Boston/South End

Possessing the largest Victorian row house district in the country, the South End is one of Boston's most popular places. After many homes underwent renovation in the 1960s, upscale restaurants and art galleries sprang up, and the area has attracted a diverse blend of families, young professionals, a gay and lesbian community and a thriving artistic center.

Understand
In response to the crowded conditions throughout the downtown and Beacon Hill neighborhoods, the city of Boston decided to fill in tidal marshes to the south. Beginning sometime around the 1830s, a new inner city residential neighborhood was envisioned, with a large and stable tax base to draw from. Architect Charles Bulfinch was hired, who oversaw the infill of land and created a series of residential parks. Inspired by English residential town squares, most greenspace is artfully landscaped and ringed with attractive cast iron fencing. The buildings here were designed to be uniform five-story bowfront structures. To further accentuate the visual unity of the area, Bullfinch called for a common palette of brick, slate, limestone, and cast iron elements to be used.

At first, a burgeoning middle class moved to the South End including business owners. As new housing developments opened up, however, the Back Bay and Roxbury soon became the "it" neighborhoods, and the South End would slide into a tenement district by the end of the 19th century. Close to good railroad jobs and now more affordable, the South End quickly began to attract African-American families, and became a center of black middle class Boston life and culture. Known as a "Jazz Mecca" for the first half of the 20th century, when musicians like Duke Ellington and Cab Calloway performed in a myriad of area clubs.

More and more buildings fell into disrepair, and by the 1960s absentee landlordism was rampant and the neighborhood was one of the poorest of the city. At this point, Boston's city planners once again stepped in, knocking down blocks of dilapidated structures and replacing them with housing projects and areas of light industry. It was an imperfect solution, but it mostly worked out, and set the groundwork for the beautiful and diverse community residing in the South End today.

By public transit
The Orange Line is going to be your best option for accessing most of the South End. The Back Bay and Massachusetts Ave stations bring you close to the action. While the Ruggles station is in the neighborhood, most of the attractions are further north. The Green Line roughly parallels the Orange in this area, but the stations are slightly further away. One stop on the Red Line, Broadway, is great for accessing SoWa market and all the new developments in the South End's northeastern corner.

If the suburbs and beyond are where you're leaving/arriving from, Back Bay Station is for you. On the Commuter Rail, the Providence/Stoughton, Framinghham/Worcester, Needham, and Franklin lines all stop here. This is also a main stop for Amtrak with Acela Express, Northeast Regional, and Lake Shore Limited trains all heading further afield. This station is also the first stop for the #39 bus, which takes you south past the museums and into Jamaica Plain.

Another great option is the Silver Line, a bus rapid transit service running through the center of the neighborhood. From north to south the stops are: Herald St, East Berkeley St, Union Park St, Newton St, Worcester Sq, Massachusetts Avenue, and finally Lenox St. This bus can be helpful, as it passes by all the big commercial areas in the South End.

By foot
This is really the best way to see this minute neighborhood, barely over a mile across. As a point of reference, traversing the neighborhood would take the average person less than 30 minutes on foot. Walking from the Orange Line Mass Ave station, to the I-90 I-93 overpass next to downtown.

By car
Strongly not recommended. There are no parking garages in the South End, and virtually all on street parking is resident only. You'd have to park in a different neighborhood and walk in anyway, so what's the point of driving?

See
There's not much to see in the South End in particular. The neighborhood is quite small and beautiful, so your best bet may be to just go for a stroll. The area has some of the most wonderfully restored brownstones, they really pop offset against the dramatic backdrop of Back Bay's skyscrapers. You will find scores of gardens and small parks tucked between the warren of intimate (and occasionally cobblestoned) streets. Evenings here are great for walking as well, as gas lamps flicker to life and light your path across care-worn bricks.

Galleries
This is a smattering of the galleries the South End has on offer. They can be found throughout the neighborhood, with the greatest number being concentrated in the SoWa Market area. Naturally. Its best to visit on the weekends, and better still on market days.

Buy
Due to the number of artists & galleries in the neighborhood, SoWa has become a creative epicenter, attracting a wide range of art-enthused fans, creative minds, and unique events.



Eat
The South End has spent decades committed to increasing fine dining options, and it shows. Some of the best and most interesting cuisine in the city can be found right here, along with some of its most expensive! This list isn't exhaustive, there are many excellent restaurants in the neighborhood not listed here. Consider calling ahead for reservations for most any location, especially in the summertime and especially on Sundays when the SoWa Market is in full swing. Prices are generally spendy, but don't lose hope. Try some of the fancier places earlier in the day for brunch, you may find similar fare more affordably.

Drink




Connect
There is one library here offering free wi-fi, although you'll probably pick up a few overlapping signals from all the competing cafes and shops in the area.

Go next

 * If you somehow didn't find a restaurant to your liking, check out the Back Bay, another neighborhood with outstanding cuisine.
 * Already have tickets? Catch a game at historic Fenway Park in the center of Fenway-Kenmore.
 * To try out a few new dishes, walk over the Mass Pike and into Chinatown, a part of Downtown Boston.
 * After the SoWa market wraps up head west, over Interstate 93 and walk into Southie.
 * Get off the beaten track and into Roxbury, to see some fantastic colonial sites and Boston's biggest park.