South Boston Waterfront

Hotels, restaurants, and attractions near the South Boston Waterfront

With the new Legal Harborside Restaurant along with other waterfront dining destinations, the Boston Convention and Exposition Center, the Institute of Contemporary Art, and many more attractions, the South Boston Waterfront gets a lot of buzz as the city's most exciting neighborhood.

Sometimes called The Seaport District, the South Boston Waterfront is home to CruisePort (Black Falcon Cruise Terminal), fashion emporium Louis Boston, Boston Convention Center hotels, the Boston Design Center, Bank of America Pavilion, ICA Boston, the Children's Museum, many art galleries, and waterfront restaurants in all price ranges.

Institute of Contemporary Art on South Boston Waterfront

See the South Boston Waterfront Photo Gallery for more neighborhood pictures

South Boston Waterfront Attractions and Things to Do

ICA Boston  - a.k.a. Institute of Contemporary Art (100 Northern Ave at Fan Pier) - Cutting-edge art of every genre imaginable by living and recent artists, as well as lots of entertainment events such as movies, jazz concerts, and festivals.  Free admission on Thursdays from 5pm-9pm, and for youth 17 and under anytime; free admission anytime if you have a Boston Discount Card.

Boston Children's Museum (308 Congress St) - Lots of hands-on exhibits plus a huge 3-story climbing structure make this museum a hit with kids and parents.  Admission for $1 on Fridays, 5pm-9pm.  Free admission with a Boston Discount Card.

Grand Circle Gallery (347 Congress St) - Spectacular vintage travel posters, black and white photos, and special exhibits; free admission.  A personal favorite.

Boston Harbor Dinner Cruises - Spirit of Boston, Boston Odyssey, and other local cruises depart from South Boston Waterfront piers.  Look for 50% off offers on these dinner cruises from GoldStar. 

Fort Point Open Studios - Best way to tour Fort Point galleries and artist studios.  Open Studios held in May and in October. 

Boston Fire Museum (344 Congress St) - Fascinating collection of antique fire-fighting apparatus.  One of Boston's most unique museums.

Boston Tea Party Museum (Fort Point Channel) - Closed since 2001 after being struck by lightening, but scheduled to reopen during summer of 2012, bigger and better than ever.  

Boston Convention and Exposition Center (415 Summer St) - New England's largest convention space, attracting around a million visitors each year.  Development plans under consideration, if approved, will double its size. 

Harpoon Brewery - The largest specialty brewer in New england, Harpoon Brewery hosts tours, tastings, and Octoberfest, one of the most popular fall festivals in Boston.

Black Falcon Cruise Terminal - a.k.a. Boston CruisePort - Departure point for cruises from Boston to ports in Europe, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and foliage cruises along the New England/Canadian coast. 

South Boston Waterfront Restaurant Recommendations

Anthony's Pier 4 (140 Northern Ave) - Classic seafood/prime rib restaurant on the waterfront, dating back to before this area became trendy.

Legal Harborside (270 Northern Ave, next to Fish Pier) - Liberty Wharf seafood restaurant offering casual favorites and a huge oyster bar on the 1st floor, fine dining on the 2nd floor, and a cocktail lounge with a retractable room on the 3rd floor.  Terrific Boston Harbor views.

J. Pace (225 Northern Ave) - Italian gourmet grocery offering terrific sandwiches, salads, hot foods such as lasagna, and good coffee.  You'll see several other casual eateries along this non-waterfront side of Northern Ave - all are good options, depending on what you like.

Barking Crab (88 Sleeper St, near Children's Museum) - A fun New England style clam shack, right in the middle of the city.  Order a pitcher of beer and crack your lobster claws with a rock.  Outdoor seating.  Gets really crowded at night.

No Name (15 Fish Pier) - A hole-in-the-wall restaurant on Fish Pier dating back to 1917.  Whole steamed lobsters, seafood chowder, and fresh seafood - fried, broiled, or grilled.  Unpretentious and no-frills New England cooking; don't come if you're offended by plastic forks or looking for something fancy.

Flour (12 Farnsworth St, Fort Point area) - Sure, you can order one of the terrific salads or sandwiches - but personally, I go straight for the sticky buns - light, airy roll drizzled with intensely flavorful sticky caramel sauce, and topped with plump, slightly toasted pecans - absolute perfection!  When they're not available, a brioche au chocolate or ginger lemon scone runs a close second.  Joanne Chang's Flours (also at 1595 Washington St in the South End and 190 Mass Ave in Central Square, Cambridge) are true Boston treasures.

LTK (225 Northern Ave) - Legal Test Kitchen - A scaled down, more experimental cousin of Legal Seafood.  Go for the paella or lobster wrap if they're on the menu.

Sam's (60 Northern Ave, on the 2nd floor of Louis Boston) - Panoramic city skyline and water views from floor to ceiling windows, plus patio dining.

Spirit of Boston and Odyssey - Dinner cruises on these luxury cruise boats departing across from the Seaport Hotel combine dining and sightseeing around Boston Harbor.

Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steak House (250 Northern Ave) - Steaks and seafood, with spectacular waterfront views.

Yankee Lobster (300 Northern Ave) - Combo fish market/restaurant - a casual no-frills neighborhood place with New England-style fried and broiled fresh seafood, lobster rolls, boiled whole lobsters, clam chowder, crabcakes, lobster bisque, and even Boston cream pie.  Short walk from the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal and Convention Center hotels.

Strega Waterfront (56 Northern Ave) - South Boston Waterfront branch of this popular North End Italian restaurant - nice water views, well-prepared classic Italian cuisine with fresh-made pastas and high quality ingredients.

Sportello (348 Congress) is Boston celebrity chef Barbara Lynch's gorgeously simple lunch counter serving perfect Italian dishes for dinner as well as lunch. 

Menton (354 Congress) - Superb 5-star restaurant - possibly the best in the city. Italian-French menu, created by super chef Barbara Lynch. Expensive but memorable - a true special occasion restaurant. Choose 3, 4, or 7 course menu.

Temazcai Tequila Cantina (250 Northern Ave) - Mexican-inspired food; spectacular views.  Lobster guacamole is a must-order.

Water Cafe (100 Northern Ave, at ICA Boston) - Wolfgang Puck Catering provides the food for this small cafe overlooking the water in one corner of the ICA - nice selection of appetizers, sandwiches, salads, soups, and daily specials.

Beyond the South Boston Waterfront - Fun Boston Tours

Boston Trolley Tours	Boston Harbor Tours	Boston Duck Tours	More Boston Tours

South Boston Waterfront Entertainment & Nightlife

Bank of American Pavilion - top concert venue during summer months

Drink (348 Congress St) - Customized cocktails created by master mixologists, homemade ginger beer, and small plates - try the grilled cheese. Owned by Boston Chef Barbara Lynch.

Atlantic Beer Garden (146 Northern Ave) - Rooftop deck overlooking the Harbor; cover charge at times

Whiskey Priest (150 Northern Ave) - Irish-style bar on the waterfront with a rooftop patio

Jerry Remy's Sports Bar and Grill (250 Northern Ave) - Sports bar with big screens and casual pub-type food on the waterfront

South Boston Waterfront 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 who want to see tourist attractions in other parts of the city while enjoying the restaurants and nightlife here. 

More about Hotels in South Boston's Waterfront

South Boston Waterfront Shopping

Louis Boston (60 Northern Ave) - High end clothing for men, with a smaller, fairly avant-garde women's section, plus opulent but pricey home decor; attracts the well-heeled and long-time fans throughout the year and others for the semi-annual 50% off sales.

Boston Design Center - Largest to-the-trade showrooms of high-end home decor and antiques in the Northeast, and mecca for interior design professionals .  Surprisingly accessible to non-professionals as well.                                                                         

Look for 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.

Museum shops at the Boston Children's Museum and ICA provide excellent selections of children's games, toys, puzzles, books, and quirky items for all ages - good spots for gift-shopping.

Eclectic galleries and shops dot the Fort Point Channel area around Summer and Congress Streets. 

Fort Point Open Studios (see October events for dates and details) feature opportunities to view and buy the creations of local artists.

Parks and Green (and Blue) Spaces

Pocket Gardens - No large parks in the South Boston Waterfront, but you will see small pocket gardens, especially along Northern Avenue.

Harborwalk - Public access path along or near Boston Harbor, offering spectacular city and water views, the chance to see fishermen unloading their catch along Fish Pier, and close-up glimpses of all the glittering new waterfront restaurants and entertainment spots.

South Boston Waterfront public transportation

Boston's subway system provides excellent transportation along the South Boston Waterfront by way of the Silver Line, which runs from South Station in Downtown Boston to the Boston Design Center and Black Falcon Cruise Terminal. 

Boston water taxis service several neighborhood locations:  Barking Crab Restaurant / Federal Courthouse by the Moakley Bridge; East and West sides of the World Trade Center across from the Seaport Hotel; Bank of America Pavilion; Boston Design Center / Black Falcon Cruise Terminal.  Water taxis will take you to points along the Downtown Waterfront as well as Logan Airport, just 10 minutes across Boston Harbor.

Land taxis - Plentiful.

Black Falcon Cruise Terminal - Best way to leave the city, with luxury cruises from Boston to ports in the Caribbean, Bermuda, New England/Canada, and even Europe.

Parking

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

Neighborhood Boundaries

North:  Boston Harbor

East:  Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, also called CruisePort, on the eastern tip. 

South:  (east to west) Summer Street, D Street, W 1st Street to W 2nd Street

West:  Fort Point Channel, a maritime channel between Downtown Boston and South Boston

Fort Point district - Area covering a few blocks to the east of the Fort Point Channel, occupied by large commercial/industrial buildings, artist studios and galleries, shops, restaurants

Caveat:  These boundaries are approximate.

More about the South Boston Waterfront

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 to the west, Boston Harbor on the north, and stretching over to the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, also called CruisePort, on the eastern tip. 

Although this area includes only a small portion of South Boston, its proximity to Downtown - a quick 5-minute walk across the Moakley Bridge, Summer Bridge, or Congress Street Bridge - 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:  Relentless efforts by Boston Mayor Tom Menino have made the South Boston Waterfront the most rapidly developing part of the city, with glittering new restaurants and commercial buildings (bringing thousands of jobs) overlooking Boston Harbor.

Even as recently as a couple of years ago, this neighborhood was quiet - you could say "dead" - at night - but not anymore!

South Boston Waterfront photo gallery

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