Boston Common

Boston Common is the oldest park in the country, having been put to public use in 1634. During its early years, it was used as a cow pasture. It was used for public hangings up until 1817. The grazing of cows ended in the 1830 and became more like a modern park.

The Common is one of the hardest working parks in the city. Thousands of visitors move through it every day. Some emerge from the subway buried beneath its perimeter. Some emerge from the parking garage buried in another corner. Some are just passing through on their way between the Back Bay and Downtown. Some begin their journey on the Freedom Trail from the starting point in the Common.

Visiting the Common was yet another stop on journey to visit each of the 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts