Boston/MA DUers: what are some cheap/free things to do in Boston?

I've been here for under two years, and although I have an idea of where the "big" things are, I don't know the hidden and often cool stuff is in Boston.
Well, I was wondering if anyone had any cool things to do/see that is either really, really cheap or free (which is preferred)to take the SO around in Boston.
I want to show the SO Fenway Park- yes he's a damned Sox fan- but I know tours are rather pricey. Plus, I don't know how long I could deal with being there...
I'm thinking about going to Harvard University and walking around coz of the really awesome architecture- he's a photographer, so anything like that would be interesting.
Any suggestions would be KICK ASS! :hi:

is cool (such luminaries as Sam Adams and Mother Goose are buried there). As morbid as it may be, old cemetaries are fascinating :).

The Public Gardens are awesome.

Feneuil Hall is cool providing the whether is good.

For photography, the whole Copley Square area and all of it's old churches are great material. There's at least 3 very old churches within a 2 block radius.

I'm not sure what they charge now, but if you have a very clear day, going up to the observation deck of the Hancock Tower gives you an awesome view for miles.

Just a few ideas :).

Which includes those old cemetaries ET Awful mentioned, and the old churches attached to them, many of which were pivotal in the events leading to the Revolutionary War-- which is of course the whole point of the Freedom Trail; you get to see where the Boston Massacre took place, plus the Old North Church from which Paul Revere saw the one-if-by-land signal, plus Revere's house, etc.

If you follow the Trail all the way up to Charlestown, you might also want to check out the Bunker Hill Monument-- a battle we actually lost, but it was a Pyrrhic victory for England.

And the North End, which the Freedom Trail passes through, is an archaic neighborhood with skinny little streets, European ambiance, and abundantly delicious cannoli and capuccino.

I used to work at Harvard, so I'm not impressed by its architecture. What I do like is the museums they have, especially the Peabody, with the glass flowers. But there are a zillion wonderful museums in and around Boston. The Museum of Fine Arts, in addition to a world-class collection of Western dead-white-guy-cultural-supremacy art, has on exhibit a bunch of jaw-dropping Egyptian and Asian stuff. And if you happen to make it up to Salem, there's a museum up that way (I'm spacing out now, but I think it's called the Peabody-Essex) that has an amazing collection of Oriental art and trade goods from the 19th century shipping days that made Massachusetts' fortune.

That's what comes to mind now, while I'm still metabolizing my morning coffee. Hope this helps!

and he's got some really sweet classics. But they won't let you take any pictures, so they can go F themselves :D

This place is free and fascinating.
Not just for the geographic perspective, but the uncanny acoustics inside the globe.

The Mapparium has been a popular Boston attraction for over 60 years. The world-famous, three-story, stained glass globe is one of the key attractions of The Mary Baker Eddy Library, where visitors are invited to cross its glass bridge into the illuminated spherical space and consider how ideas have expanded and shaped the world over time (see Photo Gallery).

In 1935, electricians illuminated the Mapparium, a masterpiece of art and technology, with 300 60-watt light bulbs. Today, its 206 LED light fixtures can be programmed to produce up to 16 million colors for a dazzling performance.

This unique, three-dimensional perspective is enhanced by A World of Ideas, an original, seven-minute presentation that features a rich orchestration of words, music, and LED lights to illustrate how ideas have traversed time and geography and changed the world.
http://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/exhibits/mapparium.jhtml

tho maybe too cold this time of the year...

You could also go gallery hoping down Newbury St. or just hang around some of the shops...

Or just admire the architechtue...

:D

Great ideas so far in this thread- thanks everyone!
The only reason I'm asking is coz we've already done the Boston Gardens + Newbury street deal- that was our first date :D

Barring that, there is the top of the Prudential building (the Hancock used to have a viewing room with a diarama of what the old city looked like, but its closed now) which has amazing views of the whole city. Fenway is right below, the Back Bay, the South End, and the financial district etc. Costs $7 to get in.

The Freedom Trail is a good idea, but will suck rocks if it is cold out.

One nice thing to do if the weather holds is walk from the corner of Boylston and Mass Ave to the Boston Common. Good people-watching, the library is on the way.

you can rent skates there too.

Again, the Freedom trail like everyone said above.

The Harvard University Museums are cheap or free if you're a student.

I love the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the Fenway. It is in an old mansion. It is free if you're a student I believe (at least it used to be).