DK Travel : Boston : Kenmore & the Fenway

On days when the Red Sox are playing a home baseball game at Fenway Park, Kenmore Square is packed with fans. By night, Kenmore becomes the jump-off point for a night of dancing, drinking, and socializing at the myriad clubs on Lansdowne Street. Yet for all of Kenmore’s genial rowdiness, it is also the gateway into the sedate parkland of the Back Bay Fens and the stately late-19th- and early-20th-century buildings along The Fenway. The Fenway neighborhood extends all the way southeast to Huntington Avenue, aka the “Avenue of the Arts,” which links key cultural centers such as Symphony Hall, Huntington Theatre, Museum of Fine Arts, Massachusetts College of Art, and the not-to-be-missed Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum along a tree-lined boulevard.

For more on Boston’s performance arts venues (see Performing Arts Venues) Note: Take the E branch of the green line for the museums along Huntington Avenue

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7 Embassy

Narrow lounge downstairs has neo-Deco luxury look, but the prime (young and wealthy) clientele cluster on the dance floor upstairs.
Audubon Circle Restaurant

Trendy sandwiches and heavenly burgers make this genteel spot a step above the rest.
Avalon

Superstar DJs rank Avalon as one of the top US dance clubs, and the animated weekend throngs reveal why. Avalon also stages live concerts from hard rock to the hippest of hip-hop (see Avalon).
Axis

Avalon’s little sibling picks up a more collegiate crowd for its pulsating dance sessions: Friday nights have an underground feel with DJs plucked from around the globe.
B. B. Wolf

Featuring light American ales brewed nearby at Boston Beer works, B. B. Wolf draws a quieter crowd than the bars located near Fenway Park.
Back Bay Fens

This lush ribbon of grassland, marshes, and stream banks follows Muddy River and forms one link in the Emerald Necklace of parks (see Boston Common & Public Garden). The enclosed James P. Kelleher Rose Garden in the center of the Fens provides a perfect spot for quiet contemplation. A path runs from Kenmore Square to the museums and galleries on Huntington Avenue, which makes a pleasant short cut through the Fens.

Back Bay Fens
Betty’s Wok & Noodle

The diner decor is half the fun. The other half is picking a rice or noodle base, a protein, and a sauce from the menu to make your own combos.
Bill’s Bar

Despite nightly live music (you name it, they program it) and hardcore dance DJs on Saturdays, Bill’s regulars view it as a place to drink first and dance later.
Boston Beer Works

This cavernous brew pub specializes in lighter American ales and serves giant plates of ribs and chicken that can easily feed two ravenous Red Sox fans.
Boston Billiard Club

Top brand liquors and an extensive martini menu set BBC apart from less swanky pool halls. Clientele ranges from fraternity boys to young lawyers.

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Restaurant price categories

For a three course meal for one with half a bottle of wine (or equivalent meal), taxes, and extra charges.
- under $30
- $30–$45
- $45–$60
- $60–$75
- over $75