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Photo: Adam Lenhardt, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Gibson House was one of the first to be built in Back Bay, and has an unparalleled state of preservation that includes wallpaper, textiles, furnishings, and family artifacts and collections. A nice reminder that no matter how rich you were in 1860, you couldn't buy air conditioning!
The Gibson House Museum is a historic house museum located at 137 Beacon Street in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It preserves the 1860 Victorian rowhouse occupied by three generations of the Gibson family. The house was one of the first to be built in Back Bay, and has an unparalleled state of preservation that includes wallpaper, textiles, furnishings, and family artifacts and collections. Both the public and service areas of the house exhibit a high degree of preservation, and are viewable on tours. The property was designated a Boston Landmark in 1992 by the Boston Landmarks Commission and a National Historic Landmark in 2001.
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A state-owned park along the banks of the Charles River. Perfect for jogging, cycling, or just strolling and enjoying the view. Home of the Hatch Shell, where live events take place during the warmer months, and where the Boston Pops play their spectacular 4th of July concert. Laze out in the sun on the public dock, or take a gondola ride along the Charles. You'll meet many Bostonians out and about year round, picnicking, reading, or just doing nothing at all. It's easy to get here by walking down the ramp on the east side of the Mass Ave bridge, or the ramp adjacent to the Charles/MGH Red line station. A third option is a footbridge overpass near the northwestern corner of the Public Garden.
Established in 1837 by Horace Gray, the Boston Public Garden, formerly an enormous swampy salt marsh, is the largest and oldest botanical garden in the United States. The Garden features a plethora of diverse plant life, including a wide variety of native and foreign trees, and a rotating arrangement of flowers that change with the seasons. It also features numerous statues and fountains dedicated to Boston's heroes throughout the ages. The park is centered on a four acre pond, which is crossed by the world's smallest suspension bridge, and teems with wildlife during the warmer months. During this time the Swan Boats are also in operation, a famous Boston Tourist attraction since 1877. In the northeast corner of the park, tourists can view the wildly popular duckling statues, based on Robert McCloskey's famous children's book "Make Way For Ducklings.".
Located in the Lagoon, a 4-acre pond in the center of the Public Garden, the Swan Boats are one of the most famous and traditional icons of the city of Boston. Founded in 1877 by British immigrant and engineer Robert Paget, the boats have been preserved for over the years by the Paget family for tourist pleasure and enjoyment. Each of the six human powered boats is shaped like a white swan and carries around 20 adults. Enjoy a relaxing 15-minute trip around the pond and take in a beautiful tour of the Boston Public Garden.
Brattle Square Church
Admittedly a "deep cut" of Back Bay churches, this building houses a congregation formed all the way back in 1665, during a time when being Baptist was a punishable offense. The current building was opened in 1872 and designed by H. H. Richardson, the very same architect of the more famous Trinity church anchoring Copley square. Another notable element here are the friezes seen ringing the top of the tower. These were carved on site by Frédéric Bartholdi, who would later create the Statue of Liberty in New York.