Things to Do

October is the perfect time to visit Boston. It hasn’t gotten seriously cold yet, but there’s enough of a nip in the air that the autumn foliage is at its peak. Here are some recommended activities, all of them family-friendly.

• Boston is a small city, many attractions are within a half hour walk of Boston Common
• The Boston Public Garden is the country's first public botanical garden and an important part of Frederick Law Olmsted's Emerald Necklace - sadly the Swan Boats stop operating in September
• The Museum of Science is close to the Kendall Square conference venue
• The Museum of Fine Arts has a splendid collection of Impressionist paintings, Egyptian and Greek artifacts, musical instruments, Asian art, and more
• Art and horticulture enthusiasts should not miss the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - seriously, it's incredible
• Got kids? Visit the Children’s Museum
• If you prefer penquins, fish, and octopi check out the New England Aquarium
• Walk the Freedom Trail - the National Park Service (visitor center at Faneuil Hall or the Navy Yard) has maps, mobile apps, and free tours - or you can pay for a tour with costumed guides
• Are you a foodie? Paula Taylor of Off the Eaten Path gives food+history tours of the North End, Boston's Italian neighborhood
• Of special interest to Tall Ship fans: the USS Constitution, aka Old Ironsides, currently in dry dock for restoration but still open to the public
• Take part in a re-enactment of the Boston Tea Party
• Visit Harvard University and its many museums - the Glass Flowers at the Museum of Natural History are a high point and they have just been renovated
• Take an MIT tour or visit the MIT Museum
• Tour Fenway Park, America's oldest ball park - fun even if you are not a huge baseball fan
• The Boston Symphony Orchestra will be in its fall season and Symphony Hall is considered one of the great concert halls in the world
• Take a Boston Duck Tour, very touristy but very fun
• Get out of the city and join the leaf peepers by car or bus
• Visit Concord and Lexington, the site of the shot heard round the world and a nice place to peep at leaves
• Visit Salem, site of the famous witch trials and home of the Peabody Essex Museum, a little known gem - you can get there by commuter boat operated by Boston Harbor Cruises ($16 round trip commuter rate M-F 7:00-5:30)