Boston: Free Events and Attractions for Summer, 2007
• July 28: It’s Celebrate Shakespeare Day with an afternoon (11am to 2:30pm) of free workshops, readings and interactive games in honor of the bard.
• July 24 to 29: Enjoy free performances of A Midsummer Night's Dream as part of Shakespeare on the Common; Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common.
• The WBOS free summer concerts at Copley Square Park (Back Bay) feature a mix of musical performers; Thursday evenings at 5:30pm, through August 16.
∙ The Best Cellars wine shop on Boylston offers free, all-day tastings of the day’s featured wine. …The Wine Gallery (also on Boylston, in Brookline) offers free, daily wine tastings. Ask for a tasting card at the front register then pick your favorites from the 48 wines available on their “wine jukebox” (16 whites and 32 reds). The staff will dispense half-ounce samples. Wine Gallery also offers regular sampling of other alcoholic beverages, including beer, at the downtown store and their Brookline and Kenmore shops. …Check the LocalWineEvents.Com Boston Calendar to see if any free tastings are scheduled at other wine shops during your visit.
• Is your name Isabella? If you've got ID to prove it, you'll get free admission — for life — to the marvelous Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum. There's also a 10 percent discount on Gardner Museum Shop purchases. Other special discounts are available.
• You don’t have to be named Isabella to gain free entry to some of the city’s top museums, including ICA (Institute of Contemporary Art), which is free from 5 to 9pm every Thursday and free for families (up to two adults accompanied by children 12 and under) on the last Saturday of each month. Check the Web site of a museum you’re interested in or click here to see a list of museums with free or reduced admission.
• Weather permitting, there's free stargazing at the Coit Observatory at Boston University every Wednesday evening (after 8:30pm) in the summer.
• Complimentary beer sampling is the main event at Harpoon Brewery’s Tastings. They’re held at its Boston brewery at 4pm (Tuesday to Friday) and 12, 2 and 4pm on Saturday. You don’t need reservations and families are welcome. However, you must be 21 years or older (with proper ID) to sample the beers. If you want to avoid crowds and be assured of entry, plan on a weekday tasting. The company says its 4pm Saturday tasting is its most popular and cautions that it sometimes has more visitors than it can accommodate. The tasting lasts about an hour.
∙ Some locals say you can get a free taste of almost anything for sale in the Quincy Market in Faneuil Hall anytime, if you just ask nicely. For those lacking the chutzpah (or luck), there’s the Taste of Quincy Market: An International Gourmet Feast on Wednesday evenings (through September). From 5 to 7pm, dozens of the market’s food court vendors will offer samples of their wares, from chicken teriyaki to New England clam chowder and other favorites.
∙ With a suggested donation of $2, the Boston Beer Company Brewery Tours (aka the Sam Adams brewery) of its Jamaica Plain facility isn’t exactly free. But $2 is next-to-nothing to pay for sampling the company’s popular brews and a chance to go behind the scenes at its brewery. Tours begin every 30 minutes, from noon to 3 p.m. (Tuesday to Thursday); noon to 5:30pm (Friday) and 11am till 3pm (Saturday). Visitors of all ages are welcome, but you’ll need proof of age (21 or older) to sample the beers. The Web site offers directions (via the T or car).
∙ WBZ Free Flicks features free, family-friendly movies at sunset on Friday nights, through August 31. This year’s lineup includes Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Happy Feet and Charlotte’s Web. Hatch Shell lawn, weather permitting
Check the Faneuil Hall Entertainment & Events Calendar and the City of Boston’s Summer Calendar and Arts, Tourism and Special Events page for other free events.
© Cheapflights Ltd Marlene R. Fedin