boston seasons

Best Time to Visit Boston

By Dom Bewley

You need a vacation this year. After the past two years, everyone does. Why not try Boston, one of America's most historic cities? No matter what time of year you plan on traveling, there's so much to see and do. Here's our guide to the best time to visit Boston, catered just to you!

Including:

  • Summer sun and fun
  • Fall predictions and plans
  • Winter chills and thrills
  • Spring air and activities
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Boston's weather in summer

If you're one for brilliant sun, warmer weather, and slathering on the sunblock, summer's the best time to visit Boston!

Depending on the month, you're looking at highs from around 77-82°F to lows of around 59-66°F. That's some solid, short slash skirt weather, so pack your sunnies and plenty of airy clothes!

As for rain, you're looking at an average of 6-8 days per month, so maybe pack an umbrella in case you're not lucky!

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Things to do in Boston over the summer

So, what to do with all that fine summer weather? Make the most of it with some fantastic outdoor activities!

See all the sights and sounds the city has to offer with a trolley tour of Boston! You'll see great views of the city and tick off all the sightseeing attractions on your itinerary in one fell swoop! Boston's CityView Trolley tour lets you see all the top attractions, popular shopping destinations, museums, and more. All while you sit back, breeze running through your hair in a comfy chair. The onboard guide will weave you tales of the city's history as you go, and you can even hop off to get up and close at some places.

Prefer your cultural journey on foot? Take a walking tour of the Freedom Trail. Actors play the role of the trail's key personnel, dazzling you with bite-sized nuggets of history as you walk the famous red-brick road. And you'll pass many of Boston's most historic landmarks like the Massachusetts State House and the Old South Meeting House, where the Boston Tea Party used to meet in secret.

How about something less historical? Try a trip to Franklin Park Zoo. With thousands of species to meet, it's the perfect place for kids and big kids alike.

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Boston's weather in the fall

If you prefer to complement your summer days with a warm jacket, fall is the best time to visit Boston!

The temperature difference is much bigger here, with September's summer hangover leading to temperatures of 57-73°F, while November's winter prep leads to lows of 37-52°F. So, bear that in mind when you pack your bags!

Rain is similar to summer, so expect 6-8 days every month, and pack accordingly.

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Things to do in Boston over the fall

With such a disparity in the temperature, let's look at a few options to cover our bases.

For warmer days, why not hang out with some animals at the New England Aquarium? A world of underwater wonder awaits you, from Antarctic polar deserts to Caribbean reefs. Visit the harbor seals and watch them play, discover new and exotic species that call the Amazon home, or meet over 60 delightful penguins and learn about their colony.

For the cooler days, why not take a tour of the famous Harvard University? Hosted by students, these tours take you inside and out of the famous campus, teaching you about what life is like at the college, and the famous faces that honed their craft there.

When the chill starts to take hold, art lovers will adore the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Boasting over half a million pieces across four floors and dozens of exhibits, it's one of the world's best art museums. No matter your taste, you're bound to find something there to inspire you!

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Boston's weather in winter

If you like the chiller days and indoor activities draped in cuddly coats, winter is the best time to visit Boston!

We're getting freezing now, so expect highs of around 37-43°F and lows of around 23-28. We're talking big wooly coats, mittens, hats, the whole shebang. Or just wear all your clothes at once. Your choice.

Expect a bit more rain this time, averaging around 7-9 days per month. Pack a raincoat or an umbrella, just to be safe.

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Things to do in Boston over the winter

Let's stay inside this time, shall we? Don't worry; Boston has some great indoor attractions too!

Want to learn more about Boston's most famous politician? Head to the JFK Presidential Library and Museum. Within, you'll discover artifacts, photos, and film footage across 25 large exhibits, giving you insight into the great man himself. See how Kennedy furnished the Oval Office, learn about the First Lady, and see how his campaign trail ended with the first live-broadcast presidential debate against Richard Nixon.

Take the little ones on an adventure at LEGOLAND® Discovery Center. They can explore MINILAND®, a city made from 1.5 million multicolored bricks, see their favorite LEGO movie characters come to life at the 4D Cinema, or learn how to build masterpieces at one of the fun and informative workshops.

Or, get spooky at the Salem Witch Museum, where you'll learn the dark history of the settlers and how fear and accusations snowballed into the witch trials that took so many lives.

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Boston's weather in spring

If you prefer cool breezes and sunshine, spring is the best time to visit Boston!

As you'd expect, there's quite a difference in temperature, depending on when you visit. Expect highs of 46-66°F, and lows of 30-50°F. Pack for winter if it's early spring, and for summer if it's late April/May.

You might need an umbrella too, as you can expect an average of 8 days of rain each month.

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Things to do in Boston over spring

Like fall, we'll cover our bases with options for colder and warmer days.

On colder days, try the warm embrace of Boston's Museum of Science. Housing over 700 interactive exhibits, a whole heap of dinosaur fossils, and the galvanizing Theater of Electricity (pun intended, of course), it's a great place for big and little kids to open their minds.

On cooler days, get the blood pumping by renting a bike and touring the city! It comes with a helmet, lock, and bike, so you have everything you need to forge your own path around Boston's beautiful landmarks!

Or, if the weather is fine, go take a picnic and relax and Boston Common. If you're with that special someone, rent out one of the famous Swan Boats and go for a romantic paddle!

That's our guide to the best time to visit Boston!

Dom Bewley
Go City Travel Expert

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best museums in boston
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Best Museums in Boston

Heading to Boston on vacation, or a resident looking for some sweet, unadulterated culture? You've come to the right place. We're all about culture here, and we've plucked the finest of the city's museums out of the ether. So sit back, tune your eyes to reading mode, and prepare for an information overload. These are our picks for the best museums in Boston! Including: Museum of Science USS Constitution Museum Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Harvard Museum of Natural History Salem Witch Museum and more! Museum of Science Science. The ongoing answer to life's many questions. For millennia, it's helped us uncover more and more about our world and the many worlds around us. So, why not get hands-on with over 700 fascinating interactive exhibits at Boston's Museum of Science? Have your brain tickled by humankind's many mind-blowing discoveries, and ponder the things we're still only glimpsing. Walk among the many awesome exhibitions, like the Hall of Human Life, where you'll journey into the human body itself, find out how we work from the inside out, and learn more about how our choices make us who we are. Or, spark your imagination at the Theater of Electricity, a shrine to the wondrous energy found in nature and how we've learned to harness it. Learn all about electricity, magnetism, and the mechanisms we use it for, such as conductors and insulators. All of that, and the world's largest Van de Graaff generator await you! USS Constitution Museum Want to learn more about the country's seafaring history? Do yourself a favor and immediately head to the USS Constitution Museum. This famous ship, completed in 1797, even served in the War of 1812 against those evil Brits. We showed them, didn't we! Inside, you'll find two historic American vessels to explore, interactive exhibits that give you a hands-on with history, and learn about how these vessels worked. How exactly do you unfurl a 200-year-old sail? How did they fire their cannons? What everyday issues did sailors face back then? Find out the answers to all these questions and much more at the USS Constitution Museum, easily one of the best museums in Boston for the nautically curious! Museum of Fine Arts, Boston We all appreciate the finer things in life, whether it's extravagant furniture, meticulously-designed clothing, or a cheeseburger adorned with lashings of bacon. So, why not go look at some fine things at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston? One of the world's most impressive and comprehensive art museums, a whopping 500,000 works are held within. Good luck seeing half a million artworks in one visit! This mammoth collection is housed within more than 100 galleries that include paintings, sculptures, and myriad artifacts from throughout human history, as far back as ancient civilizations and all the way through to 19th-century painters like van Gogh. And, when you've explored as much art as you can physically manage in one day, rest your weary legs at the New American Cafe, where you can pick up small bites, a drink, or a fully-fledged meal. Nice. Harvard Museum of Natural History Boston is known for many things; baseball, basketball, its unique accent. But one of the jewels in the state's crown is undoubtedly Harvard University. One of the world's most renowned centers of higher education, it's no wonder they expanded into the museum business. At the Harvard Museum of Natural History, you'll find more than 12,000 natural artifacts, from dinosaur fossils to huge geodes. Given Harvard's renown as an education facility, it's no surprise you'll find so many amazing fossils and artifacts within. Explore the museum's many halls and exhibitions to learn all about Earth's natural history, from primordial ooze all the way to modern man. For inquisitive minds, this is easily one of the best museums in Boston! Salem Witch Museum Salem has become notorious in fiction for being a paranormal place where myths and monsters lurk around every corner. Really, all of this absolute make-believe stemmed from the sadly very real Salem Witch Trials. For those who don't know, here's a quick history lesson. Back in 1692, some bright sparks decided to accuse women of witchcraft, generally out of spite or petty disagreements. This idiocy soon snowballed into the trials themselves, where over 150 women were accused of being witches, resulting in 20 being put to death. It was a dark time in the nation's history, but an interesting one nonetheless. How did it happen? How could it happen? You'll find the answer to those questions and more at the Salem Witch Museum. Explore 13 life-sized sets that recreate the trials, learn about how the hysteria spread, and how perfectly normal people could be driven to such violent ends. Then, discover the fallout of the trials, the communities torn apart by them, and how colonists were left to pick up the pieces. One of the most fascinating and unique museums in Boston; it's best to see it yourself. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum How about seeing some inspiring art in an inspiring building? Look no further than the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Step inside this striking 19th-century building, and you'll immediately notice its Venetian influence. Within these historic galleries, you'll find works from world-renowned artists like Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Botticelli. The museum contains over 2,500 such works, so you'll be plenty occupied seeing them all! Then, when you're all art-ed out, make sure you wander the fantastic grounds around the museum. Maybe you'll find some inspiration to dig out the watercolors. Boston Children's Museum It's often said that the children are our future. And that was as true in the past as it is today, because the Boston Children's Museum has been delighting and teaching kids for over one hundred years. Inside, kids will get the chance to wall-climb, escape a giant maze, and create their own artistic 'masterpieces,' all while being stealth taught. The perfect way to get them educated is when they don't even realize they're learning. With a focus on science, the environment, art, and health, it's a great platform for your kids to ensure they're the best they can be. And, best of all, it's good fun too. They even have special events going on throughout the year, so be sure to check ahead before you travel and see what's available. For those of you with little ones, it's one of the best museums in Boston. And that's our list of the best museums in Boston!
Dom Bewley
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