Field Guide To Boston

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Field Guide To Boston

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Field Guide To Boston

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Welcome to your Field Guide to Boston

Resources to connect with your community and explore the city's neighborhoods and rich culture.

An illustration of two people harvesting lettuce at a community garden in Boston. (Midoriko Grace Abe for WBUR)

👋🏽 Gamers, bookworms and fitness fanatics, find your people

Arts & Culture

🎟️ Boston runners, take a Field Trip with CitySpace

We've got monthly meetups to help you make new friends.

Spectators on Lamartine Street at the 2017 Jamaica Plain Porchfest. (Elizabeth Gillis/WBUR)

🎙️ Add your story to the Field Guide: When did Boston feel like home?

Arts & Culture

Boston: The basics

An illustration inspired by Nancy Schön's "Make Way For Ducklings" sculpture. The ducklings in the illustration are dressed for autumn weather and events. (Midoriko Grace Abe for WBUR)

The air and apples are crisp: What to know about fall in Boston

Arts & Culture

Sep 6, 2023

An illustration of a person riding a bicycle from a Boston bike-sharing program next to a T train. (Midoriko Grace Abe for WBUR)

How Boston T riders, drivers and bikers get around the city

Local Coverage

Sep 7, 2023

Beyond the lobster roll: We asked local chefs what and where to eat

Arts & Culture

Sep 7, 2023

Support the news

Explore Boston

More guides

Chinatown: A Boston neighborhood guide

Local Coverage

Sep 1, 2023

The North End: A Boston neighborhood guide

Local Coverage

Sep 1, 2023

Mattapan: A Boston neighborhood guide

Local Coverage

Sep 1, 2023

The Seaport: A Boston neighborhood guide

Local Coverage

Sep 1, 2023

Watch: Spend a day in Dorchester

Find hotspots for food and fun, recommended by fellow Bostonians in your neighborhood.

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Bottle of liquor behind a bar in Jamaica Plain. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Why we're so weird about alcohol in Massachusetts (Hint: It's not really the Puritans' fault)

Local Coverage

Sep 11, 2023

A parking meter in Boston. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

How to take the pain out of parking in Greater Boston

Local Coverage

Sep 6, 2023

Triple and double decker apartment houses in McCormack Square in East Boston. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Know your rights: Renting an apartment in Greater Boston

Local Coverage

Aug 17, 2021

Support the news

An illustration of Polaroids of people taking part in arts and culture activities. (Midoriko Grace Abe for WBUR)

Here's your ticket to Boston's arts and culture scene

The Greater Boston area boasts dozens of cherished art museums and galleries, as well as renowned dance companies and hot music venues. Meanwhile, you'll want to mark your calendars for...

Arts & Culture

Boston City Hall. (Midoriko Grace Abe for WBUR)

How blue is Massachusetts? What to know about politics and voting

We'll help parse what's mythical and what's real around the state's progressive reputation, explain why some mayors wield big power while others don't, and even let you in on how...

Local Coverage

What you need to know about Boston Public Schools

Boston is the birthplace of American public education, but today's educational landscape is different than 400 years ago. We break down everything from how to enroll your children, why Boston...

Education

People hanging out at ManRay in Cambridge. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Anything but boring: Your quick list of Boston nightlife hotspots

It's true that the MBTA stops running at 1 a.m., and most bars close by 2 a.m. Nonetheless, Bostonians still have quite a few options to find a good time...

Arts & Culture

A black and white photograph with a trolley car from the late 1800s traveling along a city street.

The books about Boston that historians think you should read

We spoke to a range of writers, academics and historians to learn about the titles that inform them on key parts of Boston's history: from the Indigenous inhabitants to the...

Arts & Culture

QUIZ: How good are you at identifying poison ivy?

Think you're swell at spotting poison ivy? Take our quiz and test your knowledge.

Health

WBUR’s Barbara Moran listens as Christopher Walker, general manager of Savenor’s in Cambridge, explains how not a single part of the pig will be wasted, including the head, and lists the various products that will be made with it at the market. (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

10 ways to eat more sustainably in New England

The simplest thing you can do: Eat less beef.

Environment

In all the warm-weather excitement, a persistent thought might also re-enter your brain: "I want to start biking." (Jesse Costa/WBUR)

Biking in Boston: What to know before you get rolling

Here are a few things to know before ditching your car, public transit or your own two feet for a pair of wheels.

Local Coverage

Empty desks line the Boston Public Library's Reading Room in Boston in 2020. (Blake Nissen for The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

Boston Public Library branches help you check out more than books. Here's a breakdown of services

Libraries have a long history of filling in gaps in social services, and the Boston Public Library is no different. Director of library services for Boston Public Libraries, Michael Colford...

The Common

12:56

Solar panels on the roof of a building in Amesbury. (Robin Lubbock/WBUR)

How Mass. plans to cut emissions and curb climate change in the next decade

Here's what Massachusetts' new "clean energy and climate" plan says the state needs to do for 2025 and 2030.

Local Coverage

A Golden Retriever scratches during a walk in the park. (Getty Images)

A veterinarian offers tips on how to keep you and your pets safe from ticks

With warming winters in Massachusetts comes an increased risk of tick activity. One vet shares her tips on how to dodge disease, and how to tell it's time to get...