Every Bostonian should visit all of the classic tourist sights and well-known restaurants at least once, but there’s so much more to Boston. As a local, this is my personally crafted guide to all the hidden treasures you’re probably just walking by.
1. Caffe Vittoria
Forget the Mike’s vs. Modern debate and instead, stroll into this authentic Italian cafe in the middle of the North End. My personal favorites are the cappuccino, cannolis, gelato (especially the cappuccino flavor), tiramisu, and basically everything on the menu. You can’t go wrong.
2. Blackbird Doughnuts
Photo by Chloe Hager
This artisanal doughnut shop is consistently rated as having some of the best doughnuts in the country. They bake their doughnuts right there in the shop and craft them to be masterpieces. And there’s not one, but TWO shop locations in Boston. Did you know that?
3. Brattle Book Shop
Photo from editingeverything.com
One of America’s oldest and largest used bookshop is located right in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. Three floors of inexpensive books inside and an outside lot. What more could a bookworm want?
4. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway
This string of parks runs all the way from Chinatown to the North End, a total of 1.5 miles. It not only has never-ending plants, landscapes, and gardens, but it also has a carousel, zip line, food trucks, and other fun activities. It’s the perfect place for when you get tired of the concrete jungle of Boston and just want to hug a tree.
5. Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate
There is a reproduction of the United States Senate Chamber right in Boston, and it’s interactive! At the Edward M. Kennedy Institute, you can become a senator for the day, learn about the history and purpose of the Senate, and actually engage in debates and voting on bills. Whether you’re interested in politics or not, this is a wicked cool place.
6. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Yes, the Museum of Fine Arts is amazing, but the Gardner gives you an entirely different experience. Ever since art collector Isabella Stewart Gardner died in 1924, her famous collection has not been changed in the slightest way. Every piece of art and its placement in the museum has a purpose. The museum is also the site of one of the greatest art thefts in world history, including the most valuable unrecovered painting ever.
7. Arnold Arboretum
One of the brightest gems in F. L. Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace is the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University in Jamaica Plain. The landscape is home to the international study of plants and is actually a national historic landmark. Its living collection of plants is one of the most comprehensive and best documented in the world. Just the right place to sit with a book or brush up on your knowledge of horticulture.