Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WHALE WATCHING
For whale-watching trips from Cape Ann, see the box titled “A Whale of an Adven-
ture” on p. 265.
The
New England Aquarium
(
&
617/973-5200
for information, 617/973-5206
for tickets; www.newenglandaquarium.org; p. 147) runs
whale watches
daily
from May through mid-October and on weekends in April and late October. You'll
travel several miles out to sea to Stellwagen Bank, the feeding ground for the whales
as they migrate from Newfoundland to Provincetown. Allow 3
1
⁄
2
to 5 hours. Tickets
are $36 for adults, $33 for seniors and college students, $30 for children 3 to 11. Chil-
dren must be 3 years old and at least 30 inches tall. Reservations are strongly recom-
mended; you can also buy tickets online, subject to a service charge.
With its onboard exhibits and vast experience, the aquarium offers the best whale
watches in Boston. If they're booked, other companies offer whale watches:
Boston
Harbor Cruises
(
&
877/SEE-WHALE
or 617/227-4321; www.bostonharbor
cruises.com), which operates up to five trips a day on its two high-speed catamarans,
trimming the excursion time to 3 hours total; and
Massachusetts Bay Lines
(
&
617/
542-8000;
www.massbaylines.com).
SPECIALTY TOURS
Two excellent resources to investigate before you leave home are the
Boston Center
for Adult Education
(
&
617/267-4430;
www.bcae.org) and the
Cambridge Center
for Adult Education
(
&
617/547-6789;
www.ccae.org). Multiple-week courses are
the norm, but both schools also schedule single-day classes that last 2 hours or longer.
The expert-led offerings include walking tours (often with a focus on local architec-
ture), cooking classes and wine tastings, and workshops about everything from poetry
to gardening. Prices start at $23, and preregistration is required.
The
French Library Alliance Française
(
&
617/912-0400;
www.frenchlib.org) is
a cultural center that offers cooking classes as well as intensive language instruction.
FOR HISTORY BUFFS Historic New England
(
&
617/227-3956;
www.
historicnewengland.org) offers a fascinating tour that describes and illustrates life in
the mansions and garrets of Beacon Hill in 1810. The 2-hour program, “Magnificent
and Modest,” costs $12 and starts at the Otis House Museum, 141 Cambridge St., at
11am on Saturdays from May to October. The price includes a tour of the museum,
and reservations are recommended.
A map of the self-guided tour created by the
Boston Irish Tourism Association
(
&
617/696-9880;
www.irishheritagetrail.com) is available at the Boston Common
and Prudential Center visitor centers. Check the website for an interactive map with
pop-ups describing the sites and information about guided tours, which were in the
planning stages at press time.
FOR ARCHITECTURE BUFFS
Check ahead for walking tours and classes with
the
Boston Center for Adult Education
or
Cambridge Center for Adult Education
(see above).
FOR CRIMINAL-JUSTICE MAJORS
Free guided tours of the
John Joseph
Moakley Federal Courthouse,
1 Courthouse Way, show off the waterfront building's
dramatic architecture and introduce visitors to the workings of the justice system.
You may even see part of a trial. Docents from
Discovering Justice
(
&
617/748-
4185;
www.discoveringjustice.org) lead the tours (45 min.), which are available to
