Boston Common – Park
#13 of 100 things to do in Boston
Boston Common is a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as the “Boston Commons”. Dating from 1634, it is the oldest city park in the United States. Wikipedia
Address: 131 Tremont St, Boston, Massachusetts 02111, United States
Area: 50 acres (20 ha)
Phone: (888) 733-2678
Boston Common is the oldest park in the country. The park is almost 50 acres in size. Today, Boston Common is the anchor for the Emerald Necklace, a system of connected parks that winds through many of Boston’s neighborhoods. The “Common” has been used for many different purposes throughout its long history. Until 1830, cattle grazed the Common, and until 1817, public hangings took place here. British troops camped on Boston Common prior to the Revolution and left from here to face colonial resistance at Lexington and Concord in April, 1775. Celebrities, including Martin Luther King Jr., Pope John Paul II, and Gloria Steinem (advocate of the feminist revolution), have given speeches at the Common.
Location: Bound By Tremont, Beacon, Charles, Park & Boylston Streets
Hours: All Day, 365 days a year
Tours: Self-Guided; or provided by the Freedom Trail Foundation
Admission: FREE
Frederick Law Olmsted never touched Boston Common, but his sons did. About 1913, their firm supervised the paving of walkways, the replenishment of the soil, and the moving of 15-ton trees.
From a utilitarian common ground for activities like grazing, militia formations and public hangings, the Common evolved. Its peaks were leveled cows were banned and 19th Century Bostonians added trees, fountains and statuary. The Common became the park-like greenspace we know today. The park includes ballfields, a tot lot and the Frog Pond, which provides skating in winter and a spray pool for children in the summer.