DK Travel : Boston : Boston Common & Public Garden

Boston Common & Public Garden

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Verdant Boston Common has hosted auctions, cattle grazing, and public hangings over its 350-year history, in addition to festivals and the requisite frisbee tosses. The adjacent Public Garden, opened in 1839, was the USA’s first botanical garden. Its swan boats, weeping willows, and bridge are emblematic of Boston at its most enchanting. The French-style flowerbedsmay only bloom in warmer months, but the garden exudes old-world charm year round.

Emerald Necklace

Boston Common and Public Garden may seem like solitary urban oases, but they are two links in a greater chain of green space that stretches all the way through Boston to the suburb of Roxbury. The Emerald Necklace, as this chain is called, was completed in 1896 by Frederick Law Olmsted, the man behind New York’s Central Park.

For sights and attractions in neighboring Beacon Hill (see Beacon Hill) For sights and attractions in neighboring Downtown & the Financial District (see Downtown & the Financial District)

Top 10 Attractions

1. Shaw Memorial

Augustus Saint-Gaudens’ lifelike bronze pays homage to the “Fighting 54th” – one of the only entirely African-American regiments in the Civil War. Led by Boston native Robert Shaw, the 54th amassed an impressive battle record.
2. Soldiers & Sailors Monument

2. Soldiers & Sailors Monument

Over 25,000 Union Army veterans remembered their fallen Civil War comrades at the 1877 dedication of Martin Milmore’s impressive memorial. Bas-reliefs depict the soldiers’ and sailors’ departure to and return from war.
3. Frog Pond

3. Frog Pond

During summer, children splash under the iridescent spray of the pond’s fountains. Come winter, kids of all ages lace up their skates and take to the ice. Skate rentals and hot chocolate are available at the nearby hut.
4. Parkman Bandstand

Built in 1912 to honor George Parkman, a benefactor of the park, the bandstand is modeled after Versailles’ Temple d’Amour. In summer it hosts everything from concerts to graduations.
5. Make Way for Ducklings Statuettes

Eight duckling statues have sprung from the pages of Robert McCloskey’s kids’ book and fallen in line behind their mother at the pond’s edge.
6. Founders’ Memorial

William Blaxton, Boston’s first white settler, is depicted greeting John Winthrop (see John Winthrop (1587–1649)) in John F Paramino’s 1930 bronze. Note the word “Shawmut” – the Native American name for the land that would become Boston.
7. Lagoon Bridge

This elegant 1869 span over the lagoon is often mistaken for a suspension bridge, a tribute to the architect’s clever design. It is a favorite spot for wedding pictures.
8. Swan Boats

8. Swan Boats

Summer hasn’t officially arrived in Boston until the swan boats emerge from hibernation and glide onto the Public Garden pond. With their gracefully arching necks and brilliantly painted bills, each distinctive swan boat can accommodate up to 20 people.
9. Bronze of George Washington

The nation’s first president cuts a stately figure at the western end of the Public Garden. Thomas Ball’s 1869 bronze was the first to depict George Washington astride a horse.
10. Ether Monument

This 1868 statue commemorates the first etherized operation, which took place at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846. Controversial from the outset, this is the West’s only monument to the powers of a drug.

Practical Information

Quick, food court-style bites can be had inside the Corner shopping center, at Washington and Summer streets. The Commonwealth Shakespeare Company stages free performances on the common during summer. Call 617 532 1252 for schedule. Bounded by: Beacon, Park, Tremont, Arlington, & Boylston streets “T” station: Park Street (red/green line), Boylston, & Arlington stops (both green line) Open 24 hours Boston Common Visitors’ Center: 147 Tremont St 617 426 3115 open 8:30am–5pm Mon–Sat, 9am–5pm Sun Boston Parks & Recreation: 617 635 4505 Swan boat rides: 617 522 1966 mid-Apr–mid Sep: usually 10am–5pm daily www.swanboats.com Adm: $2.50