Boston and New England

Boston today is an exciting city of contrasts.

Visitors come to experience its rich traditions, rooted in the American Revolution. They walk its Freedom Trail, visit "Old Ironsides," and check out the historic cemeteries. Long-standing institutions, such as the Boston Symphony, Boston Ballet, Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Public Library (the nation's first free lending library), the African Meeting House, Fenway Park, and the Boston Marathon, complement the more recent additions to Boston's cultural and entertainment scene - numerous comedy clubs; galleries; experimental theater groups; rock, jazz, contemporary folk, and reggae clubs; and four professional sports teams. It's no wonder so many visiting students want to put down roots here after graduation.

Home to more than 50 colleges and universities, Boston is a multicultural city that boasts the largest concentration of international students in the world. The city itself is a blend of many ethnic neighborhoods. The North End's Italian festivals, Chinatown's restaurants, and smaller enclaves that offer Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, Caribbean, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, Jewish, and soul food make Boston one of America's most stimulating and cosmopolitan cities.

Boston is also a jumping-off point to the extraordinary natural and cultural resources of New England. Most day trips to hot spots are just an hour or two away.

Day-trip destinations include: