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    Commonwealth Avenue Mall

    4.8 (24 reviews)

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    Abigail Adams -- don't fail to read the inscription!  Fascinating.
    Lisa G.

    Commonwealth Avenue Mall is gorgeous! If you've ever been to Richmond, VA it reminds me of (an older, bigger, better?) Monument Avenue -- gorgeous homes flanking the mall on both sides, monuments commemorating the city's heroes, and a shady mall in the middle great for taking a stroll, run or walking the dog. But no bikes are allowed! Among those memorialized here are Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, historians, and there's a beautiful, stirring tribute to firefighters who lost their lives or were injured in a 1972 hotel fire along Commonwealth Avenue. Although I made it a route for getting in part of my morning run so that I could get some shade, it would be such a nice place for kicking back to relax. It's about a mile long and on the east end, it runs right into the beautiful Public Garden. My, my would I love to live on this street! Gorgeous homes!

    The Frederick Ayer Mansion designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany is a lovely sight along Comm Ave.
    Courtney K.

    Bottom Line: A narrow park that stretches down the center of Commonwealth Avenue from the Public Garden to Fenway Park. First off, props to Bean Town for their awesome Emerald Necklace. The Commonwealth Avenue Mall is just one of 10+ parks that makes us the grassy, green recreation spaces that are linked together. Secondly, I was excited to learn that I could walk along a green space all the way from the Historic Public Garden to the iconic Fenway Park. My afternoon stroll down the Comm Ave park did not disappoint. In fact, I wish I could have been more leisurely about my stroll and leaned more about the monuments along the way. The significance of some monuments like the Boston Women's Memorial were obvious, but other ones required more pondering. I felt like walking through the tree lined mall gave me a nice snippet into life in Bean Town. There were BU students inspecting their weed, playful dogs walking their owners and beautiful architecture along the entire route. One of the most impressive buildings I noticed was the Frederick Ayer Mansion. The gorgeous mosaic tiles and stained glass of that home definitely put a halt on my brisk walk! I'm so glad I got to experience 1.5 miles of the Comm Ave Mall.

    The emerald necklace park system: GREAT RUNNING!
    Claude F.

    One of the best places to run to experience Boston!!!! The Commonwealth Avenue Mall is one of the Crown Jewels of the Emerald Necklace Park system and was MADE for runners like Southern California was made for people who suffer from tanorexia! For those of you outside of Boston: The Emerald Necklace Park system consists of a chain of beautiful, immaculate parks (about 7 miles long) linked by parkways and waterways (see my map photo) which makes for a wonderful run or walk to experience the majesty of Boston in summer! You start your run in the spacious Boston Common (where America and freedom were born!) Then follow the main path through the Majestic Boston Public Garden in full bloom. Then you run over the famed garden bridge and cross the street into the expansive median of Commonwealth Avenue (see photo) If the sheer beauty of it seems like the boulevards of Paris it is because the thieving French copied their city from us (That was a joke: we copied them in our design of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, But Hey! We saved them from the Germans, the Russians and EuroDisney, so it's all good!) Really, running threw it is like jogging threw an outdoor Museum! Along the Leafy path of perfectly landscaped trees and manicured grass are the highest quality Hellenist and Modernist statues commemorating Boston and American History. To your left and right are the ornate rows of Victorian brownstones making up the opulent historic heart of the Back Bay! At the end of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall you can either turn around and back track for a shorter run or continue on thru the parks of the Emerald Necklace for a tour de force of Boston!!! But be warned! There is one big problem with running on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall: The squirrels. Thanks to Global warming, the squirrel population in Boston has increased exponentially in the last few months. And, much worse, due to some sort of environmental genetic poisoning the squirrels have become much more aggressive and intelligent. We in state government surmise it is only a matter of time before the squirrels rise up and take over all of Downtown Boston, just like in the movie Planet of The Apes. But until that dark and bloody day of the inevitable squirrel revolution, jogging on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall on a tranquil sunny day is not to be missed. Ps. To any squirrels reading this: FYI- as a trusted member of State Government I hope you realize that I can be useful in rounding up my fellow humans when the time arises and as an experienced yelper I know where all the best places to get nuts are. Just sayin!

    View to the Hamilton statue
    Don L.

    Commonwealth Ave Mall is a great place to go for a walk. Most any time of year there are lots of people out for a stroll on the walk way down the middle. There is a variety of statues and the buildings are just beautiful. They keep it well maintained. There are a lot benches, so it is great to have lunch there or just sit and people watch. The only thing that would be better is if they included marked crosswalks where the streets cross the mall.

    Rick T.

    Wonderful path to walk to Fenway Park to beat the heat, a lot of shade and park benches. Beautiful houses and apartments to view along the way!

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    13 years ago

    Good for a nice stroll. If you have a smart phone I suggest downloading a self-guided tour to tell you about the different statues.

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    Ask the Community - Commonwealth Avenue Mall

    Review Highlights - Commonwealth Avenue Mall

    Walking the Comm Ave Mall is so much better than being stuck in traffic in a car or fearing for my life on a bicycle.

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    The Esplanade - Nighttime

    The Esplanade

    4.8(100 reviews)
    1.2 miBeacon Hill

    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
    The Esplanade
    The Esplanade - 7/23/2024

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    7/23/2024

    Boston Common - At Boston Commons

    Boston Common

    4.4(555 reviews)
    1.5 mi

    Boston common is a gorgeous green space that I have had the pleasure of visiting multiple times…read morenow. That's a good thing too because there is so much space and so much to see here that it can definitely take more than one visit to appreciate its beauty and all that it has to offer. It's known as the oldest public park in the United States and I personally love the way that it's laid out. I wish they still made parks like this. There are wide open lawns with winding paths, people sitting on benches or enjoying picnics on the grass with their dogs. I have seen large events here and even performers as well as family barbecues and groups of people just gathering to spend time together outside. It's nice to just be in this beautiful green space surrounded by the city skyline and historic buildings. I can really sit here and appreciate that I'm in an important City but also feel like I have this little bubble of an oasis surrounding me and keeping everything calm. It's just a nice place to exist and enjoy nature for a bit and it also connects to the Boston public garden which is another gorgeous space for just enjoying nature. It's unfortunate that I have never been able to stop here when I have had my dog with me on a trip through the city because I know she would love visiting this park. Who wouldn't?

    This review is separate from the Boston Public Gardens which is just across the street and pretty…read moremuch connected. Boston Commons is a normal urban park in some ways with a playground for kids, a pond, park benches, a carousel, baseball stadium, and food vendors. It's also part historic park with monuments including one of the 54th Civil War all black regiment, a plaque saying this is the oldest park in America and others. It's also a part of the Freedom Trail. There's also a small cemetery in the park. The park is both busy and relaxing. It's smaller than I expected but that may just be because it felt like I went through it quickly. Time flies when you are having fun so maybe distance does too. Boston Commons is a must stop on any trip to Boston.

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    Boston Common - We need Love

    We need Love

    Boston Common - 7.4.2024

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    Boston Public Garden - 7.4.2025

    Boston Public Garden

    4.8(471 reviews)
    1.3 miBack Bay

    Maybe it was the springtime weather, but this is the prettiest free park that I have ever been to…read more It's directly across the street from Boston Commons so it feels like 1 park but since they had separate signs and had a public street between them, I will treat it as 2. This place is landscaped amazingly with perfectly manicured shrubs, tons of beautiful flowers, interesting statues/monuments and fields for frolicking. Do people still frolic? There were tons of high school and college student taking graduation pics here which makes a ton of sense. There were duck boats to ride around the pond, but it looked like 10-15 people were on the boats and you can't exactly go far. This place doesn't need words. It needs pictures or better yet the human eye. So, grab a picnic basket, enjoy a nice lunch, take a walk around the park but be aware of the thieving squirrels. I had one run up my leg on a park bench to steal my cookie.

    If you've looked up things to see in Boston the Public Garden will most likely be on every list and…read morewith good reason. This is a beautiful garden, nice walkway throughout the area and the garden is right between the Commonwealth Ave Mall & Boston Commons. It's in a great location to do a lot of walking and sightseeing in the city, easy was to spend an hour or so.

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    Boston Public Garden
    Boston Public Garden - George Washington statue - my first time seeing tulips IRL!! Stunning! (April 2025)

    George Washington statue - my first time seeing tulips IRL!! Stunning! (April 2025)

    Boston Public Garden - Make Way for Ducklings

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    Make Way for Ducklings

    James P Kelleher Rose Garden

    James P Kelleher Rose Garden

    4.9(21 reviews)
    0.5 miFenway

    AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO MUST DO! 4 & 1/2 STARS! A FREE EVENT & FREE PARKING if you come here on…read moreSundays & Park at the meters at the Museum. It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour the Earth & take you to places from a different time that you won't believe still exist. We have set the dial to 1930 in the town of Boston MA @ The James P Kelleher Rose Garden. This is one of Boston's Secret Hidden Gems that is right in the heart of the city but off the beaten path. It is completely Hidden from view that passerby's on foot & by car don't see. This place is part of what's called the Emerald Necklace. It is a great spot to relax, check out the flowers & have a picnic on green grass & trees which are right next door. The Kelleher Rose Garden is located just a few minutes walking distance behind Boston's Museum of Fine Arts in the Back Bay Fens section. You can park at the meters all around the museum for Free there on Sunday. Park & walk across the street behind the museum, across the Bridge & the River & in a few minutes you are there. This is a beautiful medium size Formal English Flower Garden with more than 1500 Roses that was established in 1930. It was designed by Arthur Shurcliff, a Boston landscape architect who had worked for Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed the Fens as well as New York's Famous Central Park. Be sure to check out the wide variety of roses, the greenery, the Arches, the Fountain, & the view of the Museum. There's also a reproduction of the famous Desconsol Statue - a gift from Boston's sister city Barcelona in Spain. It was designed by Catalan sculptor Josep Llimona. Also scope out the Julia Child Flower the famous chef who lived in Boston. She's got her own flower as well as The Home Run flower dedicated to Baseball. You can walk all around the perimeter & see pretty much everything even when the gate is closed. This is a great place to bring a picnic basket or cooler & blanket & have a Spring, Summer or Fall Picnic. There's also a great view of The Prudential Building & The John Hancock Tower 2 of the tallest buildings in Boston. There's green grass & trees you can sit under too - what a picturesque natural setting. You can also walk to the George Robert White Veterans Memorial Park that is a tribute to our fallen soldiers which is right next door which is also a Freebie. And if you want to walk a bit farther down there's the Fenway Victory Gardens which is also another place to check out that's also another Freebie in the Fenway area. Also check out the Agassiz Bridge a beautiful old arched bridge. And yes that's Free too! Check out my individual reviews of each of those places as well. You'll experience Hours of Relaxing, Picnicking, Looking at Beautiful Flowers & Nature Walking for Zero Dollars for the whole day. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

    I had a lovely visit here! The blooms were great today (June 15). I love that it's totally free and…read moreeven has little benches where you can sit and hang out. It's very picturesque, I'm a little sad it's not friendly but I understand.

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    James P Kelleher Rose Garden
    James P Kelleher Rose Garden - Fountain

    Fountain

    James P Kelleher Rose Garden

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    Commonwealth Avenue Mall - parks - Updated June 2026

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