South Boston Waterfront

Hotels, restaurants, and attractions near the South Boston Waterfront

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With the Boston Convention and Exposition Center and Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA) now open, plus several major development projects underway, the South Boston Waterfront is the city's most rapidly changing neighborhood.

When you hear Bostonians refer to the South Boston Waterfront, they're talking about the upper corner of the South Boston neighborhood - the area bordered by Fort Point Channel, Boston Harbor, and 1st Street. 

This area is only a small portion of South Boston, but its proximity to Downtown - a 5-minute walk across the Moakley Bridge, or drive across the Summer and Congress Street Bridges - makes it a natural extension of the Downtown Waterfront and convenient to Downtown businesses, hotels, restaurants, and attractions.

Traditionally, port and shipping facilities, marine industries, warehouses, tanneries, and other industrial buildings filled this area and then mostly fell into disuse - but by the 1980s, a renaissance could be seen. 

Fast forward to now:  a new section of Boston's subway links the South Boston Waterfront to South Station.   Water taxis speed passengers to and from Logan Airport and Boston's Downtown Waterfront. 

Several large financial services and legal firms have large offices here.  Residential space ranges from trendy lofts carved out of old factories to sleek new highrises. 

And all kinds of new attractions and amenities are already popping up here as part of the first wave of massive redevelopment plans designed to totally transform this area.

Here's a slideshow of what you'll see in the South Boston Waterfront.  To see captions, move your cursor over the bottom of the photos.

More about South Boston Waterfront attractions

Cruises

Cruises from Boston to ports in Europe, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and the New England/Canada coast depart from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, plus even more cruise ships stop at Boston as a Port of Call for a day or more. 

In addition, some Boston cruises and cruise ships such as the Spirit of Boston and the Boston Odyssey (more about them at Boston Dinner Cruises) depart from other piers along the waterfront here.

And while a water taxi isn't exactly a cruise, it sure is a wonderful way to experience Boston Harbor - and avoid street traffic!

Meeting venues

The new Boston Convention and Exposition Center, 415 Summer Street, is the largest convention space in New England, attracting around a million visitors each year.  Development plans under consideration, if approved, will double its size. 

The Seaport World Trade Center, located at 1 Seaport Lane (off Northern Ave), hosts small and mid-sized conventions, meetings, and functions.

However, the Exchange Conference Center has the most spectacular views of Boston Harbor from its location at the end of Fish Pier.  Now home to Legal Sea Foods Catering, the former New England Fish Exchange building hosts meetings and small conferences.

Museums

Two of the most popular Boston museums - the Boston Children's Museum and ICA Boston (the Institute of Contemporary Art) are located on the South Boston Waterfront.  

One of the city's most unique museums, the Boston Fire Museum, is also located here in the Fort Point neighborhood.  Although the museum is normally open only for limited hours on Saturdays (check their website for details), it has a fascinating collection of antique fire-fighting apparatus.

Another popular site, the Boston Tea Party Museum, has been closed after being struck by lightening in 2001 but is scheduled to reopen sometime in 2011, bigger and better than ever.  Lack of funding has delayed the reopening for several years - so keep your fingers crossed on this one.

Restaurants and bars

For years, eating options in this area consisted mainly of a few seafood restaurants along the waterfront - Anthony's Pier 4, Barking Crab, No Name, Jimmy's Harborside, Yankee Lobster.   Jimmy's is gone, but the others continue to flourish and are joined by many newcomers.

Aura Restaurant in the Seaport Hotel combines creative cuisine with an elegant ambiance.

Along Northern Ave, Salvatore's, LTK (Legal Test Kitchen), J Pace, and Pressed Sandwiches provide a lot of inexpensive to mid-range options.  Across the street, Atlantic Beer Garden and the Seaport Bar and Grill offer casual dining overlooking the harbor.

In the Fort Point area, Sportello (348 Congress Street) is Boston celebrity chef Barbara Lynch's gorgeously simple lunch counter serving perfect Italian dishes for dinner as well as lunch.  At the same address is another Barbara Lynch creation: Drink.  If you dream of designer cocktails, this is the place to go.   

Wolfgang Puck's Water Cafe at the Institute of Contemporary Art makes the ICA a destination for diners as well as museum-goers.

And don't forget floating restaurants - dinner cruises on the Spirit of Boston and Boston Odyssey departing across from the Seaport Hotel provide a great way to dine and sightsee at the same time.

Hotels

Three South Boston Waterfront hotels provide excellent choices whether you're here for a convention, cruise, or just some Boston sightseeing.  Because this neighborhood is so close to Downtown Boston and other parts of the city, it's a convenient location for Boston visitors. 

More about South Boston's Waterfront hotels

Entertainment

• Bank of American Pavilion - top concert venue during summer months
• Harpoon's Brewery - tours and tastings make this a popular destination

Shopping

Interior designers and architects already know about the Boston Design Center, the largest to-the-trade showrooms of high-end home decor and antiques in the Northeast.  But what if you're not a design professional but would still love to browse - and be able to buy - here?  Don't worry, there's a way to do this.  More about the Boston Design Center

You can find nice Boston souvenir-type items (t-shirts, hoodies, bags, mugs, etc.) in shops in front of the Seaport World Trade Center across from the Seaport Hotel, as well as at J Pace further down on Northern Ave.

Both the Boston Children's Museum and ICA have excellent museum shops.  The one at the Children's Museum is especially good for children's games, toys, puzzles, and books.  At the ICA, you'll find an interesting and sometimes quirky assortment for all ages - good spot for gift-shopping.

Fort Point Open Studios (check the Boston Events Calendar for October for details) feature the works of area artists, and can be an interesting place to shop for art.

You'll also find some eclectic shops in the Fort Point area around Summer and Congress Streets.

However, the biggest retail developments are still under construction, but promise to bring shopping excitement to the South Boston Waterfront neighborhood.  Trend-setting fashion retailer Louis Boston plans to move from its iconic Copley Square location to a new spot on Fan Pier, near the ICA, in 2010.  Once this happens, get ready to watch others follow!

Events

With exposition and performance space at venues such at the Convention Center, museums, and Bank of America Pavilion, as well as other attractions such as Harpoon Brewery, Boston Design Center, and artist studios/galleries in the Fort Point area, the South Boston Waterfront attracts a wide variety of interesting events.  Check the monthly Boston Event Calendars for details.

South Boston Waterfront transportation

Thanks to Boston's former "Big Dig" a massive transportation project, the South Boston Waterfront now connects to Boston's subway system by way of the Silver Line, which runs all the way from South Station in Downtown Boston to the Boston Design Center and Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. 

Boston water taxis also dock at several points in the neighborhood:  the Barking Crab/Federal Courthouse by the Moakley Bridge, the East and West sides of the World Trade Center across from the Seaport Hotel, the Bank of America Pavilion, and the Boston Design Center / Black Falcon Cruise Terminal.  Service to these areas is from other points along the Downtown Waterfront, and Logan Airport, just 10 minutes by water taxi across Boston Harbor.

Regular land taxis are also plentiful in this area.

And of course, at the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, you'll find the best way to leave the city - luxury cruises from Boston to ports in the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England/Canada, and even Europe.

Parking

Not usually a problem here - you'll see plenty of relatively inexpensive (for Boston) parking garages and lots.  Rates run about $9 - $20 per day. 

Map of South Boston Waterfront

This map of the South Boston Waterfront shows major attractions, museums, restaurants, hotels, the Boston Design Center, the Bank of America Pavilion, and the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal.