Why visit
Across Charles Street from the Common lies its formal sibling: the Public Garden, America's first public botanical garden, all Victorian flowerbeds, weeping willows, and a lagoon crossed by a miniature suspension bridge. Two rituals define it. The Swan Boats - pedal-powered, swan-tailed, family-run since 1877 - glide fifteen unhurried minutes around the lagoon each spring through early autumn for a few dollars, unchanged in any way that matters. And the bronze Make Way for Ducklings statues, from the 1941 children's classic set here, receive an endless procession of toddlers climbing onto Mrs. Mallard's back; reading the book the night before transforms the visit for young children. Tulip season in late April is the photographic peak; autumn colors rival it. Combine with Beacon Hill's Acorn Street and Newbury Street, both adjacent, for the city's gentlest half-day.
