Boston Common, Boston, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

Boston Common is a 50-acre public park in the centre of Boston, Massachusetts, laid out in 1634 and widely regarded as the oldest public park in the United States. It began as shared pasture and has been the city's open-air gathering place ever since, which is why so much of Boston's history happened on its grass.

The story behind it

The name tells you what the land was for. In the 1630s the town set this ground aside as a common, a patch of shared land where townspeople could graze their livestock. The idea came over from England, and the Common kept that everyday role for generations before it slowly turned into the park we see today.

Over nearly four centuries the Common has been a stage for the city's turning points. British troops camped here in the years leading up to and during the American Revolution, and the ground also saw public hangings, riots, protests and civil rights demonstrations. In 1979 Pope John Paul II celebrated an outdoor Mass on the Common, one of the largest crowds the park has ever held.

What to look for

• The Soldiers and Sailors Monument on Flagstaff Hill is a tall memorial on the park's high ground, with sculpted figures and a good view back over the lawns.
• The Central Burying Ground sits along the Boylston Street edge and holds gravestones from the eighteenth century, a reminder of how old this corner of the city is.
• The Frog Pond is a small pool that serves as a splash area in warm weather and a skating rink in winter, so the park looks different with the seasons.
• The gold-domed Massachusetts State House stands on Beacon Street just above the park, and the row of old buildings along its edge shows how the city grew up around the Common.

Tips for your visit

• The park is open grass and paths, so you can walk in and out freely. Plan 30 to 60 minutes for a stroll, longer if you want to sit and watch the city go by.
• Morning and late afternoon are pleasant times to visit, when the light is softer and the paths are quieter.
• The Common is next to Park Street station, and the Boston Public Garden lies just across Charles Street, so the two make an easy pairing.
• Park Street Church and the Granary Burying Ground are a few minutes on foot, which makes the Common a natural starting point for a wider walk through old Boston.

See it on a quest

The Historical Boston: The Record Breaker quest passes through Boston Common as one stop on a longer walking route through the historic heart of the city. As you reach each place the app tells you about it, then sets a puzzle based on what is in front of you, so you look at the park properly instead of just walking through. You can start whenever you like with no guide and no group to join, and one ticket covers the whole group.