Boston Cultural Weekend

How to enjoy a cultural weekend in Boston

People named “Isabella” may visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—one of Boston’s preeminent cultural sites—for free (with advance notice). Others pay $20. Photo by Liza Voll

By JoAnn Greco

August 18, 2022

As I walked across Boston’s Public Garden to the Newbury Hotel, where I was staying for the weekend, I started humming a song from the Broadway-bound musical I had just seen. I was reminded, once again, that the Hub has a long tradition of incubating new theater productions en route to the Great White Way.

Later, as I joined the crowds in the galleries of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), I recognized that Boston continues to lead the art world, too, in developing major exhibitions. This solidified the thought I’d had when making plans for this trip: Why bother traveling to Manhattan when it’s just as easy to get to arts-rich Boston?? (Not to mention being able to see Broadway-level productions at a fraction of the cost!)

While I didn’t have time on this trip to see the legendary Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Freedom Trail, Bunker Hill, the Old North Church, or the Boston Public Library’s stellar Beaux Arts architecture, my weekend itinerary still packed a cultural punch. Here’s what to see and where to stay for a cultural weekend in Boston.

Theatrical options in Boston

The interior of the Emerson Colonial Theatre is a show in and of itself. Photo by Patrick Farrell

Boston’s major cluster of performing-arts venues is located in and around Tremont and Washington streets on Boston Common’s southern and eastern edges. It was from one of its jewels, the gilded Emerson Colonial Theatre, that I carried the tunes of Neil Diamond in my head after taking in the jukebox musical A Beautiful Noise. This fall, the theater moves from a Diamond to the Crown as it hosts a touring production of the smash-hit musical Six, a fast-paced look at the beleaguered (and oft beheaded) wives of Henry VIII.

Meanwhile, A.R.T. (American Repertory Theater) will present the North American premiere of the award-winning adaptation of Yann Martel’s best-selling novel, Life of Pi. The theater’s production, like its recent staging of 1776, will undoubtedly transfer to Broadway, representing another coup for this groundbreaking company that won a Tony for outstanding regional theater a mere 6 years after its founding in 1980.

I was intrigued by the adventurous fare offered at the Huntington Theatre Company, the 2013 outstanding regional theater Tony designee, though my schedule did not allow time for me to see a play on this visit. This fall’s highlights include Sing Street, a musical set in Dublin during the 1980s, and a production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone.

Must-visit museums in Boston

The Museum of Fine Arts resumed its outdoor concert series in 2022. It also hosts informal discussions about instruments in its collection. Photo by Cara Johnston

Not far from the Huntington, the city’s finest museums await. Widely regarded as one of America’s top art museums, the MFA is fresh off a blockbuster summer that included 2 headline-grabbing shows: an unparalleled grouping of land- and seascapes by J.M.W. Turner and a retrospective devoted to Philip Guston’s vivid socially conscious paintings.

This fall, the official portraits of President Barack Obama (by Kehinde Wiley) and first lady Michelle Obama (by Amy Sherald) will arrive in town, likely drawing crowds. Adults, $27.

The Blue Room at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Photo by Sean Dungan

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum also mounts temporary exhibitions—usually tied to the tastes and personal favorites of its namesake collector—but remains at its core an immutable and entrancing step back in time. The Dutch and Italian Old Masters that line the walls are still the same; the works that were stolen in the world’s most lucrative heist are still missing. What changes, however, is the property’s always-blooming courtyard; in the fall, dozens of chrysanthemum varieties take center stage. Adults, $20.

Boston’s Seaport neighborhood revitalized itself around the Institute of Contemporary Art’s modern building. Photo by Meg Elkington

When the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) moved into a stunning contemporary building on the Boston waterfront in 2006, it was a lone pioneer in an edgy industrial zone. Sixteen years later, glass skyscrapers filled with condos, hotels, retail stores, and restaurants dot the skyline of what’s now known as the Seaport, making the neighborhood a destination unto itself.

Until the end of the year, the ICA is running The Worlds We Make, an assemblage of collection highlights. For the full ICA experience, wait until 2023 when its ancillary space, Watershed—a former factory across the harbor in East Boston—reopens for the museum’s annual large-scale summertime exhibition. Adults, $20.

The Peabody Museum, 1 of Harvard’s 4 museums of science and culture, has exhibits on archaeology and ethnology. Photo courtesy President and Fellows of Harvard College

Or, if you relish learning more about your surroundings, spend a day at Harvard’s 4 Museums of Science and Culture in Cambridge, about a 15-minute drive from downtown Boston. The esteemed university’s riches also include 3 art museums.

Where to stay in Boston

Contessa, the Italian restaurant at The Newbury Boston, a AAA Five Diamond property. Photo by Douglas Friedman

Perfectly positioned at the intersection of the city’s toniest shopping street and its Public Garden, The Newbury Boston, a new, art-centric AAA Five Diamond property, offers 286 tasteful rooms, a cozy retreat in The Library, an expansive collection of contemporary art, and a glamorous Italian restaurant called Contessa. Rates start at $600.

In nearby Beacon Hill, The Whitney Hotel Boston is a quick train or cab ride from A.R.T. and the museums of Cambridge, just across the river. The 65-room AAA Four Diamond property offers an Art Lovers package that includes 2 MFA passes and a $50 credit at the hotel’s restaurant, Peregrine. Rates start at $509.

For a funkier option that showcases Beantown’s innovative spirit, spend a few nights at The Revolution, a stylish revamp of a former YWCA located in the always-hopping South End. Rates start at $275.

Based in Philadelphia, JoAnn Greco writes about urban destinations frequently.