So, there is no good (i.e. cheap) parking in all of Boston! That may be an exaggeration, but it really feels like it. We ended up parking in a garage that was a couple blocks from our hotel. The hotel then gave us a voucher that made the parking slightly cheaper (but still super expensive, about $39 a night).
Our hotel: We stayed at the Harborside Inn at 185 State Street. It was a great room with high ceilings, a fridge, and free wifi. It felt very modern and the location just couldn’t be beat. Usually, we stay at chain hotels, but I’m glad we made an exception this time. We only stayed there for one night, but it was a pretty good one night. There is no breakfast or pool. But there is a nice seating area and restaurant on the first floor.
Since parking cost so much, we thought the best way to get around would be to use public transportation. Well, I did a little research and found that Boston has an Old Town Trolley. I enjoy this company when we travel. Right now, they are in 7 cities around the country. So, what the Old Town Trolley Tours offer is a tour around the town. But it’s not only that. Our guide was very funny and made our trip very entertaining. Plus, you can get off and back on as many times as you want. We only got off and back on once during our trip, but it made the journey there so much better! We learned so much and really got to see the city. It was a bonus that one of the stops was just a block from our hotel.
Owen’s Notes: “It was very unique. I don’t think I’d ever been on a trolley before then. I liked it.”
The stop that we hopped off at was the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. I’m not big on history, but everything about this place sounded fun. First of all, every employee here stayed in character at all times. They wore period clothing and spoke in period accents and answered questions as though they were really there. We were given identities as people from that time period in a meeting house. Some people had lines. This was definitely an audience participation time. We were taken back to the meeting where the Boston Tea Party was planned. It was a lot of fun, for old and young alike. There was yelling, both of agreement and of disdain. You really have to experience it for yourself. Then, we were taken to a ship where we were shown below deck to get a sense of what the ships were like for people back then. We threw tea overboard. We were given time to look around the ship and take pictures. Then, we were taken to a dock that had some interesting historical facts. And finally, we were taken through a series of rooms that had videos and voices to tell us about what life was like after the Boston Tea Party occurred. After everything was done, we were dropped off at the tea house. You could get food and drinks here. Or you could walk back to the main building where there was a gift shop. I would have loved to look around, but unfortunately, we had to be moving to our next destination.
Owen’s Notes: “I really liked that we got to throw little tea boxes overboard. I also really liked that we got to go into a museum where things seemed to come to life. The paintings started talking!”
So we got back on the Old Town Trolley and ended up back at our starting point.
Then, we were off to our next adventure. I had already purchased tickets to go on a whale watching boat tour. We got some ice cream from the Ben and Jerry’s nearby and then stood in the long line that was forming. When the line started moving, they started scanning out tickets so that we could then wait in another line. I wish this line had been covered. I was almost concerned I was going to get a sunburn just standing in this line. Eventually though, it started moving again. Then, we were taken to the boat.
Tip: If you’re one of the first people on the boat, find a spot quickly. There are quite a few options, but there are so many people on these cruises, that there’s hardly enough room for everyone, and if you get up, expect that people are going to take your seat.
We sat in multiple different places while on board, and most people were incredibly rude when you asked if the 6 seats they were saving were taken. With all of those negatives out of the way, let me tell you what I absolutely loved about this tour. First of all, I liked that they had food and drinks for sale. Because we really needed a snack. Somehow, we had forgotten to eat lunch. And since you start and end the tour with a long ride to and from your destination, a good snack is just what we needed. We got a soft pretzel, some chips, and a gatorade.
But clearly, the best part was the whales. We were very fortunate to be able to see 6 different humpback whales on our journey. They were huge, amazing creatures. They were feeding so we got to see their tails in the air preparing to dive frequently. It was seriously amazing. You really have to experience it for yourself and I highly recommend that you do.
Owen’s Notes: “Whales! Whales! Whales! I love whales! Whales! Whales! Whales! Whales! 6 whales!”
After we got back, we decided to get dinner from Legal Sea Foods, which happened to be right across the street from where they let you off the boat. There are so many things all in that one area! It was just the two of us and we were there around around 5pm so we were seated right away. Then, we ordered our food. I got a cup of clam chowder and a crab cake. The crab cake came with a small salad. Altogether, my meal cost around $26. Owen got chicken fingers. He said they were good. But the real reason you go to a seafood restaurant is to get seafood. And it was delicious! There is a reason this place is famous. It was very delicious. I would absolutely return and order these items again.
Owen’s Notes: “I tried a new food there. I’d never had clam chowder before and I liked it. I was surprised!”
We headed back to our hotel and rested from our long day. The next morning, we checked out of our hotel, brought our bags the 3 blocks back to the car, paid for our parking, and then went on our way. Before we left Boston, though, we had one more activity we wanted to do.
I had bought our tickets for the Fenway Park Tour the day before. We got there about 20 minutes before our tour time and parked on the street right outside of Fenway. I still had to go to the ticket booth to exchange the tickets on my phone for paper tickets. Then, we were told to wait by some steps for our tour guide. Right at 9am (our tour time), our guide showed up and took us on an amazing tour of Fenway. I like baseball, but I’m not a huge fan. But I have been on multiple ballpark tours and I always find them to be a blast! I definitely recommend them to anyone that even remotely enjoys the sport. And even though we consider ourselves Cubs fans, it was still great to tour where the Red Sox play. We were able to visit multiple different places including the Green Giant, the red seat, the press box, the garden (where they grow their produce used in dishes at the ballpark), and more. We ended in a room filled with memorabilia. It was a blast and I would absolutely recommend a visit.
Owen’s Notes: “Even though the Red Sox aren’t my favorite baseball team, I like baseball. I even got to go up on the Green Monster! I also got to see the Fenway Gardens.”
I know this was a long post, so if you made it all the way to the end, you made it! This is it! We had an amazing 24 hours in Boston and I would love to go back and visit again. There were so many things we didn’t do. Let me know in the comments below all the things we should do on our next visit!
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