Boston Public Garden

The Boston Public Garden, at 4 Charles Street in Back Bay, Massachusetts, is the first public botanical garden in the United States, opened in 1837. Covering about 24 acres beside Boston Common, it combines formal Victorian planting beds, specimen trees, a winding lagoon and a small iron-railed suspension bridge, often described as the shortest of its kind. Visitors typically spend one to two hours strolling the paths, resting on benches and watching the waterfowl. The most famous attraction is the Swan Boats, foot-pedaled boats that have carried passengers around the lagoon since 1877 and run seasonally from mid-April to early September for about $4.75 per adult. Statues are scattered throughout, including the equestrian statue of George Washington near the Arlington Street entrance and the bronze ducklings of the children's book Make Way for Ducklings, which are popular with young families. Seasonal displays change the character of the garden: tulips and flowering magnolias bloom in spring, formal bedding plants fill the summer, and fall foliage rings the lagoon. Good photo angles include the lagoon bridge, the view toward the Boston skyline and the Back Bay brownstones along Arlington Street. The garden is free and open daily from early morning until late evening, and the nearest MBTA Green Line stop is Arlington. Crowds are heaviest on warm summer weekends and during the spring bloom, when the bridge and Swan Boat dock become busy. Early mornings and weekday afternoons are calm, and winter visits are quiet, though the Swan Boats do not operate then. The garden is next to the Commonwealth Avenue Mall and a short walk from Newbury Street, so it fits easily into a day in Back Bay.