THE GREAT OUTDOORS

BOATING:

Community Boating
21 Embankment Road (on the Esplanade)
617-523-1038

For sailing enthusiasts the Charles River offers an ideal setting for a day’s outing. If you are looking to learn this great outdoor sport, Boston offers a number of opportunities for instruction. One popular sailing institution is the Community Boating School. The school runs from April to November, offering lessons for both children and adults out of its 1940s boathouse built from funds provided by widow Helen Osborn Storrow in the 1930s for the sole purpose of establishing a public boating in Boston. The program is a co-op in which qualified members teach new members in complete sailing technique. Monthly membership rates are reasonable and instruction rates are kept low.

Boston Harbor Sailing Club
200 High Street at Rowes Wharf
617-345-9202

Set sail on Boston’s harbor with the Boston Harbor Sailing Club, which offers rentals and lessons. While more expensive than the Community Boating School, this sailing institution offers both private and group lessons. There is a three-hour minimum for private lessons, which cost $20 an hour and an hourly rate of $25 for the rental of the boat. Their package course includes four classes with a total of 16 hours of instruction and a month membership for $414. Please note these rates are subject to change each year.

CYCLING:

Rentals:

Back Bay Bicycles
333 Newbury St. near Mass Avenue
617-247-2336

Community Bicycle Supply
496 Tremont Street near East Berkeley Street
617-542-8623

Metropolitan District Commission
Provides maps of Boston area bike paths
617-727-9547

Boston by bike is one of the best ways to experience the city. Boston offers more than 50 bike paths, many encompassing the city’s scenic areas and numerous historic sites. Although traversing through the city is a popular choice for the large student population here, unless you are an expert cyclist, the best bet is to keep to the bike paths and off the busy streets of Boston.

One popular choice is the Dr. Paul Dudley White loop, a 17.7 mile bike path around the Charles River starting at the Museum of Science and looping back from Watertown Square. To obtain a map of this bike path and others contact the Metropolitan District Commission.

ICE-SKATING:

There are a number of out door skating areas in Boston. One of the more popular locations is the Lagoon in the Public Garden. Here, skaters near and far have come for the past one hundred years to enjoy the safety and tranquility of the Lagoon. The price is right – free to anyone- who want to figure skate, practice their hockey shot, or just have fun.

Another hopping spot for ice-skating is the newly renovated Frog Pond on the Boston Common. Although both the Lagoon and Frog Pond are dependent on the weather, Frog Pong has its own ice-making system. It also offers skate rentals and hot cocoa at the Pond Cottage.

 

IN-LINE SKATING:

Rentals:

Back Bay Bicycles
333 Newbury Street
617-247-2336

Beacon Hill Skate Shop
135 South Charles Street
617-482-7400

The Esplanade, located between the Charles River and Back Bay, is an ideal spot for in-line skating. The flat smooth surface of this section of bike and walking path is perfect for the beginner and intermediate in-line skater. For the expert skater, the area near the Hatch Shell is the spot to go and where you can catch an impromptu "show" as skaters show off their technique and stunts.

If you are without the necessary equipment but want to partake of this great outdoor sport there are several rental places near the Esplanade, which can outfit you and provide a map of other local skating areas.