Seafood Trip

Our Local Expert Says:

This is a great way to get a quick tour of the city (it goes by fast). When the captain of your tour asks, don't hesitate to volunteer to drive the boat in the Charles!

Description:

A fleet of Ducks, brightly colored, vintage World War II amphibious vehicles provide 80-minute, narrated, half-land, half-water tours of Boston. Do not be alarmed when your Duck abandons its wheels and lowers itself onto the Charles River! Tours depart on the half-hour and cover many of Boston's downtown tourist attractions. Keep in mind: Tour guides encourage quacking! Tickets, which may be purchased two days in advance, often sell out quickly, especially on summer weekends.

Description:

The Barking Crab is a clam shack overlooking the water. That wouldn't be a big deal on the coast of Maine or the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, but in downtown Boston, it's beyond cool. A wooden building perched above Fort Point Channel (which separates downtown from South Boston), this extremely casual restaurant has a colorful interior, a lively bar scene, and a clientele of regulars from local offices and families visiting the nearby Children's Museum. The place to be in the summer is at a picnic table on the deck, which might require a wait at busy times; in the off season, the indoor dining room, which has a cheery wood-burning stove, is a cozy oasis. The menu includes the usual clam chowder, fried-seafood plates, and lobsters, with a handful of more creative options (such as spicy fried calamari and a yummy crab-cake burger) and enough non-seafood dishes to keep vegetarians from starving. The food is fine, and overall quite good, but that's not really the point. This is a downtown clam shack -- what a concept.

Description:

Tucked away in the South Boston piers, this little brewery is a blessing for beer lovers everywhere. Many travel considerable distances to appreciate the handcrafted beer made here. Every Tuesday through Saturday at 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., visitors can take a free tour of the brewery. Tours last about 30-45 mimutes and close with a tasting of an authentic microbrew. Reservations are not required. The brewery's store sells everything from T-shirts and glasses to beer.

Description:

The interior of this restaurant is as dated as the photos of proprietor Anthony Athanas with celebrities like Bob Hope and Dom DeLouise that hang on the walls. But there is no better place in Boston to enjoy fresh seafood in the summertime than on Anthony's patio, which has a view of Boston's inner harbor and skyline. If you like shellfish, order the clambake special, which gives you shrimp, steamed clams, mussels and lobster. This restaurant also prides itself on its steaks and wine list.

Our Local Expert Says:

Have some Oreos with your beer at the bar.

Description:

This seafood restaurant serves old-fashioned New England fare in a great waterfront setting. Some might call the decor tacky, with ships' wheels, lobster pots and fishnets adorning the wood-paneled walls, but it is reassuring that places like this are still around. Get a table by the window, order the twin lobster special and watch the boats come into dock, and you will be glad that you did not go to a crowded tourist trap and pay twice as much. The restaurant has a full service bar.

Description:

The landmark Marriott occupies an unbeatable location a stone's throw from the New England Aquarium. It attracts business travelers with its proximity to the Financial District and families with its pool and easy access to downtown and waterfront attractions. The hotel's terraced brick exterior encloses a seven-story atrium that gives the public spaces an airy feel. Rooms, which were renovated in 2008, are large and decorated in upscale-chain-hotel style. They have cherry furnishings, either one king-size or two double beds (with pillow-top mattresses and down comforters), and a table and chairs in front of the window. Without any neighbors in the way, the building gets more natural light than any other downtown hotel. Rooms close to the water afford good views of the wharves and the waterfront; units closer to Atlantic Avenue overlook the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Facilities: Restaurant (seafood); cafe and lounge; bar and grill; indoor pool; exercise room; Jacuzzi; game room; concierge; tour desk; 24-hr. business center; room service until 2am; laundry service; same-day dry cleaning; executive-level rooms; rooms for those w/limited mobility.

Description:

There are other boat companies offering whale watches departing from Boston Harbor, but this one by the New England Aquarium is the only one run by an organization dedicated to preserving whales and the waters where they live. Trips last 3.5 to 5 hours. If no whales are sighted on your trip, you receive a voucher for a return free trip. All boats have a galley, souvenir store and interactive exhibits about whales.

Description:

This establishment is synonymous with good seafood in Boston and now offers several locations along the east coast. Boasting a traditional clam chowder that has been served at five presidential inaugurations, the restaurant also offers a "light" chowder for diet-conscious diners. Steamed lobster dinners are always a good choice. A selection of 30 fresh fish varieties is offered daily, served baked, broiled, steamed or fried. Raw shellfish, salads and vegetables are also available. Legal Sea Foods has a mail-order service, function space and catering. The restaurant has a full service bar. Other locations include the Prudential Center, Long Wharf, Copley Place, and Legal's Test Kitchen.

Description:

Boston Harbor is a beautiful retreat from the city in any season. It is also the departure point for ferries to Cape Cod and the South Shore, whale watches and moonlit cruises. The history of the harbor has not been forgotten; the Boston Tea Party took place here and is recreated annually. The New England Aquarium is located on the water's edge. As you walk by, peek at the large tank to the left of the entrance-sometimes there are harbor seals living in it.

Description:

Since opening in 1969, this waterfront landmark has become one of Boston's biggest tourist attractions. The most famous exhibit, the massive 200,000-gallon "Giant Ocean Tank," has a simulated Caribbean coral reef in which sharks, sea turtles, moray eels and tropical fish cruise by crowds of children pressed against the glass. Other marine galleries contain piranha, sea otters and three species of penguins. As if all that were not enough, the aquarium also offers whale watching cruises, seal shows, and its very own IMAX Theatre.

Description:

Tiny and cramped, with a red-leather banquette and a marble-topped bar down either side of a narrow room, Neptune feels like one of those off-the-radar places out-of-towners fantasize about -- or it would, if it weren't so crowded. Super-fresh, inventively prepared seafood keeps this restaurant busy and loud almost all the time, and not just with North Enders sick of chicken parm; even in the winter, I suggest planning for lunch or an early dinner on a weekday if you don't enjoy waiting. Check out the daily specials listed on the chalkboard and mirrors, then start with oysters, comparing specimens from both coasts (Pacific Northwest Kumamotos, which taste the way the ocean smells, are my favorite). Main courses include some menu standards, at least two of which aren't seafood, and dishes that make good use of whatever's fresh that day. You might find something unfamiliar like cod cheeks, exotic like sea urchin, or even familiar, like a lobster roll (cold with mayonnaise or hot with butter -- quite the dilemma). Neptune is a few steps off the Freedom Trail and easy to find: Look for the eye-catching display of ice, lemons, and oysters in the front window and the crowd inside.

Description:

America's oldest restaurant in continuous service, the Union Oyster House opened in 1826. The food is tasty, traditional New England fare, popular with visitors walking on the adjacent Freedom Trail and savvy locals. They're not looking for anything fancy, and you shouldn't, either -- simple, classic preparations account for the restaurant's staying power. At the crescent-shaped oyster bar on the lower level of the cramped, low-ceilinged building (a National Historic Landmark "where Daniel Webster drank many a toddy in his day"), try oyster stew or the cold seafood sampler of oysters, clams, and shrimp to start. Follow with a broiled or grilled dish such as scrod or salmon, or perhaps fried seafood or grilled pork loin. A "shore dinner" of chowder, steamers or mussels, lobster, corn, potatoes, and dessert is an excellent introduction to local favorites. For dessert, try gingerbread with whipped cream. Tip: A plaque marks John F. Kennedy's favorite booth (no. 18), where he often sat to read the Sunday papers.