The prime draw is the Freedom Trail. How kind is a city that builds a 2.5-mile path to lead you to 16 historic landmarks, from Boston Common to the Bunker Hill Monument? Plus, many of these landmarks are nestled in the city's prettiest neighborhoods, so history lessons look great as well as offering context to the events leading up to American Revolution.
As befits a distinguished city, there are great museums, parks and institutions with strong ties to the past. In Cambridge, you can feel the presence of great minds and great achievement in the storied grounds of Harvard University. Boston is not all genteel, however: sports fans are passionate about the Red Sox (baseball) and the Patriots (gridiron). Cheer alongside locals at a baseball game at Fenway Park, the nation's oldest ballpark.