A steel pedestrian bridge over a park in a city, with people on the bridge.

15 unique spots to propose in the Boston area, mapped

Acorn Street, TD Garden, Fenway Park, the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Butterfly Hollow at the Franklin Park Zoo—these and more are the perfect spots for popping the big question

By Tom Acitelli@tomacitelli Dec 17, 2019, 7:07am EST

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By Tom Acitelli@tomacitelli Dec 17, 2019, 7:07am EST

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There are plenty of unique spots in the Boston area to get hitched. These are the unique spots to pop the question.

Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University

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A nature lover your lover? The 281-acre, Harvard-run greensward includes thousands upon thousands of plants and trees in a kaleidoscope of species. Bonus suggestion: Perhaps bike to the big rendezvous.

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125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130

(617) 524-1718

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Colorful trees shading a walking path with a bench next to it.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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Specifically here we suggest the complex’s enclosed courtyard. It’s plush year-round with seasonal blooms. There are also other gardens at the Gardner and the rest of its interior—done as if a Venetian palace—is worth considering too for the big ask.

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25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115

(617) 566-1401

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An interior garden with lush trees and grass, and an arched outside hallway with someone reading on one of the hall’s walls.

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Fenway Park

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Why not? Fenway is America’s oldest Major League ballpark—perfect for sports fans.

4 Jersey St, Boston, MA 02215

(877) 733-7699

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A row of wooden seats in an open-air ballpark.

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Commonwealth Avenue Mall

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The 1.3-mile, 32-acre ribbon through bucolic Back Bay is good as a backdrop any time of year; but perhaps try the wintertime, when lights illuminate the mall at night.

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484 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02116

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People running in a clump through the night between two lines of a lighted-up trees.

Butterly Hollow at the Franklin Park Zoo

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This tented spot teeming with butterflies only works in the warmer months—the lepidoptera are not out in the winter. Pro tip: Sunny days draw the most butterflies, cloudy days the fewest.

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1 Franklin Park Rd, Boston, MA 02121

(617) 541-5466

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A tented area with lots of foliage and some butterflies, and there are people stepping through.

Boston Public Library

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Looking for some grandiosity? The building, which opened in 1895, includes numerous gorgeous features, among them carvings and sculpture by Domingo Mora and Augustus Saint-Gaudens and bronze doors by Daniel Chester French. The coup de grace, though, might be the Bates Reading Room with its barrel ceiling. Try there.

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700 Boylston St, Boston, MA 02116

(617) 536-5400

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A grand marble entry area, with two seated lions at either side of a staircase.

On the Red Line (including over the Longfellow Bridge)

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Because nothing says forever these days like a trip on the T—especially on its busiest line.

Boston, MA 02114

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An old train going over an old bridge between Boston and Cambridge. There are people walking and biking in a lane next to the train.

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Frances Appleton Bridge

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This 750-foot steel bridge from Beacon Hill to the Charles River Esplanade opened in 2018, and was formally dedicated in 2019 in honor of the spouse of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The Longfellow Bridge is next to it over the Charles. Get it?

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Frances Appleton Bridge, Boston, MA 02114

Boston Public Garden

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You might think that America’s oldest public botanical garden might not cut it in the winter, but you’d be wrong: It’s especially beautiful that time of year because of the holiday lights. But maybe wait until spring—and pop the question during a swan boat ride.

4 Charles St, Boston, MA 02116

(617) 635-4505

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A person walking between two rows of illuminated bushes at night in a public park in a city.

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The Liberty Hotel

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The Liberty’s building began life in the 1850s as the Charles Street Jail. The current iteration—a Marriott-operated hotel—retained the original octagonal rotunda, with its 90-foot atrium. It also retained some cell bars. Go to town with the metaphors vis a vis marriage as you see fit.

215 Charles St, Boston, MA 02114

(617) 224-4000

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Acorn Street

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If you can finagle some space, use what’s sometimes called the most beautiful street in America as your cobblestone backdrop.

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Acorn St, Boston, MA 02108

TD Garden

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Like with Fenway Park, the arena that’s home to both the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics is perfect if your beloved is a sports fanatic. Plus, if things don’t turn out as planned, the recently expanded coliseum is right above North Station—a (relatively) quick getaway.

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100 Legends Way, Boston, MA 02114

(617) 624-1050

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The lattice-metal exterior of a major sports arena, with glassy sides on either side of the lattice, which is above the main entrance.

South Station

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Yes, it’ll invariably be loud and crowded, but there’s something about dropping to one knee amid all the hustle and bustle of New England’s busiest train and bus hub.

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700 Atlantic Ave, Boston, MA 02110

(617) 523-1300

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An aerial view of the floor of a busy train station.

The Institute of Contemporary Art steps

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The contemporary art and design museum—the current building for which dates from 2006—is one of the Boston waterfront’s top attractions, and, as such, its water-fronting stairs are particularly prime for proposals.