Exhibit with 100 life-sized elephant sculptures elephants made from lantana weeds by artisans from India have arrived in Boston from August 8 - September 13, 2026. I got the chance to see them on the 2nd day of their arrival. You might not have heard, but the elephants are here. The Great Elephant Migration has officially arrived in the Back Bay. The wildlife conservation exhibition launched in Newport, Rhode Island in the summer of 2024 and traveled across the United States. Heading south to Miami, Florida before migrating west to Beverly Hills. The Red Elephant is named Mayflower after a tree that blooms with red flowers. You can volunteer or purchase the elephant's. Check out their site for more details: thegreatelephantmigration.org read more

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The Great Elephant Migration AUGUST 8 - SEPTEMBER 13, 2026 BETWEEN FAIRFIELD & DARTMOUTH Such a Cool exhibit and for a great cause. If you can catch it on Comm Ave, definitely check it out. Free exhibit featuring 100 life-size elephants made from lantana weeds by artisans from India. My fav was Mayflower: The Red Elephant Named after a tree that blooms with red flowers, this distinctive sculpture was highlighted during the exhibit's-journey alongside supporting figures. You can volunteer and even purchase elephants! Check out their site: thegreatelephantmigration.org Metered Parking on side streets is your best bet for spots! read more

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A really nice walking/running path in Boston. It's right next to the Boston public garden and goes all the way to Kenmore Square. There's lots of statues, monuments, and sitting areas along the path. Like a lot of the other parks in Boston there are a ton of interesting things to see here. I didn't see commonwealth ave mall on any sightseeing list "Must do's" when I looked up Boston attractions, but in you're in the area to check out Boston Commons or the Public Garden this Ave Mall is worth taking a stroll on also. read more

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I definitely need to walk this more, but I've gone here twice in the last week to see the elephants in Boston that are only here for a few more days. Couldn't recommend this enough. This activation made me think: there should be more art in this area of Boston because of all the benches and open greenery and the space for different types of art. This location couldn't have been more perfect for the herd of elephants. Keep these public art activations going!! read more

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Came here a couple times over the summer (for the first time after going to college in Boston and living in the Boston area my whole life) for the Great Elephant Migration. I was mainly focused on the elephants during those visits here. The elephants were amazing- this is definitely a great space for public art installations. I definitely want to come back and explore the Commonwealth Ave mall though because it seems like a great stretch for a nice walk. There were plenty of benches as well to sit on. Will be looking forward to coming back for a walk or to check out more public art if they have it! read more

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We visited the Elephant Migration during its temporary stop in Boston, and it was such a fun and joyful experience.The exhibit brought a great crowd and was wonderful to explore. The location offered plenty of space to walk around and enjoy the outdoors. A unique and memorable experience while it's in Boston! read more

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Beautiful long stretch of green space that runs through Boston on Commonwealth Avenue. They have a lighting ceremony in the winter. You can go all the way down to the Boston Gardens through this park. See the brownstones of Boston along the way. read more

Commonwealth Avenue Mall - Greek statue at the beginning of the mall - Parks Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Lovely for a little wander along a busy thoroughfare! In October there was still ample autumn colour on some of the trees, making it extra pretty. As others have said, this patch of green space stretches from Fenway to the Boston Public Garden, so you can get a good little stroll in. When I was in uni and lived up the road, I rarely wandered this space, but now, I find it quite charming. Pretty quiet in late autumn, but can see how it might be nice to read on one of the benches or to picnic in more favourable weather. 2024: 67/100 read more

I walk the Comm Ave Mall almost every day on my work commute. It is always a great experience and is consistently well-kept, with grass cut and leaves blown out of the main pathways. In the wintertime, the lights on all the trees, which are ceremoniously all lit by the Mayor right after the main Christmas Tree lighting, bring an indisputable magic to the park. There is, simply, no bad time to waltz through this park which is nicely insulated from the bustle of Comm Ave and free of the crowds on Newbury St. A lovely patch of green stretching from Kenmore Square all the way to the beautiful Public Gardens! read more

Commonwealth seems like a contradiction, doesn't it? Sort of like saying Elitepauper. This is basically a park that is right in the middle of Commonwealth Avenue. So it's part of the Avenue but it's nice to have a park right in the middle of the street. Yes you are surrounded by traffic on both sides but it's still a beautiful idea. You can walk to Fenway Park this way as well. It's close to that and not far from downtown and it's pretty long. A hell of a lot of parks are here in Boston and it's definitely a city that is great for walking and bad for driving, and this is yet another reason why. It's very expensive to live here as you can imagine because of this kind of thing, but it's pretty amazing. There are lots of memorials along here too. And there's also a tribute to the 1972 Hotel fire and all the fire people that lost their lives. That was pretty sad. read more

Commonwealth Avenue Mall is gorgeous! If you've ever been to Richmond, VA it reminds me of (an older, bigger, better?) Monument Avenue -- gorgeous homes flanking the mall on both sides, monuments commemorating the city's heroes, and a shady mall in the middle great for taking a stroll, run or walking the dog. But no bikes are allowed! Among those memorialized here are Phillis Wheatley, Abigail Adams, historians, and there's a beautiful, stirring tribute to firefighters who lost their lives or were injured in a 1972 hotel fire along Commonwealth Avenue. Although I made it a route for getting in part of my morning run so that I could get some shade, it would be such a nice place for kicking back to relax. It's about a mile long and on the east end, it runs right into the beautiful Public Garden. My, my would I love to live on this street! Gorgeous homes! read more

Commonwealth Avenue Mall - Abigail Adams -- don't fail to read the inscription! Fascinating. - Parks Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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Commonwealth Avenue Mall is the alluring strip of greenery that runs the length of Comm Ave in Boston...a long rectangular park. This is where everyone who lives on Comm Ave, and Marlborough Street, comes to walk their dogs. It's also perfect for poochless pedestrians. The Deal: I love when they light up all the trees, like twinkling stars, every Christmas read more

Bottom Line: A narrow park that stretches down the center of Commonwealth Avenue from the Public Garden to Fenway Park. First off, props to Bean Town for their awesome Emerald Necklace. The Commonwealth Avenue Mall is just one of 10+ parks that makes us the grassy, green recreation spaces that are linked together. Secondly, I was excited to learn that I could walk along a green space all the way from the Historic Public Garden to the iconic Fenway Park. My afternoon stroll down the Comm Ave park did not disappoint. In fact, I wish I could have been more leisurely about my stroll and leaned more about the monuments along the way. The significance of some monuments like the Boston Women's Memorial were obvious, but other ones required more pondering. I felt like walking through the tree lined mall gave me a nice snippet into life in Bean Town. There were BU students inspecting their weed, playful dogs walking their owners and beautiful architecture along the entire route. One of the most impressive buildings I noticed was the Frederick Ayer Mansion. The gorgeous mosaic tiles and stained glass of that home definitely put a halt on my brisk walk! I'm so glad I got to experience 1.5 miles of the Comm Ave Mall. read more

Commonwealth Avenue Mall - The Frederick Ayer Mansion designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany is a lovely sight along Comm Ave. - Parks Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Soon as I saw this mall I was instantly taken back to two favorite places I adore that I frequently fly back and forth to. Less crowds where you can take in the simplistic beauty of the design of the mall. It must be hella gorgeous during fall with the changing of the leaves. Beautiful mall to go for a leisurely walk through the Back Bay. Walking through here myself there were just a few other people enjoying it. A few joggers, a few people on the benches and some tourists that were taking selfies. Escape the urban jungle and catch your breath here. Mel M Yelp 17:121 read more

One of the best places to run to experience Boston!!!! The Commonwealth Avenue Mall is one of the Crown Jewels of the Emerald Necklace Park system and was MADE for runners like Southern California was made for people who suffer from tanorexia! For those of you outside of Boston: The Emerald Necklace Park system consists of a chain of beautiful, immaculate parks (about 7 miles long) linked by parkways and waterways (see my map photo) which makes for a wonderful run or walk to experience the majesty of Boston in summer! You start your run in the spacious Boston Common (where America and freedom were born!) Then follow the main path through the Majestic Boston Public Garden in full bloom. Then you run over the famed garden bridge and cross the street into the expansive median of Commonwealth Avenue (see photo) If the sheer beauty of it seems like the boulevards of Paris it is because the thieving French copied their city from us (That was a joke: we copied them in our design of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, But Hey! We saved them from the Germans, the Russians and EuroDisney, so it's all good!) Really, running threw it is like jogging threw an outdoor Museum! Along the Leafy path of perfectly landscaped trees and manicured grass are the highest quality Hellenist and Modernist statues commemorating Boston and American History. To your left and right are the ornate rows of Victorian brownstones making up the opulent historic heart of the Back Bay! At the end of the Commonwealth Avenue Mall you can either turn around and back track for a shorter run or continue on thru the parks of the Emerald Necklace for a tour de force of Boston!!! But be warned! There is one big problem with running on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall: The squirrels. Thanks to Global warming, the squirrel population in Boston has increased exponentially in the last few months. And, much worse, due to some sort of environmental genetic poisoning the squirrels have become much more aggressive and intelligent. We in state government surmise it is only a matter of time before the squirrels rise up and take over all of Downtown Boston, just like in the movie Planet of The Apes. But until that dark and bloody day of the inevitable squirrel revolution, jogging on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall on a tranquil sunny day is not to be missed. Ps. To any squirrels reading this: FYI- as a trusted member of State Government I hope you realize that I can be useful in rounding up my fellow humans when the time arises and as an experienced yelper I know where all the best places to get nuts are. Just sayin! read more

Commonwealth Avenue Mall - The emerald necklace park system: GREAT RUNNING! - Parks Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Wonderful path to walk to Fenway Park to beat the heat, a lot of shade and park benches. Beautiful houses and apartments to view along the way! read more

Commonwealth Avenue Mall - Parks Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

Don't come here for shopping - the Commonwealth Ave Mall is actually a stretch of park and paved walking area on the Back Bay's beautiful brownstone lined Comm Ave. Walk on over after a visit to the public garden. You'll find many statues honoring historical MA residents, and modern day heroes (like those honored by the fallen firefighters memorial). It's a perfect place for a stroll to enjoy nature, while still being in the city! You'll pass locals walking their dogs, tourists checking out the statues, and locals enjoying a a breath of fresh air. On winter nights, the trees lining the mall are illuminated with strings of white lights. This park is part of the "Emerald Necklace", a 1,100-acre chain of nine parks linked by parkways and waterways, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in 1883. read more

Commonwealth Ave Mall is a great place to go for a walk. Most any time of year there are lots of people out for a stroll on the walk way down the middle. There is a variety of statues and the buildings are just beautiful. They keep it well maintained. There are a lot benches, so it is great to have lunch there or just sit and people watch. The only thing that would be better is if they included marked crosswalks where the streets cross the mall. read more

Commonwealth Avenue Mall - View to the Hamilton statue - Parks Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

What a beautiful linear park! This park (or mall) goes along Commonwealth Ave. from the Boston Public Gardens, all the way to Fenway, while running parallel to Boylston St. The park is not very wide, but over a mile long! It's really a walking path, with a statue or two every block, and plenty of park benches in the shade and grass. Each block has an interesting, historic figure depicted as a statue or memorial. The pathway takes you past some beautiful houses, impressive architecture, and some cool places to hang out and take in the scenery. Expect to see lots of squirrels while going along here. If you're on a bike, please remember to brake for them. They're Bostonites too! My only complaint is that the crosswalks aren't aligned with the walking path. They expect you to go from the center of the block to the edge where the intersections are to cross. They should really have a crosswalk in the center of the block where the people actually cross. I didn't see a single person hike to the end of the block to cross the street. There aren't any restrooms along this park, but I'm sure there's places to duck in and go if you keep Yelping. read more

Although my dog hails from Bumblefuck, Oklahoma, she moved to Boston at four or five weeks old and quickly acclimated to city life. She became so much of a city dog that for a few months she refused to pee anywhere except for on pavement between parked cars, most often along always-busy Newbury Street. Grass was nothing to her. Eventually, however, she came to recognize that although she had totally disclaimed her bucolic origins, she didn't have to renounce grass altogether. She began to appreciate the Back Bay's landscaped spaces so much that she even began to pee on them. She particularly enjoyed Arthur Gilman's 1856 Haussmann-inspired Commonwealth Avenue Mall, presumably because it isn't as tourist-laden as the Public Gardens or Copley Square, but also because at least at night it's more peopled than the neighborhood's other two linear park systems and urban design masterpieces--the Esplanade and Southwest Corridor. Although she doesn't especially dig all the Second Empire, Romanesque, Queen Anne, etc architecture flanking Comm Ave, she at least appreciates it more than the two Philip Johnson buildings she would otherwise have to endure were she hanging out in Copley Square instead. Besides, Comm Ave Mall gives her lots of trees, benches, sculptures, and other dogs to look at, so who cares if it's situated in the biggest cohesive "Victorian" neighborhood in the US. It also gives her some space to run around in, provided she's on an extendable leash so she doesn't throw herself in front of swiftly moving traffic. And if she wants to go on a really long walk, she can start out at the Public Garden and continue straight on through Comm Ave Mall which connects with the Fens at Charlesgate (where one must pardon the tangle of overpasses). From the Fens, she can even continue on around the Emerald Necklace, beginning with the Riverway, followed by Olmsted Park, Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum, and finally Franklin Park--all the while forsaking cars in favor of city grass. If you happen not to be a dog and/or are dogless, Comm Ave Mall is still worth visiting. A few of the many landmarks to check out on and along it, walking East to West: --The facing George Washington and Alexander Hamilton statues (the former at the entrance to the Garden, the latter across Arlington St on the Mall) --The First Baptist Church, located at 110 Comm Ave at Clarendon St. This is HH Richardson's less-known church on Clarendon and is only two or so blocks away from Trinity. --Hotel Vendome (the Second Empire style building at the corner of Comm and Dartmouth) and the Vendome Firefighter's Memorial on the Mall diagonally across from the building. The memorial sculpture was designed in 1997, for the 25th anniversary of the death of nine firefighters in one of the worst fires in Boston's history. The bench that is part of the sculptural group is situated such that if you sit on it and read the inscriptions, you'll see the building in the background. There are 154 pavers beneath the sculpture, the number representing the number of Boston firefighters killed up until that point, including the Vendome nine. --Cross Dartmouth and you'll be at Olin Levi Warner's William Lloyd Garrison sculpture with its inscription from the inaugural issue of "The Liberator": "I am in earnest -- I will not equivocate -- I will not excuse -- I will not retreat a single inch -- AND I WILL BE HEARD. The apathy of the people is enough to make every statue leap from its pedestal, and to hasten the resurrection of the dead." --Meredith Bergmann's 2003 Boston Women's Memorial, featuring Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phyllis Wheatley --The Ayer Mansion at 395 Commonwealth Avenue: the only intact residence designed entirely by Louis Comfort Tiffany. It's currently being restored and also functions as a boarding house for young, single women (www.bayridgeresidence.org/). It's open to the public on twelve Saturdays each year (check http://ayermansion.org/ for specific dates); you can alternatively schedule a private appointment to see the house by e-mailing ayermansion@gmail.com. read more

Commonwealth Avenue Mall - Parks Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

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The Comm. Ave. Mall is like the neglected step child of Boston's green spots. Most people flock to the Common, or the Public Gardens. While there's plenty of activity going on both Newbury and Boylston streets just a block or two away the atmosphere here is much more calm. Its a little hard to describe it because there's really nothing that particularly stands out about this park. Not only is it the neglected step child, it's also the middle child. But that's okay because you don't have to do much to appreciate this space. Just walk through it one calm Sunday afternoon. It's just a lot more open and pedestrian friendly than the shopping strip that is right next door. If you come during the cherry blossom blooming season the Mall will light up in a serene way you can just take in and enjoy. read more

Awesome place for a stroll, to relax on a bench, eat a sack lunch and enjoy people watching. The statues and memorials are excellent - check out Alexander Hamilton near Boston Common. The mall is lined on both sides by beautiful buildings. What a beautiful spot in the heart of Boston! read more

I used to work on Newbury St. and the only thing that saved my sanity when I worked at the end was the Comm Ave Mall. Where else could I sit in the shade and watch people walk their dogs, check out deformities on pigeons, look at architecture, and eat my lunch? No lie, I've even taken a quick 10 minutes to 'rest my eyes' out here. Just watch out for jerks on their bikes or skateboards or tourists. Worse yet, tourists on bikes. Be wary of the last block, as there have been ongoing sewer issues and you can smell it. The lovely trees, stretches of grass, and public art more than make up for the above! read more

Good for a nice stroll. If you have a smart phone I suggest downloading a self-guided tour to tell you about the different statues.

When I win the lottery I'm going to live here. It's a great place to walk either your dog or your out of town relatives. I recommend walking from Kenmore towards the Public Garden. Lovely as the Garden and Common are I prefer Comm Ave Mall's vibe. There are interesting statues and monuments all along the way, but no tourists. People are just out walking their dogs or soaking up a little sun. Very peaceful atmosphere, be prepared to see lots of cute dogs and occasionally a wedding photo shoot. read more

Comm Ave Mall is a great place for a quiet jog, stroll, or walk. It is a great old fashioned section of Boston away from the hustle and bustle of the city. You really feel the charm of Boston here. Lots of park benches and some cool statues to look at. great for rollerblading and dog walking as well. read more

Walking the Comm Ave Mall is so much better than being stuck in traffic in a car or fearing for my life on a bicycle. Consider this the scenic route (other than walking the Esplanade). Every season the Comm Ave Mall is among the most beautiful spots - covered in snow with trees covered in lights, the changing leaves in Fall or the vibrant green in Spring and Summer offering shade. Bring a good book, a quick bite, or just relax! read more

Having spent a few occasions over the past couple years sitting behind the wheel of a car at red lights along Comm Ave, it was a welcome respite to walk through The Mall on the way to the Commons from Kenmore. Tree cover + benches + calm relative to streets surrounding it (traffic sandwich) = victory, America. read more

This is a great place for a stroll to get away from the crowds on Newbury and Boylston. It extends from the Public Garden on Arlington all the way to Mass. Ave. It's a nice place to walk your dog or sit and eat your lunch too. Check out the row homes and see how the other half lives. read more