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All the United States Massachusetts Boston

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Boston

131 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Boston, Massachusetts

Updated July 21, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Boston

Boston, Massachusetts

Mapparium Globe

An enormous, inside-out glass globe built in 1935.

Boston, Massachusetts

Forest Hills Cemetery

A beautiful Victorian-era cemetery, complete with a miniature village.
Brattle Book Shop.

Boston, Massachusetts

Brattle Book Shop

One of the oldest used bookstores in the U.S. has been selling antiquarian treasures since 1825.

Boston, Massachusetts

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (The Gardner)

Two thousand artifacts from around the world collected by one woman who loved to travel.
Espresso, cocoa topped cappuccino, cookie and chocolate covered biscotti.

Boston, Massachusetts

Caffe Vittoria

The oldest Italian café in Boston, this spot also serves as a veritable museum of vintage coffee ephemera.

Boston, Massachusetts

Edgar Allan Poe Square

The Boston square dedicated to the dark poet who was born nearby.
A book describing the man that is also made from.

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Athenaeum Skin Book

A morbid secret lies hidden within the beautiful walls of the Boston Athenaeum.

Boston, Massachusetts

Empire Garden Restaurant

Dim sum, served in a grand old theater.
See All 131 Things To Do in Boston

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Boston

Espresso, cocoa topped cappuccino, cookie and chocolate covered biscotti.

Boston, Massachusetts

Caffe Vittoria

The oldest Italian café in Boston, this spot also serves as a veritable museum of vintage coffee ephemera.

Boston, Massachusetts

Empire Garden Restaurant

Dim sum, served in a grand old theater.
Plaque

Boston, Massachusetts

Great Boston Molasses Flood Plaque

The site of one of the strangest disasters in history—a wave of deadly molasses traveling at 35 mph.
The Frederick Law Olmsted designed Emerald Necklace at The Fenway Victory Gardens.

Boston, Massachusetts

Fenway Victory Gardens

One of the last remaining World War II Victory Gardens in the U.S. is quietly growing across from Fenway Park.
See all 8 Places to Eat in Boston
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Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

From ghosts and gravestones to the Freedom Trail and Boston Tea Party.

Discover Experiences

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

12 Places in Massachusetts Where Literature Comes to Life

Massachusetts is a lit-lover's paradise. From landscapes that have moved writers to wax poetic about beans to story-inspired sculpture parks and shops stacked with volumes new and old, the Bay State would also be aptly named the Book State. Here are 12 places to celebrate writers or the places that inspired them.

View Itinerary

Explore Boston, Massachusetts

A
Architecture 16
History 14
Statues 13
Architectural Oddities 11
Memorials 10
Monuments 9
Sacred Spaces 9
Plaques 8
Parks 8
Catacombs And Crypts 7
Sculptures 7
Cemeteries 7
Unique Restaurants & Bars 7

Boston Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. TheDiscoveryService
    17
  2. alinekaplan
    5
  3. dsouth
    5
  4. Sofy
    5
  5. JWOcker
    4
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Boston.

Places Edited

  1. cait7911
    15
  2. MtnLady
    15
  3. TheDiscoveryService
    14
  4. Gerard Nolan
    13
  5. Collector of Experiences
    13
Join the Ranks!
Improve the Atlas with edits and photos.

Places Visited

  1. Runmahr
    121
  2. theolinger
    100
  3. pudvarbail
    93
  4. jocelyngould
    91
  5. Kev Obie
    89

Recent Boston Activity

  • lizziedale

    has been to Jamaica Pond Bench

    about 17 hours ago
  • lizziedale

    wants to go to St. Stephen's Church

    about 17 hours ago
  • lizziedale

    wants to go to Warren Anatomical Museum

    about 17 hours ago
  • Idra

    wants to go to Diorama of Venetian Palace

    about 15 hours ago
  • Idra

    has been to The Paul Revere House

    about 15 hours ago

Stories About Boston

Omni Parker House Hotel

The Omni Parker House: Inside the History of Boston’s Most Iconic Hotel

Charles Dickens once stayed here on a reading tour for ‘A Christmas Carol.’
by The Podcast Team
July 17, 2025
 Fenway Park at night

How Was Your First Trip With Your Significant Other?

When your new partner shows up without luggage, or, worse yet, turns out to be a morning person.
by The Podcast Team
July 9, 2025
Green-Wood Cemetery, overlooking New York Harbor.

Where Our Team Looked for Joy During Pandemic Lockdowns

Five years after the initial COVID-19 lockdown, the AO team reflects on the places that brought them joy, comfort, and connection during a difficult time.
by The Podcast Team
June 14, 2025
This photo reveals interviews with James Brown, Annie Lennox, Al Green, Boris Grebenshchikov (the “Grandfather of Russian Rock”), and many more.

Unearthing Gems in a Massive Archive of Rock Star Interviews

“They are unpolished and unvarnished.”
by April White
November 6, 2023
Red wine, fish, and hardtack were the main ingredients of old-fashioned chowder.

Chowder Once Had No Milk, No Potatoes—and No Clams

The earliest-known version of the dish was a winey, briny, bready casserole.
by Anne Ewbank
May 16, 2023
British pop singer/songwriter Maisie Peters’s favorite book, Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, inspired an obsession with New England winters.

How 'The Secret History' Conjures Haunting New England Winters

For me as a singer-songwriter, there’s just something alluring about that frigid, seasonal darkness.
by Maisie Peters
December 1, 2022

Podcast: The Theater of Electricity

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
February 9, 2022

Podcast: Bell Ringing of Old North Church

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
January 31, 2022

Lists Featuring Boston

View to Marshall Street from Creek Square.

The 11 Most Interesting Places to Visit Near Faneuil Hall

11

Including AHAC Headquarters, Faneuil Hall Weathervane, and Creek Square

Madaba Mosaic Map
The gallery of maps, showing the ceiling
Great Polish Map of Scotland

13 Marvelous Maps That Go Way Beyond Paper

Charting the world's most intriguing out-of-the-box cartography.

13

Including Madaba Mosaic Map, Gallery of Maps - Galleria delle Carte Geografiche, and Mapparium Globe

The Paddington Bear statue at Paddington station.
The Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park.
Mrs Mallard and her entire brood.
Dr Seuss, Cat in the Hat, and a book with lines from Oh The Places You’ll Go.

9 Favorite Children's Book Characters, Immortalized in Bronze

Visit Paddington Bear, Ramona Quimby, and other childhood heroes in person.

9

Including Paddington Bear Statue , Alice in Wonderland Statue, and Make Way for Ducklings Statue

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