NPS Website; Local Website
WHAT IS IT?34 islands of various shape, size, origin, accessibility, population and history that dot the Boston’s wide G-shaped harbor.
BEAUTY (5/10)
Boston Harbor is more utilitarian than beautiful. Industry takes precedence both on the water and along the shores. A mild, unfiltered haze hangs over the city even on the clearest and sunniest days. The most accessible islands, Georges and Spectacle, are situated too far from the city skyline to produce awe-inspiring views. In addition, Georges' Fort Warren is in mild disrepair and Spectacle has a long history as a trash dump.
No matter, it is still nice to be out on the water and away from the city's hustle and bustle. The most stunning views on the Boston Harbor Islands tour come early so be alert. When you leave the docks, Boston's surprisingly imposing downtown skyline appears. It looms far more impressively from the water than from land. The cruise also offers the opportunity to spot Boston's famous church steeples. Is that one lamp or two?
HISTORICAL INTEREST (3/10)
History has largely ignored the Boston Harbor Islands but humans have not. Man has hunted, farmed, built on, trashed and, most recently, set aside the land for recreational purposes.
Georges Island's main attraction is Fort Warren, an early 19th Century coastal defense fortification. The Fort never saw a naval attack but it did serve as a Civil War prison camp for Southern VIP detainees. Many of the Islands contain modern civilization's necessities: Little Brewster Island boasts the requisite charming lighthouse; Deer Island has a water treatment plant; and Thompson Island is an Outward Bound-administered destination.
Spectacle Island's twin peaks, the North and South Drumlins, have grown over 60 feet in height in just 15 years. Its hills' newfound augmentation comes as the result of the much derided Boston boondoggle, the Big Dig. This Island was the dumping ground for all the dirt unearthed during the infamous tunneling project.
CROWDS (9/10)The Boston Harbor Islands are primarily a locals' destination, an excursion unknown to most tourists. The people on Georges and Spectacle Islands had been there before and were excited to return. We toured the Islands on a Sunday. On Georges, large groups staked their claim on the BBQ grills. Spontaneous soccer games started. Wafts of good smells hung in the air. In every directions, kids ran around in circles, screaming with joy trying to catch elusive sea gulls. To hundreds of people, Georges Island was their private weekend fun getaway.
EASE OF USE/ACCESS (1/5)
Unless you have your own boat, you will need use the Harbor Islands Express ferries to get to most of the Park's attractions. Direct ferries leave often from Boston's Long Wharf to both Georges Island and Spectacle Island. Long Wharf is located downtown at the Boston T (subway) Blue Line Aquarium Station.
Island hopping ferries travel to and from Georges and Spectacle Islands. Check the schedule once you get there. If you wish to avoid the city altogether, less frequent ferries leave from Quincy, Mass. to Georges Island daily.
World's End Park, located in the southeastern corner of the harbor, near Hingham, is not even an island and is completely accessible by car. The 274-acre peninsula is a Frederick Law Olmsted landscaped park and has miles of carriage trails.
CONCESSIONS/BOOKSTORE (2/5)
Georges Island's status as a locals destination is reinforced by its lack of a Visitor Center and knick-knack vending bookstore. The tourists here are not interested in Boston reminders, they already live here. The only thing you can buy on Georges is food. Grillers flip hamburgers vigilantly while the fryers stay busy. French fries, steak kabobs and fried dough are not your standard National Park Site fare.
COSTS (1/5)On weekends, a round-trip ferry ticket (with unlimited island hopping) runs $12 per adult, $7 per child. A family 4-pack (2 adults and 2 kids) costs $32. These prices are not bad, considering a) its a lot cheaper than carting the family to the beach; b) you can take the T to the pier; and c) transport means a Harbor cruise with beautiful views of Boston.
Primitive backcountry camping is available on a few of the more remote islands. Cost per site is $10. If you wish to ensure your spot through online reservation, there is an exorbitant $9.50 transaction charge.
RANGER/GUIDE TO TOURIST RATIO (4/5)
The National Park Service (NPS) has no museum or exhibits on any of the Harbor Islands probably because they do not administer any of the Islands. Confusingly, the Park is a National Park Site. NPS Rangers answer questions at the Pier prior to boarding but we saw none on any of the Islands. An 90-minute long $18.95 per person Ranger-led catamaran cruise leaves three times a day during the summer months.
The Islands themselves are full of State Park Rangers and volunteers. If you have questions, they won't go unanswered.
TOURS/CLASSES (6/10)During our weekend stop, both Spectacle and Georges Island were veritable tour machines. Fort tours, birdwatching tours and island history tours led by very young volunteers seemed to be going on in all directions.
We lucked into a New England Aquarium Kids Day going on in Fort Warren's unmowed and slowly-going-back-to-nature parade ground. The exhibit brought many of the Aquarium's live animals to the Island. Michael was transfixed by a gorgeous, inquisitive and playful Raven while most of the crowd gravitated to the shellfish and owls.
An interactive State Park-run display room on Spectacle Island recounts its turbulent past as the city's dumping ground and transformation into a wildlife zone. The area between Spectacle's two Drumlins (hills) was reclaimed from the harbor in 1902 and used as a trash heap until 1959. Some accounts say the dumping ceased because the festering trash swallowed a bulldozer. Other accounts say that the underground fires, sparked by the dangerously contained methane gases, had made the situation too dangerous. Today, Spectacle is a much more attractive destination with its gentle hiking trails, countless birds and harbor views.
FUN (8/10)
Fort Warren screams fun. Literally. Its dilapidated interiors are the perfect place for amateur explorers. Children and adults armed only with sputtering flashlights wander its pitch black corridors imagining ghost tales and filling themselves with healthy fear. Their shrieks echo uncontrollably until they emerge from the dark. No other Fort in the National Park System is so dishevelled, so non-OSHA compliant, so ignored and so much fun.
WOULD WE RECOMMEND? (4/10)The Islands are more of a fun, weekend getaway for city denizens than an out-of-town tourist destination. The trip here is more for relaxation than tourism and if your vacation is about relaxation then why would you be in Boston?
The ferry rides to and from the Islands guarantee your visit will gobble up much of the day. The Park warns against camping on the Islands and spending the day in Boston; the ferry schedule makes that cost-saving strategy difficult. If you absolutely must get out onto the Harbor, the 90-minute Ranger-led catamaran cruise sounds like fun. Call ahead for reservations and enjoy what the Park calls “Boston's best kept secret.”
TOTAL 43/80
www.usa-c2c.com
© 2004-06