Boston Common is impossible to avoid on a visit to Boston, but happily it is the most pleasant of crossroads. The Common dates from the founding of the city in the 1630s, and is the country's oldest public park. It was the living room of the city then, just as it is now, except back then it was where the cows grazed.
Festivals, performances, protests, and demonstrations frequently occupy the lawn at the corner of Charles and Beacon streets. Rare is the weekend in spring, summer, or fall where there is not something happening. Shakespeare or opera in the park? You will find it on the Boston Common.
The Frog Pond is a wading pool for kids in the summer and a popular skating rink in the winter. The Park Street T station sits at the eastern corner and is one of the most central stops in the system.