Help with Boston itinerary

[sea]

Looking for help planning our Boston itinerary. Family of 5 (3 children) arriving in Boston late in afternoon. Staying at Doubletree Guest Suites which offers a shuttle to Copley Square, Boston Common, the New England Aquarium, and Harvard Square.
We'll be at this hotel for 3 nights, so have about 2 1/2 days to sightsee. I've got Fodors Boston on order from our local library, but haven't seen it yet.
At this point, I think we'd like to take a hop on hop off trolley tour, visit the Aquarium, perhaps see where the Red Sox play. I am open to other suggestions.
I'd like to have a bit of a plan before we hop on a shuttle.
Your suggestions of what to see in each drop off location, and the timeframe needed are very much appreciated.
Thankyou very much for your help.

[Werner]

Check out: http://www.theinsider.com/Boston/att...ns/2freetr.htm

The Freedom Trail
Quincy Market - near Aquarium
USS Constitution
The North End
Watch the walls in the Big Dig's Tunnels collapse
$15 Billion and counting

[falmouth3]

Forget seeing the Red Sox play. Tickets are extremely hard to come by and they are the most expensive seats in baseball. But if you just want to see Fenway, you can take tours of the stadium and that's a fun thing to do.

You didn't say how old your kids are. I would definitely do the freedom trail - and don't miss the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). There is also a free (donations accepted) nautical museum on site. And a battleship that you can explore.

I've never done the trolley, but I think it's a good idea. You might also consider the Duck tours. They fill up quickly, particularly in the tourist season.

Besides the aquarium, go to the Science Museum which has lots of hands on adventures for the kids. The aquarium and the science museum both have IMAX theaters.

The North End has lots of Italian restaurants and it's also the location for the Paul Revere house. It's inexpensive to tour.

You might also want to take a harbor tour. The cheapest thing to do is to take the "T" ferry to the town of Quincy and back (it's a commuter ferry), but there are narrated tours and boat trips to the islands. You can also go on a whale watch that the aquarium sponsors.

If your kids are old enough, you might want to see Blue Man Group. You can get 1/2 price day of show tickets at Bostix in Copley or Quincy Market. while at Quincy Market, tour Fanueil Hall. Go upstairs to the second floor where there's a free Park Ranger talk. You can do lots of shopping and eat from a selection of restaurants and food vendors at Quincy Market. There is also a free Ranger walk at the National Park near the old State house. Don't forget the Boston Common and the Boston Gardens. You can wade in the Frog Pond.

Lots of fun things to do in Boston. If you want to venture further, there's you can walk along the path the British took in Concord, a recreation of the Pilgrim's village in Plimouth Plantation, near Plymouth. Edaville is a cranberry farm that has a railroad that you can ride. That's in Carver, kind of near Plymouth. Then north of Boston, you can go to Salem, which is a pretty, old town that has historic things to see, witch and pirate museums, etc.

Can you tell I love my new adopted city? Let us know what you end up doing.

[sea]

Thankyou for the replies and great suggestions.
The children are ages 5/7/9.
We're staying a week on the Cape afterwards, so I'm thinking we'll try to stick with Boston for the 3 nights we're there. I'm going to try to get my hands on a touristy map of the city so I can see the location of these sights you've mentioned. The hotel may help with this once we're there, but I'd rather do my own research so we can chose what we'd really enjoy.

[falmouth3]

There are also statues of the ducklings in Make room for Ducklings (or whatever that story is) in the Boston Gardens, as are the famed swan boats.

On your way to the Cape, you'll be passing close to Plymouth so you may want to take a few hours to do Plimouth Plantation. I highly recommend it. Also, not too far from the Cape is Newport, RI where you can tour mansions that will make your eyes pop.

Have fun.

[MULTIZ321]

Walking the freedom trail is fun - it's about 3 miles if you do the entire trail.
The trail is marked with a painted red-line (faded in many spots) to guide you along the way - some of the sites have a small admission fee and others are free.

Keep in mind that if you go to see the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) - it is closed to the public on Monday's. Also across the parking lot from Old Ironsides is the USS Constitution Museum - free admission (they accept donations) -
I think your kids would enjoy the museum. I learned where the US Marines leatherneck nickname originated while touring the Museum. Also, the Bunker Hill Monument (which you can see from Old Ironsides and is just up the hill) is closed for renovation until September 2006.

Also, if you go see Old Ironsides, instead of walking back toward Boston Commons, consider taking the ferry which leaves from a dock a few minutes walk from Old Ironsides (you have to walk out the Naval Yard Gate and down a walkway to the dock). The fare is $1.50 per adult and I think less for children. Takes you across Boston Harbor and drops you off at the Aquarium.
Great boat ride for a fantastic price. There are other ferry trips too (the ferry is sponsored by the Transit Authority) - if you're interested,best to do a search to learn more about the available options and ferry times.

Enjoy your trip,
Richard

[mishpat]

Anyone been on/seen the new 7 passenger pedal bike tours. Near Fanuiel Hall or the Aquarium? Could be fun or another tourist trap. Please advise.

[Detailor]

You'd get a pretty good lay of the land and lots of information on many of the important sites in Boston by taking a narrated tour with Duck Tours. http://www.bostonducktours.com/
This is a fun way to see the city. They leave from the Prudential Center (near Copley Square) and from the Science Museum. You can make reservations online.

Dick Taylor

[sea]

Thanks again for all the suggestions.
I really like the idea of a ferry between the Aquarium and the Naval Dock Yard. The 1 mile walk from the end of the freedom trail to the U.S.S. Constitution might have meant that we wouldn't have made it that far (I'm not sure if the trolleys go there or not??). The ferry will enable us to tag this onto our Aquarium trip quite nicely.
I've read the freedom trail is 2.5 miles (approx.). We love to walk, but in the heat, and with the 5 yr. old, we're not sure how far we'll get. If we decide to try walking & not get a trolley initially, can we hop on one later to get back?
Thanks again!

[MULTIZ321]

Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority Link for info between Long Wharf, Boston to Charlestown Navy Wharf, Charlestown


Richard

[Corinne]

It is hard to go wrong with the Aquarium and the Science Museum. Both are excellent. We also like the Duck Tours. We've taken them in several cities in the US, most recently in Seattle, and think Boston's Ducks are the best. Swing by Boston Public Garden and ride a Swan Boat. Very uniquely Boston, and inexpensive. see http://www.swanboats.com
Also, I highly recommend Harvard's Museum of Natural History and Peabody Museum in Cambridge (Harvard Square). Awesome, unique collections which will appeal to all your children. http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/ Cambridge is an interesting place to visit in its own right. Some great people-watching to be had there.

Personally, I think I would skip the Freedom Trail. Despite having memorized every episode of Liberty's Kids, my 9 year old finds the Freedom Trail dry and not a little boring. If your older children have some interest in history, target one or two sights on the trail. Fanueil Hall area is lively and fun, and there are often street performers there, especially on weekends.

Boston is a fun and exciting town, always more to do than time to do it in. Enjoy!

-Corinne

[nerodog]

Trolley tours are great way to get to know the city... we loved it and we live in Mass!! Dont forget Quincy market for a quick bite to eat !!! Duck tours are great for kids too.. love the Acquarium and Science Museum also... stop in Plymouth on your way down to the Cape... you can take a tour of Fenway even if they arent playing....check out Yankee magazine for some tips as well.. they have a summer guide which also includes Boston and fave things to do, etc...

[KenK]

Try to find a copy in your library and read it (or have the 9 year old read it) to the younger kids before you go.

http://www.nanosft.com/freedom/common/duck1.shtml

[sea]

I ordered a copy of Make Way for Ducklings, thanks for the pointer on that, and took a good look at the Science Museum. I'm not sure how but it had escaped my attention before so thanks for highlighting it. The Citypass looks like a good option as we'll probably go to 4 or 5 of the 6 features. It will be a busy few days, and I really appreciate all the comments received.

[dneuser]

Not sure if someone already suggested this or not, but we were in Boston just this weekend and loved the Skywalk at the Prudential Building. The video and the audio tour takes about 60-90 minutes and there are special audio tour tapes for kids. The view of Boston from the top gives you a great perspective on the entire city and the different neighborhoods you might like to explore. Adults $10/Kids $6?? - I think?? But they also sell the City Tour ticket books there which seem like a GREAT bargain. Over $100 worth of attractions for $39adults/$21 kids. We saw a number of families using them and they contain discounts for the most of the stuff mentioned here.

[sea]

I contacted the Boston Visitors bureau last week and they were to mail me a tourist map of Boston. Still haven't received it, and no Fodors yet either.
Can someone suggest a website that shows a good tourist map of Boston that I can print?
Thankyou again for all the help. Countdown is on.

[MULTIZ321]

Expedia.com - Boston Map

Accessmaps.com: Map of Boston

LonelyPlanet.com - Boston Map


Richard

[falmouth3]

I don't know how well this will print. You can pick these up at the trolley sales kiosks for free when you get here.

http://www.discoverbostontours.com/pdf/map.PDF

[mikey0531]

My son was 10 when we visited Boston. He loved the Duck Tour -- so did we -- it was really fun. He also enjoyed our visit to "Cheers" -- I forget the name of the real restaurant. It's been a couple of years since we visited -- so I can't remember the names of things -- I know he rode some swans in a park -- maybe someone else knows where it was??

Debi

[falmouth3]

The swan boats are in Boston Garden. We finally did that in the spring. It's a short ride, but inexpensive and I'm sure the children love it.

Sue

[Beverley]

I vote for the Science Museum and the Omni Theatre at the Science Museum. The Kids will like this. Also, there is a Children's Museum not far from the Aquarium, ask the Concierge. When my kids were young they absolutely had a ball at the Children's Museum.

Beverley

[sea]

Thankyou multiz321, I used your prompts and got the maps I need. We're off in 3 days and I'm feeling confident our time will be well spent with thanks in a large way to all those who responded to my post.
Happy Holidaying!