We live in southern NH, and my son has a friend visiting him this month from Houston. Left to themselves, they’d prefer to stay in the basement and play video games for the entire visit, and I don’t think we would see them except when they come upstairs for food or the bathroom.
However, we’re not sending this young lad back to his family to tell them that, even though it’s the first time he came to New England, he hasn’t seen any of it. We’ve done a couple of things in NH, and have a couple more planned (like a beach visit, and maybe Canobie Lake Park). We’re also going to take a day trip down to Boston (1 hour south of us in theory, 1.5 hours with normal traffic, or 2 with TRAFFIC).
I’m looking for suggestions from people with more Boston experience than I have for things to do:
In and around Boston (not too far out, we’re coming from the North already)
with 2 boys aged 13, that will interest them, or at least not cause them to gnaw their legs off to escape
that can be done in a day trip
So far, some ideas I have:
Trolley tour of Boston - get a good overview. I’d like to stop at some point and walk around some of the better historical landmarks, but I’m not sure where or what
The New England Aquarium
Ideas that I’ve already thought of and rejected:
Red Sox game - our guest isn’t interested in sports, so I’ll save this for when he’s gone.
Plymouth Rock - a bit far, and I don’t think he’s interested.
So, please, offer your suggestions and help me out here.
See if they are doing any whale watching. I enjoyed that when I was there, except I think I was in plymouth rock. Oh well, just check into that. It’s interesting and fun, unless they have a phobia of ships or get really sea sick.
1.) Boston Museum of Science
2.) The Children’s Museum
3.) The Boston Duck Tours
4.) The Freedom Trail
5.) Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market Place
6.) Constitution (“Old Ironsides”)
7.) Franklin Park Zoo
8.) The shops along Newbury Street
9.) Prudential Center/Westin Place
10.) Harvard Square (shops – including Anime Crash and the Comic Book Store)
I’d also suggest Salem, Mass. It’s got a lot of stuff – the refurbished Peabody-Essex Museum, three different Witch Museums, a Wax Museum, Terror on the Wharf haunted house, another Children’s Museum, lotsa witchy shops, the Pirate Museum…
I was about to suggest the Museum of Science or the Duck Tours, but I see Cal has beaten me to it. Can you give us some idea of what they’re interested in, maybe we can come up with some more specific ideas.
What ages/stages do the Children’s Museum in Boston and the one in Salem appeal to? I know that my son has really lost interest in the ones in Houston, Kansas City, and El Paso, so I’m a little bit cautious here not to bore the kids.
The Constitution is a great idea - I liked it. However, when my son and I went, he got bored quickly, and didn’t want to stay as long as I did. I don’t know if I’ll be able to drag him there again, never mind his guest.
The Freedom Trail - how long is it? What interesting things are there to see along the way? I know just looking at the historical landmarks will appeal to me, but I’m less certain of the boys.
I’ll look at Harvard Square - I want to at least drive by Harvard and MIT anyway, and I’ll bet that shops with names like “Anime Crash” and the “Comic Book Store” will appeal to them.
Salem, MA - maybe that’s a whole nother day’s activities, I’ll think about that.
Robot Arm, they’re both boy scouts, and they’re interested in video games, Pokemon, card games, and so forth. So I’ll be the first to admit that I’m kind of dragging them around - because I think that his friend (who only moved to the US from China about 6 years ago, and has never been to this coast before) would benefit from seeing some historical landmarks, or other things that he can’t see in Houston.
The Duck tour sounds way cool - maybe we’ll do that instead of the trolley tour (which will keep my son from getting bored, as he’s been on the trolley tour).
The Duck Tour is more fun, IMO, than the Trolley tours, though it isn’t hop on/hop off, so you’re on for the entore loop, and they let you off back at the beginning.
It takes about 2 hours, I think. Maybe slightly more. If the kids are into being a bit tacky, get them the duck calls so they can quack at people along the way.
I work in the Back Bay and get quacked at a lot by the Duck Tourists. I think it’s funny.
Definately a Duck Tour over the Trolley. Perhaps a trip out to the Boston Harbor Islands National Park (http://www.bostonharborislands.com/) would be a good day for them. If you want a Whale Watch, you can go from Cape Ann (http://www.seethewhales.com/).
Finish with a nice dinner at La Familia in the North End.
The Duck Tour is tons of fun - I always do that with tourist visitors of all ages. Salem and the Science Museum (which now includes the Computer Musem) are also great choices.
If you’re in Cambridge anyway, the MIT Museum is kind of fun, and also cheap. They have a gallery of “hacks” (pranks) played by students that is a lot of fun - the police car that was left on top of the Great Dome, etc.
I would skip the Children’s Museum with 13 year old boys. Museum of Science would go over much better. I would second the Aquarium and a trip across the way to Faneuil Hall. Salem’s pretty cool, too.
Oh well. All my good ideas have already been suggested. That’s what I get for not posting from work.
I second the Aquarium, the Boston Harbor Islands, and a whale watch from Cape Ann. Rumor has it that it has been a good “whale year” so far. They would probably also like the Museum of Science.
Not to discredit someone else’s suggestion but I was bitterly disappointed with Salem MA when I went there with out of town guests a few years back. Some of the attractions are hokey in the extreme. I think you have to know where to go.
The Duck Tours are a lot of fun. If possible, try to hide from the kids the fact that the vehicle actually goes into the water with them in it. Hilarity will ensue.
Duck Tours are good fun, but be careful, they fill up fast and often sell out. We had to line up at like 8:30am to get a spot on a 2pm Tour. If you have some time, try getting the tickets online. It’s definitely a good way to go.
Blue Man Group is a lot of fun too. About a 2.5 hour show. A bit expensive, but hey they only have shows in Boston, NYC, Chicago and Vegas I believe, so it’s not like he could go see them back home.
Freedom Trail is good fun too. It may be a bit of a walk, maybe take a few hours, but it’s interesting and fun to see all this history in our city. Goes to the North End and the Old North Church where Revere made his ride and then goes down to Quincy Market and the old City Hall. There’s info online that gives the map. I know I’m leaving a bit out. But there is a lot to do here in Boston. Newbury street is cool. If they are into music, you could go to stores like CD Spins, Virgin Atlantic music store (huge) and Newbury Comics (great place). Hope this helps.
Whale watching is a good idea. Take them to visit MIT and Harvard. There are some really good ice cream places: Toscanini’s and Herrel’s in Cambridge for the adventureous; Brighams for more pedestrian cones with “Jimmies” or frappes. Got to get some good pizza as well. Riding the subway is fun and the only reasonable way to get around Boston. There are some great museums if they are into that sort of thing. The computer museum may interest 13 yr old boys. The ferry to Provincetown is a good idea as well. Maybe they’ll see their scoutmaster there (insider joke).
About the MIT pranks (“hacks”) – take note. A lot of them aren’t at th MIT Museum at present, because they’ve been moved to the MIT exhibition space in Building 10 temporarily (on the first floor, directly under the Great Dome). The fiberglass cow (from the Hilltop Steak House on Route 1) is there, as s the Polic Car they erected atop the Great Dome.
As for the Children’s Museum ages – the one in Salem is definitely for the younger crowd. My daughter is 5 (almost 6), and she still oves it, bt I don’t think 13 year olds will go for it. They might like some of the things at the Boston Children’s Museum (authentic Japanese House from Japan, some nifty experimentation places), but that’s probably still pushing it.
The Comic Book Store is called something else, but I can’t remember what – “Comic Emporium”, maybe. It’s downstairs from Anim Crash (which I hope is still there. I haven’t been there in a while, and things change rapidly).
Million Year Picnic is the comic store in Harvard Square. It has all sorts of good stuff. I’m a loyal Comicopia customer (Kenmore Square) when I have the cash for comics, but Million Year Picnic is also a GREAT comic shop. If you’re in the Harvard Square area, the lads might certainly enjoy a stop by there, or Newbury Comics, which is more a music store than a comic store, and has many CDs very cheap (not to mention an anime shop in the same building - Tokyo Kid, I believe it’s called).
I thought of another possibility, but outside of Boston so I don’t know if it would be of interest. The Old North Bridge in Concord, MA. There’s the bridge itself, there’s usually an informal tour with a Revolutionary War re-enactor, and a Museum with lots of Revolutionary War stuff. It’s a big place with some really cool gardens (maze-like)and the walk from the Bridge to the Museum has plaques along the way explaining some of the history. There’s other stuff in downtown Concord and if you shoot over to Sudbury, there’s the Old Grist Mill (Which you can go inside the mill building to see the inner workings of the water wheel, etc.) and across the street from that, the One Room Schoolhouse which was where Mary, from Mary had a Little Lamb fame, went to school. (The building has been moved from it’s original location.) Fun places with lots of open space to roam, bring a picnic, play ball or frizbee, etc.
If you go to Concord, you might also want to consider renting a canoe and canoeing the Concord. Lotsa fun, and you can feed the ducks and geese. You can pull out of the river at the Old North Bridge and tour the site.
While the canoeing sounds cool, I think it’s out of the range of what we can do while he’s here. (Besides, he doesn’t swim, and his parents aren’t here, which makes an uncomfortable combination to me.) I’ve discussed it with son and friend, and they’re interested in the science museum and the duck tour (and my son already knew they went in the water, LL, or I would have kept that back). I’m going to at least drive them by MIT and Harvard.
Can someone give clueless old me directions to Harvard Square, or an address, or a link? That would be much appreciated.
Thanks for all the suggestions, guys!
We went to Canobie Lake park this weekend. It was fun, but guest got tired of it and wimped out, so we left early.
Oh, and the whale watching idea is something my BIL and SIL are interested in when they come to visit later this summer. Can anyone recommend what the best tour to take is? Also, do some start from higher up on the NH coast or the lower Maine coast, in addition to the ones that start from Boston?
Cape Ann (Gloucester) is quite a bit north of Boston, not a bad trip from southern NH. Sorry, no recommendations for the best tour, but I’ve rarely heard of anyone being disappointed in any of them.
Harvard Square is near Harvard (not suprisingly) in Cambridge. Just look in mapquest.com for JFK St.
