Things to Do

The best things to do in every Boston neighborhood this fall

From Allston to the Wharf District, all neighborhoods are represented on this list of the best things to do in Boston this fall.

By Kevin Slane and Kristi Palma

8 minutes to read

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When searching for things to do in Boston, it’s easy to fall into the trap of focusing on the same old activities in the same oft-visited neighborhoods.

There’s nothing wrong with a visit to Boston Common or a stroll on the Freedom Trail, of course. But the fact is that every single Boston neighborhood has its own vibrant culture, and on any given day you can build a fun-filled itinerary of activities, whether you’re in Beacon Hill or Brighton; the West End or West Roxbury.

Need a budget-friendly activity? We’ve got you covered, with free events comprising 75 percent of our list. Whether you’re looking for live music, fitness classes, or family-friendly fun, we’ve got something for all tastes.

Here are the best things to do in Boston during the next three months, with at least one pick for every neighborhood.

Events key:

🆓 = Free events

👪 = Family-friendly events

🍲 = Food events

🍺 = Beer events

Allston

🍺 Hoist a stein at Aeronaut Allston’s Oktoberfest

The Somerville brewery’s Allston outpost will have German-inspired beers on draft, German food from Swissbakers and Hungry Nomad, and Bavarian-style oompah music from Hofbräu Spieler Band. (Sept. 28 from 1-9 p.m.; 267 Western Ave.; $10-35; 21+)

Back Bay-Bay Village

🆓 👪 Enjoy a free outdoor concert

Bring a blanket or chair and settle in for Live Music on the Lawn at the Christian Science Plaza. The free outdoor concert will feature Afro-pop, R&B, bluegrass, and folk with artists Albino Mbie, The Robbie Pate Group, and Farayi Malek. Grab a bite to eat from a food truck and enjoy free admission to the Mapparium globe (5 to 9:30 p.m.) and a free church tour (5 to 5:40 p.m.). (Sept. 6 from 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Huntington Avenue; free)

The Boston Athenaeum Open House. – Lovely Valentine Photo + Film

Beacon Hill

🆓 👪 Explore the Boston Athenaeum during a Community Day Open House

Guests can wander all five floors of the Boston Athenaeum, which is a library, museum, and cultural center founded in 1807. View the newest installation, “Extractive Landscapes,” take selfies, participate in family-friendly activities, enjoy the views from the iconic fifth floor and get a glimpse of the local red-tailed hawks, and more. Registration is optional. (Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 10 1/2 Beacon St.; free)

Brighton

🆓 Watch a free movie at the library

Settle in for a free showing of “Saving Mr. Banks,” starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, at the Brighton branch of the Boston Public Library. It is rated PG-13. (Sept. 9 from 3 to 5 p.m.; 40 Academy Hill Road, Brighton; free)

🆓 Attend a gallery opening at Artisans Asylum

Check out the grand opening of Gallery A2 at Artisans Asylum. While there, learn more about free community events at Artisan’s Asylum this fall, such as Test Print Tuesday and Metal Shop Work Night. (Sept. 27 from 7 to 9 p.m.; 96 Holton St.; free)

Charlestown

🆓 🍺 Laugh ’til your face hurts at The Anchor

Catch a comedy show at The Anchor during the venue’s Sunny Funny Day weekly comedy series. The open-air performing arts venue and beer and wine garden will host comedians such as Andrew Della Volpe, Kevin Turner, and Mo Mussa. Seating starts at 7:30 p.m. (Sundays at 8 p.m.; 1 Shipyard Park; free)

Chinatown / Leather District

🆓 👪 Enjoy free performances and activities at the Chinatown Arts Festival

During the Chinatown Arts Festival, visitors can view mural installations at various businesses across Chinatown between Sept. 1 and Oct. 27 and enjoy free performances and activities on Sept. 28 at Auntie Kay & Uncle Frank Chin Park on The Greenway (near the Chinatown gate). The rain date for the activities is Sept. 29. (Sept. 28 from 11 to 3 p.m.; Auntie Kay & Uncle Frank Chin Park; free)

Dorchester

👪Visit the animals at Franklin Park Zoo

Bring the whole family for quality time with lions, gorillas, giraffes, and more at the Franklin Park Zoo. The 72-acre zoo spans Boston’s Dorchester, Roxbury, and Jamaica Plain neighborhoods. (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends; 1 Franklin Park Road, Boston; prices vary by day)

Downtown Boston

🆓 Shop the Greenway Artisan Market

This open-air market on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is where dozens of local artisans and craftspeople sell art, jewelry, and more. Hungry guests can frequent the lineup of food trucks. (Saturdays through Oct. 31; 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; High Street and Atlantic Avenue; free)

🆓 Meditate at the Boston Public Garden

Calm your body during a guided meditation in the Public Garden with Gen Khedrub, the resident teacher at Kadampa Meditation Center Boston. You’ll find the class at the Lagoon Edge (Boylston side). (Sept. 13 from 6:30 to 7:15 p.m.; 4 Charles St.; free)

East Boston

🆓 👪 Explore the streets by foot with Open Streets Boston

The area from Meridian Street from Maverick to Porter and Bennington Street from Porter to Day Square is closed to cars so pedestrians can walk, bike, stroll, and connect with neighbors and local businesses in a family-friendly open space. (Sept. 15 from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Meridian Street and Bennington Street; free)

Fenway-Kenmore

Watch the Red Sox take on the Minnesota Twins at Fenway Park

Root for the Red Sox at historic Fenway Park, America’s oldest active Major League Baseball park and the home of the Boston Red Sox since 1912. (Sept. 20-22 at various times; 4 Jersey St.; various prices)

🍲 🍺 Nibble and sip at Taste of the Fenway

Join an outdoor street festival celebrating this lively city neighborhood, featuring food and drink tastings from area restaurants, live music, and art. (Sept. 25 from 5 to 7 p.m.; Van Ness Street; $50)

Hyde Park

Raise money for kids at the Putting for Parks Golf Tournament

Tee up at the George Wright Golf Course for the first annual Putting for Parks Golf Tournament to benefit youth programming within the recreation division of the Boston Parks and Recreation Department. Players will encounter various contests on the course. (Oct. 21 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; 420 West St.; $175 per golfer, $700 per team)

Jamaica Plain

🆓 Attend a film screening and discussion at the library

Head to the Connolly branch of the Boston Public Library for a screening of the documentary “Madan Sara,” followed by a Q&A session with director Etant Dupain. (Sept. 7 from 2 to 3:30 p.m.; 433 Centre St.; free)

Mattapan

🆓 👪 Learn about birds, bees, and nature at Mass Audubon’s Raptor Festival

Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Conservancy will get you up close and personal with fierce birds of prey, hard-working honeybees, and a nature-themed puppet show at this family-friendly festival. (Sept. 28 from 12-3 p.m.; 500 Walk Hill St.; free)

Mission Hill

🆓 Enjoy free admission to Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Besides enjoying an after-hours visit to the museum free of charge, you’ll be able to catch two exhibits before they close for good on Sept. 8: On Christopher Street: Transgender Portraits by Mark Seliger; and Portraits From Boston, With Love. (Sept. 5 from 3-9 p.m.; 25 Evans Way; free)

North End

🆓 Witness the procession of Santa Rosalia di Palermo

Feast season may be mostly over in the North End, but you can still get a taste of Italian culture during this annual parade, which kicks off at 1 p.m. in North Square. (Sept. 14 at 1 p.m.; 120 North St.; free)

Roslindale

🆓 Shop local at Roslindale Farmers Market

This award-winning seasonal fixture is more than just a market, bringing children’s activities, live music, and wellness activities to Adams Park and Birch Street Plaza every Saturday through early November. (Saturdays from 9 a.m.-1:30 p.m.; 4225 Washington St.; free)

🆓 Feel the rhythm at Roslindale Porchfest

Porches across Rozzie will be abuzz with music all afternoon, with dozens of performers spanning every genre imaginable. (Sept. 21 from 1-6 p.m.; various locations; free)

Roxbury

🆓 Enjoy a free jazz concert from The Makanda Project

Not long after the passing of jazz composer Makanda Ken McIntyre, the 13-piece jazz ensemble The Makanda Project began performing unrecorded works of the Boston-born musician, including a free concert at First Church in Roxbury. (Sept. 14 from 1-4 p.m.; 10 Putnam St.; free)

🍲 Sip cocktails at the Caribbean Rum and Food Festival

Rum punch, jerk chicken, and more hallmarks of Caribbean cuisine will be in plentiful supply at this annual festival, now celebrating its sixth year. (Sept. 14 from 12-8 p.m.; 1234 Columbus Ave.; $20-65)

Seaport

🆓 Enjoy free admission to the ICA

Typically closed on Mondays, the ICA will offer free admission for Labor Day, though you must claim passes in advance, which are available starting Sunday at 10 a.m. on the ICA website. (Sept. 2 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; 25 Harbor Shore Dr.; free)

🆓 👪 Do the robot at the annual Robot Block Party

Following a robot parade at 10:45 a.m., MassRobotics will kick off five hours of robot demonstrations, hands-on robot interactions, and family-friendly robot games, among other android-involved activities. (Sept. 28 from 10:45 a.m.-4 p.m.; 88 Seaport Blvd.; free)

South Boston

🆓 Stroll Southie at South Boston Street Fest

Now in its 24th year, the annual block party brings together more than 100 local artists, merchants, and community organizations to a stretch of East Broadway between I and L Streets. (Sept. 21 from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; 646 E Broadway; free)

South End

🆓 Gaze at the creative expression of South End Open Studios

United South End Artists, a collective representing more than 100 artists at numerous galleries in the neighborhood, will showcase their works at six different artist spaces, the largest of which is at the SoWa Art + Design District at 450 Harrison Ave. (Sept. 21-22 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; various locations; free)

West End

Say goodbye to Jeff Lynne’s ELO

There are blue skies ahead for Jeff Lynne and Electric Light Orchestra, who are saying goodbye after more than 50 years of prog rock with their Over and Out tour, which visits TD Garden this fall. (Sept. 23 at 8 p.m.; 100 Legends Way; $114-$329)

Remember everything with Kacey Musgraves

From traditional folk to classic country to mainstream pop, Kacey Musgraves has touched every genre during two decades as a musician, which makes her pair of TD Garden shows this fall certain to be both eclectic (in terms of song choice) and electric (in terms of energy). (Sept. 6 & 7 at 7:30 p.m.; 100 Legends Way; $79-$229)

West Roxbury

🆓 👪 Step back in time at Brook Farm National Historic Site

Explore several miles of walking trails and Charles River shoreline at Millennium Park, including a path to the former site of a Utopian community founded by author Nathaniel Hawthorne and other Transcendentalists in the 1840s. (670 Baker St.; free)

Wharf District

🆓 Celebrate 20 years of the Boston Arts Festival

Check out stimulating visual and performing arts from dozens of local creatives at this arts (lovingly pronounced “ähts”) festival. (Sept. 7-8 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.; Christopher Columbus Park; free)

🆓 👪 🍲 Enjoy New England cuisine at the Boston Local Food Festival

More than 50 vendors will bring delicious bites, cooking demonstrations, and a Family Fun Zone to the Greenway. (Sept. 15 from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Rose Kennedy Greenway at Atlantic Ave.; free)

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