Good Guided Tours in Boston?

Take a guided tour through the http://www.gardnermuseum.org/information/visit.asp museum! Call ahead to find out the schedule.

I've been on the duck tour and thought it was a lot of fun.

When I was in Boston visiting someone who was working I spent one day out on the http://www.nps.gov/boha/index.htm. It was lovely. I didn't do a tour, just hopped on one of the wee boats out there by myself. But there are tours, according to that link. Definitely worth doing if the weather's good.

The http://web.mit.edu/museum/ is very interesteing and if you have a student ID (even one thats old) bring it and it costs about $3. The Isabella Stewart Gardner museum has chamber music on some days, which is cool to see (though I think it might be Sundays).

The Freedom Trail is great if you're into Revolutionary War-era American history. I've walked it with a guidebook (which is free), but it says http://store.thefreedomtrail.org/publictours.aspx that you can buy tickets for a tour led by "an 18th Century Costumed Guide."

If you do the Freedom Trail, there will be a lot of other people around you as you stop at the landmarks, and I've found it to be great people-watching. Also, spend some time at Faneuil Hall where the street performers are. The advantage over being with a tour group is that you'll be able to stop and wander off when you see something interesting (a coffeeshop, a produce stand, a bookstore, lunch, a street performer). If you're out Friday daytime, and are into that kind of thing, stop by the http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/haymarket-boston.html. The weather right now is pretty decent, so it's quite possible that outside will be a great place to be.

The Science Museum is sort of best if you grew up in MA because it's been the same to a large degree for decades. It's fun but I wouldn't say amazing. The http://www.neaq.org/index.php is much more interesting [though also dated]. If your friends have a local library card, they may be able to get you a museum pass at any number of local museums which would be a serendipitous way to maybe pick some places. The good news is Boston is full of neat things to look at and that are easy to get to. I tend towards the historical and nerdy but here are some things I have liked - http://www.jfklibrary.org/ has a good exhibit and is in a lovely place [is spendy, get a pass from friends if you can] - http://bpl.org/central/ downtown is a lovely old research library plus has free wifi - http://www.mountauburn.org/ has a tower you can climb and is a great place to walk around if the weather is stunning which it has been lately. - http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/ has some neat exhibits - If you are a baseball fan, http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/tour.jsp which I have heard are fun. - The http://www.cityofboston.gov/freedomtrail/which is history, has self-guided tours but also guided tours with docents which are really pretty good if you like guided tours. Again, a good weather option. The Mass office of Travel and Tourism has http://www.massvacation.com/50under50.php. If you really want to hit a ton of things, you may save money using a http://www.citypass.com/city/boston.html?id=PbVafyGJ. I went to the Gardner museum last year and found it amazing, so I suggest it strongly as well.

Be sure to check out these previous AskMes for other suggestions:http://ask.metafilter.com/101696/Siblings-in-Boston? http://ask.metafilter.com/116844/Whats-there-to-do-in-Boston? http://ask.metafilter.com/91570/Boston-transplant-needs-local-knowledge-infusion-stat. http://ask.metafilter.com/76980/Whats-there-to-do-in-Boston-anyway? http://www.metafilter.com/contribute/search.mefi?q=boston&tab=posts&site=ask&page=42&sort=date? http://ask.metafilter.com/45314/Whats-up-in-Boston? http://ask.metafilter.com/19569/Things-to-do-in-Boston-this-weekend?

I like the http://www.icaboston.org/. Also, if you have a car and are into architecture, check out the http://www.historicnewengland.org/visit/homes/gropius.htmin nearby Lincoln, and while in the area, also visit the http://www.decordova.org/, and then take a relaxing walk around lovely http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/walden/in Concord, which is the next town over. Henry David Thoreau lived at the Pond in the 1840s.