1. Boston Common

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    Boston Common

    4.4 (556 reviews)

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    Safania R.

    Had a great experience at Boston Common during a recent work trip. I decided to get up early and go for a walk, and it turned out to be one of the best parts of my visit. The park has a really relaxing vibe in the morning. Plenty of space, nice paths, and just a great atmosphere to clear your head. It's perfect whether you're looking to go for a run or just take a casual stroll. Definitely a spot I'd recommend if you're in Boston and want a peaceful way to start your day.

    Jason B.

    The famous boston common. Another small little park located near/in the north shore. Plenty of room to move around, and a small little escape from the city.

    Jo S.

    I loved Boston Common. Since it's in the middle of everything, I visited it 3 times during my stay. It has a T stop near by- named after it- Park, a great Visitor Center, and this is where the Freedom Trail starts! Boston Common is the oldest public park in the USA. It has a very European look, and I'd say it's one of the prettiest in the country! It's hard to believe it used to be a cow pasture! Now the city spreads all around it and it's a nice refuge from its hustle and bustle. Boston Common is a nice mix of everything: nice sculptures and monuments, they have events here - plays, outdoors screening, street fair, a Chinese parade while I was in town (Chinatown is next by) with dragons- fun! People have small gatherings, walk, sightsee. But there are many peaceful spots where you can relax, have a snack, read a book. Lots of seating on the grass, lots of benches - people are friendly here, greet you - at least in my case! There's a cute carousel and restrooms (at the Visitor center also) - just follow the signs! Nice vegetation, cute oasis in the middle of the city. Lots of historic sites: Robert Gould Shaw Memorial, The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Boston Massacre Memorial. You can see the Dome of the Massachusetts State House from here! I loved Boston Common, I'd come here often if I would live in Boston! Lots of activities, people watching, you are in the middle of everything, but far away too. Great views of the city!

    These birds are well fed
    Keith F.

    Boston is an awesome city! I love how much history and green space is preserved. The statues and historical plaques are found all over this town. The Boston Common is one such place where you can stretch your legs, people watch and then grab a delicious coffee or bite to eat in a nearby cafe. The squirrels and birds at this park are very accustomed to humans to the point of coming up to you. That was different. The squirrels were huge. We also saw a lot of off leash dogs which was fine with us but if you are apprehensive about dogs you might want to keep that in mind. I would definitely recommend this place!

    Christina R.

    I enjoyed visiting Boston Common. The history is interesting and you can do a lot here with that in mind. You can also just stroll through the park, enjoying the late summer sunshine. This park isn't as big as I thought it would be and it's a super easy stroll. There are a lot of sites/artwork to look at as you make your way through. It's also a very nice detour if your hotel is on the other side. There seem to be a lot of event that happen here and there was even a food truck court sponsored by a college that was open to the public. Very cool. We didn't do the carousel or any of that. We just looked at art and took a stroll. We also found some benches to sit at and people watched for a minute. Although this was nice, I will say that if you want to sit, take a minute walk across the street to Boston Public Garden. It's a bit cuter, sorry to say.

    Leslie C.

    Beautiful park! Lovely green space with art and plenty of places to sit and relax. Every summer there is a free Shakespeare show performed. My friend is in it and it's "As You Like It, performing thru August 10. There are food trucks concessions too.

    Jill G.

    Beautiful historical park. We met here to go on the freedom trail tour. It was beautiful.

    Aruna K.

    The park is just soo big and beautiful and historic. It like an open air free museum with fall trees, the frog pond, the freedom monument, a gazebo, little food carts and so much more. The frog pond however eluded me. I put it on GPS and as soon as I reached the gazebo it said that I had reached my destination. I went around in circles for quite some time then gave up so I could see the rest of the huge park and enjoy the only red tree I had come across which was picture proper .. lol. There were a lot of evening walkers including the last of the walking trip group. The sun gave out the perfect lighting for photos. I was warned about keeping my jewelry away. Now, was that just a passing concern, or a real threat, I will never know, but that made me very hesitant to go exploring a little further where there were hardly any people. That might be why I missed the frog pond too. I profusely apologize to the great artist who made the unification embrace sculpture, no offense please.... but two beautiful hands joined together, but ONLY hands, they kept reminding me of gory mutilated bodies out of brutal crime series.... it kind of freaked me out !!! I wanted to get away from it as far as I can as soon as possible, but people who know it would be aware how big it is so it kept falling into my line of vision and making me uneasy.... .

    John C.

    This is the big park area near the north end. There are plenty of sidewalks and brick walking paths. Plenty of grass for kids and dogs . A large "frog" pond in the middle that was drained for the season when we visited. There is a massive garage system under the park and the small building are elevators to get to and from. Bathrooms were a mobile trailer with an attendant sometimes to let those with mobility issues into the handicap bathroom. If he is not there then you are out of luck.

    Montage of images from Boston Common
    Ed U.

    Well, of course it's America's oldest city park. Where else would it be but Boston? Founded in 1634, it's only fifty acres, but the park is still twice as large as the adjoining Boston Public Garden (review: https://yelp.to/shmOSjmJUr). What also struck us was that it wasn't as bucolic or manicured either. It's more of a historical green space with ballfields, statues, and the Frog Pond which operates as a skating rink in the winter. The most arresting sight is 'The Embrace', an art piece of intertwined arms by Hank Willis Thomas, a tribute to the love between MLK and Coretta Scott King (photo: https://yelp.to/3ckU6IbAcz). However, we came here to begin the Freedom Trail. RELATED - Exploring Boston? Here's my collection of places I've patronized and reviewed: https://bit.ly/3XtfnFc

    Kristen S.

    A must see while walking around Boston. Safe and well decorated during the holidays. Plenty of entrances/exits.

    Kim V.

    Funny story about the first time going to the Boston Common. We walked through on 4/20 at 4:10 pm amazed at how vast the park was. We didn't realize after seeing a group of people and smelling something skunky; there was a countdown to 4:20 pm, then loud cheering, and a cloud of smoke. Apparently there was a 4/20 marijuana celebration. We walked out of there pretty fast since we had our children with us. A funny and memorable story to share going forward LOL. This land is 50 acres and established as a public park in the 1830s. At one point, they held public executions there. Central Burying ground is also located on the property. We also walked by a very busy playground. This is a great open space for the people of Boston; also a solemn reminder of those who used to walk these grounds.

    James R.

    Another great park. There is a lot of history as you walk through the park. The old WW1 mines used in the North Sea for one. This is also the start of the Freedom Trail. This is another great place to take your time and walk through. Unfortunately, the carousel was closed. It looked like it would be fun to ride.

    Embrace

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    Boston Common Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Boston Common

    Are there public bathrooms in/near Boston Common?

    I know there's one on the other side across the street from the lake side.. The side with the merry go round and the park playground.

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    Review Highlights - Boston Common

    On a hot Summer day the sunbathers are all out, kiddies jumping in the frog pond, and frisbee s flying about.

    Mentioned in 69 reviews

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    The Esplanade

    The Esplanade

    4.8
    (100 reviews)
    0.4 mi

    The Esplanade is always beautiful, it doesn't matter the season. This is the perfect time of year -…read morewell now thru Fall to visit. Winter is nice too but they lock up the bathrooms which can be annoying if you're taking a super long walk and trying to stay hydrated! If you're looking for something to do on the weekend, look no further. The park is so big - you can listen to music or maybe even see a movie at the Hatch Shell, have a picnic, hangout on the dock, or even have a beer at Night Shift. Oh and if you have kids, there are a few different playgrounds. Let's not forget, it's super dog friendly. Oh and get your cameras ready for various birds and sometimes turtles in the lagoon.

    The Esplanade was a revelation, one of the highlights of my trip to Boston!…read more We took the T-red, got off Charles/MGH and it was a short walk to the Esplanade, a few miles alongside Charles Rivers with beautiful views of the river, wild life, the bridge and the city! We went on a Saturday morning, locals were walking, jogging, sitting on a bench drinking their coffee. Teams were out in the water roving, a nice visual Boston cliche that you see in movies, but I got to see for real. You can walk for miles here, till you get to the BU Bridge in parallel with the beautiful houses of Beacon Hill. Nice nature, cute bridges, birds, peaceful spots to stop by and look at the water, enjoy a book or a coffee. Nice locals offered to take our photos and we enjoyed chatted with. Beautiful sculptures, clean restrooms, lots of greenery. Great spot for a picnic also. I am sure it's pretty here at sunset. I am sure they have events here as well. My husband regrets not knowing about it. He went to Boston University and walked the BU Beach and the Bridge, but wasn't aware of this part. He would have loved to come here for peaceful walks and some reading. We didn't want to leave. A must see place in Boston!

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    The Esplanade
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    The Lawn On D

    The Lawn On D

    4.0
    (173 reviews)
    1.3 mi

    While in Boston a family friend took us here. Two kids altogether had real fun, a pleasant place to…read morehangout with or without kids. Huge space with the swings (the ultimate thing in this park), ping pongs, corn holes, big screen... It was free admission when we were here and a lot of people were there on the swing, we had to wait for sometime for our turns, but it was fun. If your around this park, just stop by for a while and enjoy the swing. Parking was on street!

    First time here and all I can say is WOW!! Beautiful space! They've done a really amazing job with…read morethe renovations to this space! From the green 'grass' to the swings to the greenery and the lighting and the huge stage with an awesome sound system - really great! We went here for live band karaoke with our favorite band called Five Minutes of Fame - they're playing every Thursday night from 7-10 pm. So if you're into singing with a live band go on over and live out your rockstar dreams! They had the food truck called The Grove which I think has a very limiting menu - in terms of healthy and tasty - which is my requirement. I got the grove salad with chicken and it was just ok - nothing to write home about. The hubs had the BLT sandwich which he liked but also found it quite greasy. There are restrooms which are these portable ones in these trailers and they're very nice and clean but the individual ones on the opposite end of the stage was very smelly. The ones behind the stage were better. Running water, flush everything- like a proper restroom. So that is good. We got parking through SpotHero at a nearby parking lot - it was $26 but we didn't want to take chance looking around for parking that is why. But our friends said they found street parking so it's possible to find free parking too. Overall we had a great time, the weather was perfect beautiful summer evening - and great music! We'll be back for more live band karaoke!

    Photos
    Hanging out on the swings
    Hanging out on the swings
    The Lawn On D
    The Lawn On D

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    Arnold Arboretum

    Arnold Arboretum

    4.8
    (418 reviews)
    4.3 mi

    My daughter recommended us to visit this fantastic arboretum. It was super worthwhile! Just to get…read moreout of the city first a bit into a well-preserved and landscaped beautiful lush green space with evergreens and oaks and gardens. It's free every day! There's a visitor center, where they have clippings of flowers that are labeled for easy identification and appreciation. Also throughout the arboretum are little plaques identifying flora. We went up to see the view of Boston from Peter's Hill and walked alongside the blooming mountain laurel bushes. Walkable paths are asphalt or wood chips. We saw a wild turkey, several robins, and occasional people. Super glad we explored this wondrous place!

    It's been quite some time since i stopped by the arboretum. As a kid my grandma and mother used to…read moretake us there and take photos in the summer. I have some very good child memories here. They used to have hedge? Carvings of animals and stuff which was super cool. Didn't see that today but not sure, we didn't have time to check the whole arboretum. I think this place is so cool, there's families walking, roller blading, skating, biking etc dog walking you name it. It's clean in there so please keep it that way if visiting. There are ample signs of the types of trees, plants, and different zones. Porta potty available on the paths, resting chairs, benches and even spreads for a picnic. Friend had his wedding there not long ago. Easy commute from Forrest Hills train station on the orange line and walk up the street. Multiple gates to go in from, but main gate closed to cars at 4pm i think. The arboretum is closed at dusk. Beautiful walk on a beautiful day.

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    Fall time
    Fall time
    Arnold Arboretum
    Arnold Arboretum

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    Boston Common - parks - Updated July 2026

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