The many neighborhoods of Boston’s colleges

One of the most vibrant aspects of our city’s culture is the number of students who call Boston home. When it’s time to plan colleges to visit in Boston, settle your kids into their new life on campus, or visit them during the year, Boston Park Plaza puts you in the heart of where you want to be. And while you’re visiting colleges, be sure to explore their distinctive and captivating neighborhoods. 

Around Harvard University, MIT and Tufts

Harvard and MIT are located just across the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a vibrant community filled with student-centric activities.

Start at Harvard Square, where you’ll find bookstores and shops, bars and restaurants. The area also regularly welcomes artisan markets, street performers and more. Nearby is the Harvard Museum of Natural History, which hosts 12,000 specimens from Harvard’s collection. Next to it is the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, one of the world’s oldest museums dedicated to anthropology. 

A few minutes away is Kendall Square, home to MIT. In October 2022 the MIT Museum will reopen with an expanded space and range of science and tech exhibits. Alternatively, visit the List Museum of MIT, which hosts contemporary art exhibits, or discover what the MIT students are creating at the Wiesner Student Art Gallery.

In another quick ten minutes, you’ll arrive at Davis Square, home to Tufts University. In this neighborhood are dozens of shops, restaurants, pubs and bars as well as the Somerville Theater, an independent film and music venue that has been entertaining locals since 1914.

Around Boston University, Northeastern and Berklee College of Music

Just a few minutes from Boston Park Plaza is the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of our city. It’s a vibrant area, with three prominent colleges. For baseball fans, as its name suggests, visiting here puts you within the crack of a bat at Fenway Park and, depending on the time of year, an opportunity to see the Red Sox take on the Green Monster in person.

It’s also an area rich with cultural and educational venues. The Tsai Performance Center, part of Boston University offers a wealth of performances to enjoy. If the night sky captures your imagination, visit the Coit Observatory at Boston University. Visitors are welcome to look through the telescopes, observe the stars and take home some insights about astronomy. The public is welcome most Wednesday evenings. Admission is free, but tickets are required.  

Northeastern University is steps from two of our city’s most treasured galleries. The Museum of Fine Arts has a breadth of works on display, from masterpieces of Egyptian sculpture to Dutch and Flemish art, impressionism and beyond. If you’re visiting in the summer, it also offers concerts in the courtyard. Also nearby is the celebrated Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. An intimate museum, it invites visitors to explore its art as well as its landscaped gardens. 

If music runs in your family, Boston Park Plaza is one of the finest hotels near Boston conservatory at Berklee. This renowned music school thrives in this neighborhood, where you can take in performances at the Boston Conservatory Theatre, and the Berklee Performance Center.

Around Emerson College 

A few blocks east of Boston Park Plaza is Emerson College. It’s the ideal location for exploring Boston’s Theater District, Chinatown, and both Boston Common and the Public Garden.

Boston is filled with young people challenging themselves to learn and make a better future. This energy and spirit are felt throughout our city, and Boston Park Plaza is ideally located to explore all that our city has to offer.

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Boston Park Plaza is so much more than a hotel. We are a Boston icon, integral to the city’s heritage. As one of the best hotels in Boston, we offer a true one-of-a-kind experience, as richly textured and profoundly memorable as Boston itself.