to Old Orchard Beach in Maine
7. Day Trip #7: Appreciation of Unusual Things
If you and your partner are a couple that
enjoys exploring the unique and unusual aspects of a vacation destination, you
have plenty of opportunities to appreciate the quirky - right here in Boston! As you
are exploring a few of the following unusual spots in Boston, a couple of well
loved, but certainly unique, Boston restaurants worth your time during this day
would be Fire & Ice Improvisational Grill for a fun, interactive experience and the Beehive, for some great food, atmosphere and live
jazz.
* Visit America's oldest car collection at the Larz Anderson Auto Museum
* Learn history from an unusual perspective on a New England Ghost Tour!
* Appreciate some art that's too bad to be
ignored! Visit the Museum of Bad Art
* Explore invention, ideas and innovation
(including holograms!) at the MIT Museum
* Visit the Harvard Bridge and count how many
Smoots long it is!
* Take a Duck Tour (come on... you know you
want to!)
* Visit the spots where your favorite movies
were filmed on one of the Boston Movie Tours
* Discover the secrets of Boston through an Urban Interactive sight-seeing adventure
* Find out what is so special about the Scarlett O'Hara House
8. Day Trip #8: Nature
If you and your partner are stuck in Boston,
but prefer a more serene, natural vacation, there are many options for you,
even within the city limits! There are many opportunities in the city that will
allow the two of you to spend time appreciating the nature surrounding you, and they may even bring you closer together as a couple! I recommend exploring some
of the following locations.
* Take a ride on the Swan Boats while visiting
the Boston Public Garden
* Hang out with the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo in the heart of Franklin Park
* Visit Arnold Arboretum, the oldest public
arboretum in North America and one of the world's leading centers for the study
of plants
* Spend some time at the Harvard Museum of Natural History (especially great if your "nature" themed day turns
out to be a rainy one!)
* Go for a peaceful and quiet run in the Fens
nature trails
* Visit the Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary
* Find a Boston area State Park near you for
everything from hiking to mountain biking
* See "Day Trip #5" (Above) for info
about the Boston Harbor Islands - spend a while at one!
9. Day Trip #9: On the Water
We are so lucky to be living right on the
water here in Boston. As I mentioned above, this opens up many possibilities as
far as enjoying wonderful beach days with your significant other, as well as
visiting the Boston Harbor Islands right off the coast. However, a huge benefit
to having so much water nearby is the opportunity to get out on it for the day.
Whether you are accomplished sailors or have never stepped foot in a boat,
there are options here for the two of you. Read through this list and choose an
adventure or two just for you and your special someone! During the day or
evening, if you're both hungry, stop by Tia's on the Waterfront for a bite, a drink and a chance to enjoy the
view of the water!
* Contact Community Boating, Inc. to find out
how you can learn to sail - Use your vacation day to get started on the Charles
River
* For a relatively inexpensive chance to spend
time in a boat on the water, take an Inner Harbor Ferry or Commuter Boat or the Rowes Wharf Water Taxi
* Take a sunset or sightseeing cruise through
the Charles Riverboat Company
* Take a Boston Lighthouse Tour and experience
first-hand the oldest lighthouse site in the U.S.
* Join in on a sail aboard the 125' Schooner Liberty Clipper
* Enjoy a view of the city skyline from the
Charles River by taking a Skyline or Sunset Kayak Tour with your significant other
* If you can't bear to actually get out on the
water, you can enjoy WBZ's Free Friday Flicks at the Hatch Shell - enjoy the
breeze of the Charles from safely ashore, and watch a movie under the stars!
10. Day Trip #10: Festivals
Summer in Boston always reminds me of all the
neighborhood parties and celebrations in the city. Every weekend throughout the
summer, there is at least one festival somewhere in the city that is an excuse
to enjoy Boston and its cultural diversity. A day at any of these festivals
would be worth building into your "stay-cation" week schedule. I
don't need to recommend a restaurant for you, since the mark of a great
festival is the amazing food it serves. Enjoy!
* Choose a weekend this summer and stop by the
North End for the North End Italian & Religious Festivals
* Stop by Government Center on August 10 from
5:00-8:00 p.m. for the Boston Urban Music Festival (previously known as the
Peace Hip Hop Festival)
* Spend August 11 in Chinatown for the August Moon Festival
* Head to Dorchester on August 18 and 22-24
for the Caribbean Carnival Festival & Parade
* Show off and add to your ink from August 30 –
September 2 at the Boston Tattoo Convention
* Check out the Boston Film Festival in September (dates TBA)
It doesn't matter if you're a couple that prefer a sports bar to a museum, an island getaway to a historic tour of the city, or if you're interested in a multitude of these areas -now you know that you don't have to leave Boston to have a great couples vacation! I hope that the two of you enjoy all these suggestions and that they inspire you to rediscover our great city in these
difficult economic times! These are also great suggestions for you if you are
visiting Boston from out of town. If you are stuck in another
city, and these suggestions sound fun to you, look for similar ideas near your
home. I bet you will be surprised by what you will find!
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