In Boston, you can take your date on a night out in the theater district, a picnic in the public gardens, a ride on a swan boat or to a documentary showing at the immersive Omni Theater. There are abundant opportunities for couples to explore, whether you both are interested in art, history, theater, science or spending time outdoors.
Picnics
Boston's Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a 1,100-acre system of green areas and waterways designed by Fredrick Law Olmstead. Take your date on a relaxing picnic outdoors at any spot along the Emerald Necklace, including the woody Jamaica Pond, Boston's largest body of water; the three-mile stretch of the Esplande on the Charles River; the grassy Riverway; and the 265-acre horticulture collection at America's oldest arboretum, the Arnold Arboretum. Picnic at any number of shady spots in the Boston Common and Public Gardens or on the historic grounds of Harvard Yard.
Theater
A variety of musicals, operas, dance productions and other performances keep Boston's historic theater district busy. The district's many venues include the prestigious Wang Center, founded in 1925; the Colonial Theater, New England's longest running theater; The Boston Opera House, restored in 2004; and the Shubert Theater, whose stage has seen the likes of Julie Andrews, Mary Martin and Sir John Gielgud. At the Charles Playhouse, originally built as a Unitarian church in 1839, the improvisational comedians of Shear Madness and the impossible-to-categorize performers of the Blue Man Group have become celebrated local fixtures. Across the river in Cambridge, the non-profit American Repertory Theater has won the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award, and other distinctions for its adaptations of both classical and contemporary plays.
Music
On any given night, you and your date can catch a cozy indie rock, folk, funk or jazz performance for less than $15 at the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Brookline Street in Cambridge, which houses three locally renowned venues: The Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub, ZuZu's and TT the Bear's Place. Similar shows populate the stage at the Paradise Rock Club and Lounge in the Allston neighborhood, while big-label acts gravitate to the Bank of America Pavilion, the Wang Center and the Orpheum Theater. At Harvard University's Sanders Theater, known for the unusual architecture and acoustics of its 180-degree design, you can see year-round performances of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra, Boston Baroque, the Boston Chamber Music Society and other professional ensembles. On summer nights, you can relax with your date at the Charles River Esplanade's Hatch Shell, which hosts an array of free classical and rock performances, including the Boston Symphony Orchestra's famous Fourth of July concert.
Museums
Boston's art museums include the world-renowned Museum of Fine Arts, with collections representing ancient and modern cultures all over the world, and The Isabelle Stewart Gardner Museum, housing a rare collection, including Rembrandt, Degas, Raphael and Botticelli, in a space modeled after a 15th century Venetian pallazo and courtyard. On the waterfront in South Boston, the Institute of Contemporary Art has housed groundbreaking work from 20th century artists from Picasso to Cindy Sherman. The Museum of Science is another popular spot, with regular and visiting exhibits, a planetarium, live presentations and the Omni Theater, a cinema with a five-story IMAX dome screen. You also can visit the African American History Museum, documenting colonial African American life, and the John F. Kennedy Museum and Library, cataloging the former president's life and times.
Boat Rides
Take your date on one of Boston's whale watches. A high-speed catamaran will lead you on a three-hour narrated tour of the deep sea and its creatures. If conditions are right, this tour will be complete with dolphins swimming beside the boat, whales breaching and rare seabirds flocking. If you want to see the ocean but keep closer to the shore, go on a sightseeing cruise in the Boston Harbor, where you can take in the cityscape and historic New England seascape. You and your date also could take a ride on the swan boats, located on the lagoon in the Public Garden. The swan boats are open seven days a week, weather permitting, and cost $2.75 for a 15-minute ride.
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