First Night is Boston's famous New Year's Eve celebration and wow - do they really know how to ring…read morein the New Year!! There are so many events and features and activities that it's almost overwhelming lol! I can say with all confidence that everyone should spend at least one NYE in Boston in their lifetime! And bonus - it's extremely family friendly and felt very safe - and it's completely FREE! The city gets started early on NYE with ice sculptures!! If you go early enough, you can watch these master artists at work! The city even puts together a "sculpture stroll" complete with interactive map (or paper map if you prefer) - like an ice sculpture scavenger hunt haha! There were so many sculptures that I wasn't able to get to all of them...but I loved the ones I saw. And it's a really fun way to walk around the city and check out areas you may not normally walk to. All day long they have live music, parades, tons of activities kids will LOVE - like puppet shows and an ice skating rink. And at 7pm they do their first of three - yes THREE - fireworks shows!! This first one is over Boston Common and gives families a chance to join in on all the celebratory fun without having to keep the kiddos up until midnight which I think is just awesome! Then the party kicks off in Copley Square where they count down to midnight with their own ball drop but it looks more like a giant acorn lollll??? This is where the crowd gets really thick and lively - I believe they say over a million people visit for this party! And when the ball drops, a pyrotechnic show blasts off the top of the Fairmont Copley hotel followed by giant fireworks over the Boston Harbor! If you're coming to First Night, I highly recommend using Boston's brilliant public transportation system - it's so much easier and very convenient! Parking and driving in Boston is a nightmare. The city is extremely walkable with tons of restaurants and cozy cafes to take a break in so it's extremely enjoyable to leave the car behind and make a day/night of it!

First Night Boston is a viable option for families and those wishing to avoid the club scene but…read morestill celebrate New Years Eve. First night allows you to bring in the New Year with fireworks... And hundreds of thousands of strangers. Dress warm. It's usually 30 to 40 degrees out as you see ice sculptures, feast from food trucks and listen to local bands. THE DEAL: Most of it felt crowded into tiny Copley Square for the first time in 2017. It used to be spread out across the Waterfront and I assumed it was moved for security reasons following the Boston Marathon attack.

WARNING! I received…read morea gift certificate for Bostix. Two things to keep in mind when considering giving this gift: 1) You can only redeem these tickets over the phone or in person at a Bostix Booth. 2) If you redeem over the phone, they have to have the gift certificate in hand before they can issue your tickets. If you go to the booth you can only get tickets the day of the show. While Bostix has awesome deals, it is a bit obnoxious to use these gift certificates.

Though this little booth in the corner of Copley Square sometimes looks as though it's just a place…read moreto hang flyers and collect bird poo, inside is some glorious-ness. Okay, it's really not glorious. But what it does have is half price day-of tickets. For those of us who would much rather spend all our money on booze but feel like we should properly entertain our friends, half price tickets are fairly glorious. The Australian friend and I were between Blue Man Group and Shear Madness. The girl behind the glass was a mediocre amount of helpful, but once we engaged her she was fine. She explained both shows to my friend who had never heard of either and gave some honest comments. (Ultimately we decided on Shear Madness because it was decided that the show was American/Boston where as Blue Man Group is spreading) We were there in the middle of the day on a Wednesday, so I can't speak to the lines. I did stop by once for Blue Man Group tickets on a Saturday and we ended up choosing dinner instead, but there were no lines with tickets still available. I will be back Bos Tix; you appeal to my wallet and to my I-want-to-pretend-to-have-any-amount-of-culture side.

Tongwood Art was a really positive experience! I have painted canvas of art and crafted with play…read moredough. The art teacher is very knowledgeable and helped me feel confident in creating arts and crafts. The art teacher is very patient, kind, and helpful. She made art and crafts seem very do-able with every learner that participates in the activities. The interior is very uniquely designed where each wall and space has its own character. The location is very easy to get to via public transit and there are parking spots on the streets. I highly recommend this art studio for a date night or family activity!

I have a 5 year old that loves art... I think the teacher makes the experience. We came in. Weren't…read moregreeted. No name intros. Nothing was set up. She didn't explain what we would be doing. I wasn't comfortable leaving him so hung back and helped out. One mom dropped off a kid who needed a bit extra help settling in and the teacher was visibly annoyed with him. Just not the type of place that's warm, inviting or inspiring . I took art in Eastern Europe throughout my childhood and the teaches commanded the room. This was basically overpriced babysitting. Hoping it's just this one class. Going to try a different school a go.

The service at the Natick Mall was wonderful. They were very informative and knowledgeable. There…read morewas a wide selection. My daughter would highly recommend!

Hayley was so friendly and made my entire experience here lovely! I would come back anytime :Dread more

The Ward Eights were truly spectacular and everything we could ask for in a wedding band…read more Professional, helpful in making sure we thought of everything for the big day, and most importantly - put on an amazing performance! So many guests came up to us afterwards and told us they were the best band they've seen at a wedding. They managed to get nearly everyone on the dance floor. We are so happy we picked them for our special day. They made sure the entire reception went perfectly from cocktail hour to send off. Can't recommend enough!

The Ward Eights played our wedding reception last September, and they were absolutely fantastic…read morefrom start to finish. Some highlights: -- Bill & Chris were very easy to work with booking the band and handling all the logistics. -- They were super flexible the day of the wedding (we started late, had to move their setup, and had them plugged into an old gas-powered generator). -- They played an epically-long (nearly 2-hour) set without taking a break. -- They had the entire place dancing like crazy people. I've had so many friends & relatives tell me how "awesome your band was" after the fact -- I would definitely recommend them to anyone who is looking for an incredible band for the wedding/event.

My girlfriend has a collection from Luke of pumpkins and other glass sculptures.They are all so…read morecolorful. Look especially colorfull when the sun shines on them. I really love his mini animals, snowmen, and ornaments. Would love to decorate a tree.in just Luke glass ornaments. His shipping is really fast, and he really wraps items carefully so as not to break. We are repeat customers many times over.

I have been a customer of Luke Adams Glass since late fall. I'm so glad I saw the story on…read moreWCVB-Boston's show, Chronicle, advertising this great place. Their glass items are beautiful! I've bought holiday and birthday gifts for others and myself. Everyone has been happy with the colorful glass pieces made in Norwood, Ma. I've bought beaded bracelets, butterflies, stars and hearts! My very favorite piece is the green Stained Glass Tree Ornament. It is delicate and beautiful and too pretty to put away till next Christmas. And I like the fact that they send emails out with some great sale prices. 5 star rating

We recently hosted the Artful Bachelorette at our home for my sister's bachelorette party, and it…read morewas a tremendous hit! We were all intrigued by the concept, but admittedly, a little apprehensive about what to expect. From the moment the team arrived, they completely exceeded all of our hopes and expectations. The experience was so much fun, unique, and engaging, and the entire team was absolutely phenomenal. It truly made the entire event and gave us a memorable experience that we'll all be talking about for a long time. I cannot recommend the Artful Bachelorette highly enough! If you're looking for something fun, different, and unforgettable for a bachelorette celebration, this is it!

This was so much more fun than I anticipated!…read more Sabrina (hostess/art teacher/lovely woman) led us through a fun filled 2 hours of my first ever nude sketching session! She was upbeat, informative, respectful to both the sketchers (us) and the models. Made sure there were no photography during class unless it's through them to make the models comfortable. (takes guts to be nude in front of a bunch of people drinking and looking at you!) She brought out the artistic sides of everyone in the room, guided us through different sketching exercises (1-3-5 minute sketch sessions) so we're busy drawing instead of JUDGING what we were drawing. such helpful tips! I think we were all VERY impressed with our own artworks! I really thought I'd be drawing a little more than stick figures before coming here. I had a blast and this would make any gathering unique, fun and explorative! I had an amazing time!

This dance school is amazing. We have lived in Brookline for 4 years and our 3 girls have been…read moregoing there every year. We had some initial experience in a dance school nearby and really,this dance school is much better than any others. Teachers were so focused and paid lot of attention to every child's performance. The annual demonstrations were excellent. We had to move out from Boston this year and our kids and us miss this place so much. Definitely worth five stars.

My daughter has studied at Jean Paige for 11 years. This wonderful school has offered her excellent…read moreinstruction and support. Jean Paige is focused on the joy of dance while giving the students a strong grounding in ballet technique and jazz movement. I'm so glad to have found a school where older girls can dance in a noncompetitive environment that doesn't take over their lives. Jean Paige School of Dance is a Brookline treasure!