Fall, in my opinion, is by far the best season to lose your bearings on a Boston one-way street. Chances are you will stumble upon one incredible event, activity, or another. If you prefer to be a bit more deliberate, plan your travel around these activities. Get in — get out, or stay awhile. Ether way, always Thrive Elsewhere!

Photo credit: The Lawn on D Facebook

Get Some Vitamin D at The Lawn on D

Entering its second season, The Lawn on D is an open event space that offers an incredible variety of activities and entertainment. From their light-up swings, to live music, lawn games (ping-pong, giant chess, giant jenga, cornhole, and more), and interactive art exhibitions there is always something new and exciting to experience. Pay attention to their event calendar as a bunch of unique events are planned. Admission is free unless the space is closed for a private event.

Take the Silver Line to the World Trade Center stop.

Explore the SoWa District (South of Washington)

The South of Washington neighborhood of Boston has seen a resurgence in the last 10 year. Formally an infrastructure hub, it is now bustling with a plethora of shops, restaurants, apartment buildings, and artists studios. Host of the weekly, immensely popular, SoWa Open Market every Sunday, this trendy area is definitely worth exploring for a day. Make sure you hit up the best vintage shop in the city Bobby From Boston.

Take the Silver Line to Washington St @ E Berkeley St

Take a tour of Artisan’s Asylum Makerspace

Boston (nearby Somerville actually) is home to one of the most impressive Makerspaces in the world — Artisan’s Asylum. What is a Makerspace you ask? Well it is a community workshop where anyone from professional artists to tinkering Tom can go to work on any number of projects. Think of it as a gym membership for tools. Artisan’s Asylum offers countless programs, classes, and work spaces in their 40,000 square foot facility. Just taking a tour is an incredibly engaging experience. They also produce the Makerspace industry publication Make Magazine which is always an interesting read. Check out their public events page for upcoming parties and open houses. If you have kids, make sure you check out their annual Mini Maker Faire at the Boston Children’s Museum.

Take buses 83, 86, 87 to near Union Square in Somerville.

Vintage/Thrift Store shopping spree on Harvard Ave.

Harvard Avenue in Allston has some of the best vintage and thrift stores in the city. In less than a mile you can hit up Vivant Vintage, Urban Renewals, Cheap Chic, and Buffalo Exchange. Each has their own style and specialties. Vivant Vintage and Buffalo Exchange curate their collections. Cheap Chic and Urban Renewals are more of your classic thrift store. Along the way are plenty of great bars, restaurants, shops, and other fun sites. Even if you don’t buy anything the are is just an exciting place to be.

The Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival

Boston biggest block party is the Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival held each year in late September. Berklee College of Music has some serious clout in the jazz scene, not just in Boston but worldwide. This FREE event always draws some of the biggest names in jazz, blues, funk, soul, and R&B. Other activities include a kids jam session, instrument petting zoo, and food vendors.

Take the Orange Line to Mass Ave.

Photo: ANSON RAP$ playing Wednesday September 5th @ 6pm

Attend a Pop-up Party at Zone 3 in Allston

And the award for Boston’s flannelest Uber dropoff spot goes to: Aeronaut Allston at Zone 3, Harvard’s thrice weekly pop-up party. Rotating food trucks, touring musical acts, fresh air, and great beer? Gold mine. The creative space features two open courtyards with seating, a performance stage, an art gallery and podcast studios. Admission is FREE but arrive early because capacity is limited. Shows start at 6 or 7pm every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of September. Check out the full schedule. There are some seriously good acts coming. Aeronaut Brewing hosts and provides the beer for most of the events.

Take the 86, 70, or 66 bus to the N Harvard St and Western Ave stop.

Catch an Alternative Sporting Event

Sure the Red Sox, Celtics, Bruins, and Patriots will all playing in October, but if you want to get weird with it, check out one of the many alternative sporting events that take place in and around the city. Rugby (bonus rugby) has a long tradition of being played in the area. There is some of the best college hockey in the nation. The Boston Pride, a professional women’s hockey team, plays in Brighton. Other options include flat-track Roller Derby, Australian Rules Football, and many more. Most of these events are FREE but some charge a small entrance fee. Either way it’ll be way cheaper than going to Fenway or the TD Garden.

Watch the Boston Bruins Practice… and more!

If you absolutely must see the players who make the big bucks, head over to the brand new Warrior Ice Arena and watch the Boston Bruins practice for FREE! Just a few years ago the area now known as Boston Landing was a pit. Not literally a pile of debris but pretty close. Then New Balance bought the block and built their world headquarters. Now there is a luxury apartment building, restaurants, and state-of-the-art practice facilities for the Boston Celtics and Bruins. It’s still a work in progress. Bose just moved in. Construction has yet to start on a high-rise hotel and New Balance’s indoor track and field facility.

After watching the Bs practice (usually start 10:30AM on home game-days), grab some of the best pizza in the city at Flatbread Company Brighton. They also have a craft beer and a locally-distilled cocktail menu in addition to nine candle-pin (aka small-ball) bowling lanes!

Take the 86, or 70 bus to Market and North Beacon, or the 57 bus to Union Square.

The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

Leaf Peeper” — In Boston, it’s one of the worst epithets you can have thrown your way. Tourists inundate Boston every October and insist on driving slowly to examine every branch of every single Sugar Maple in the city — and it drives the locals mad. Avoid the ire of Beantowners and look at trees in the designated tree looking area, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University (pronounced Ah-nuld Ah-bah-ree-tum of Hah-vahd). General admission is FREE and they offer a variety of interesting programs, some free, some not.

Appropriately, take the Orange line to Forest Hills.


Fall Foliage Harbor Cruise

If you packed your sea legs and want to view the pretty colors from the deck of a classic steam-powered-style ship then jump on one of Classic Harbor Line’s Fall Foliage Harbor Cruises. Cruises start October 11th. The Brunch Cruise departs on Weekends at 10am and includes… well brunch, and costs $70 for adults. The Luncheon Cruise departs at varying times in the afternoon and costs $55 for adults.

Closest to the Aquarium stop on the Blue Line but walking distance from most of the downtown stations.

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