Boston Common & Public Garden

Visitor Guide to the Green Heart of Boston

⏱ 1-2 hours👤 All agesFree

Boston Common dates to 1634, making it the oldest public park in the country — originally common pasture, later a militia training ground and public gathering place, and today 50 acres of green at the center of the city. It's the official starting point of the Freedom Trail, and across the centuries it's hosted everything from public celebrations to protests. In winter, the Frog Pond becomes a popular skating rink.

Directly adjacent, separated by Charles Street, the Public Garden is a different character entirely: established in 1837 as the first public botanical garden in the United States, it's formal and ornamental, with winding paths, Victorian plantings, a central lagoon, and a graceful suspension footbridge. Its most famous attractions are the Swan Boats — pedal-powered pleasure boats that have glided across the lagoon since the 1870s, running in the warmer months — and the "Make Way for Ducklings" bronze sculptures, based on the classic children's book, which delight kids year-round.

Both are free and open daily, and together they're the natural place to begin a Boston visit — or to rest mid-walk. The Common connects to Beacon Hill and the start of the Freedom Trail; the Public Garden opens onto Back Bay and the shops of Newbury and Boylston Streets. The Swan Boats and the Frog Pond skating each carry their own small fees, but strolling the parks costs nothing.