//
Photo: ajay_suresh, CC BY 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Home of a 200,000-gallon (757,000-L) fish tank, the New England Aquarium offers a riveting museum experience which showcases an incredible variety of fish and other types of animals. It has a humongous IMAX theatre, whale-watching tours operating from its pier, and a marine mammal arena out back. It also is known for its penguins, which are a fascinating experience even on their own. It's well worth a visit.
The New England Aquarium is a nonprofit organization and public aquarium located in Boston, Massachusetts. The species exhibited include harbor and northern fur seals, California sea lions, African and southern rockhopper penguins, giant Pacific octopuses, loggerhead and green sea turtles, and thousands of saltwater and freshwater fishes. In addition to the main aquarium building, attractions at Central Wharf include the Simons Theatre and the New England Aquarium Whale Watch. More than 1.3 million guests visited the aquarium each year prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
An institution in their own right, these modified World War II DUKWs give a great, breezy, 80-minute tour of the city by land and sea, all in the same vehicle. One of the most famous, or at least most visible, tours in Boston. Visitors will sing songs, quack like a duck, and irritate passing Bostonians going about their business. It doesn't get any more touristy than this. Tours also depart from the Prudential Center and the Museum of Science.
Boston Harbor Cruises is the only real seagoing commercial compliment to the MBTA. They partnered with the New England Aquarium to offer a 90-minute whale watch cruise for $53. If that sounds too tame, they also have something called Codzilla. It's kind of a harbor tour, except you're on a jet engine with seats. Go fast and get wet for $29. Finally they offer a bunch of different harbor cruises. Check out the USS Constitution from the water, investigate a few of Boston's lighthouses, or just watch the sun go down. Costs range anywhere from $23-66 depending on which one piques your interest. Special events are usually a bit fancier and more expensive, in 2017 some cruises touring the Tall Ships cost over $300!
Little touristic trollies that make the rounds to all the major sights downtown. You can hop on and hop off all day with your ticket. They also offer a "haunted" trolley tour during evenings.
Everyone looks cool on a Segway. Right? Ticket price includes complimentary gloves (for your hands) and also water.
The Greenway
The Greenway is a public park running along the route of the former Central Artery, the road that was buried during the big dig. Instead of developing the land freed up by the new tunnel, the city turned it into a public park running in an arc around Downtown. There are numerous art installations and seating areas, fountains for kids to play in, and even a carousel.
Check out the cool trellis and free Wi-Fi.