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Public Garden
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Boylston & Arlington
Boston, MA 02116
Boylston & Arlington
Boston, MA 02116
- Nearest Transit:
-
Arlington (Green)
Boylston (Green, Silver)
Ne Medical Center (Orange, Silver)
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
81 reviews for Public Garden
What a beautiful area to walk through on a cool, sunny fall day in Boston. I'm glad my friend, who went to BU, knew of this beautiful park.
Take a stroll over the bridge. It was ridiculously gorgeous. I would have loved to take a picnic or lay on a blanket and read a book.
It's near a lot of shopping and restaurants as well, so you're not far away from anything.
In all honesty I can tell you I have wanted wedding photos taken at the Public Garden since the age of 5. True story.
This place is gorgeous and makes the perfect stop on a walk through Back Bay. I was reminded just today how beautiful this place really is in the fall when I got frustrated with the T and made the walk from Park to Copley.
And ever since my first field trip here in elementary school I have made it a point to take a picture with the ducklings every year or so. I even break my rule of "no touristy stuff" to go on swan boat rides.
And to the nice man who often plays accordion on the bridge. I love you and your music.
Nice for a little walk, if you like to play "Dodge the crazy homeless people".
This is where you'll find the Make Way For Ducklings statues, among many non-working water fountains.
The swan boats are here too. Your kids will not like them as they move far too slow as you bake in the hot sun.... They are a quaint thing for the tourists - let them have them.
Don't feed the ducks or you'll get yelled at! Ah, the bygone days of childhood....
I like walking around here but you have to dodge all the bums and tourists, both equally annoying in their own way!
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Used to walk here on my lunch break (I worked at Cheers). I'd sit down and eat my club sandwich while watching the passersby. Fond memories of walking through this place - peaceful. I even went for a swim in the pond one night in college (okay, so I fell in and had to swim/jump to dry land - I would NOT recommend going for a swim in the pond, by the way). Also, don't feed the ducks! If you do they get mean and think they own the world, and who likes that?
I enjoy the public garden, even though it is much much much smaller than Central Park in NY. I think every city should have multiple blankets of lush green and rainbow flowers. It is interesting to see families with kids running around and then people sunbathing in the warmer months with skimpy outfits.
My favorite moment was eating lunch here on a bench with my fiance when we were in law school. Apparently, there was a rogue swan that needed to be caught. and was running around (and away) from one of the people who work there. He was trying to catch it with a net or something but was really working for it. They went back and forth a couple of times until he finally splashed in the water to half dive, half jump the swan. Hilarious! All the people around us started clapping but I was too shocked/amused/trying to breathe from laughing too hard.
I take my pet eagles here to exercise quite often.
It's a great place to bring your eagles to exercise, though sometimes when it's crowded they pick up Chihuahuas or other small pets and the owners get pissed. Especially my eagle named "Riff Raff"-- he is aptly named as he is the most tenacious of the trio. My other babies, named "Fisticuffs" (a misnomer: he's very shy) and "F.R.E.E.D.O.M." are pacifists, and would never harm anyone unless they were anti-American [aka TERRORISTS], and BPD knows this so I never have troubles even if they devour someone's Yorkie.
I like having my boys pose up on the shining gold dome of the State House and then selling their portraits back to the state in exchange for some stimulus money. I've even taught Fisticuffs how to hold a miniature American flag in his claws.
I do have one complaint: As much as I love our city, why does our only central green space consist of a small patch of grass on a hill with a weak ass pond?
London has enormous parks, with PALACES. Paris has fascinating Rodin sculptures. Despite the tiny size of Manhattan and all it's cramped buildings, they still made certain to set aside 843 acres for a park, while we reserved a paltry 50 acres.
We fired the first shots that would overcome a tyrannical empire and establish a booming democracy. And all we have are a few statues of ducks. Fucking ducks.
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This is an amazing patch of green right in the heart of the city. The public garden and Boston common intersect between Faneuil Hall and Copley Square, giving you a lovely view if you so choose to walk from one end of historic Boston to the other.
The only real complaint is that its too small, especially when compared to the gargantuan Central Park. However, both the garden and the common are both well-kept and not nearly as overpopulated. Truly a great stop for some R&R.
One of the prettiest garden's I've seen in this country, in my life. The entry way is meant to catch your attention and it does. I don't remember seeing a scrap of garbage anywhere, and there was someone singing and playing the guitar nearby.
You've got to love a city where most of its residents sit in parks and relax all day long.
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The Public Garden is a gorgeous public park right in the heart of the city. It's got more art and charm then it's neighbor. The Boston Common is good for sprawling out, but it's pretty unstructured, probably because it's 400 years old and those dern Pilgrims had no imagination. The Public Garden was deliberately and lovingly crafted in the mid-1850s by the inimitable landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and some forward thinking local politicians.
What they made is a timeless, lasting beauty. The heart of the park is a serene lake with the ever popular swan boats and loads of geese. The perimeter of the park is lined with historical statues and every walkway is adorned with ever-changing seasonal flora. It's gorgeous. When you approach that grand statue of George Washington you get a real swell of excitement for good old fashioned grandeur.
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It sure is pretty, half of everyone in the park seems to be taking pictures of something or someone. I must be in the background of 1000 different vacation and wedding photos. The city of Boston does a great job rotating the plant beds - even had some tropical matter this summer. For the life of me I can't figure out what the appeal is for those silly swan boats. Maybe that's what sober people do. As for the crazy homeless, I find that for the most part the real nut-jobs are on the Boston Common side. Now - let's talk about rodents. During the daytime you'll see fuzzy squirrels being all cute and...fuzzy. As soon as the sun goes down the second shift of rodents takes their place - we call them rats. Big ones - friggin' everywhere. Also - dogs are allowed to piss and shat everywhere. This place is not a playground for children - it may be photogenic, but it's also dirty and gross. If your kids want to play take them over to the playground by the Frog Pond on the common side.
Want to be harassed by squirrels and pigeons far too accustomed to city-folk? Want to listen to a cacophony of street music? Want to surround yourself with tourists and a myriad of passerby?
Want to find it all beautiful?
To the Public Garden!
This place never loses it's charm. I'm not going to delve into it too deeply (other reviewers have already), but it's a beautiful pocket of nature right in the midst of the city. One of Boston's best - and it's totally free!
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How could you not love this place?!!
I remember strolling through the Garden when I was a wee lil one during family trips to Boston every year.
Then I moved here, and since day one, I spend oodles and oodles of time here. It's been one of my go-to spots to run in and around on a weekly basis for the last ten years.
The man and I got our wedding photos done here, and with such a breathtaking backdrop, you know those pictures are to die for!
I think my favorite part is watching it grow and change through the seasons. I love love love how much it changes.
Little piece of my heart, this place has.
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The Public Garden ("Gahh-din" as my dad would say) is definitely the best part of the Common. It makes me happy when places are maintained in a manner that honors their heritage. The Garden is our nation's oldest botanical garden and it still serves the educational purpose for which it was intended today.
The space is clean and harbors lovely little details. My favorite is the Make Way For Ducklings statue. I think I had that book checked out from the library for the entire span of first grade. Seeing those ducks warms my cold, black heart.
Also, the swan boats are fun, especially for little kids.
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Even though I grew up less than an hour from Boston, I'd never done much of the touristy stuff. Even though she grew up less than an hour from Boston, my mom had never really been to the city. So, one day, we decide that we're going to be tourists. On a gorgeous Spring afternoon, we were wandering the Public Garden. The trees and the flowers were in bloom. The children were frolicking. The birds were singing. The ducks were swimming. And the swans were nesting.
We sat on a bench for a while, and watched the people, the ducks, and the Swan Boats. My mom, who doesn't know how to swim, surprised me by voicing a strong desire to ride the Swan Boats. And so we did, and it was lovely. One of the most beautiful spots in all of Boston.
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go there at least once a year w/my kids in school, for the swan boat.
at some other random time, would walk around/by/through the place, and still enjoying the scenes it offers. people seem at ease in there, kids playing w/animals, sunbathers reading books, friends on the bench chatting, ball-players in the courts, joggers running by... it's great.
on one side of the garden (they're technically under two different names, but who makes that distinction??), there are playgrounds for the kids, the frog pond (water in summer and ice-skating in winter), our yearly xmas gift from--hmm where was that?--on display... all the amazing things you can find. and the bustling and hustling of people passing by into/out of train stations, police on horseback, etc.
on the other side is just the garden, w/trees and flowers, the pond and the bridge over it, and the "make way for ducklings" bronze statues.... nothing but serenity. the flower display is fantastic too; different flowers at different times. all nicely arranged and well-kept.
whether passing through to get to a destination or simply taking a stroll within, this place does provide all the things you need to slow your pace, take a deep breath, and enjoy the scenery.
p.s. you may want to stay close to your kids as the place is REALLY open. but people are generally conscious of the fact and are respectful while they're in there.
there are meter parking all around the garden, but you really have to try your luck finding a spot as they're taken the minute one becomes available. or else there is garage parking nearby, but only god knows how much it'll cost ya.
This Park is completely beautiful!
it's like a fairytale land! plus it's a nice place to walk around in ! it's gorgeous and peaceful. This place is also a nice place to go to with your kids or your boy friend ( or your girlfriend) it's just beautiful place. This place come to life on a nice sunny weekend. plus you get to ride on the swan boat and see the ducks and geese.
This place is truly terrific!
One of the best city parks I have been to. It's well kept and clean. Since it's spring, all the tulips are in bloom and it made me wish that I brought my macro lens with me. There's a pond where you can go on the swan boats that goes under a small suspension bridge. When I was walking around, a man was playing a saxophone and it definitely added to the great atmosphere.
I felt so comfortable that I took a nap on one of the benches under a tree. I definitely plan to come back here to read, have lunch and another nap.
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Love, love, love this park. It's absolutely beautiful. Make sure to visit on a weekend when you can catch musicians playing saxophones or a flute/violin duet, etc. My particular favorite piece is the statue for the discovery of anesthesia.
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It very could be the best asset in the beautiful coastal city of Boston.
It's a neat place even in winter, but as you can imagine it really comes to life in the spring and summer. Much of the landscape is just beautiful, well tended, and breathtaking. Who knew such beautiful flowers could grown in a city?
Lush laws are a nice place to chill out on lunch hour, eat your packed lunch, and just hang out and people watch. There's some GREAT people watching here, especially for straight men! :)
But I digress. It's really a cool place. And it's FREE!
Small but mighty, this is a beautiful garden and a must-see for out-of-town visitors. I love the bridge, the pond, the flowers. In winter it's peaceful and pretty.
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Been here my whole darn life! This is what Garden means to me, besides the Garden at North Station! Tulips, Pond, Ducks. Swan - Did we ever catch the bastard who stole the other Swan???
Relaxing on a spring day/evening to people watch or just snapping away photos. This seems to be THE spot for wedding photos among friends.
The oldest garden in America which I don't doubt since this is not on landfill, unlike Boston Common. I was told that the other side of Stuart St is all landfill.
Beautiful. If you go here, and DON'T like it, you must be evil or something. My favorite parts are the swan boats, the guy on the bridge with the accordion (always there!), and the statue of Washington surrounded by colorful tulips (I think they're tulips! I'm not a botanist...). Especially the statue of Washington. His serious repose and the pedestal that just says "WASHINGTON" in bold letters, in contrast with all of the beautiful flowers and butterflies, always makes my heart laugh. There's also lots of nice little statue-fountains all around, I like those too.
The place itself is just all-around lovely, AND it's close to Boston Common on one end, and Newbury Street on the other, so if you get bored of all of the pretty scenery, you can go either way and have something else to do in just a couple-minutes walk.
Lovely place, but it seems like I may have come at a boring time? I was not impressed by the flowers; it seemed quite ordinary. No tulips or snow. Lots of squirrels. Nice pond. Small bridge. It's cute but no more than a 20-minute detour, 30 minutes tops.
One of the loveliest places ever. An absolute oasis of beautiful trees, generally happy people, and manicured grounds smack dab in the city. We just had some family pictures taken here during the late fall, and the colors are just gorgeous.
Highly, highly recommended spot of tranquility and beauty in Boston. (If you haven't yet, definitely check out the Swan Boats in the spring and summer months. Great for Boston residents to revisit, and a must do for tourists. One of my favorite things ever.)
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Beautiful, clean, well kept gardens in the middle of Boston. I think it was founded around 1647? What history! We strolled through, found a place to park our butts and have some coffee, and just enjoyed the scenery. No one bothered us, but do watch out for the chochsky peddlers. They were a little annoying, but a couple were funny none the less. Lots of little shops around there to grab a drink and some snack, or just bring a book. You could spend hours here at the gem.
Damn I love it here.
This is by far my favorite public garden in the US! this is a great spot to go on a warm spring day to relax and people watch. the scenery is just amazing. So head on down, pull up a spot by the pond and relax away!
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Public Garden is the other half of Boston Common. Some of the best things people associate Boston Common with are actually here in Public Garden. The beautiful pond and the swan boats. One of the best public city parks America has to offer!
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Nice urban park. Visited while on vacation and it was busy!
This is my favorite time of year in Boston. And my favorite place during this time of year is the Public Garden. In addition to having many lovely flowers and trees to admire throughout the area, they boast something even more awesome: baby ducks. Going to the Garden to watch the baby ducks is something I look forward to all year. Last night, while walking through the area in the dark, I spotted what appeared to be some miniature ducklings perched alongside their parents. It was too dark to be certain, so I decided to take a morning venture there today, and lo and behold, I was right. Baby ducks. Everywhere. They are so cute with their fuzzy fur and little tiny heads. There may be many reasons to visit the Public Garden, but the baby ducks are at the top of my list for sure.
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I don't think any one here needs to be convinced of what a special place the Boston Public Garden is. It is truly a sanctuary in the middle of the city bustle. And now there is even more reason to take a stroll through the garden!
They just launched an audio tour which can be downloaded for free on to your iPod. In the interest of full disclosure I work for Audissey Guides which produced the tour - but I didn't work on this tour so I feel OK saying that I think the tour is totally amazing - and is nothing like your typical dry audio tour. I laughed, I cried, I smelled a rose...
But in all seriousness check it out if you get the chance (its free and would make for a pretty cool date):
http://www.audisseygui...
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If you like to wander around pretty gardens and people watch, then the Public Garden is the place for you.
Its meticulously replanted and perfectly kept and thus beautiful all year long, except on days when its too cold for any people. But its ESPECIALLY great during the summer months when there is good weather and wedding season is in full swing!
Beautiful trains being lifted off the grass left and right!
17 brides maids and flower girls all dressed in fuschia and standing in descending age/ height around the bride, the 3 year-old squirming and pulling at her dress.
"You look wicked handsome" being yelled from the brides lips to her groom and best men.
Brides maids in Indian Saris! YES!
In a 30 or so minute span you can usually catch about 4-6 wedding parties and watch as the photographer reigns in the children, convinces people that " yes, sunglass need to come off" and tries to keep the bride and everyone else happy all along!
Its perfect for an afternoon of voyeurism and picnicking! You are not technically supposed to sit on the grass, but people do, and if you get kicked off you can simply hop on a bench, or over to the Boston Common.
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It just came to me, it's corny but it fits perfectly:
"I'd like to be
Under the sea
In the Boston Public Garden
In the shade.
If I lived near
I would go here
To the Boston Public Garden
In the shade."
Wow, this part of Boston was just gorgeous, especially with the leaves changing. I can only imagine how beautiful it must be in the spring. This park is very well-kept. There were plenty of people there but even still, it was very serene - a nice little escape from the city life just a few paces away.
My favorites were the weeping willows http://www.yelp.com/bi... and the strange canopy-like trees http://www.yelp.com/bi... (what ARE those?!). We went too late in the year to try out the swan boats.
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I don't need to write anything here - it's just an awesome five-star place in a beautiful city!
When I taught classes at a nearby college I used to spend anywhere from a few minutes to an hour in the public garden before each class reviewing my materials. Riight, I was an English major. And I still am, though I hide it, a total sap. In honor of my former profession and study, I'll be a dork and offer a quote for this review. I think Wordsworth sums up my feelings on the public garden:
"While birds, and butterflies, and flowers,
Make all one band of paramours,
Thou, ranging up and down the bowers
Art sole in thy employment;
A Life, a Presence like the air,
Scattering thy gladness without care,
Too blest with any one to pair,
Thyself thy own enjoyment."
Yeah, I'm a dork.
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I almost got married to a woman in the Public Garden. Seriously. Well, it was for a class. Things kind of fell apart and we went with a project where I ended up lying on the ground by a T stop tied up with duct tape over my mouth. What a waste of Binaca. Anyway.. that's neither here nor there. Although that video ended up being shown in classes for years. I should find that before I become infamous.
I digressed.
The Public Garden is lovely. Except.. ya know.. right now when things are dead and the swan pond is drained and looks like a cavernous piece of ick. I've spent many spring/summer afternoons sitting on benches by fountains, shoeless, and ridiculous.. chatting about life, love, and characters in friends' fiction pieces & plays that bare strong resemblance to people we know. Is Rachel really a compulsive liar who collects small bears with top hats?
One of my favorite moments in the garden involved my then 5 year old godchild who was being a food tease. She was throwing rocks into the pond (not at the ducks).. and then they started chasing her. 5 year olds seem fast, but not so much when they're paralyzed with fear.
I digressed again.
So.. pretty flowers.. great places to hide and just forget.. that you're in the city.. and that you have to go to work.. and that your apartment feels like Dante's Inferno.. and how that's not right since your landlord just fixed your "air conditioner". Hmm.. it's definitely Friday and I'm definitely more of a fan of the Arlington/Beacon side of the garden.
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The Public Garden is a amalgamation of all of the most interesting parts of Back Bay, condensed into one single section:
-The foliage fits into the aesthetic of the area, with Commonwealth Ave beginning on one side, and the Common on the other side, and the foot of Beacon Hill and Charles St. just steps away.
-The swan boats: another vehicle based on a waterfowl-related creature. If we ever get Platypus Planes, we'll be set (also, I just copyrighted "Platypus Planes", so you can't have it. Neener neener)
- Berklee students playing everywhere. At least I think they're Berklee students. It does get the feel like the Hynes T-Stop, where all the Berklee kids are chilling with their instruments and playing and whatnot.
-Walkways, ponds and the like. This doesn't fit into my Back Bay thing, but it's kind of cool, so I mention it.
Overall the Public Garden is a great place to wander through and see people doing stuff. Just watch out for Swan Boats and Wedding Photos.
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beautiful place to stroll through, or to come for a picnic and reading time with a loved one during the summer. there's nowhere else i'd rather be during summertime
i love coming here to chase the ducklings, too, to the great dismay of my boyfriend :-)
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The best patch of green in the city.
Small, cozy, beautiful, generally impeccably maintained (I'm sure the small size helps), accessible, and safe.
Great for all seasons, as the elements change in Boston, so does the atmosphere in the Public Gardens.
Spring? Welcome to non-Winter! Lots of new life in bloom.
Summer? They have duck boat things where you can paddle/peddle around with your feet.
Fall? New England foliage owns you.
Winter? White blanketed peace.
I took my girlfriend here the first time she came to visit Boston, she loved it despite the Bostonian winter weather, and I'm sure it was one of the reasons that she decided to stay. Maybe if we went here more often she would have stayed...longer?
Oh...and side note. If at all possible during a romantic escapade with your better half, bring an instrument that you are proficient at. When we went, this asshole was serenading his girlfriend with his saxophone and totally made me look like a talentless, unthoughtful douche.
Touche sax man, touche.
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Absolutely beautiful. If you read the reviews on the "Boston Commons" you notice people mention the swan boats and awesome looking areas. That is here at the Public Gardens. There is a difference between the two.
While the Boston Commons is alright, the Public Gardens is totally different. Not many homeless people or weirdos here, just alot of people taking pictures and enjoying the beautiful scenery.
If you don't like the commons, come here instead. Much better.
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