The Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts is eighty miles long and flows through twenty-three communities. It is recognized around the country for it’s fantastic Independence Day celebration at the Hatch Shell, which features the Boston Pop’s concert and a fireworks display.
There are several ways to explore this beautiful river. Below is a list of twenty-one activities to try when visiting the Charles River. Whether you are living in the city or are traveling from afar, this list can help you discover fantastic views of the city. A monthly list of events follows to aid in planning for upcoming events.
Evening Sets in Over Boston
21 Activities To Try On The Charles
1) Running
2) Rowing
3) Cycling
4) Slacklining
5) Group Exercise Classes (Free Zumba, CrossFit, yoga, and running)
Peering from Behind a Weeping Willow
6) Kayaking
7) Sailing
8) Boating
9) Duck Tour
10) Stand Up Paddling (SUP)
Boston Sunset
11) Dragon Boat
12) Gondola Tour
13) Lounging on the Docks
14) Picnic
15) Ice Cream Stroll
Lily pads on the Esplanade
16) Roller Blading
17) Skateboarding
18) Skulling
19) Festival-going
20) Swimming (At own risk! For the first time in over fifty years public swimming was permitted in 2013.)
21) Hatch Shell Concert
Sunset From Cambridge
List of Events By Month
April
Earth Day: Charles River Cleanup
Charles River Watershed Association’s Run of the Charles
Recreation Sundays (Memorial Drive closes the road for recreation.)
May
March of Dimes March for Babies
Esplanade 5k Dash
Recreation Sundays
Lying on the Esplanade
June
Charles River Annual Swim
Hong Kong Boston Dragon Boat Festival
AIDS Walk & 5K Run
Children’s Hospital Walk
Recreation Sundays
Dragon Boat Festival
July
Fourth of July Concert
WBZ Free Friday Flicks
Earthfest
Free Zumba
Recreation Sundays
Free Sunset Yoga
Free CrossFit
Free Run Club
City Lights Reflecting on the River
August
Recreation Sundays
Sailing
September
Boston Heart Walk
Recreation Sundays
MIT Sailing Pavilion
October
Head of the Charles
5k Walk for Diabetes
Breast Cancer Walk
Recreation Sundays
Walk for Hunger
Towers along Memorial Drive
November
Recreation Sundays
The Charles River has a plethora of fun activities to take advantage of, especially in warmer months. Whatever your favorite activity, use this guide to try something new, such as joining a walk for a good cause or slacklining on the esplanade. If there is an activity or event I missed, please comment below!
Today is one of the few days during the year that U.S. National Parks are free. For a complete list of no-fee entry days, click here. In the spirit of exploring parks, I thought it appropriate to review my recent hiking trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire.
Granite Cliff in the White Mountains.
Overview
Location: Woodstock, Lincoln, and Sanbornton, New Hampshire
What: Hiking
Accommodations: Grandma’s House (a.k.a Airbnb) or, if you’re in the mood for luxury, Omni Mount Washington Resort
Season: Fall
Transportation: Car
Lesson Learned: It is possible to make pancakes without oil and not burn them. This makes them a little healthier, yet still delicious. We stumbled upon this cooking method out of necessity when we realized we did not buy cooking oil. We went with it, and hoped for the best.
Looking up at the colorful canopy.
I was traveling with an international group of friends. It was a girls’ weekend made up of two friends from the Netherlands, one from Norway, and another from the U.S.
We piled bags full of hiking gear into my car on a Friday evening in late October and headed toward our Airbnb house in Woodstock, NH.
View from Mt. Pemigewasset Trail.
The town of Woodstock is filled with forests with great hiking trails. Hiking areas include a section of The Appalachian Trail, a portion of the White Mountains, Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, and Lost River Reservation.
The fact that Hubbard Brook is an “experimental forest” caught my interest. What exactly makes a forest “experimental”? It turns out this forest is an outdoor laboratory for ecological studies. Some areas of research at the experimental forest are hydrology, tree growth, acid rain, the effects of pollution on minerals, deforestation, and reproductive health in birds in relation to environmental changes.
Prior to arriving, we made a pit stop at the famous NH State Liquor Store (tax free, people!). We purchased red wine. My favorite was Casillero del Diablo, a cabernet sauvignon from Chile. Read a 2014 review of this wine in the Telegraph here.
Upon seeing our Airbnb, we dubbed it “Grandma’s House” because it was like stepping into the 1950’s. Flowered curtains hung from every window, light wood-paneled cabinets made up the kitchen, and the TV and radio were extremely large. The TV would have required an army of people to help move it to a different location.
The house was laid out in an open air format, yet it felt cozy at the same time. It also had a ski lodge theme to it with paintings of snow-covered mountains dotted with skiers. While the décor needed updating, it was a perfect fit for the five of us.
Backyard of “Grandma’s House”.
We opted for a day exploring two trails: Mt. Pemigewasset Trail and Artist’s Bluff. For my review on hiking the nearby Falling Waters Trail, read “When in New Hampshire…”.
Falling Waters Trail.
Mt. Pemigewasset Trail was the longer of the two trails, which took about 2 hours to complete. The hike had little foot traffic, giving us free reign over the trail. In preparation for winter, the leaves were in colorful transition due to their chlorophyll breaking down. The hike was moderately difficult. We had to navigate our footing around large roots.
Mt. Pemigewasset Trail.
The pinnacle of this hike is reaching a granite cliff overlook. If you walk to the edge, do not lose your balance because you will fall to your death. We watched as two people posed for photos with scary proximity to the edge.
Overlook at Mt. Pemigewasset Trail.
The second hike at Artist’s Bluff was a short drive from the first trail. It was a tiny distance in comparison to our first hike, however it provided beautiful views of Lake Echo and the surrounding mountains.
View of Lake Echo from Artist’s Bluff.
A day of two hikes did not tire us out, so we continued to Mt. Washington. The top was closed due to inclement weather. Instead, we enjoyed hot chocolate and view from the Omni Mount Washington Resort. The Omni is quite a luxurious hotel in comparison to “Grandma’s House”. Then again, Grandma has more character and is arguable more interesting.
We topped off our leaf peeping trip with a stop in Sanbornton at Surowiec Farm to purchase in-season produce. We enjoyed hot apple cider donuts, a view behind a horse stall, and admired the interesting shapes of gourds and pumpkins.
Surowiec FarmTake your pick.Warts and all.Pumpkins and gourds galore.
Overall, I recommend Woodstock as a basecamp for hiking the White Mountains. Falling Waters trail is a must if you are in good health and love waterfalls. Mt. Pemigewasset trail is a good half-day hike with an excellent view. Artist’s Bluff is an easy add-on to any trip as you can quickly reach a pleasing view of Lake Echo. Surowiec Farm is a great pit stop to grab healthy ingredients and is very picturesque. We had a wonderful weekend in the White Mountains full of friendship and nature.
Now, get out there and create your own adventure! Save money by planning your next trip in coordination with free entry to U.S. National Parks.
My father, brother, and I have an annual vacation to New York City every October. My brother, Executive Director by day and musician by night, suggested one year we go see a band play. That night we found out the band was playing as part of a weeklong music festival that takes place at several music venues across the city. Since then, we plan our trip around CMJ Music Marathon.
CMJ Music Marathon, a music festival and convention, is run by CMJ Holdings Corp., a music events and online media company. Besides organizing the festival, they run CMJ.com. They also publish a weekly online magazine CMJ New Music Report, which features interviews and reviews of well-established musicians and unsigned bands.
Methyl Ethel’s Saturday set at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn.
I am drawn to bands just gaining traction because shows are more intimate. Also, at five foot two, I have a better chance of actually seeing the the stage at smaller shows. Somehow at large venues six-foot tall people always find their way in front of me. Another bonus of smaller shows is room to dance!
Even though the festival spans over the course of a week, we always catch the tail end from Friday to Sunday. Over the years we have stayed in several areas of the city. Each year we have moved closer to the music. The majority of the shows are at venues in the Lower East Side (LES) and in Brooklyn. This year we chose to be right in the thick of it; walking distance to music venues that usually have great CMJ showcases each year.
Artwork on a building on Rivington Street in the Lower East Side.
The Lower East Side is a gritty chic neighborhood—a little sketchy but artistic, trendy, and historic with a great bar and restaurant scene. It might be described as a hipster party area. Located in southeast Manhattan, the boundaries run from Canal to Houston Streets and the East River to Bowery St. Main drags include Bowery, Delancey, Ludlow, and East Houston Streets.
LES is bordered by Chinatown, NoLita, and the East Village. It is historically a working-class immigrant neighborhood filled with Irish, Italians, Polish, Ukranians, and Germans. It was once known as Little Germany because of the sheer number of Germans living in the area outnumbered other ethnic groups. The area is also well known for having a large Jewish population.
In the 2000’s gentrification spread from the East Village into the Lower East Side. The area is now lined with uniquely decorated boutiques, coffee shops, several art galleries, and trendy bars.
If you like live music and are visiting LES, I suggest checking who is playing the following venues:
We stayed on Rivington Street in the thick of it all. The first morning I set out on my own before my family woke up. I found a great coffee shop, Black Cat LES, where I could read TIME magazine’s latest issue while lingering over coffee. It had eclectic décor with old clocks, mismatched couches and chairs, and lots of artwork on the walls. It doubles as a comedy club and serves beer. I opted to try their homemade oatmeal, which did not disappoint with its creamy consistency topped with fresh fruit. As I read, there was a group of people filming what appeared to be a documentary.
Leisure morning at Black Cat LES, a coffee shop on Rivington Street with great homemade oatmeal.
Later that morning my family and I grabbed coffee at an Italian-style coffee shop, Café Vita. In true Italian form, there were no chairs and everyone stood to drink their coffee.
We walked down to the East River and looked out past the Williamsburg Bridge toward our next destination, Brooklyn. Baby’s All Right was having a day party chock full of great bands with free everything: entry, beer (first keg, at least), sunglasses, and lip balm.
View of the Williamsburg Bridge on the East River.
On our first night, we also went over the bridge to The Wick in Bushwick. This music venue is fantastic—open space, high ceilings, and $4 beer.
Below I have compiled links to songs from bands we liked at CMJ.
On our way back to Boston we stopped off in New Haven, CT for lunch. We took the advice of a friend and ate at a hybrid bookstore/cafe called Atticus. Yale University Art Gallery is across the street. Entry is free. The modern and contemporary section was great.
Who is your favorite band listed above?
What is your favorite music venue in New York City?
Is there an area of the city you find yourself going to over and over again?
Travels With Alison 