Things to do on a wet weekend in Boston

Boston is a great place to visit at any time of year, but if you visit in the fall or winter, you might have to contend with the odd rainy day or two. Luckily, there are plenty of indoor attractions and things to do out of the rain, and a lot of Boston’s sites of interest are very close together, so you don’t have to walk for a long time in the rain to get from place to place. To help you out, here’s a guide to things to do on a wet weekend in Boston:

Staying central will help you out

When trying to find hotels near Boston during the rainy seasons, it’s worth remembering that you’ll have an easier time in more central neighborhoods. Places like Back Bay, Downtown, and Beacon Hill will all give you easy access to indoor attractions, and have good subway links to keep you dry as you travel from place to place. Walking distances between museums, cafes, and historic sites are also relatively short and easy to manage, so you won’t need to spend lots of time dashing through rainy streets.

The downside of this is that central accommodation can be a bit more expensive, although this is often offset when you consider the cost of traveling into the center from the outskirts.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was designed to exacting specifications by the socialite and philanthropist of the same name. It was designed to resemble a Venetian palace and opened in 1903. Isabella’s vision permeates the place well over a century since it first opened its doors, and her instructions were so strong that, nearly forty years after some pieces were stolen, their empty frames still hang on the walls. Isabella would not have wanted them to be replaced with other pieces.

The inner courtyard garden changes with each season, and is easy to enjoy even on a rainy day, as there’s plenty of cover. If you like art, history, architecture, or simply appreciating the vision of a very strong woman, this is a fantastic spot to visit on a rainy weekend.

The Museum of Fine Arts

Close to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, you’ll find the Museum of Fine Arts. This is one of the largest art museums in the United States, and a popular stop for people touring the culture of the East Coast. Art and history buffs can easily lose a whole day or more here, but there’s plenty to appreciate even for those who aren’t aficionados.

The collection spans the art of ancient civilizations through to modern times. You’ll find a strong series of collections linked to Impressionism, Asian art, contemporary American painting, and more. The Egyptian, Japanese, and Chinese galleries are particularly worth visiting, although every gallery has something interesting and beautiful to offer.

Boston Public Library and Copley Square

The main branch of the Boston Public Library opened in the nineteenth century, and it’s now one of the oldest major public library systems in the United States. The library is worth a visit for the architecture alone – the interior courtyard and marble staircases, with their heavy Renaissance influences, are architectural works of art.

The library is a great place to wander on a rainy day. You can settle down with a coffee in one of the cafes, or take yourself to a quiet reading room to peruse some books or simply enjoy the historic ambiance.

Nearby, around the historic Copley Square, you’ll find Trinity Church – an architectural marvel dating back to 1733 – and plenty of bookstores and cafes in nearby Newbury Street. If you want to do some afternoon shopping, there’s plenty of covered shopping out of the rain here at Copley Place and Prudential Center.

Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall

Quincy Market is a historic market complex dating back to the nineteenth century. Today, it functions as both a food hall and a tourism center, so there’s plenty to explore, buy, learn, eat, and enjoy here. Do bear in mind that the market can be busy when it’s raining, as a lot of people flock to its covered interior. However, the space is large enough that you should have room to browse and sample the food without feeling crowded. The market is particularly famed for Italian pastries and chowder, but there’s something to tickle every palate here.

Faneuil Hall, nearby, is another very popular Boston attraction. It played a big role during the Revolutionary era – so much so that it’s sometimes called ‘The Cradle of Liberty’. In later years, it’s also been the meeting place of people from various great causes, including women’s suffrage, Civil Rights, and labor rights. Today, you can get free short tours from NPS rangers throughout the day – perfect for filling a rainy half hour.

The New England Aquarium

You’ll find the New England Aquarium on Boston Harbor, near Long Wharf. It’s popular for its penguins and the 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank in the center, but there’s plenty to do alongside these major attractions. You can get up close and personal with marine life (including sharks and rays) in the touch tanks, gaze at the incredible coral reef tank with gorgeous corals and over 1000 tropical marine species, watch harbor and fur seals play in the Marine Mammal Center, and generally learn everything you could ever want to know about sealife.

Do bear in mind that the aquarium is very popular, so it’s probably worth booking online before you head in. Check the weather forecast and get aquarium tickets for when it’s scheduled to rain all day.

The Mapparium

The Mapparium is one of Boston’s strangest, most beautiful, and most overlooked indoor attractions. It’s a giant, three-story stained glass globe inside the Mary Baker Eddy Library. It was built in 1935, and visitors can take a suspended bridge right through the heart of the globe, surrounded by the nations and political borders of 1935. It’s a walk through a point in history as well as an incredible work of art and engineering.

Things to bear in mind

If you are heading to Boston during the rainier seasons, bear in mind that Boston rain often comes with strong coastal winds – especially near the waterfront. This can make the rain biting, stinging, and very cold. So, prepare by packing clothes that you can easily layer, including a windproof and waterproof jacket.

On the plus side, Boston has a high density of museums and indoor attractions – more than many similarly-sized American cities – so you don’t need to miss out if your weekend vacation does turn into a washout. There’s also relatively good public transportation, so you can even get out to Cambridge and further flung places without getting soaked on rainy days.

Overall, don’t worry if your weekend in Boston has a lot of rain forecast. There’s a lot you can see and do indoors, and much of it is so close together that you won’t even have to worry about getting wet walking between attractions. So, don’t cancel that vacation – lock in and enjoy a classic wet weekend in Boston!

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