Relax in Boston’s Parks and the Emerald Necklace
It is easy to think of Boston’s famous parks as separate destinations: Boston Common and the Public Garden downtown, the Back Bay Fens near Fenway, Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum farther out, Franklin Park beyond that. In fact, they are part of a single, visionary system known as the Emerald Necklace, designed in the nineteenth century to thread together green spaces into a continuous chain stretching from the city center toward the southwest.
The Necklace begins in the heart of Boston with the pairing of Boston Common and the Public Garden. The Common, dating to the 1630s, has hosted everything from grazing cattle to political rallies. Its lawns, ball fields, playgrounds and Frog Pond are used daily by residents and visitors alike. The Public Garden, America’s first public botanical garden, presents a more ornamental face, with its Swan Boat lagoon, carefully planned beds and statues that celebrate both local and global figures.
Moving outward, the landscape shifts in the Back Bay Fens. Once a problematic tidal marsh, this area was transformed into a park that also serves as a piece of urban infrastructure, helping manage stormwater and flood risk. Today, the Fens blend community gardens, ball fields, walking paths and wilder-seeming edges where reeds and shrubs soften the transition between water and land. The proximity of major landmarks such as Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts underscores how close this green space sits to dense urban activity.
Beyond the Fens, the Riverway and Olmsted Park follow a chain of ponds and waterways. Paths cross back and forth over stone bridges, weaving through groves of trees and open lawns. The setting feels more like a woodland stream or rural retreat than part of a major metropolitan area. Birdsong and the rustle of leaves can drown out city noise, especially early in the morning or outside rush hours.
Jamaica Pond, a deep kettle lake formed by glacial action, anchors the next section. A broad, level path encircles the water, popular with walkers, runners and families. Sailboats and rowboats dot the surface in warmer months, while in winter the scene can shift to hushed, icy stillness. The Arnold Arboretum follows, managed jointly by Harvard University and the City of Boston as a living museum of trees and shrubs. Its hills, meadows and carefully curated plant collections invite slow exploration in every season, from spring blossoms to autumn foliage.
At the far end of the Necklace, Franklin Park offers a more expansive, rugged landscape with woodlands, rocky outcrops, playing fields, a zoo and ample space for picnics and community events. Designed as a kind of “country park” for city residents, it provides a sense of distance from the urban core while still being accessible by public transit and car.
What unites these spaces is the underlying idea that parks should form a network, not just isolated pockets. The Emerald Necklace allows people and wildlife to move along corridors of green, and it offers residents multiple ways to experience nature without leaving the city. For visitors, it provides an opportunity to see how Bostonians use their parks every day, beyond the more formal historical sites.
ExploreBoston.com tip: Instead of limiting yourself to Boston Common and the Public Garden, choose one additional segment of the Emerald Necklace to explore in depth. Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum make a particularly rewarding half-day, especially in spring or fall. ExploreBoston.com’s park guides include transit directions, suggested walking circuits and ideas for combining park visits with nearby neighborhoods, such as Jamaica Plain or Brookline, for coffee, food and gallery stops.