Skywalk Observatory

I'd have to say this is a bit of a tourist trap. If you don't pay for one of those all in one city attraction passes, totally not worth the price of admission.
I bought the Boston city go card and made the most of it.
The view at night is beautiful. It's a full 360 degree view of Boston with an audio tour to walk you through various historical buildings and events.
They have some cute interactive games for kids to play along the audio tour.
Getting here is quite easy as the subway has a stop at this building. The elevator is quick and shoots straight up, it's a matter of seconds.
There is a restaurant one more floor up if grabbing a fancy dinner is on the agenda.
Cool spot to check out once.

Underwhelming and disappointing define the feelings I felt when I went to the Skywalk Observatory. The views of the city are perhaps the best you can see in Boston of Boston, but there nothing extraordinary. I love going to places where I can see a city's skyline especially at night. This just doesn't compare to the observatories you would find in New York or Chicago. I should have realized it could be like this, in those other cities the lines to those places are huge. We just walked in to this one... yeah not good.

$21 dollars per person for this... total for my family $63 bucks? Nope, it wasn't worth it. I wasted my time and money on this. I should have just done something else or gone back to my hotel.

The skywalk gives a stunning 360 degree view of Boston. So many pieces of history can be seen; Boston commons, Copley square church, Logan airport, Fenway park, Charles river and others.
They give audio guides which is very informative. The video cinema room gives background on the many groups that settled in beantown. My only suggestion is that more information on the Caribbean migration to Boston should be in the tour video.

It has taken me nearly ten years to get to this point and here it is... my 10,000th review. It landed on the Skywalk Observatory in Boston's Prudential Tower. Fifty stories up from street level and you have a great perspective on this lovely city.

I was last up here in 1988 when I was a college student nearby and it honestly has not changed very much since then. They have given the space a bit of a theme so that it is more than just looking out the windows. All about immigration with some recorded voices talking about the Irish immigrants, there is a three player game with questions about the US government and immigration test and there is of course a gift shop where you can buy some Prudential Tower and Boston trinkets.

During today's visit, a portion of the observatory facing south was closed to the public for some sort of private event. As such, the usual $20 entrance fee was reduced to $12. That seems fair. I could still see 80% of the view and that was plenty.

And what a view it was! A nearly perfectly clear day, I could see for miles and I could see close up well too. With the sun about to set, the lighting on the buildings in Back Bay and the Financial District were very good. Kenmore Square was visible as was Fenway Park. Of course, the airport and the harbor were beautiful today.

Definitely the spot to bring your friends from out of town. Keep an eye on the weather and ensure a clear day otherwise it is really not worth it.

ROUND NUMBER - 10,000 overall. And my 1580th review of 2018!
Round numbers are special and I try to get them to land on cool/special stuff. 1000 was the Royal Observatory in London, 2000 was Times Square in New York, 6000 was the Hachiko statue in Tokyo, 8000 was Monticello in Charlottesville VA and 9000 was Safeco Field in Seattle. See https://www.yelp.com/collection/3OO1cec6shsewk5ZzNLW8Q

The Skywalk Observatory at Prudential Center is the best way to get an uninterrupted view of the iconic city of Boston. Although it is $20 for admission...when you're exploring for the first time, or touring from out of town like I was....$ price does not matter.

I've actually visited twice. The first time I came here, it was on a dreary and cloudy spring day. So as you'd expect, the scenery along with my pictures didn't translate as majestically as I would have hoped for.

When I returned a second time, it was on a crystal clear, not a cloud in the sky summer day. Lol, and unfortunately this next time, the sun was so bright it created plenty of shadows where my photos never fully developed clearly.
Let me clarify this....I like to put myself in my pictures. But I found it real difficult to do this as my body and face was filtered in darkness all the while my surroundings below came out lucid.
Point is...it's a lot easier to leave yourself out of the pictures and snap your favorite overlooks with expanded 360 degree views.
Oh well, so yeah unfortunately I guess this Skywalk Observatory will never afford narcissistic photography enthusiasts like myself the ideal platform for pics...hehehe.
Generally, I just had to be in the moment, experiencing the thrill of looking down on the many historical neighborhoods, streets and beyond.

Some of my favorite highlights were catching glimpses of Fenway Park, Bunker Hill Monument, Boston Harbor and even the Marketplace area.

Also during my second visit, after walking around the observatory, me and my friends stopped at the Top of the Hub restaurant and sat down for lunch. Although this place was expensive, we were appreciating the setting and splurged for some upscale burgers and fries.

In all, it's worthwhile to come to the Skywalk Observatory. It's not difficult to get here to the Prudential Tower, along with buying tickets and riding the elevator to the top. Both times when I stopped on by, it wasn't crowded whatsoever.

Btw, if anyone cares, at Bunker Hill Monument...here you can also climb stairs to the top of the tower and soak up picturesque moments immersing yourself in all of Boston.

Our flight arrived early in the morning & so we had time to kill while we waited for our room. It was 2 degrees so going on a walk in these gorgeous neighborhoods wasn't my favorite plan. I had never been to Boston so it felt like a great idea to see & 'learn' the city from up top.

We got there right when they opened. They were INCREDIBLY sweet & helpful. It took us about 90 minutes to listen to all information & watch the short film {which I highly recommend}. There are 4 quick shows in the middle that are on constant repeat.

So if you're new to Boston I truly recommend this. It cost us (2 adults) $40. We were warm, we say amazing views & learned so much about the history & location of everything in Boston. We were happy we did this!!

Don't get me wrong, I'm a sucker for a good view. Especially if there's no 3-hour hike involved. I've never understood why observation decks cost so much. I feel like charging a $5 courtesy fee is fair, but when places charge upwards of $20, it seems like a rip off. Despite these feelings, my friend took me to the Skywalk at the Prudential Tower to round out a recent visit to Boston. As Boston's skyline is not as impressive or notable in comparison to other major cities, I didn't really know what we'd see from up there. I have to say, Skywalk has ruined my expectations for other similar observation attractions.

Sure, the views are spectacular. They really are - especially if you've got a beautiful clear day like I did on my visit. It's awesome to see Fenway, MIT, Harvard, and other notable Boston attractions from a bird's eye view. You're able to appreciate the layout of the city and the unique architecture and neighborhoods that make Boston one of my most favorite cities.

The thing that makes Skywalk so much better than other observation decks is free audio guide. Using the number plaques placed in various locations, you're guided by a voice that tells you exactly what you're looking at from where you're standing, including notable history, folklore, and tales of the famous faces who've ventured through Bean Town. It gives you a whole new appreciation for what you're looking at as opposed to just spending fifteen minutes mindlessly snapping pics for Instagram. It's more or less self-guided and self-paced, and there are a couple of interactive maps and activities if you tire of the voice guide.

Philly has a similar jawn, but from my experience, I was able to appreciate Boston much more with the audio guide. Plus, the views really are great. Definitely worth a visit for tourists and locals alike.

Great views of downtown and Fenway park, and MIT and North End and more. Inside the Prudential tower, the entrance is through the mall. 50 stories high, and a little expensive for just views, but still cheaper than the restaurant on the 52nd level. Hopefully they will add some glass balconies or some opening windows for more thrills soon.

Got to the Prudential Center (which is nothing like what the name implies) and showed my ID before heading up to the 50th floor. I went at night, and the view with all the Christmas lights up, pretty cool!

It's a walk way around the 50th floor, so you are able to see the entire city if you walk all the way around. I used my Go-City Boston card for entrance, but I think I would've been disappointed if I had to pay admission to walk around the skywalk. It's a pretty, 30-60 minute activity, unless you want to interact with the little games they have on the floor.

The real surprise, is that the Prudential center is actually a high-end mall with restaurants and shopping--totally unexpected!

The price is a bit steep, but so are the views ;) (I'll show myself out)

The audio guide is very nice, because it breaks down interesting information about Boston at each "spot" you look at, adding trivia into the mix as well. I learned early on that numbers that have a stick figure family graphic next to them are for children. (I thought, aren't these audio messages a bit too earnest/childish? Whoops.)

There are some cool exhibits, too, opposite the dramatic windows.

I wouldn't go here over and over, but the second tallest building in Boston/the tallest observation deck is worth a view!