Public Garden, Boston

1 more image

In one corner of the Public Garden is a great sculpture of a family of ducks, based on the children's book 'Make Way for Ducklings'. Don't ask me why, but kids love this and it's a great photo opportunity.

1 more image

Not to be missed at the Public Garden is the sculpture of a duck family by Nancy Schon - a mother duck and her brood of eight ducklings. The sculpture is inspired by the homegrown children's 1940s picture book Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey. The story's main plot revolves around two Mallard ducks - Mr and Mrs Mallard - who decided to raise a family at the lake in Boston's Public Garden (from an island on the Charles River). The book continues to be printed to this day, with over two million copies sold as of 2003. It has put Boston in the minds of children (and their parents) throughout the world - in way the Kennedy's perhaps couldn't.

Perhaps because of the cute plot and perhaps as a grateful gesture for introducing Boston to children around the world, the city has completely embraced the ducks which had become a sort of cultural icon in posters and billboards.

2 more images

Boston's tribute to the country's first president is the Public Garden's centerpiece - a bronze statue of George Washington mounted on a horse by Thomas Ball. The statue, which sits on a solid granite base, was dedicated in 1869 and is considered one of the finest memorial statues in Boston.

As the Public Garden's centerpiece (some would argue this honor goes to the Public Garden lake), it becomes a focal point for photo taking opportunities for tourists and locals alike, especially against the backdrop of Boston's gorgeous fall foliage.

1 more image

A prominent landmark in the Public Garden, this statue is in honor of Edward Everett, one of Boston's most famous sons - and definitely scion of Boston's elite families having attended Boston Latin School and Harvard. He had a distinguished career in the academe and political spheres and seemed to be almost everything - congressman, senator, governor, ambassador, secretary of state, and president of Harvard, his alma mater - except being president of the United States of America.

4 more images

Boston's Public Garden was established in 1837 when philanthropist Horace Gray helped set aside land as the first public botanical garden in the United States. The area is fullof plants trees, stues, monuments and a variety of activities throughout the year. A popular summer activity is to ride on the Swan boats.

My last visit to Boston was during the winter. The park had plenty of snow on the ground and it was beautiful. I love snow and taking a nice walk in winter is one of my favorite activities. On this recent walk we came upon a statue of a Duck with Ducklings which we found looked amusing set against the snowy backdrop. The sculpture is called: Make Way for Ducklings by Nancy Schön.

4 more images

Our first day in Boston was warm and sunny, despit the fact that it was the month of December. It was a perfect day to stroll in the Boston Public Garden, the nation's oldest, established in 1837.

People were walking, or sitting and reading, or throwing food to the ducks in the pond. But we were looking for other ducks, made of bronze: The statues of Mother Mallard and her ducklings, Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack and Quack. They were supposed to be beside the pond, which we circled almost all around before we finally found them. A small girl was playing around the ducklings' statues, talking on her mock cellular phone, running from one duckling to the other and putting the phone next to the ears of Jack, Kack and Lack, thereby adding a new chapter to the 1941 children's story "Make Way for Ducklings".

3 more images

Boston Public Garden may seem like another extension of the Boston Common, but in fact they are a separate green area with a history of their own. In fact, I think that the Public Garden is actually much nicer than the Common, in part because of the well-kept flower beds and the ponds. The idea for the Garden came up first in the 1830s, when it was proposed that Boston should have a botanical garden, but actual construction of the green space and the necessary structures (fences, ponds, bridges etc.) was not conducted until the 1860s. Until that time, this site was a salt marsh. Most of the statues in the Garden were erected in the late 1860s, including the western George Washington statue that is prominent if you enter from Newbury Street. The Garden is a great stop if you’re in Boston on a sunny warm day. It fills up with all sorts of people, especially young people who feel a public garden is the ideal place to attempt a musical career. The picturesque flower beds and quaint bridges can sometimes be hard to get pictures of, if only because of the number of people visiting the Garden.

The Public Garden is a beautifully landscaped botanical garden established in 1837 and is home to the Swan Boats. While you are there also admire the worlds shortest spanning suspension bridge, the many varieties trees and plants and the famous sculpture "Make Way for Duckings". The Public garden is flanked by the Boston Commons and the Commonwealth Avenue mall, which all add up to a nice stroll.

The Boston Public Garden was established in 1837, it was the 1st public botanical garden in the United States.

On a hot summer day it was so relaxing to walk through the lawns & the flower beds in the shade of the many trees. The highlight though was sitting by the lagoon watching the famous Swan Boats.

No matter what season, this is a great place to walk or people watch. The oldest park in the Country and it is constantly changing due to the seasons.

as a kid, my mom would take us there for the swan boats, which are still a huge draw. Now, I just like to walk through and take in the sights. It's big, beautiful, and free :)