Public Garden
#4 of 100 things to do in Boston
The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common. Wikipedia
Address: 69 Beacon St, Boston, MA 02108, United States
Area: 24 acres (10 ha)
Phone: (617) 635-4505
Boston’s Public Garden is the groomed and formal younger cousin to the more casual and boisterous Boston Common. The first public botanical garden in America, its form, plantings, and statuary evoke its Victorian heritage. This green and flowering oasis in the heart of a great metropolis has become a Boston icon. No visit would be complete without a stroll in the Garden and a voyage on one of its Swan Boats.
The Garden is truly a people’s park and a public pride. It is not only accessible to everyone, but citizens have always played an extraordinary role in protecting and preserving it. Observing the Garden on a peaceful summer’s day with the trees in leaf, the flower beds bright with color, and the Swan Boats tracing their tranquil course around the serpentine pond, you would never think of it as a civic battleground. In fact, it has been an ongoing struggle to keep these twenty-four acres of reclaimed land as a place of quiet beauty for the enjoyment of all.
The Parks Department maintains the Victorian traditions to the best of their abilities, so you can judge its beauty for yourself. Admire the rich and unusual plants, the Lagoon, the monuments and fountains, and the Swan Boats created and operated for over 100 years by the Paget family.
Boston Parks and Recreation Department grows all the plants used in bedding-out the Public Garden in their greenhouses. Over 80 species of plants are cultivated there for future plantings in the Garden and more than 50 other locations around the city. Due to the wide variety of plants and its romantic setting, the Garden attracts many weddings.
website: cityofboston.gov/Parks/emerald/public_garden | friendsofthepublicgarden.org/our-parks/public-garden/