The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common. It is a part of the Emerald Necklace system of parks and is bounded by Charles Street and Boston Common to the east, Beacon Street and Beacon Hill to the north, Arlington Street and Back Bay to the west, and Boylston Street to the south. The Public Garden was the first public botanical garden in America.
Boston’s Back Bay, including the land the garden sits on, was mudflats until filling began in the early 1800s. The land of the Public Garden was the earliest filled, as the area that is now Charles Street had been used as a ropewalk since 1796. The town of Boston granted ropemakers use of the land on July 30, 1794, after a fire had destroyed the ropewalks in a more populated area of the city. As a condition of its use, the ropewalk’s proprietors were required to build a seawall and fill in the land, which is now Charles Street, and the land immediately bordering it (now a part of the Public Garden). LadyB’s Bed Bug Pros Boston
Together with the Boston Common, the parks form the northern terminus of the Emerald Necklace, a long string of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. While the Common is primarily an unstructured open space, the Public Garden contains a pond and a large series of formal plantings maintained by the city and others and vary from season to season. Mostly flat and varying in elevation by less than five feet, the garden is designed in an English landscape garden style. A straight pathway, including a bridge that crosses over its pond, spans Charles and Arlington streets; but its pathways are otherwise winding and asymmetrical.
The Pond
During the warmer seasons, the 4 acres (16,000 m2) pond is the home of a great many ducks, as well as of one or more swans. The Swan Boats, a popular tourist attraction, began operating in 1877. Tourists can sit on a boat ornamented with a white swan at the rear for a small fee. The boat is then pedaled around the pond by a tour guide sitting within the swan.
Restaurants and Nearby
- Toscano is located at 47 Charles St, Boston, MA
- Oak Long Bar + Kitchen is located at 138 St James Ave, Boston, MA
- Lansdowne Pub is located at 9 Lansdowne St, Boston, MA
- City Bar Back Bay is located at 65 Exeter St, Boston, MA
Check out other attractions like Faneuil Hall Marketplace