# What to do with a family in Boston for an afternoon? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 5, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106 "2012-06-05T02:00:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![smithsb](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smithsb/32/12107_2.png) [@smithsb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smithsb)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/21 "2012-06-06T17:06:27Z")
[**Boston** Hop-On Hop- **Off** Trolley **Tour** (Trolley) - **Boston Tours**](http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CLABEBYwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.allbostontours.com%2Fbody.asp%3Ftour%3DBOS-T0001%26page%3DTourDetails&ei=qo3PT471Oqb06AGDqvCWDA&usg=AFQjCNFFC2JkD8FZevCcgtCAsqmaGR35OQ&sig2=2DGesvdSRapByDo8_4TeEw) Same principle as the Duck tours but you can get on or off at any of the stops, do a museum/historical site/snack and then get back on the next trolley. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/22 "2012-06-06T17:38:58Z")
Catch a Red Sox game if you can. If they don’t let you catch, just get seats in the stands. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/23 "2012-06-06T18:12:50Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Well, a Red Sox game for a family of five would cost about $6 million, and, although it’s an awesome experience, you wouldn’t really see Boston. Fenway Park **is** Boston. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/24 "2012-06-06T18:20:52Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > Well, a Red Sox game for a family of five would cost about $6 million, and, although it’s an awesome experience, you wouldn’t really see Boston. I’ve heard that with the Sox fantastic start this season, you can buy tickets from scalpers for well below face value if you’re willing to wait until the 2nd inning or so. Those guys are getting reamed this year (deservedly so). ---
**Author:** ![Arabella\_Flynn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8491ac/32.png) [@Arabella\_Flynn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arabella_Flynn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/25 "2012-06-07T03:13:08Z")
If you’re willing to brave the Red Line ($1.70 fare each way, last I checked), you can also cross the river and eyeball some of the old things in Cambridge. MIT and Harvard have their own campus tours on top of everything else, and there are various historical things to boggle at. Not terribly crowded going out to Alewife during the afternoon, nor going inbound to Park Street during rush hour – everyone else will be going the other way, trust me. 😃 (I just moved here a year ago, but I was unemployed for the first month or so. I did a LOT of random wandering. Boston is a very walkable city, which you may appreciate after being stuck in an airplane for a while.) ---
**Author:** ![bartleby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bartleby/32/10491_2.png) [@bartleby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bartleby)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/26 "2012-06-07T20:43:11Z")
No one has bothered to mention Faneuil Hall? go to Faneuil Hall. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/27 "2012-06-07T20:57:20Z")
> [@bartleby](#): > > No one has bothered to mention Faneuil Hall? > > go to Faneuil Hall. I mentioned Quincy Market. Same thing. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/28 "2012-06-07T20:58:29Z")
> [@Arabella\_Flynn](#): > > ($1.70 fare each way, last I checked) $2.00 if you don’t have a Charlie Card. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/29 "2012-06-07T21:00:37Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I mentioned Quincy Market. Same thing. I thought they were the same. 🆒 (which is why I didn’t mention it) ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/30 "2012-06-07T23:36:11Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > I thought they were the same. 🆒 (which is why I didn’t mention it) Faneuil Hall is the small building on the Government Center side. The three parallel buildings are Quincy Market (plus North and South Market). ---
**Author:** ![bartleby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bartleby/32/10491_2.png) [@bartleby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bartleby)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/31 "2012-06-08T15:12:13Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I mentioned Quincy Market. Same thing. True enough.:smack: Sorry. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/32 "2012-06-08T16:21:14Z")
> [@bartleby](#): > > No one has bothered to mention Faneuil Hall? > > go to Faneuil Hall. It was mentioned in the first reply. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/33 "2012-06-08T16:51:25Z")
Rio! The song is Rio!? ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106/34 "2012-06-08T17:08:21Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > I thought they were the same. 🆒 (which is why I didn’t mention it) Technically they are different, but they are so close together that it’s hard to visit one without visiting the other. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-to-do-with-a-family-in-boston-for-an-afternoon/624106.md?page=1)