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Aerial city view of Boston, Massachusetts
As one of the country’s oldest and most historic cities, Boston boasts a good many intriguing attractions. Some are relics of its colonial past, some are modern day publicity stunts and some are just plain weird. Here are nine of our favorite unusual places in the city:
#1: Site of the Great Boston Molasses Flood
Boston’s seen a lot of weird things through the centuries. But the Great Molasses Flood of 1919 is hands-down the weirdest. On January 15th of that year, a 50-by-90-foot pressurized metal tank burst open, sending a 40-foot wave of molasses through the city’s streets. The giant mass “buckled the elevated railroad tracks, crushed buildings and inundated the neighborhood.” In the end, 21 people died and a small plaque now sits at the corner of Foster and Commercial Streets to commemorate the tragedy.
#2: The Boston Stone
Technically it’s more of a thing than a place, but the Boston Stone has captured the interest of locals and tourists for decades. Down the street from famous Faneuil Hall are the historic remnants of Boston’s last colonial structures. Located down an inconspicuous alley between some of the city’s most historic taverns is a mysterious stone simply inscribed as “Boston Stone 1737.” Tales abound of its significance, if any. Some claim that it was once thought to be the city’s geographical center, while others believe that it was only a fictional landmark created by a local merchant in the 18th century to drum up business. No one really knows for sure.
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Ghosts and Gravestones Tour in Boston, Massachusetts
#3: Skeletons in the Closet
Like any colonial American city, Boston has more than a few skeletons in its closet. The city boasts a long list of purportedly haunted spots, including the famous Omni Parker Hotel, Charlesgate Hotel and even Boston Common itself. If you’re not sure where to start, take a guided ghost tour through the city. The Boston Ghosts and Gravestones Tour takes visitors inside two of the city’s oldest burial grounds and stops at the grave of Cotton Mather — “a man famous for his ‘intimate’ involvement with the Salem Witch Trials.”
#4: Warren Anatomical Museum
Throughout his life, Dr. John Collins Warren amassed a wealth of anatomical specimens for his studies into the human body. Upon his death, he gifted more than 15,000 to Harvard University. Today, only a few are on public display, but they’re well worth a visit at the Warren Anatomical Museum. Noteworthy exhibits include the first medical ether-inhaler, the skeleton of a pair of conjoined twins and the skull of Phineas Gage — a rail worker who survived having a 13-pound spike impaled into his head.
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Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum
#5: Site of the Boston Tax Riot
There was perhaps no moment more pivotal in the American Revolution than the Boston Tax Riot. At the site of this incident in 1765, angry colonists gathered to protest the Stamp Act and Andrew Oliver, a man who was appointed to enforce its provisions. The event turned into an all-out riot when an effigy of Oliver was burned and beheaded. His home was subsequently stoned and vandalized, and he barely escaped with his life.
#6: Ether Monument
It’s safe to assume that few other cities boast a monument to surgical drugs. Always leading the charge, Boston is home to the Ether Monument — a landmark that commemorates the world’s first use of ether as an anesthetic at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1846. At the top, a Moorish doctor holds an ether-soaked cloth with a man slumped over his knee. The 30-foot tall structure is in fact the oldest landmark in one of the country’s oldest public gardens.
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The courtyard at Boston’s Isabella Gardner Museum
#7: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
By today’s standards, Isabella Stewart Gardner might have been considered a “hoarder.” In the 19th century, Gardner spent more than 30 years traveling the world and amassing one of its most eclectic art collections. Today, her life’s work is an incredible art museum featuring a range of more than 2,000 eccentricities. From signed celebrity letters to unique framed prints to a centuries-old German ostrich cast in silver, there’s nothing quite like it in the world. As an added bonus, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was also the site of the largest art heist in history. In early 1990, two thieves dressed as city police offers snuck inside and made off with more than $500 million. The mystery remains, as the nearly priceless works have never been recovered.
#8: Lobster Mickey Mouse
Boston takes its history and its crustaceans very seriously. So, when Disney commissioned artists around the country to create a Mickey Mouse statue inspired by their hometown, the city opted for Lobster Mickey. The 700-pound, 6-foot tall statue is two parts Mickey and one part lobster, featuring two large claws that are equally creepy, cute and terrifying.
#9: Bodega
While the city’s most intriguing spots are tied to its colonial past, there’s one modern destination in particular that’s among its most interesting. At the back of an otherwise conspicuous deli on Clearway Street sits an ordinary-looking Snapple refrigerator. But behind this fake machine is Bodega — an upscale clothing store that, until recently, was only for the city’s in-the-know fashionistas. In recent years, it’s become quite the curiosity among tourists. While the “secret” store isn’t so secret anymore, it’s still an intriguing place to visit.
>>See all that Boston has to offer with these tours!
- Contributed by Mike Richard
9 of the Most Unusual Places in Boston from Boston Things to Do