We might still be required to stay home and practice social distancing, but that doesn’t mean that we should stop exploring and discovering new places, even if it’s only through a screen. Today, we invite you to take a virtual walk though some of Boston’s most famous neighborhoods to hopefully inspire new ideas for activities for your future Boston event.
Boston has 23 neighborhoods and even though they’re compact in size, each of them has a distinctive look and feel. The city’s diversity and culture change from one block to the next and that gives visitors the chance to discover Boston’s many flavors in a relatively short amount of time.
In this article we’ve listed some of the most iconic neighborhoods of Boston, which are also easiest to get to by foot from our convention centers.
South Boston Waterfront
Our virtual tour starts at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) and our first stop is Boston’s newest neighborhood, the South Boston Waterfront District (often referred to as the Seaport District). This part of the city is buzzing with activity and offers a never-ending list of arts, culture, shopping, and entertainment.
The Seaport District also has a range of fast casual and fine dining establishments including several celebrity chef-owned establishments like Menton by Barbara Lynch and Blue Dragon by Ming Tsai.
>>Check our in-depth neighborhood guide
Financial District/Downtown
Faneuil Hall in Downtown Boston is the 7th most visited tourist attraction in the world and for a good reason! It combines the food halls of Quincy Market with popular chain stores, local boutiques, and world-renowned street performers and musicians. While in Downtown, you can also grab a bite from one of the many food trucks that line the Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston’s only organically maintained public park, or cool off in one of its seven water features on a hot day.
An iconic and welcoming three-story pagoda marks the entrance to Boston’s Chinatown. Rich with tradition, culture, and of course, great food, Chinatown may be small, but it is the third largest in the country, behind only New York and San Francisco. The streets are maze-like, filled with everything from Chinese to Malaysian restaurants, old school bakeries to more contemporary ones, food markets, beauty salons, and retail stores.
Exploring its narrow and winding streets lined with red brick buildings, shops and restaurants, will give you a feel of the Italian-American community. And while the food and the summer “feasts” are some of the most popular attractions, the North End is also bursting with history, making this geographically compact neighborhood a must-see!
Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill’s charm and character exudes from the hilly, narrow streets, brick sidewalks, gas lights, and beautifully adorned front doors. This neighborhood is one of Boston’s oldest communities and is the first historic district in Massachusetts, established in 1955 to protect the neighborhood from large-scale urban renewal programs.
>>Check our in-depth neighborhood guide
Back Bay
Back Bay is one of Boston’s most iconic neighborhoods and home of the Hynes Convention Center. It is considered one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century urban design in the country and is famous for its rows of Victorian brownstones, beautiful gardens, cultural institutions, and first-class shopping and dining.
And to finish off this blog we have included a few beautiful Boston-themed images for you to use as backgrounds for your Zoom meetings (an idea inspired by our colleagues from the San Diego Convention Center):
Image 1: Boston Aerial Shot
Image 2: Boston Waterfront
Image 3: Fenway Park
Image 4: Boston Skyline, Charles River
Want to learn more about Boston’s offerings? Check out our guide of What To Do for shopping, dining, arts & music, historic landmarks, and sports & entertainment suggestions.
Our Interactive Map will help you find the hotels, restaurants, and private event venues around Boston that are best suited for your group.