The 162-acre wildlife sanctuary surrounding Cambridge’s 155-acre water source is full of hiking, walking, and jogging trails. This is also one of the top spots in the region for watching the leaves change. Who needs Western Mass.? 

This cemetery includes more than 900 people who served during the Civil War. The big sphinx statue, in fact, is a memorial to those who died in the war.

Perhaps most importantly, though, the 187-year-old Mount Auburn was the first planned rural cemetery in the United States, a pastoral model for subsequent such sites.

Located in Jamaica Plain, the Arboretum is a 281-acre oasis of trees, flowers, and parkland that Harvard University owns and maintains. As such, it positively brims with hiking trails, bike paths, and activities for the kiddos. It’s also a great place to take in the fall foliage. 

The famed repository of Asian, European, and American artwork also boasts one of the most beautiful interiors in the Boston region.

The prime interior attraction of the Willard T. Sears-designed complex dating from 1901 is actually an exterior of sorts—namely, it’s a walled-in courtyard meant to reflect the love of horticulture of the museum’s namesake.

The 72-acre zoo in the northeast corner of Franklin Park—which itself is worth a visit during the fall—hosts more than 220 species, There are also thousands of educational and other engagement opportunities offered by Zoo New England, the zoo’s operator.

As the name implies, the esplanade hugs the Charles River and provides nonstop downtown views and a wee briskness this time of year. The most scenic run is from about Berkeley Street in Back Bay to Charles River Dam Road in the West End—it can make for one heck of a stroll or jog, too.

Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and completed in the late 1870s, the current Episcopal church replaced one nearby that burned down (the parish dates from 1733). Other municipal buildings locally and nationwide have imitated its Romanesque style.

This museum, which has roots stretching back to the early 1800s, includes more than 700 interactive exhibits as well as a planetarium and IMAX films.

It’s also a particular favorite with kids and their caregivers.

The lusher neighbor of the Common dates from the early 19th century and includes 24 acres of statuary, flowers, foliage, and assorted other plantings as well as plenty of bench seating.

It can be particularly gorgeous as the leaves change. Though, while taking in that aesthetic charm, don’t forget to keep an eye out for the garden’s less obvious gems, too.

Finished in early 1798 and built on a cow pasture John Hancock once owned, the State House was designed by Charles Bulfinch, the starchitect of his day and a pioneer in the Federal style.

Wood shingles originally comprised its famous dome. Those gave way to copper and then to a 23-karat gold coating (which looks neat, yes, but was also practical: to prevent leaks).

The Congregational church dates from 1810 and is an unmistakable part of the Freedom Trail: It's right there toward the start and next to the cemetery containing the graves of John Hancock, Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and other luminaries.

When its 217-foot steeple was completed, the Park Street Church became for a time the tallest building in America.

The 221-foot obelisk was dedicated and opened in 1843 to commemorate the June 1775 battle of the same name, the first major fight of the Revolutionary War. Visitors can climb all the way to the tip-top for some nice Charlestown views and then recover on the sloping law afterward.

There is also a museum about the battle and the surrounding area across the street.

The world’s oldest commissioned battleship reopened for public tours more than two years ago after 30 months of repairs.

Visitors can also check out the neighboring museum dedicated to the heavy frigate first launched in 1797.

South Station is both New England’s busiest train hub and its busiest bus terminal.

There are about 75,000 boardings and alightings daily in the portion of the station that is part of the T, including commuter rail; and the Amtrak portion services some 1.5 million boardings and alightings annually. Moreover, an estimated 1 million passengers arrive and depart from its bus terminal yearly.

Go here and soak in the daily-commute experience of so, so many Bostonians.

The building dates from the early 1720s and is Boston's oldest church.

What makes it iconic, though, is that it was from its 191-foot steeple that Paul Revere learned the British were coming by sea, not land. Robert Newman, the church's sexton, provided Revere the two-lantern signal.

This stop is exactly what it sounds like. The institution dates from 1913, making it one of the oldest children’s museums in the U.S.

It’s also part of a very vibrant waterfront area in general in Boston.

A staggering variety of marine life calls the aquarium home, starting with the seals you can see even before you pay admission (hint, hint).

There are also plenty of interactive exhibits, especially for the youngsters; and the aquarium melds nicely with the Boston waterfront.

The I.M. Pei-designed repository of all things Kennedy marks its 40th year in 2019. The modern building is itself worth the trek as is its preeminent collection of manuscript material from Nobel laureate Ernest Hemingway. 

The peninsula is partly in Boston, partly in Winthrop, and is entirely a piece of a national park covering the Harbor Islands.

There is a 2.6-mile pathway along the waterfront and a further 2 miles of trails on the hills farther inland.

Deer Island also hosts a curiously awesome wastewater treatment facility, which is open for tours.

The museum itself dates from 1936, but this striking iteration right on the water opened in 2006. As the name suggests, the ICA is all about contemporary art and design.