Fall Trip to Boston

Our Local Expert Says:

Save extra time to explore the sculpture park. Access to the park is free before 10 and after 5.

Description:

DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park showcases stunning artwork. Julian DeCordova loved to travel and collect art and he bequeathed his beautiful estate to Lincoln to use as an art museum. The result is a contemporary art museum with more than 2,000 works and an outdoor sculpture park featuring around 75 modern sculptures. Both children and adults will be awed by the unique artwork in the sculpture park and the museum has lovely and intriguing artworks.

Description:

Restaurateurs Seth and Sheri Woods bring a touch of France to Chestnut Hill in the form of this bistro-style restaurant. Decorated in warm shades of brown, Aquitaine boasts a top-notch wine list to accompany tantalizing menu selections, including cassoulet, choucroute and crepes. Save room for dessert because the chocolate torte is a mouth-watering treat that defies description.

Description:

Celebrated Chef Ming Tsai's culinary expertise is put to test at this upscale restaurant located in the suburbs of Boston. You can watch him in action at the open kitchen, as you wait for your food to arrive. The elegant décor with brilliant lighting, hardwood floors and neatly set tables invite you for a fine dining experience. Chef Ming Tsai's East-meets-West cuisine lists many innovative dishes on the menu. Try the Grilled Rare Sesame Tuna with Crispy Somen Noodles & Soy-Dashi Broth, which prepares you well for the main course. Grab a bite of the Indonesian curry pasta with Asian vegetables, rock shrimp and peanuts-it will gratify your taste buds.

Description:

Four parks make up the Mystic River Reservation, which runs through Medford, Somerville and Everett. The Mary O'Malley Park has a boat landing and tennis courts. The Torbert McDonald Park offers many natural sites and trails. Draw Seven Park has two soccer fields and bikeways. The park area called Mystic Lakes is a popular summer spot with its combination of beach facilities and natural shady areas. Sailing and non-motorized boating are allowed on Mystic Lakes. The park is run by the Metropolitan District Commission and admission to the reservation and its parks is free.

Description:

The rest of Boston's green spaces have nothing on these 17 miles of riverside walkways. Stroll along Memorial Drive for a glimpse of Boston's skyline, cross the Mass Ave bridge for a windy panorama, and trail the beautiful corridors that flow along Storrow Drive. On summer nights, free concerts at the Hatch Shell - an outdoor music venue - set the scene for nighttime picnics.

Our Local Expert Says:

Check out the website before you visit so that you can see the highlights of the month you shouldn't miss when you visit.

Description:

The Arnold Arboretum is a gorgeous park in the heart of Jamaica Plain. Managed by Harvard University and used as a place for their students to study botany, you can be assured that the grounds are perfectly maintained and well manicured grounds. Tagged regional and exotic flora make the Arboretum a learning experience for interested visitors and a good place to teach kids. Most famous for "Lilac Sunday", which is held during the second week of May, visitors flock to the Arboretum year road to explore the changing landscape.

- Jessica Polizzotti, Boston Local Expert
125 Arborway, tel. 617-524-1718
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Description:

Located on a coastal barrier island, the refuge consists of a range of habitats including salt marsh, beach/dune, freshwater marsh/pool, and grassland.

The Parker River NWR was established to preserve habitat for migratory waterfowl, especially American black duck. The refuge important nesting area for the threatened piping plover and least tern. The refuge also provides important resting/feeding habitat for shorebirds, wading birds, raptors, and passerines.

Major wildlife management programs include those related to the piping plover (beach closure, predator control, monitoring), white-tailed deer (monitoring, control), waterfowl (banding, surveying), and marsh/pool habitat (pest plant control, water level manipulation).

The refuge provides wildlife-oriented recreational opportunities including waterfowl and deer hunting, surf fishing, wildlife observation and photography, and shellfishing. Beach use (swimming, sunbathing, beach combing), bicycling, and other non-wildlife oriented activities occur. The refuge receives about 275,000 visits per year.

The refuge is located in the NE corner of Massachusetts.

Description:

This restaurant has a popular Mediterranean/French fusion menu. Modern and casual, it attracts a young crowd. There is a bit of a bar scene, but the noise level stays tolerable. Try the oxtail and shiitake mushroom spring rolls with peanut-lime dipping sauce or the cornmeal fried oysters for appetizers. The duck, duck, goose-marinated roasted duck leg, seared duck foie gras, slices of goose breast, lentils, French beans, escarole and sherry ginger sauce-is one of the unusual and enjoyable entrees. The restaurant has a full service bar.

Description:

In coalition with Harvard University, this museum is three museums in one. The Botanical Museum includes plants, paleontological evidence of ancient plants and a famous collection of flowers made from glass. The Museum of Comparative Zoology has exhibits on paleontology, marine biology and entomology. The Mineral and Geological Museum includes many meteorite samples. Everything from 480 plant species to lizards and insects can be discovered within these museum walls.