Right next to Boston Common, the United States oldest park, is Boston Public Gardens. This is a gorgeous spot where you will find all kinds of places to sit and spend your time. You can view the beautiful flowers, or you can stroll next to a statue of George Washington riding a horse. You can take a ride on the world-famous Swan boats, or you can sit and ponder the cute Make Way For Ducklings Statue. For a park of extremely limited size, the Public Gardens packs a might punch.

The park is well maintained and very clean. Unlike many other public parks I have visited, I didn't notice a large number of homeless there even though we arrive prior to 8am. I felt extremely safe and at peace. The park is free to visitors, and is situated very close to some of the other sights of Boston. It is a quick walk across the street to Boston Common and the T station. Also the Bull and Finch Pub, or Cheers, is located to the south of the park directly across the street.

My friend and I toured the park and found it to be unbelieveably calm and beautiful. There is a lovely wooden bridge that crosses a pond surrounded by willows. The flowers were in full bloom even though it was late August, and it was definantly a refreshing stop. Like I stated earlier it is not a very large garden, but it does contain a lot of things worth viewing. My favorite sight in the park is the Make Way for Ducklings Statue. Make Way for Ducklings is an award winning children's book that is set in Boston Public Gardens. It made me smile just to look at the mother duck followed by numerous baby ducklings. I would have loved to ride the Swan boats too, but unfortunantly they don't run in rainy weather or before around 10am.

This is an experience I can't wait to try the next time I head to Boston! I would definantly return back to Boston Public Gardens if for nothing else than to stop and smell the flowers.

The ornate iron gate entrance surrounded by roses and other manicured plants makes visitors feel as though they are entering an enchanted part of the city. Once inside, these expectations are not spoiled, but rather confirmed. The beautiful lawns, trees, plantings, fountains and statues line well paved pathways. Artists line the banks of the pond, sketching the popular "swan boats" that paddle customers around the water. The pathway over the pond crosses a small suspension bridge--remarkably the smallest suspension bridge in the world.

My favorite thing in the park is a statue of the "Make Way for Ducklings" ducks, commemorating the famous Robert McKlosky tale of the mother duck who walked her ducklings acrossed Charles Street to get to the pond in the Public Garden. Charles Street is the busy road that seperates the Public Garden from Boston Common. This book can make the perfect souvenir of a Boston trip for anyone- both young and old.

The garden and all its whimsy attract many people looking for a special place to take special occasion photographs. Multiple wedding parties make a stop here on the summer weekends.

Tourists and native Bostonians alike can all enjoy the beauty of the Public Garden everyday. To walk through is admission-free anytime of the year. It is such a refreshing pick-me-up from the day at the office, or a tourist's day full of bustling sights.

Surrounding the Public Garden are many other popular sights, so stopping by could easily be implemented into most tourist itineraries. The Prudential Building, State House, and Boston Common are all within a short walking distance. The garden is close to the Arlington T stop, which makes getting there very easy.

The garden is arranged around a small lake. A paved walking trail surrounds the lake and is perfect for strollers or even toddlers without the best coordination. Numerous benches are found along the path for people-watching or enjoying a cool Italian ice. Numerous ducks, including little fuzzy ducklings and two white swans, can be seen along the lake.

For $2.50, adults can take a ride on a human-powered swan boat around the lake (children older than 2 are $1). The ride is really quite brief, just several minutes long, and if you’re busy trying to get your child to sit down in these boats without side rails, you may find that it’s over before you’ve had a chance to relax.

The statues in the garden are all impressive in their own way. Several fountains attract birds looking for a drink or some shade. George Washington on his horse stands majestic in the middle of the garden. If you’re traveling with kids, probably the most fun will be had with the "Make Way for Ducklings" statues—eight ducklings following their mother are a great photo-op as children climb all over the metal sculptures.

Nearly 200 years younger than its next-door neighbor the Common, the Public Garden traces it origin to the filling in of salty marshlands along the Charles River in the 1830s. Charles Street, which today separates the Garden from the less formal Common, once ran along the bank of the river. After the area where the Garden now sits was filled in, George F. Meacham’s design for an English-style garden was chosen by the city in 1869. The Garden’s central lagoon, where the famous swan boats offer visitors rides in the late spring, summer, and early fall, and whimsical suspension bridge provide the Garden with a focal point. Surrounding the lagoon, visitors will find immaculately landscaped flower gardens in the spring and summer and many unique trees selected by Meacham to complete the garden’s atmosphere.

While I love the Common across the street and nearby Esplanade on the Charles River, the Public Garden is my favorite park in the city. The lagoon, statues, and uniquely shaped trees all create a beautiful environment no matter the season. In the spring and summer, color flower gardens surround the lagoon. In fall, the color moves skyward as trees in the Garden display hues of red, yellow, and orange. Even in the dead of winter the Garden is alive, as a pristine layer of white snow covers the ground and icicles hang from the statues and fountains. A small section of the lagoon is kept clear of ice for the benefit of the resident bird population, which still begs visitors for morsels of bread and other treats in the winter just as they do in the summer. I could sit for hours on a bench next to the lagoon here and watch people and nature interact. The Public Garden really is an urban oasis, and a part of the city that should not be missed.

For children and those of us close to our inner child, Boston Public Garden is best remembered for its association with "Make Way for Ducklings," the story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard and their family. Statue of the family can be found in the park and are favorites with the kids. More importantly, the pond the Mallards called home is still there and populated with hungry relatives who love to eat bread, popcorn, or whatever else you care to share. Many are tame enough to take food from your hand.

Also populating the pond are swan boats. These large, peddle-powered boats take people (fee) on a narrated tour around the pond, under bridges and near duck houses. The swan boats are major attractions in Boston, but run only in the summer.

Created in the 1830’s as a promenade and playground for the city’s wealthy residents, the Public Garden today combines formal botanical plantings and meandering paths. The center of the park, an irregularly shaped lagoon, is the focal point of activity, with families and lovers enjoying leisurely rides on the famous "Swan Boats," and children feeding the many ducks, geese, and real swans congregating on the banks of the lagoon. Weeping willows dip their long tresses into the water’s edge, mounted policemen clip-clop by, and elderly ladies with perfect posture sun themselves on benches. This bucolic scene is best surveyed from the whimsical "suspension bridge" (the world’s smallest) that spans the middle of the lagoon

The charms of Boston’s Public Garden have been celebrated in two famous children’s tales, Robert McCloskey’s Make Way for Ducklings and E.B. White’s The Trumpet of the Swan. Visitors (especially those with children) should keep an eye out for the small "Make Way for Ducklings" statues of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings. Adoring parents take advantage of this perfect photo-op, their little darlings sitting astride Mrs. Mallard's back. The sculpture is also the focal point of the "Ducklings Day Parade" held annually on Mother’s Day, featuring tots dressed in duckling costumes, an "oh, how cute!" concept if ever there was one. In E.B. White’s tale, Louis the mute swan makes a name for himself accompanying the swan boats while playing on his trumpet. (He also feasts on watercress sandwiches just across the street at the Ritz Carlton, where you can have a sumptuous though pricey afternoon tea.)

On this trip I was resolved to take a ride on the Swan Boats, something I’d missed on two previous visits to Boston. A tradition since the 1870’s, the boats were invented by immigrant Robert Paget; the boat concession is still run by the Paget family. He got the idea from the scene in Wagner’s "Lohengrin" in which the hero crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan. Each boat's stately progress around the lagoon is propelled by a single hardworking (and very fit) college student pedaling in the back. My son, who initially baulked at taking a "children’s ride." was unable to maintain his preteen guise of "too cool to care about this" as we glided serenely around the lagoon: "Look, there are two swans!" (The swans, named Romeo and Juliet, are both males, I was told.) All that was lacking from an otherwise perfect afternoon in the Public Garden was music. Where's Louis the trumpeter swan when you need him?