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Boston, MA

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The Back Bay Fens

4.1 (42 reviews)

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Terry G.

What an amazing space in the heart of urban Boston. My grandparents were amongst the original Back Bay residents who started what was in 1942, a WWII "Victory Garden" where locals grew fresh fruits and vegetables. Today, the Fens features lovely individual plots/gardens where locals can rent a space and grow whatever inspires them -flowers, plants, produce... Our favorite was the Herb & Medicinal Garden where all are welcomed to sit, relax and even indulge.

The annual, Summer "Rose Garden Party" with all the roses in bloom and the best hats in Boston. PHOTO: Lynn Julian (Crisci)
Lynn J.

The most beautiful part of The Back Bay Fens is the Kelleher Rose Garden...OH, THE AROMA! Every rose bush and trellis features a plaque, stating it's name and personality. BEST DEAL: Attend the annual, Summer "Rose Garden Party" to catch all the roses in full bloom...and the best hats in Boston. I was gifted an "Honorable Mention" Hat Contest Winner (Lynn Julian) adorned with my own creation, which was made from a Schiaparelli hat base.

Gee G.

Very cute park, worth the visit if your up for a walk or would like to digest after a meal in back bay. Lovely Fujiko x fog installation when I went. Great timing as a New Yorker in Boston. Great park.

Tarah H, Daniel S, and Jeffrey H taking a 2AM trip to The Fens after a night at Machine. Photo by Katie H.
Jeffrey H.

Hmmm...it seems the previous reviewers didn't know or didn't mention why this is a place to stay away from at night--it's for GAY SEX. Had always heard about 'The Fens' thru friends or thru my bored moments at work (moments being all day long) where I flip between Yelp and Craigslist. If you surf the M4M missed connections page, you'll be sure to find LOTS of sex stories where two or more dudes hooked up on a tree or in some reeds and want to meet up again. Leaving Machine on Friday night with fellow yelpers Katie, Daniel, and Tarah...I mentioned I had never been to The Fens. All of a sudden, we're walking down the street and entering the point of no return. My lovely Yelp friends forced me to walk ahead of them to basically "see what happens." I've mentioned before and I'll mention again I have a TERRIBLE irrational fear of zombies...and I felt surrounded by them as dozens of men lurked around staring me/us down. Walking along the paths, you'll be sure to see guys laying on the ground, standing right outside shrubs, or you can hear twigs snapping from inside the reeds. This was definitely an experience I'll never forget. I think my favorite part was when Daniel took me in for a 2nd tour of the park and forced me to walk on some path thru the reeds and toward the water. Suddenly he gets hit in the face by a hanging vine and almost falls, I freak out and notice I'm sinking into the mud (whilst wearing my lovely J Crew flip flops), and lastly look to my right and see two dudes lurking in the reeds right next to us. WE RAN. And not a moment too soon since as soon as we got back on the road, a police cruiser came flying in (THRU the park) with its spotlight and megaphone ordering people to zip up and go home! Come here during the day if you like parks. Come here at night if you like rando same sex male hook ups...or if you're curious to experience the national geographic special that this place is. Oh, and there are vegetable gardens that people rent plots to grow their own stuff...well...FYI...the men seem to enjoy using your pumpkin patches too so be sure to wash your vegetables. And my feet are still dirty even after 4 showers.

Sean L.

Not the cleanest... nor most visually appealing park in Boston. But one thing it boasts that the Common can not is its lack of crowds. With virtually zero tourists in your way... rules or logic be damned as it is right next to Fenway park and Landsdown Street. The Fens also has a gardening section maintained by various people who rent small plots for themselves. These touches of individual personality give our park the uniqueness that is Boston. The Fens is great for a stroll, taking in the War memorial, having a small picnic, or playing a game of frisbee. You're likely to see dozens of neighbors enjoying their options weekly, if not daily. The down side... what is the catch? It is minor but enough to warrant the loss of a star: WATCH OUT FOR GOOSE POO!

Path around the Fens
Sydney T.

The Fens is one of my favorite places in the whole city. It's close to my school and close to my apartment, so it's great for getting away between classes, or after school for a run. This place is stunning in the fall - there are leaves of every color. I love running here because I get so distracted by the beauty that I forget I'm even doing a dreadful, tiring movement with my body. There's a couple of paths, some bridges to walk over, a memorial in the center, and a football/soccer field with a track around it. It's a scenic way to move between neighborhoods and a great place to just stroll! The only reason I deducted a star is the nighttime safety. I'm not sure if it's 100% accurate or not, but at Northeastern orientation, we were warned 40 times over not to go into the Fens at night. I guess it can be pretty dangerous.

Victory Gardens in The Fens Boston

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

I really large park in the middle of the city. I had a nice afternoon walk here. Would come again

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15 years ago

Pretty walk from NEU to Fenway Park. Lovely setting...

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14 years ago

this is an ok park but i wouldnt go out of my way to go here. nice but not as nice as i thought it would be

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14 years ago

One of the few parks that's likely more enjoyable from a distance as a distraction from nearby traffic than it is amidst the space itself.

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Review Highlights - The Back Bay Fens

“. - Wind sprint around the track til I puked(it was lactic acid threshold training) - Entertaining my mom by taking her to the rose garden and Victory Garden”

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World's End

World's End

4.4(107 reviews)
12.8 mi

I find this park to be very fascinating and mysterious little peninsula into the ocean. Hailing…read morefrom California, it was quite bizarre to me to see World's End, where deciduous forests and fall foliage appear to blend seamlessly into dramatic seaside bluffs and the scent of the Atlantic floats over the entire isolated peninsula. There is also a small tidal marsh and bird blind. The hills in the peninsula are called drumlins, due to their shape and how they were formed from glacial migration. Parking costs about 15 dollars and there is not a whole lot of parking. You really should get an advanced pass, but we were fortunate and were able to get in despite it being Halloweekend. There weren't too many people there, mostly scattered couples and dogs. The paths are a bit confusing and highly looping. World's End almost became a residential subdivision once upon a time, and Frederick Olmsted was hired to design it. There are stately carriage paths and trees planted for this subdivision, but the project was called off. I found this to provide a mysterious ambiance to the peninsula, as it seemed somewhat halfway between a residential subdivision (easy to imagine some little suburban houses sprouting among the trees) and a wilderness area. There are conveniently placed maps at most of the junctions which can aid the lost traveller. I would give World's End 2 or 3 hours to fully explore. It's about 200 acres, with many benches and good viewpoints. You can see lovely views of the Harbor islands and Boston skyline from the peninsula. I especially liked the Bar, a region of the peninsula where it narrows, before reading "World's End" proper. I found this to be a lovely place and definitely enlivened my curiosity. The mystery and beauty of this park is captivating!

This past weekend, myself and a buddy wanted to get out of Boston and shake up our walking route…read moreand landed on World's End. Be careful when putting the address into your navigation, especially Waze users, as it took us to the totally wrong location at first. Once you arrive, however, parking is pretty straightforward. It costs $10/car. The staff at the hut where you pay for parking was super helpful in letting us know what route would best suit our time constraints. We were even given a map! The trails were pretty clear, some maybe weren't as clearly defined as they could've been. Note for hikers: this does feel like more a stroll in the park as opposed to a true hike. Some hidden paths did feel like one, however, so don't be afraid to venture off what seems to be the most defined routes. We loved the views of the Boston skyline, harbour, and Hull, MA. This place is definitely worth a visit. I'm looking forward to coming back in autumn to see some good foliage!

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World's End
World's End
World's End

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The Lawn On D

The Lawn On D

4.0(174 reviews)
2.6 mi•South Boston

While in Boston a family friend took us here. Two kids altogether had real fun, a pleasant place to…read morehangout with or without kids. Huge space with the swings (the ultimate thing in this park), ping pongs, corn holes, big screen... It was free admission when we were here and a lot of people were there on the swing, we had to wait for sometime for our turns, but it was fun. If your around this park, just stop by for a while and enjoy the swing. Parking was on street!

First time here and all I can say is WOW!! Beautiful space! They've done a really amazing job with…read morethe renovations to this space! From the green 'grass' to the swings to the greenery and the lighting and the huge stage with an awesome sound system - really great! We went here for live band karaoke with our favorite band called Five Minutes of Fame - they're playing every Thursday night from 7-10 pm. So if you're into singing with a live band go on over and live out your rockstar dreams! They had the food truck called The Grove which I think has a very limiting menu - in terms of healthy and tasty - which is my requirement. I got the grove salad with chicken and it was just ok - nothing to write home about. The hubs had the BLT sandwich which he liked but also found it quite greasy. There are restrooms which are these portable ones in these trailers and they're very nice and clean but the individual ones on the opposite end of the stage was very smelly. The ones behind the stage were better. Running water, flush everything- like a proper restroom. So that is good. We got parking through SpotHero at a nearby parking lot - it was $26 but we didn't want to take chance looking around for parking that is why. But our friends said they found street parking so it's possible to find free parking too. Overall we had a great time, the weather was perfect beautiful summer evening - and great music! We'll be back for more live band karaoke!

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The Lawn On D - Hanging out on the swings

Hanging out on the swings

The Lawn On D
The Lawn On D

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Arnold Arboretum

Arnold Arboretum

4.8(416 reviews)
2.7 mi

My daughter recommended us to visit this fantastic arboretum. It was super worthwhile! Just to get…read moreout of the city first a bit into a well-preserved and landscaped beautiful lush green space with evergreens and oaks and gardens. It's free every day! There's a visitor center, where they have clippings of flowers that are labeled for easy identification and appreciation. Also throughout the arboretum are little plaques identifying flora. We went up to see the view of Boston from Peter's Hill and walked alongside the blooming mountain laurel bushes. Walkable paths are asphalt or wood chips. We saw a wild turkey, several robins, and occasional people. Super glad we explored this wondrous place!

It's been quite some time since i stopped by the arboretum. As a kid my grandma and mother used to…read moretake us there and take photos in the summer. I have some very good child memories here. They used to have hedge? Carvings of animals and stuff which was super cool. Didn't see that today but not sure, we didn't have time to check the whole arboretum. I think this place is so cool, there's families walking, roller blading, skating, biking etc dog walking you name it. It's clean in there so please keep it that way if visiting. There are ample signs of the types of trees, plants, and different zones. Porta potty available on the paths, resting chairs, benches and even spreads for a picnic. Friend had his wedding there not long ago. Easy commute from Forrest Hills train station on the orange line and walk up the street. Multiple gates to go in from, but main gate closed to cars at 4pm i think. The arboretum is closed at dusk. Beautiful walk on a beautiful day.

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Arnold Arboretum - Fall time

Fall time

Arnold Arboretum
Arnold Arboretum

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The Back Bay Fens - parks - Updated November 2026

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