My favorite places in Boston

I never knew New England existed.  I didn't think there was much more past NYC, just a lot of green space, which is not altogether entirely untrue.  But I have come to fall in love with this region of the country so much, the longer I live here.  I want to record some of my favorite places in NE, so that I can remember to share with my friends, especially those who have just arrived and didn't really know all that NE had to offer either.  I realize that list is going to get very long, so I'm going to start off with just Boston.  This list will include places I have been, and places that are on my bucket list.  I provide some highlights and tips for the places I have actually been.

Local Parks and Playgrounds

1. Hynes Playground - this park has a playground, splash pad, and nice loop for bike riding.  It has basketball courts and a baseball field.  We usually run into someone we know here.
2. Soule Park & Playground - This park also has a splash pad and tennis courts.  We have great memories here, since Caleb went to pre-school here and had soccer practice on the lawn here.
3. Skyline Park - this is up on a hill and has plenty of parking and is just super nice and clean with a beautiful view.
4. Larz Anderson - this is beautiful park with fully shaded playground and a short walking trail over a pond with a beautiful stone gazebo.  We have had many a soccer games here.  This is also a popular place to picnic, watch the fireworks downtown, on the top of the hill, or fly a kite.  Venture a little further from the main area, and the crowds thin out and you'll be surprised by some unique art sculptures and installations.  This also has a nice outdoor skating rink - even Tom Brady's kids took lessons here.  The old carriage house is home to the Museum of Transportation, with vintage cars on display.  
5. Millenium Park - we just recently discovered this park in West Roxbury.  It is located on the Charles River, so there's a boat launch.  We like it for the paved bike paths.  You can start at the top of the hill and coast down, or try to wind your way back up.  There's multiple different paths and is quite scenic in some parts.
6. Arnold Arboretum - I didn't realize that I had visited this place on one of our visits to Boston, when the flowers were blooming and it was very festive.  The boys like to ride their bikes here and it is just a nice sanctuary so close to the city.
7. Boston Harbor Islands - there is usually a free ferry day, once a year, where we take the ferry to the many different Boston Harbor Islands.  Spectacle Island is fun to hike and hunt for sea glass.  We love the fort at Peddocks Island, but Fort Warren on Georges Island may be our favorite!
8. Christopher Columbus Park - everytime I am near Fanueil Hall, the North End, the ferry dock or the aquarium, I always stop at the Christopher Columbus Park.  The playground there has a sand surface and is pretty fun.  If I had time, I'd walk through the North End and grab a cannoli from Mike's Pastry (limencello is the way to go!).  
9. Rose Kennedy Greenway - There is also a nice carousel right across the street from the Christopher Columbus Park.  Walk the greenway for some interesting and always changing art installation.
10. Boston Common and Public Gardens - I almost forgot to include the most famous playground and park of them all.  The boys love this playground and there's also a carousel when the weather warms up.  But one of my favorite all-time memories is of our boys "swimming" in the wading pool - I can't even remember if you're supposed to be in the water.  But they had so much fun!  In the winter, ice skating on the Frog Pond is a must, to truly be Bostonian.  Try to catch an ice skating competition or show.  I prefer watching the swan boats and picnicking in the Gardens.  Also, don't forget our "annual" visits to the Make Way for Ducklings statue.  It's amazing to see how much the boys have grown from their first visit to this statue.
11. Charles River Esplanade - Another one I almost forget - my kids' favorite playground of them all!  This one might be for a little bit older kids.  It has a ginormous rope climbing structure, a climbing rock, a wooden climbing structure, and a zipline, all on the edge of the Charles River, with one of the best views in the city!  I always dream of bringing my bike here and biking the Charles River.  The Hatch Shell is also here (it's beautiful!), and we've been able to catch the Boston Symphony play outdoors and attend some festivals here.
12. Castle Island - this is best of all worlds!  It's reachable by car, has a great playground, a small rocky beach, a hill to fly kites and watch the planes land at Logan, Sullivan's for snacks, and a fort to explore!  Don't forget to take a walk out onto the path that loops out into the water.  There's free parking, which may seem busy but turns over pretty quickly.
13. Franklin Park Zoo - I include this here, because the playground at the zoo is one of the best ones in all of Boston!
14. Beaver Brook Spray Deck - we went here with some friends from Arlington, because it is a little bit of a hike from my house.  It's a super nice splash pad! 
15. Blue Hills - the boys have been here, but I have not had a chance.  Houghton's Pond is located here and definitely at the top of one of the next places I want to visit.
16. Minuteman National Park - come here to learn the history of the American Revolution.  There's a great biking trail.  We also got to visit the Old Manse, the home of many great writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Henry David Thoreau.  This is near the Old North Bridge where the shot heard around the world was shot.
17. Bunker Hill Monument - every great city has an obelisk monument, and this is Boston's.  This is actually ran by the National Park Service.  This is the hill where the Patriots were greatly outnumbered by the British and thus they commanded the soldiers to "don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes."  It has a pretty cool view of the Zakim Bridge and Boston.

Museums and Aquariums

1. Museum of Science - this might be the best museum in Boston, sitting on the Charles River.  My kids love the "Science in the Park" which is really just a playground that teaches about different forces of physics and nature.  I think the electricity show is worth a visit every time.  I also enjoy a show in the IMAX theater - we've seen the show on the Terracotta Warriors, the pandas, and the rainforest.  While you're in that part of the museum, stop and just awe at how big our galaxy is, and small we are, in the planetarium.  And don't forget to check out the Discovery Center, especially for those with younger kids.  I think getting a Premium membership here is worth it because it comes with 2 hours of free parking!
2. Children's Museum - the very first room with the marbles and rolling balls is the boys' favorite room.  They also love the climbing structure and water play room.  My favorite exhibit is the Japanese house that was gifted by Boston's sister city, Kyoto.  We go on Fridays after 5 pm for $1.
3. Museum of Fine Arts - this is an amazing museum!  My kids love doing the scavenger hunt and the mini-art workshops.  Double check with the info desk for the cards to do the scavenger hunt.  We have also enjoyed the tours and have learned so much about the arts.  Wednesdays after 5 is free for all, plus some holidays, and first Saturdays every month for people with a Bank of America card.
4. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - this is a unique art museum with a fascinating history, home of the most famous unsolved art heist.  It's worth spending a few hours wandering through the rooms, all curated by Isabella herself, thinking about how it's possible for one person to own this much wealth!  I like going on my birthday, when it's free.  :)
5. New England Aquarium - The penguins absolutely steal the show at this aquarium.  The seals and sea lions are also cute to watch for a while.  The entire aquarium circles around a 200,000 gallon ocean tank.  It is so much fun to circle around and check out all the different sea life at all different levels.  I always reserve a museum pass at the Boston library before going to the aquarium.
6. Boston Tea Party Museum - I admit, this felt like a tourist trap, so I didn't actually go until my 3rd grader had a field trip here.  I was actually blown away.  For a tourist trap, it's actually quite fun, interactive, and informative.  We took our best friends when they were in town and everyone had a blast.
7. MIT Museum - this was offered during one of the Fun Free Fridays in the summer, so I took the kids on the subway and walked across the bridge into Cambridge.  It was a fun and neat "nerdy" musuem.
8. ICA
9. State House
10. Harvard Art Museum
11. Paul Revere House

Other Places Worth Visiting

1. Legoland - this is technically in Somerville, but that's just a stone's throw away, so I include it here.  We got a family membership here because we thought it was a great value.  I liked going during the weekdays when no one else was there, and the kids can have the run of the place.  There is a Lego build of the city of Boston, which fascinates the kids every time!  There are two rides, both of which the kids love (one's a shooting game and the other is a flying contraption).  There's a little cafe from which you can keep an eye on your child.
2. Boston Library - the children's room was completely remodeled after the Marathon Bombing.  It's quite spacious but can also be a bit packed on weekends.  You can sit and enjoy a nice cup of coffee and watch the news being broadcasted live here!
3. Wheelock Theater - we got to see Willy Wonka here, and it is a great production!  The theater is small, so this is great with the kids.
4. Boston Children's Theater
5. Community Boating - for sailing and canoeing
6. Charles River Canoe & Kayak (www.paddleboston.com)