15 Hidden Gems and Unique Things to Discover in Boston, Massachusetts

Inside The Mary Baker Eddy Library, the Mapparium is a three-story, stained-glass globe that gives you a three-dimensional view at how the world looked in 1935. Originally called “The Glass Room,” the work of art was created to show the global reach of The Christian Science Monitor. Today, it illustrates how countries and borders have changed over the past century. Visitors can view a short presentation here, titled A World of Ideas, that features LED lights and tells “how ideas have traversed time and geography and changed the world.” If you’re more interested in the physical globe itself, a separate exhibit gives an inside view of its history and construction.

Cosy Caffé Vittoria was Boston’s first Italian café when it opened in the North End in 1929. It’s still serving some of the best cappuccinos, lattes, espressos and macchiatos in the city, as well as homemade cannoli, tiramisu and several specialty cocktails (the North End Express is a must-try). Aficionados will also appreciate the vintage espresso machines on display and the coffee-related paraphernalia lining the walls. As is fitting for a café that displays its old-school credentials with such pride, payment is cash only. Recommended by Mark Nayler.

Scattered throughout Boston are 16 historic burying grounds, including many with graves dating back to the 1630s. Six of the cemeteries are open daily. Visitors can explore the numerous headstones, which have fascinating epitaphs and iconographies that tell the stories and beliefs of different centuries. The burying grounds of King’s Chapel, Granary and Copp’s Hill lie along the Freedom Trail and are among the more popular sites. The Forest Hills Cemetery in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood holds an arboretum, peaceful sculpture gardens and a small lake. Across the river in Cambridge, Mount Auburn Cemetery has a tall lookout tower with amazing views of Boston and the towns beyond. A few of the famous gravesites you can visit include those of John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Mother Goose, Mary Chilton, Anne Sexton and Paul Revere.

Marked across the entire length of the Harvard Bridge, which connects Boston to Cambridge over the Charles River, is a unique set of measurements known as a “smoot.” The measurement started as a prank in 1958 when MIT’s Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity had freshman pledge Oliver Smoot lie down across the entirety of the bridge to measure its length by using his height. The smoot, which measures five feet, seven inches (1.7 meters), has become the unofficially official unit of measurement for the bridge, which runs a total of 364.4 smoots plus one ear. Visitors can walk the full bridge, also commonly known as the Mass Ave Bridge, and see brightly painted measurements on the deck every 10 smoots.

If you want to escape the city, jump on a ferry and head to the 105-acre (42ha) Spectacle Island, located 4mi (6km) offshore. In the mid-19th century, it was the site of two hotels used for gambling and other frowned-upon activities. After police closed these shady establishments in 1857, the island became a giant dumping ground, until it was renovated in the 1990s. Spectacle is now a popular recreation spot, offering 5mi (8km) of hiking trails, a snack bar with outdoor seating and the Harbor’s only sand beaches. Recommended by Mark Nayler.

Hidden inside a rundown convenience store in the Back Bay is one of Boston’s most popular streetwear and shoe shops – Bodega. The store doesn’t have any markings or advertisements out front. To get in, walk to the back of the corner store and slide open the old Snapple machine, which is the real entrance to the upscale shop. Several celebrities, including Jamie Foxx, Maya Rudolph, Jason Sudeikis and Kevin Durant, have visited.

When the Franklin Park Zoo opened in 1912, people flocked to see its wild bears. Although the zoo closed due to declining popularity in 1954, the large open-air enclosures in which these magnificent animals lived were left standing and are still intact today, as are some detailed stone engravings of their former residents. The Old Bear Dens are found by taking a path that leads through woodland off Playstead Road (near the White Stadium), in a forgotten corner of what is now called Zoo New England. Recommended by Mark Nayler.

Underneath Boston’s City Hall Plaza sits the remains of America’s oldest subway tunnel, the Tremont Street Subway, which opened as the country’s first subway line in 1897. Between new lines and better stations popping up, this subway line was eventually abandoned in 1963. Old structures and relics, including signs of the old Scollay Square station, were discovered in the tunnels when the city temporarily opened it for tours during Boston Preservation Month. While no tours are scheduled in the near future, you can still learn about the tunnels and their history through city historians.

From honey and craft beer to poultry and cheeses, everything on offer in this vibrant indoor market comes from or is produced in New England. As well as 35 permanent vendors, Boston Public Market also offers several stylish eateries, including Bon Appetit Crêperie (sweet and savory crepes, made to order) and the Beantown Pastrami Company (towering turkey, corned beef or pastrami sandwiches). The Boston Public Market Association runs a year-round calendar of events, such as cooking classes, festivals, workshops and tours. Recommended by Mark Nayler.

On October 16, 1846, in what is now known as the Ether Dome within Massachusetts General Hospital, a Boston dentist successfully conducted the first public surgery using ether as an anesthetic. Over 8,000 operations were performed in this elegant, light-filled amphitheater between the hospital’s inauguration in 1821 and 1868, and it’s still used as a teaching theater today. Also on display are a mummy, a skeleton and a small collection of antique surgical implements. Staff in the hospital’s reception will point you to the Ether Dome. Recommended by Mark Nayler.

For one weekend each summer, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway transforms into an eccentric art gallery. It brings together theater, music, sculptures, dance, interactive art and much more into one space. During the FIGMENT Boston weekend, artists across any discipline (meaning no experience required) can install a piece of artwork or put on any performance on the Greenway, as long as it “somehow engages audience participation.” In the past, projects have included mazes, a “Silly Walk Zone,” interactive dance routines, motion-detected audio soundscapes, water games and more. The event is free.

In a private alleyway between Hanover Street and Battery Street in Boston’s North End, this shine pays tribute to almost every saint canonized by the Catholic Church. Long-time North End resident Peter Baldassari created All Saints Way in the 1990s; he still maintains the alleyway. He lets the public stroll through on occasion and tour the memorabilia and decorations. However, it’s worth a look from the entrance, especially when it’s decorated for the holidays.

The Scarlett O’Hara House, located in the Beacon Hill neighborhood, isn’t a house at all. Instead, it’s an optical illusion. From afar, it’s hard to tell the home isn’t real. The “house” was painted in the 1980s to resemble a Greek Revival-style home, one that you might see in the South, to cover up an unattractive brick wall. On either side of the “front porch” are the entrances to two real historic brownstone homes.

For food and history lovers, Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate Shop gives visitors a chance to taste and experience what chocolate was like in the 18th century. Located on the Old North Church & Historic Site, the shop is named after Captain Newark Jackson, a mariner who operated a colonial chocolate shop in Boston’s North End in the 1740s. The staff dresses up in period costumes and provide an educational experience on how chocolate was made in colonial times as well as its history in the city. Visitors can sample the chocolate through the tour and also take home American Heritage Chocolate made only from ingredients used in the 18th century.

Brattle’s, near the Boston Common, is a book lover’s dream. A specialist in used books since 1825, this family-owned store’s shelves are crammed with over a quarter of a million titles, ranging from bargain paperbacks to a valuable collection of rare and antiquarian volumes on the third floor. Outside the entrance, under a giant mural of famous writers such as Yeats and Kafka, are yet more books, some going for as little as a dollar. If you’ve any questions, ask proprietor Ken Gloss, a respected expert on everything bookish. Recommended by Mark Nayler.

Searching for unusual ways to see Boston? Beyond the typical tourist attractions, this book shows the city’s hidden treasures and unusual adventures. Explore a diverse side of Boston that most tourists overlook, including its quirky museums, hidden gardens, and ancient speakeasies. These surprising discoveries will make your trip unforgettable, regardless of whether you’re a resident or just visiting.