Boston is amazing. If you enjoy history, it’s the place for you. We spent a week in Boston and I loved it so much! When I travel, I have a hard time not doing EVERYTHING – I might miss something, and how do I know if I’ll ever get that chance again? With Boston, there’s almost too much to do. While most of the historical places we toured were totally worth our time, some weren’t. In the hopes of helping you know what you might want to see when visiting Boston, I’ve put together this list of the things we loved, thought were ok, and didn’t like. Because there’s so much great food to be had, you’ll also find reviews of our favorite restaurants.
First things first, how are you planning on getting around? You probably shouldn’t rent a car unless you’re driving outside of the city. Traffic can be pretty bad, and parking is very expensive. The city has a great public transit system called the “T”. If you’re traveling outside of Boston, you can also use the T to connect to a commuter rail. If public transit isn’t your thing, use a ride sharing service like Lyft or Uber. Or, you can ditch the cars and walk everywhere! Boston is a very, very walkable city, and I highly recommend walking to your destination – it’s the best way to see things.
Must See
The Tea Party Museum
If you are in a time crunch and can only visit 1 historical place in all of Boston, visit this museum. It’s more of an experience than a museum. Actors act out the events leading up to and including the Boston Tea Party, and you get to be in on the fun by cheering, booing, and even throwing “tea” off the ship into the harbor. There’s lots of awesome information presented in a super fun way. I must admit, I thought this place was going to be cliched and hokey, but I’m so glad I gave it a chance! The actors were amazing and very knowledgeable. There’s a cafe next to the gift shop where you can sample the teas thrown off the ship during the Tea Party, which I really enjoyed even though I’m not a big tea person. We didn’t try any of the food from the cafe, but it did smell delicious.
Night Tour of Boston: Our tour guide Darren, from Haunted Boston Ghost Tours, was a great storyteller. Almost all the tours we went on had good storytellers who clearly liked what they were doing, but the night tour sets itself apart because it was just plain fun. You’ll find out a lot interesting information that you might not stumble upon in a history book.
The Freedom Trail
The trail is 2.5 miles long and denoted by a line of red brick laid into the sidewalk. You’ll hit all the big historical stops by walking the Freedom Trail, but it is time consuming, especially if you make all the stops. I recommend either going on a tour and then going back to the locations you found most interesting, or splitting the trail into 2 days to give yourself enough time to really see all there is to see. Watch your step as you walk, there are many uneven places along the trail. Also, keep an eye out for breaks in the trail – it was laid in 1951 and there’s been a lot of sidewalk construction/repair since then. Not all of the trail was laid back once the work was done.
The Boston Public Garden: The Public Garden is peaceful and beautiful. It has a large pond (where you can ride around in Swan Boats!), meandering walkways, spreading trees, and and tons of benches where you can relax. You might even get a glimpse of this little guy!
(have you ever seen a white squirrel that wasn’t albino before?).
The Boston Public Library
One of the oldest libraries in the U.S. and well worth the visit. Especially because: 1) Books 2) Spiral staircases 3) Just look at this building! 4) Have I mentioned all the books?! There’s a cafe on the first floor, so grab a coffee and head outside to enjoy your book in the beautiful courtyard across from this fountain. 
Faneuil Hall
There are a few gift shops inside Faneuil Hall, but but what I loved most was the meeting room upstairs. It’s steeped in history and is actually a national park. Park rangers have a lot of really fantastic info about the building and the historical events it’s seen. Take a break from walking the Freedom Trail to sit and listen to one of these knowledgeable rangers in this beautiful setting.
Sam Adams Brewery
If you like beer, this brewery tour is a must. We went to the Monday Morning Mash-In, which is the first tour of the day, and got to taste beer which was still in the testing stage. It’s better to go early in the day (or at least show up for the tour early) because the tours fill up quickly. Also, you might not get to taste all the different types of beer if you go on one of the later tours (from what our guide said).
Harvard University and Harvard Square
I enjoyed walking around the Harvard campus. Harvard Square is a shopping center right outside of the university gates. Go on a tour of Harvard if you have time. Most tours are lead by Harvard students, and the college even offers a few free ones during the day. Those tours are limited in 2017 (and maybe 2018) because of construction on the campus. When you’re on campus, be sure to go into Memorial Hall (which wasn’t part of our tour), as it’s beautiful. The upstairs of the Starbucks in Harvard Square has a beautiful view of the square thanks to its huge wall of windows, however it was very busy the entire time we were there.
Cheers 
If you liked the show you need to make a trip to this bar. The bar which inspired Cheers (and now shares it’s name) is downstairs. The “set bar” is upstairs and even has nameplates where the characters normally sat. There are also a few Cheers gift stores throughout the building. Fair warning, if you’ve had a few too many drinks you might have a hard time finding your way out of the building – it’s a bit of a maze.
Visit If You Have Time
Paul Revere’s house: One of the oldest buildings in Boston, it was actually 90 years old by the time Paul Revere bought it and moved in. I enjoyed learning more about Paul Revere at this museum, and it was very cool to be able to walk through this house, which has been restored to look like it would have when Paul Revere was alive.
Granary Burying Ground
This is where Paul Revere, John Hancock, Sam Adams, and Benjamin Franklin’s parents are buried. If you’re a fan of historic cemeteries you should check it out.
Old North Church
This is the church where 2 lanterns were hung to signal the British were coming, the act which launched Paul Revere’s famous midnight ride. The interior is beautiful and the exhibits are very well done. They only offer self-guided tours, but the information is great.
USS Constitution Ship and Museum
All the exhibits in the museum are hands on, making it a great place for kids. The museum and the ship are both self guided and there’s a lot to see. Give yourself at least half a day to go through both.
Quincy Market: Quincy Market is the building directly behind Faneuil Hall. Like Faneuil Hall, it’s an historical site. The Quincy Market Colonnade surrounds Faneuil Hall and the Quincy Market, and it’s a great place to do some shopping or grab a bite to eat after you’ve explored the meeting room of Faneuil Hall.
Skip
The Old South Meeting House
The inside of this building is beautiful. However, it’s not very well maintained and many of the exhibits were broken. There are some nice photo ops inside, but I suggest taking a selfie in front of it and not wasting your time and money to go inside. Tours are self-guided and there are several exhibits to see. The information in the exhibits was good, but the way it was displayed made it hard to read – it was in huge shadowbox-type displays with letters and informational blurbs layered behind each other and cutting each other off. The interior of the Old North Church looks very similar and is much better maintained. Stick to the church instead of the meeting house, as you’ll be seeing much of the same layout.
The Old State House
There was a lot of construction going on while we were there, but all the interior rooms were open. We were disappointed with the museum’s offerings. The exhibits told the same history as other stops on the Freedom Trail, but mostly through videos that were stale and outdated. About half of the exhibits were hands on and geared towards kids, but most of them were broken.
Restaurants
There are SO many great restaurants in Boston. We try not to plan food too much in advance because we like stumbling upon restaurants when exploring a new place. However, we found that not every area of Boston has a huge restaurant selection, so you may want to do a quick search of the area you’re exploring that day to be sure you’ll have plenty of options. Our favorite restaurants:
Decca Boston Navy Yard: Fantastic service, burgers, and poutine. It’s also super convenient because it’s inside the navy yard, across from the USS Constitution.
The Omni Parker House 
This hotel is the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States and has played host to many famous guests, including John Wilkes Booth, J.F.K., and Mark Twain. It’s also said to be one of the most haunted places in Boston. We didn’t know any of these things when we stopped here. We went because we found out they were the inventors of the Boston Cream Pie. It was SO GOOD.
Giacomo’s
This Italian restaurant has more than one location, but we ate at the original one in the North End on Hanover St. It’s cash only, and you need to be prepared to wait a while to get in. It’s super tiny, and the line to get in starts outside and goes down the block. We stood in the rain for 20 minutes before being sat, but it was well worth it. Despite the rain, the line grew the entire time we were there.
Luke’s Lobsters
This restaurant has yummy Lobster rolls! It’s more of a fast food place, as in you order at the counter and seating is first come, first serve – much more casual than most of the seafood places in the area. I really liked that they show you where their lobster comes from.
Mike’s Pastry
They are known for their cannoli, but the rest of their pastries looked wonderful as well. You’ll see their white and blue boxes everywhere!
Sam Adams Red Brick beer: Obviously not a restaurant, but I couldn’t resist adding this Sam Adams beer to the list. It’s is only available on tap in the city of Boston; Sam Adams does not bottle it, and you can’t even get it at the brewery. You will be able to get it at most bars in Boston, and I highly recommend taking advantage of it when you’re the area.
Downeast cider: Again, not a restaurant, but you’ll be able to find it at most places. This unfiltered cider is so good! It’s a Boston-local company which ships throughout the US, but I hadn’t heard of it until I was in the area.
No matter what you do in Boston, you’re sure to have a good time. Hope this guide helps point you in the right direction.