Boston weekend things to do

One of the great aspects about any big city marathon is the city itself, and for the nearly 2,500 Canadians headed to Boston this weekend there is no shortage of wonderful things to see and do in the city. Packed into a fairly small downtown, the city offers plenty of tourist attractions and history for visitors, whatever your time in the city may hold.

Most are going to be there to run, so we’ve complied a few things you can see and do around the city which aren’t too tough on your legs. All close to the downtown core, some can be seen as an easy shakeout run the day before the race or aren’t particularly taxing.

Pasta Dinner

Many races offer a pre-race pasta dinner, but most are not as great as the official pasta dinner offered by the BAA on Sunday evening before the marathon. For starters, the food is actually pretty good. Admission to the large dinner, held at City Hall Plaza, is included with your race kit. They mayor speaks to the crowd and there’s music. The dinner is open from 4-8 p.m. the evening before the race.

Invitational Mile

If you’re in town by Saturday morning, the BAA Invitational Mile is scheduled for 11:20 a.m. Starting and finishing on Boylston Street at the marathon finish, the race showcases some of the top middle distance athletes in the world. It’s three laps of one downtown block and is a great way to get a perspective for how fast Olympic milers run.

Visit MIT and Harvard

Among many other top-rate schools, the Boston area is home to two of the world’s most prestigious universities, Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Both are located across the river in Cambridge less than two kilometres apart. If you’re looking for shakeout route in the days before the race, along the Charles River past both schools is a great choice.

Boston Common

Right downtown, this 50-acre park is where seemingly everyone does their shakeout the day before the race. If you’re up to battle the crowds for sidewalk space, it is a wonderful park and there aren’t many better times to see it than when it’s full of others getting ready for the marathon. The Common is the oldest city park in the United States, dating back to 1634 and has plenty of history to show off.

Fenway Park

The oldest park in the MLB and home to the Boston Red Sox, Fenway has stood in downtown Boston since 1912. The park offers tours and, if you’re interested in trying to catch a game, the Sox take on the Orioles each day Friday through Monday, though if you’re there for the marathon you’ll have to be pretty quick the catch Monday’s 11:05 a.m. first pitch.

USS Constitution

The world’s oldest commissioned naval warship still floating. Launched it 1797 and named by George Washington after the United States Constitution, the boat is now docked across the river from downtown Boston. It was last sailed in 2012 to mark the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, in which she defeated five British warships.

Watering holes

Boston has a bit of a battle raging over what are considered the oldest bars, which is actually great for you because it means the city offers up a few options. Perhaps better saved for after your race, The Warren Tavern and the Bell in Hand Tavern are the usual suspects. The Warren Tavern is the oldest bar in the state which hasn’t changed locations, standing in its original building since 1780. The Bell in Hand is the oldest continuously operating bar in the United States, opened in 1795.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Named after the art collector who founded it, the art museum holds a world class collection of European and American art. The museum was built to house Gardner’s growing art collection and is itself an impressive building, enclosing a courtyard garden.