"Suggested Sites to see in Boston" Topic

I'll be there for 3 days.

I plan on seeing USS Massachusetts, and maybe Old Ironsides.

Any other military history and/or gaming and/or sci-fi-fantasy things I should check out?

Head across to Salem and tour the cruiser of the same name

Old North Church, maybe? Depending on your period, there's a Spencer's Guide to Boston done by Robert Parker.

They tore down most of the good stuff and built a different city on the rubble. Lovecraft wrote "Pickman's Model" in protest.

Go out to Wakefield and visit Hobby Bunker. Plimouth plantation is great, 20 miles South of Boston. Bunker Hill is a short walk from Old Ironside.

As a correction, The USS Salem is in Quincy, MA where it was built, not in Salem. The USS Constitution (Old Ironsides) is easily accessible from Boston. The USS Casin Young (fletcher class destroyer) is also on display at the Charlestown Navy yard along with the USS constitution Museum.

Minuteman National Park with the battle road along with Lexington and Concord are worth a visit although you just missed the Patriots Day reenactments this past weekend.

I actually went to Lexington and Concord yesterday, so I was only a day or 2 late!

And RP, Ironically I was in Providence on Monday and walked around "The Shunned House".

The American Heritage Museum in Hudson, MA. is near Boston and is far better than anything in Boston for your time.

americanheritagemuseum.org

Kim

Hobby bunker well worth the trip. I took an Uber, however, there is a train stop less than a block away from the store.

Don't know if you're into fine art or the like, but if so both the Museum of Fine Arts and particularly the Isabella Gardner Museum are absolute musts. If you do happen to be in that neighborhood, there's a nifty boardgame-themed pub/cafe called Tavern of Tales close by (1478 Tremont St).

I think the USS Constitution is worth the visit.

Bunker Hill Monument is worth a trip – its part of the Freedom Trail. Usually during the summer they will walk through period musket drill along with basic talk – usually in July there is a reenactment there.

If you don't mind a climb – worth going to the top for the view

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All good suggestions above. But in terms of SF,a lesser known place is the MIT Museum (AKA the nerd museum). Which used to be quite good. mitmuseum.mit.edu and of course, the greatest SF library ever! mitsfs.mit.edu

The museums listed above depend upon your period of interest. for 20th cent. the American Heritage Museum probably stands out- but it is a pain to get to. Isbella Stuart Garner museum is a favorite, especially after the theft. especially if you need to score points with a wife/GF. When in doubt, just go to the Boston Common and walk around. And enjoy the city !

"As a correction, The USS Salem is in Quincy, MA where it was built, not in Salem"

Ah yes, my mistake. In my defence it was 1997 when I visited :)

While not gaming related, the Aquarium is worth a visit.

@Rmaker, you can make submarine noises and give skipper-like commands, so it is wargaming adjacent.

Some military sites that are reasonably near Boston:
= You've already mentioned the Constitution and the Cassin Young
= Fall River: Battleship Cove (the Massachusetts, destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy)
= Groton, CT: USS Nautilus and the Submariners' Museum
= Portsmouth, NH: submarine USS Albacore

Ah, Boston, the city of my birth. I live in California now, and haven't owned a snow shovel or a serious raincoat in over 30 years.

Here are a few things I do miss from various times that I've lived in Boston. I've listed them as a one-night tour, in case you're 22 years old and can drink like a Bostonian.

Start with a scorpion bowl at The Hong Kong Restaurant in Cambridge. Bring some friends: The scorpion bowl has to be shared. This place has long been a favorite of college students after finals. Or any time. Sci-fi fantasy vibe at least.

Get the T from Harvard Square to Boylston. Follow the Freedom Trail to the famous Bell in Hand, near Faneuil Hall, for and Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. I'm actually not sure why the Bell in Hand is famous, or if it's historical. It is in an old building.

Climb Beacon Hill (you'll need the fresh air at this point) and have a pint or three at The Red Hat -- if it has actually re-opened as was planned. If the Red Hat had existed in the 1770s, it's where the Minutemen would have gone to get fortified before agitating for representation or dumping tea in the harbor or whatever.

It would then be wonderful to take the T out to Kenmore for a few more beers at The Rat -- real name: The Rathskeller -- but it closed some 25 years ago. The Rat was a huge punk venue back in the day, and I learned both military and diplomatic tactics there.

In the morning, drag yourself to the Caffe Dello Sport in the North End for cafe latte and cannoli. My father always recommended hanging out in the North End because it was where the mafia took their families, so it was very safe.

Non-drinking history:

The Shot Heard Round the World was fired in the Lexington-Concord area, which is not far from Boston, accessible by transit (the T probably goes there by now).

I second the recommendations to visit the USS Constitution. It was one of our field trips in grade school.

The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought in Charlestown, just across the water from Boston. Don't drive on Bunker Hill. All the roads are a one-way spiral uphill.

A walk around the North End will Yield the Old North Church and Paul Revere's House as well as a number of options for eating, Theo's, Monica's, Modern Pastry being ones I recall.

If you're into ships, there is also the Boston Tea Party museum:
bostonteapartyship.com

Boston Museum of Fine Arts
USS Constitution and Museum
Take the Freedom Trail tour.
thefreedomtrail.org