Boston’s Park Trifecta: The Common, Public Garden and the Esplanade

On our most recent trip to Boston, during the early springtime weather of April, we revisited some of our favorite places in the capitol city of Massachusetts: its parks. The three parks we visit each time we come, are the Boston Common, the Public Garden and the Esplanade along the banks of the Charles River on the Boston side (vs. Cambridge).

Boston Common. Let’s start with a little history. America’s oldest park, the Boston Common, or simply “the Common” was established in 1634 when the Puritans purchased the land from the area’s first settler, an Anglican Minister named William Blackstone. Today’s peaceful park was not always so calm and tranquil.  The Puritans punished sinners here using a whipping post or stocks.  The “Great Elm”, which no longer stands, was used to hang murderers, pirates and witches.  During the American Revolution, the British Redcoat regulars used the Common as a training field.

Later on, the Common was the site of anti-Vietnam War protests and Civil Rights rallies in the 1960s and 1970s. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed the gathered here during one such rally.  And, in 1979, Pope John Paul II delivered mass to the faithful.

On the Common, there are several things to check out:

• Visit the Frog Pond – in winter, the Frog Pond is converted into a skating rink and on a hot summer day go just to check out the local kids cooling off in the fountains. There’s nothing that will bring a smile to your face like watching the pure joy of gleefully shrieking children enjoying a cool bath.
• Take a ride on the Common Carousel – great for kids, the Carousel was built in 1947 and can be ridden for a small fee.  Open in spring, summer and fall.
• Visit the Robert Gould Shaw Memorial – Shaw led the first all-African American volunteer regiment in the U.S. Civil War.  Shaw led the regiment into battle at Battery Wagner in South Carolina.  The regiment was depicted in the movie Glory starring Matthew Broderick, Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington. 

Boston Common is also the common starting point for following Boston’s Freedom Trail.

Boston’s Public Garden. Much like its neighbor (the Common) across Charles Street the Public Garden has been around a long time. It was America’s first public botanical garden, established in 1839.  Once a tidal marsh, the City of Boston purchased the land in 1824 for the purpose of creating a public space.  Local horticulturists obtained permission to build a garden here, and the Public Garden was born.  In 1856, after the City regained title to the Public Garden area, the legislature passed an act establishing the permanent protection of the area as a garden.

While visiting the Public Garden, check out:

• The George Washington Statue – located at the east entry to the Garden, the statue of George Washington on his horse is the largest bronze statue in Boston at 38 feet high (featured photo at the top of this post).
• The 9/11 Garden of Remembrance – Established in the Public Garden in 2004, the memorial is dedicated to those New Englanders who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
• Visit the Ether Monument – the monument, known as the “Good Samaritan”, is the oldest in the Public Garden and honors the introduction of ether as an anesthetic.

Across Arlington Street from the Public Garden, follow Commonwealth Avenue down the annex below the shade of the tall elms and budding magnolia trees and admire the statues along each block including Leif Erickson (who is believed to have landed along the New England coast), Alexander Hamilton, the Women’s Memorial (featuring Abigail Adams, abolitionist and suffragist Lucy Stone and enslaved African girl Phillis Wheatley) and the Vendome Firefighters Memorial commemorating the collapse of four floors of the Hotel Vendome, killing nine firefighters, among others. This is a good site for a guide to the statues.

The Esplanade. From the Public Garden, head north towards the Charles River. At the intersection of Arlington and Beacon Streets and Storrow Drive the Arthur Fiedler footbridge will take you to the Esplanade park (just follow the runners, that’s where they’re headed). Here, you can take in the Esplanade where the Boston Pops orchestra performs and its nearby statue to one of its most famous conductors, Arthur Fielder. Stroll along the Charles River watching crew practice, waterfowl and early morning, evening or lunchtime runners working out.

Lots of footbridges take you back into Boston or the Harvard Bridge and Massachusetts Avenue can take you across the river and into Cambridge. We usually use the footbridge by Kenmore Square bridge and catch a view of the iconic Citgo sign which Red Sox fans know and love as a gateway to Fenway Park.