People who live in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood of Boston are some of the luckiest. Pulsing with action, cheers for the Red Sox and tons of great places to dine, this spot is where many make a beeline for when visiting this sports-centered city. Sure, TD Garden might be downtown, but the true sports spirit of Boston is found in Fenway-Kenmore, even during the offseason. Explore the history, go to a baseball game and have a few cold beers while exploring a fun and friendly part of Boston.
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Fenway/Kenmore History
After seceding from Brookline in the 1870s, the Kenmore-Fenway neighborhood quickly started gaining a personality of its own. Originally designed and imagined to be a high-end residential area for the city’s most affluent residents, the landscape changed as property values rose quickly. This began to draw in academic institutions who could afford the high price ticket for homes and buildings. Nearly nine different organizations moved in over the decades. Today, parts of Boston University, Berklee College of Music, Northeastern University and the Boston Conservatory of Music are still there, just to name a few.
Neighborhood locals live in pretty tree-lined brownstones surrounded by parks in the quieter parts of the area. But over by Fenway Park, built in 1912 and currently the oldest stadium in Major League Baseball, there are young bars, outdoor cafes, music venues and plenty of other entertainment options that are open all night long and have been bumping for many years.
Fenway/Kenmore Highlights
As the Kenmore-Fenway area is a little outside of Boston’s downtown area, most visitors make the trek to experience Fenway Park. There are tours available throughout the year, or people can catch one of the dozens of games in the spring and summer. Besides the tour and games, people can experience Fenway by having a drink at the adjoining bar that provides views of the field, or simply by strolling down Yawkey Way along the stadium wall.
The Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are both found in in Fenway-Kenmore and are iconic attractions filled with priceless masterpieces to peruse. Many of the college campuses hold art shows, music performances and thesis presentations open to the pubic as well that can provide insight to the talented students who call Fenway-Kenmore home during their studies.
Those who enjoy nightlife often flock to Landsdowne Street for libations and music. The House of Blues is one of the city’s most fun venues for hot music stars and bands, right across from Fenway Park. While the roster sometimes changes, other places to explore on and near the strip include Jillian’s, Cask’n Flagon, and Loretta’s Last Call. For a classy cocktail, the Hawthorne at Commonwealth Hotel bar is superb, as is the Island Creek Oyster Bar in the same building.
Fenway/Kenmore Annual Events
Many fans wish the World Series was played in Boston annually, but that only happens with the Sox are on a winning streak, otherwise, there’s fun events happening year-round all can enjoy. Evry February there’s a small celebration of the start of baseball season called Truck Day, as the equipment for players leaves Fenway for training in Florida. Many people will watch the Boston Marathon in April there, paired with a bar crawl or the baseball game. Some events from Boston’s Early Music Festival in June take place in Fenway as well.