South End

Summer Events Schedule

 

 

 

 

 South End: The What

May 19 — October 28
The SoWa Open Market
540 Harrison Ave.
Sundays, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
This popular, outdoor market is a great way to spend your Sunday. Located in the trendy SoWa district, you’ll have your pick of products ranging from hand-crafted jewelry and photographs to fresh-baked breads and antiques. 
Free
www.southendopenmarket.com

July 19 & 26
ParkARTS Catch the Library Beat @ the Park
Ringgold Park-Ringgold Street between Waltham and Hanson Streets
10:30 a.m.
Presented by the Boston Public Library, this is part of a series geared toward young Bostonians, designed to expose children to the joy of reading and familiarize them with some of Boston’s most gorgeous green spaces. 
Free
617.445.4340

July 18 — 28
Exhibition of Toronto’s Bata Shoe Museum
Boston Center for the Arts
539 Tremont St.
Monday-Friday, 12-8 p.m., Saturday & Sunday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m.
Step into Canada for this unique shoe exhibition, in Boston for the first time.  Don’t miss Marilyn Monroe’s Boudoir Slippers from the 1940s. 
Free
www.bcaonline.com

July 20 — 22
Festival Betances 2007
100 West Dedham St.
Friday, 6-9 p.m., Saturday, 12-9 p.m., Sunday, 3-8 p.m.
This 3-day festival is the oldest Latino community arts festival in New England.  This year’s theme is Los Patrimonos de Puerto Rico, the landmarks of Puerto Rico.  Experience the sights, sounds and tastes of Puerto Rican and Latin culture.
Free
www.iba-etc.org/claboston/festival

August 1 & 2
Shecky’s Girls Night Out
Boston Center for the Arts-Cyclorama
539 Tremont St.
5-10 p.m.
Boston’s ultimate shopping event!  Sample delicious cocktails while indulging in endless fashion, glamour, beauty, shopping and freebies.
$10 general admission, $30 deluxe goodie bag tickets.
www.sheckys.com/girlsnightout

September 28 & 29
2007 BeanTown Jazz Festival
Columbus Ave. between Mass Ave. and Burke St.
September 29, 12-6 p.m.
This event has put Boston back on the jazz map.  You can’t beat smooth jazz music on three stages, and food and crafts from local vendors.
Free
www.beantownjazz.org

September 15 & 16
South End Open Studios
Various locations
11a.m.-6 p.m.
The annual Open Studios allows you to view and purchase art, and gives you the opportunity to meet the artists firsthand.  Expect to see a variety of mediums.  
Free
www.useaboston.com

South End: The Where

Boston Center for the Arts
This non-profit performing and visual arts complex houses some of New England’s most acclaimed artists and small and mid-sized theatre companies.  Emerging as one of Boston’s premier arts and entertainment centers, the BCA features four theatres, the Mills Gallery, Tremont Estates Building, the Cyclorama, the Boston Ballet building and the Community Music Center of Boston. 
www.bcaonline.org

The Beehive
Boston’s newest and perhaps hippest restaurant and bar is located in the underbelly of the Cyclorama building at the BCA.  Actually a renovated boiler room, the Beehive was created to look and feel like an artist’s studio, and offers gallery space to aspiring local artists.  Named after La Ruche, beehive in French, which was an artist’s residence in 1920s Paris.  Like the Cyclorama building, the structure looked like a large beehive more than anything else.  Savor rustic European, Mediterranean and American fare as well as the signature cocktail, the Beehive Julep, while listening to jazz performed by local headliners. 
www.beehiveboston.com

The Allen Mansion
This grand Victorian mansion is one of the oldest surviving houses in the South End.  Built in 1859 for wealthy furniture dealer Aaron Hall Allen, the brownstone is a fascinating blend of the Italianate and French Second-Empire styles with richly carved ornamentation.  From the 1870s to the 1950s, the mansion was home to various social clubs that reflected the changing neighborhood such as the Central Club, the Catholic Union and the Lebanese American Club.
1682 Washington St.

South End Grounds
Professional games were played here from 1871-1914.  When Boston’s only double-decked ball park, featuring distinctive twin towers, opened in 1888, it was regarded as the latest in sports stadiums.  The park, also known as the Walpole Street Grounds, burned down in 1894, during a ball game.  The rebuilt park served as the home field to Boston Braves.  The site is now occupied by the Ruggles Station on the MBTA’s Orange Line.

Restaurants and Bars
The South End is prominently known for its food and drink, and there is something for every taste and budget.  For the meat lovers, try what is often called Boston’s Best Burger at Tim’s Bar & Grill (329 Columbus Ave.).  Too lazy to change out of your pajamas after a late night?  Head to Tremont 647 for their award-winning Pajama Brunch (647 Tremont St., www.tremont647.com).  If you’re looking to nibble, try Ken Oringer’s Toro for tasty tapas (1704 Washington St.).  To quench your thirst, go to swank 28 Degrees for their Frozen Bellini, of which more than 20,000 have been served (One Appleton St., www.28degrees-boston.com).   


South End: The Skinny

• Despite its name, the South End is not directly south of the center of downtown Boston.

• The neighborhood was created by draining salt marshes that extended north and south of a narrow strip of land called Boston Neck.

• Most of the cross streets in the neighborhood, including Dedham, Waltham and Rutland streets, are named after cities and towns served by the now defunct Boston & Providence Railroad, which bordered the South End to the north and west. 

• The Washington Gateway Main Street’s association won the 2005 Great American Main Street, awarded by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

• The façade for the fictitious St. Eligius hospital on the TV show St. Elsewhere is opposite the park at Franklin Square on East Newton Street.  Originally the St. James Hotel, it’s now the Franklin House, an apartment building for senior citizens.