Boston Common - America's Oldest Park
The oldest public park in America, dating back to 1684, Boston Common echoes 350 years of extraordinary history and continues to play a key role in the Boston community. From Colonial times to present day, this central public park in downtown Boston has witnessed sermons, executions and celebrations, while playing host to famous speeches by George Washington, Pope John Paul II and Martin Luther King Jr. Boston Common is now home to "The Embrace", 20-foot-tall bronze sculpture of arms locked in a hug, memorializing Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. The pose is borrowed from a famous photograph of the couple that was taken when MLK won the Nobel Prize in 1964. Located just minutes from the Seaport Hotel, Boston Common is a popular destination for outdoor recreation, community events, concerts, softball games, and ice skating on Frog Pond.
Plan Your Visit
Hours
- Daily, 8:30 am - 5 pm. Please check their website for extended, seasonal hours.
Prices
- Free
Events/Memorials
- Out of the Park
- Japan Festival Boston
- Boston Common Holiday Tree Lighting
- Frog Pond Skating
- NYE Fireworks
- The Embrace
Activities
- Concerts
- Softball
- Ice Skating
- Picnics
- Sightseeing
- Public Readings
Spanning 50 acres, Boston Common is part of the Emerald Necklace, a chain of interconnected parks and parkways throughout many Boston neighborhoods. Boston Common is at the southern end of Boston's Freedom Trail, and features softball fields, historic monuments, public art, tennis courts, an ice skating pond and green space for recreation.
Boston Common has played host to a number of celebrated speakers, including Pope John Paul II, Martin Luther King Jr. and Gloria Steinem, advocate of the feminist revolution. It is also the site of the largest Judy Garland concert, which included over 100,000 fans.
A new statue commemorating Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King was unveiled in early 2023. Titled The Embrace, it's a 20-foot-tall bronze sculpture of arms locked in a hug, the pose borrowed from a famous photograph of the couple that was taken when MLK won the Nobel Prize in 1964.
- Boston Common Info