There's plenty of stuff to take in before and after Monday's big race: architecture, history, food, more history, more architecture, nature. Here is a kaleidoscope of options, most of them free!
- Call up our Curbed Boston Pocket Guide, Spring 2016 edition, and get to trekking to the 26 must-visit addresses around the region. These include the Massachusetts State House in Beacon Hill, Memorial Hall in Mid-Cambridge, the U.S.S. Constitution in Charlestown, and Boston City Hall in downtown Boston.
- Not up for 26 stops in a day? How's about a much shorter tour of the quintessential Boston neighborhood, Beacon Hill? Our guide is guaranteed to take you to the essential spots in two hours, tops.
- It's also Patriots' Day on Monday, and few areas of the nation are more infused with reminders of patriots who have come before than our fair region. Take this tour of 25 major military memorials and monuments, some near the marathon route and all free.
- Or perhaps some presidential arcania? It is an election season. This map runs through the myriad connections the Boston region has had with the men who have occupied the White House, from the Duke of Braintree to the current tenant.
- Maybe architecture is your thing. If so, the Boston area is a great place to check out some of the great figures from that field. Henry Hobson Richardson was the mid-19th century's leading starchitect, and he did a ton of work in the region. Or how about the work of "Ranch house Pompeian" pioneer Josep L. Sert? Maybe just take our tour of our famed Federal-style architecture, the style Boston is best-known for anyway.
- Need to keep up the ol' fitness regimen while in town? Here are the 16 best bike paths in the region, most of them easily reachable on foot, via public transit, or, well, by bike.
- Or maybe just chill after the last runners pass the finish line at Copley Square? Here's a map of downtown Boston parks perfect for languorous respites (e.g., there's seating)
Finally, if hunger strikes, our sister site Eater Boston has you covered with a guide to where to eat on and around Marathon Monday. Cheers.
- Curbed Boston Pocket Guide: Spring 2016 [Curbed Boston]
- Beacon Hill in Two Hours: What to See When You Don't Have All Day [Curbed Boston]
- 25 Boston-Area Military Memorials and Monuments, Mapped [Curbed Boston]
- U.S. Presidents in the Boston Area, From Adams to Obama [Curbed Boston]
- Boston's Great Weather: Where to Enjoy It Right Now Downtown [Curbed Boston]
- Henry Hobson Richardson Architecture in the Boston Area: a Gallery [Curbed Boston]
- Josep Lluis Sert's Boston, Cambridge Architecture: a Gallery [Curbed Boston]
- The Best Examples of Boston's Famed Federal Architecture [Curbed Boston]
- Greater Boston Bike Paths: 16 of the Best for Spring and Summer [Curbed Boston]