Attractions
Harvard University & Harvard Yard
Address: Massachusetts Hall, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA .At Harvard Yard, visitors line up to rub the left shoe of the John Harvard statue for good luck — never realizing students joke about what really happens to that shoe at night. The statue is also called the “Statue of Three Lies” since the name, title, and date carved on it are all wrong, making it the most famous prank in bronze.
Fenway Park
Address: 4 Jersey St, Boston, MA 02215, USA .Fenway’s famous “Green Monster” wall isn’t just iconic — fans joke about the seats on top being the priciest way to watch mostly skyline views. Longtime locals say if you drop your peanut bag in the stands, it’ll get tossed all the way down like a rite of passage.
Boston Common & Public Garden
Address: 139 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111, USA .Boston Common is America’s oldest public park, and right next to it sits the beautiful Victorian-era Public Garden with its famous Swan Boats. The Swan Boats have been circling the lagoon since 1877, and the quirky secret is they’re powered by a guy pedaling a hidden bicycle. Kids swear the giant swan in the back is alive — and parents sometimes let them believe it.
Museum of Science
Address: 1 Museum Of Science Driveway, Boston, MA 02114, USA .Located along the Charles River, this interactive museum is a favorite for families and science lovers. The Museum’s Lightning Show with the Van de Graaff generators is so loud, locals joke it could power the Green Line if the MBTA ever runs out of juice. Tradition says if you don’t flinch on the first crack of lightning, you’re officially a “real Bostonian.”
USS Constitution & Charlestown Navy Yard
Address: Boston National Historical Park - Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129, USA .Nicknamed “Old Ironsides,” the USS Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat. Sailors and guides joke that “Old Ironsides” got its nickname not from iron, but because British cannonballs literally bounced off her wooden hull. Visitors love testing the rumor by knocking on the ship’s sides — like giving history a friendly tap.
New England Aquarium
Address: 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110, USA .Right on Boston’s waterfront, the aquarium features a giant ocean tank, penguin colony, and hands-on touch tanks. At the penguin colony, regulars say the birds are better comedians than the tour guides, because they waddle in perfect unison only when the staff isn’t watching. There’s also a running joke that the giant ocean tank turtle, Myrtle, is older than half of Boston’s politicians.
