When thinking about visiting America, Boston, Massachusetts isn’t necessarily a destination that stands out to potential vacationers. It isn’t loud, like New York; it doesn’t wear a bikini, like California. You can’t dogsled through the streets on 14 feet of snow, or sleep under the relative shade of a cactus. So what is so great about Boston?

So what is so great about Boston?Werner Kunz / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-SA

Creative tourism

Boston has a thriving tourist trade, firmly based on its immense historical legacy dating back to the American Revolution. There are some fabulous historical parks and sights, incorporating wildlife tours, fun vehicular travel, and activities such as hiking and swimming. These types of activity can make a holiday unforgettable, and there are plenty available.

Take the Boston Duck Tours for example. Visitors receive a full commentary on the history of Boston while travelling on a so-called ‘Duck’, a bizarre amphibious vehicle dating from World War II. Visitors are transported from land to sea and back again, ending in the Charles River for some awe-inspiring views of the Boston skyline.

One of the things that stand out about this city is the creativity of its tourism. There isn’t a lot of sitting-around-looking-at-dead-things. The Amazing Scavenger Hunt Adventure is one of these, advertising themselves as ‘the city is a game board’. Participants get to see the city and learn about it while engaging with the game, unlike the usual process of simply following a tour guide around the streets.

Reasonable and moderate weather

Of course, the weather has to lend itself to this type of activity, or visitors might actually prefer to stand in a musty museum staring at Egyptian mummies. Luckily for Boston, the hottest months are June to September (average temperatures between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius), although average temperatures from April through to November tend to be reasonable and in double figures.

Places to stay, places to eat

Nearly everyone these days has to look after the budget, but Boston caters for everyone, no matter how fat (or thin) the wallet.

Being in America, Boston hotels are just superb. No guest will leave with less than his or her expectations fully intact. The finest Boston hotel is without competition: the 4* Hotel Commonwealth, with its superb central location, lush décor and lovely, willing staff.

For visitors not looking for a top-notch hotel, but preferring to rest their boots at a B & B, the one to look out for is the Green Turtle Floating Bed and Breakfast. There’s the novelty of staying in a little floating cottage in the harbor, the attention of the caring and attentive owners, and a very good breakfast, American style.

There is a plethora of places to eat out at, featuring restaurants that specialize in more unusual food, such as African and Portuguese cuisine (Restaurante Cesaria, on Bowdoin Street for one), as well as more straightforward offers, such as Italian (Giacomo’s Restaurant on Hanover Street) with great big platefuls of pasta, shrimp and wonderfulness. Boston prides itself on being a truly international city, with a large minority population and plenty of choice.

It is a wonderful place to visit, with interesting people, passionate hospitality, and just the right combination of activities, history and sightseeing to satisfy families, couples and friends on holiday; an unusual, but very worthwhile US vacation choice.