Since many places and museums are closed daily by 5 PM, we gathered some ideas to spend a fun afternoon in the city.
Select your chosen activity according to your location and interests, and get the most out of Boston.
1. Self-Guided Tours
Explore one of the city’s neighborhoods following a self-guided tour with a focus on women’s heritage.
Check out some options here.
2. Museums
Visit one of the museums that open after 5 PM on specific days:
Wednesday
- Museum of Fine Arts till 10 PM, and admission is free from 4 PM.
Thursday
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum till 9 PM.
- The Institute of Contemporary Art till 9 PM, and admission is free after 5 PM.
- Museum of Fine Arts till 10 PM.
Friday
- Museum of Fine Arts till 10 PM.
- The Institute of Contemporary Art till 9 PM.
- Museum of Science till 9 PM.
* Boston Public Library is open till 9 PM on Monday-Thursday. On Wednesdays, June to August, they offer concerts in the Courtyard 6-7 PM.
3. SoWa Neighborhood
Enjoy one of Boston’s coolest neighborhoods – SoWa Art & Design District.
On the first Friday of every month, galleries, shops, restaurants, and bars are open till 9 PM.
Click here for more details.
4. Shopping
Shopping locations that open till 9 PM:
- Faneuil Hall Marketplace.
- Downtown Crossing.
- Prudential Center, a large mall in the city (you should also check out the restaurant on the 52nd floor of Prudential Tower).
5. Admire the city of Boston from the Water
There are several options for evening cruises, with or without dinner, enabling one to explore the city from a different angle. The cruises start before the sunset so you get to see the skyline in daylight as well as after dark.
Here are two great options:
6. Comedy & Theater #MadeByWomen
Have a good laugh in a comedy show at one of the Boston Comedy Chicks evenings,
Or watch one of the feminist productions of the Nora Theater Company.
7. Musicals
Enjoy one of the musicals that are presented in one of Boston’s theaters:
8. Parks
Visit one of the many parks around Boston:
- Lawn on D – Open till 10 PM with occasional concerts and public events in the afternoon.
- The Boston Common and Public Garden.
- The Esplanade on the Charles River.
- Harvard campus nearby Cambridge.
- Rose Kennedy Greenway – a mile and a half of rooftop garden above a highway tunnel at the heart of Boston.
9. Changing Events
Check out WWP Boston calendar to find daily events about women, organized by women or for women.