Why visit the Back Bay neighbourhood in Boston?

The Back Bay neighbourhood shows a more modern side to Boston, but there’s still considerable charm down Newbury Street.

What’s Back Bay all about?

Back Bay is where Boston drops the act of being some sort of prim Olde Worlde historic theme park of breeches, tricorn hats and huzzah-ing patriots. If you want that, stick to the centre where the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, Paul Revere House and the Old North Church form key planks of the Freedom Trail.

Back Bay is a little newer than the neighbouring downtown and Beacon Hill areas, it’s also a little feistier and satisfyingly contradictory.

Part of Back Bay is blandly internationalist grandstanding – many of the big, bulky convention centre-serving hotels cluster here alongside gold plate steakhouses. This is mixed in, however, with some dreamy architecture; stone churches bulging with decorative features dot the corners.

Bukowski Tavern and Lolita Cocina

It’s an area that rewards the nosy, with some of the biggest surprises coming in unlikely spots. The Bukowski Tavern is a classic dive bar with a heart, where locals line the stool and demolish burgers. The peanut butter and bacon one is, erm, a bold choice.

Then there’s Lolita Cocina, which offers a slightly out of the ordinary Mexican menu featuring the likes of blackened halibut tacos with radish and scallions, plus a bewildering list of variations on the classic margarita. But head downstairs, and it’s considerably more out of the ordinary. There’s a red-lit bordello vibe with heavily tattooed cartoon women painted on the walls, OTT gothic chandeliers and enormous black leather couches.

Boston’s most likeable street?

Back Bay is also home to what is surely Boston’s most likeable street. Newbury Street is regarded as Boston’s prime shopping strip, but it feels like this is a happy accident rather than a deliberate ploy. The street is lined with handsome brownstone buildings with bulging bays. Many have carefully tended tiny gardens at the front, and most have steps leading down to a lower level.

But it’s the fact that everything is shoehorned in that makes Newbury Street so loveable. Those lower level stores can belong to world-renowned shoemaker John Fluevog, smoothie bars or hip second hand fashion boutiques.

Trident Booksellers and Newbury Comics

There’s a similar variance up top, with the likes of the Trident Booksellers and Café serving up seemingly a zillion different egg dishes and juice combos amongst the groaning shelves. But there are also chain outdoor gear stores, local designers and Newbury Comics – a geek heaven with racks of highly browsable vinyl, pop culture knick-knackery and action figures from every fantasy or sci-fi show imaginable.

There’s a constant tussle between the schmoozy, usually played out on the café terraces, and the indie. Neither side ever gets too much of an upper hand – and therein lies the appeal.

Things to do near Back Bay, Boston

• Visit the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Around 1 mile away, this major museum houses extensive American, European and Asian collections, plus rotating exhibitions.
• Explore the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Approximately 1.2 miles from Back Bay, this Venetian-style palace features art, sculpture and a central courtyard garden.
• Take a Fenway Park guided tour. Just 0.7 miles away, these behind-the-scenes tours of the Boston Red Sox stadium include the dugouts, press box and Green Monster seating.
• Walk the Freedom Trail with a guided tour. Several operators run paid walking tours starting close to Back Bay, covering Boston’s key Revolutionary-era landmarks with expert commentary.
• Visit the New England Aquarium. About 2 miles away on Boston’s waterfront, this popular attraction features a giant ocean tank, penguins and marine exhibits.

Back Bay FAQs

More Boston travel

Boston tours and activities worth considering include small group walking tours along the Freedom Trail, whale-watching cruises and North End food tours.

Other Boston travel articles on Planet Whitley include:

• Learning the legends of Harvard on a campus tour.
• Discovering the story of baseball, starting at Fenway Park.
• A first time visitor’s guide to Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• 5 really good reasons to visit Boston.
• Review of the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.