If you want to impress a date (that's never been there, of course), head down to Castle Island on a hot summer night, get a soft-serve cone at Sullivan's, walk around the fort with seemingly every family in Boston that lacks air conditioning, and watch the lights, airplanes, and container cranes that decorate the night sky. read more

It doesn't get any better than Fort Indepepndence Park at Castle Island for an enjoyable and relaxing experience. It's a nice walk (4 miles or so) around the loop with views of Boston Harbor and the bay where wind surfers abound during the warmer days. Great mix of locals and tourists with walkers, runners, bikes and...lots of dogs. There is the fort which has tours (on limited number of days), an area for picnics and an area where fisherman can do their thing. Also...there's Sullivan's which serves the best hot dog around and the rest of the faire is pretty good as well, including the ice cream. It's hard to describe what it is that makes this place special...but it is! It's an experience that everyone should have at least once, if for no other reason, than to understand what it is that everyone is talking about. Go for it... read more

It's weird that I don't think we came here when I was a kid even though my dad grew up in Dorchester. I started coming in high school and I still think it's a beautiful park. Now that I live in "the Cali" (as my bro calls it), I can see how unique it is. I think it's a great place to bring out of town guests because it just gives insight into how amazing Boston is and how connected to its history and to the ocean. read more

Better know to locals as Castle Island. Fort Independence is a Revolutionary War Fort that has been nicely preserved. It offers great views of the Boston Harbor and Logan Airport. This is the p[lace to go on a hot summer day. There is always a breeze. Parking can be an issue in the summer but many people bike and walk the causeway. Reward yourself with take out from Sullivan's (Sully's if you're local!). The fort itself is opened on designated days. See their website for times and dates. This is my go to place when I need to veg out and clear my head! read more

Alright I know this sounds trashy, but this is the best park to come down to at night (ie after dark) after a long days work. You bring a sixer and a friend and sit on the swings and talk about life liberty and the pursuit of happiness; all while listening to the water lap against the shores of Pleasure Bay. The grass is green, the ocean breeze is cool and you lean back in the swing and reminisce when times were simpler. Just a beautiful serene park at night. Just remember to clean up after yourself and take your empties home to recycle them. read more

In the summer it can be a little noisy and crowded with families but its a fun place to lie out and chill by the water. Good place to hang out outside and alternative to the Charles/Common. read more

I love this place. Every time I come to Boston, I come here. Great place for biking, running, walking the dog. When I lived in Boston I used to skate here in the summer. Great place to bring kids, there's a playground nearby. read more

Castle Island is a great walking spot in the city. There isn't a ton of green space, but there is a nice paved walking trail that goes out into the water and back around the beach. There are always people fishing out in the Sugar Bowl (the furthest point out in the water) and it is a great place to people watch. We bring our dog here all the time, but with people biking or rollerblading on the narrow path, it can be a little terrifying for her as she almost gets run over a lot. In the evenings, the view of the Boston skyline is unparalleled. It is a great spot to watch the sunset. Sullivan's, which is the food shack at Castle Island, is cheap and delicious. There are always plenty of benches to sit on, a nice playground and some friendly people. I am only giving it four stars because in my recent night trips to Castle Island I haven't felt entirely safe or at ease as I used to there. read more

Do not walk through the doors of Fort Independence. Do not agree to be lead on a tour. You won't get that 90 minutes of your life back. Perhaps we just got a long-winded tour guide... but we spent 90 minutes with a large group of people, half of which was in small, poorly ventilated rooms in August, schlepping around this Fort. I honestly couldn't hear a word the tour guide had to say... The view of the ocean is nice, though sometimes disrupted by the shipyard scene... and it would be a much better experience if one did not HAVE to commit to the tour to be able to see the view from the top of the Fort. I actually saw people getting yelled at for going without a tour guide. If they have open times where you can enjoy it at your leisure, I would recommend that. Perhaps I'm cynical, but there's nothing in the Fort that a good plaque couldn't tell. I especially liked the question posed to our group, "Have you noticed the planes flying overhead? Anyone wonder why that is?" to which I promptly reply "Because Airplanes work best in the air rather than on the ground." As for the rest of the park, a nice place to walk with pretty good parking (do not go down to the parking lot; find a spot before you get there. It will be worth it). Pretty rocky beaches, but the kids in the water seemed to be having a good time. The eatery there seemed to be fairly inexpensive. read more

Great public park along the water near Logan.

This is one of my favorite places in Boston, and I appreciate that you can reach it by public transportation (bus). I think I started venturing here as an undergrad, and have continued to go for several years since then. A great place to sit and watch the boats and the water. read more

I want to start off by saying that I hate giving a free tour and free experience a negative review. Any museum, or historical site that provides free admission and a free tour is highly admirable and should be greatly encouraged. However, the experience I encountered was that of a negative experience. The guides and volunteers were very friendly, however the execution of the tour was poor. The tour guide, who was an elderly man, was very difficult to hear even while standing next to him. This was not that big of an issue, but we were not allowed to venture more than 10-20 feet away from him without being instructed to return to his location. This made the tour very strict and I felt like a 3rd grader being instructed to remain in single file. Again, we had no issue with not being able to hear the guide, nor not being able to wander freely, but the time spent by the guide talking about every detail dragged on and on. At one point a fellow guide hinted that he should speed it up a bit. We reviewed, what I assumed was fascinating facts about a flag used in the fort, however we spent a long time on that flag, and the next flags, and then the next. Not being able to hear clearly the guide we just hung around waiting to see more of the fort. As we progressed to the top of the fort, everyone proceeded to the fort walls to get some great pictures of the Boston harbor. The guide instructed everyone to stay away from the wall and come back to where he was talking. Repeatedly, people we instructed to stand here, move here, stop walking, keep closer, don't get too far ahead, don't look at this yet we will be talking about this soon. Several visitors had enough and left. Wanting to savor the harbor views we wandered ahead to get a better view. As the guide approached we were chastised about wandering too far ahead. The tour was done for us at this point, we could not enjoy the views we wanted, and at this point had moved so slowly we wanted to see the rest of castle island. As we told a second guide that we were leaving we could hear the head guide calling to us about where we were going and to come back. We exited the tour and stopped by the bathroom before we left. After using the bathroom we looked at the neighboring room which included some fascinating pictures and ship models. Shortly after another guide quickly comes in and says we have to leave the room and that we cannot be there without a tour group. We left the fort very disappointed. We were not able to enjoy the vast history the fort had to offer, nor the spectacular views. I 100% appreciate all the volunteers taking there time to assist with the fort, but please let guests enjoy the fort. We were told on several occasions it was for the safety of the guests, yet every part of the tour was well protected behind a wall, or fence, or barricade. The museum contained wonderful pictures and models, but no artifacts that would be damaged by free roaming guests. I hope that anyone reading this will go visit the fort and enjoy themselves, but if they experience the same tour we experienced, I hope something is said to the tour so they can fix their ways. I hope I showed up on an off day, but if this is how tours are run every day I hope it is changed for guests to be able to enjoy the wonderful historical site. read more