What are some fun activities in Boston for my teenage bro?

March 2, 2007 5:23 AM

My 17-year-old younger brother is visiting me and my fiancée in Boston for the weekend. What are some fun things we can do together that he'll enjoy?

We'll be looking at a few colleges, and I'll be showing him where I work as he's never visited before. But I'd like to find a few fun outings for us as well. He's a fun guy, more or less computer-oriented, and not so into museums and other middle-aged pleasures, which are the sort of things we tend to be into.

We live in Beacon Hill and don't have a car, so no driving, unfortunately.

So far I've come up with a trip to the Harbor Islands, weather permitting, and maybe some bowling in the Back Bay. What else is there?

posted by josh to sports, hobbies, & recreation (18 comments total)

Being a local, I'm sure you know the USS JFK aircraft carrier is in the Harbor this weekend. It's worth the (hours-long) wait if he's a Big Toys fan.
posted by Plutor at 5:46 AM on March 2, 2007

If he is a baseball fan he'll love the Fenway tour.
posted by COD at 5:53 AM on March 2, 2007

MIT's got a neat campus, and the MIT Museum is kinda nifty (and not so "middle-aged pleasures"-ish).
posted by spaceman_spiff at 6:00 AM on March 2, 2007

If he's computer oriented, I'm willing to bet he'd enjoy the MIT museum. There's currently an exhibition on robots and AI.
posted by darsh at 6:02 AM on March 2, 2007

My brother (19) was a big fan of burgers at O'Sullivans (in Somerville, a ten or so minute walk south of Porter Square on Beacon St). It gets crowded fast on weekends, so go early.

If he's computer oriented, maybe he'd like the MIT museum? Not your typical "middle-aged" museum, I think.

Dessert at a place like Top of the Hub (esp if it's not cloudy)? My family went there for dinner after my graduation last year, and my brother still raves about the food and the view.
posted by olinerd at 6:03 AM on March 2, 2007

Um... I should preview more.
posted by olinerd at 6:04 AM on March 2, 2007

The Science Museum isn't a middle-aged pleasure and it's huge.

If "computer-oriented" means he plays video games, then the MIT Museum will be fairly boring (though the Arthur Ganson stuff rules). If he wants to go into CS then some of the robot/AI and MIT history stuff might be of interest as well.
posted by DU at 6:13 AM on March 2, 2007

If he likes to read and he has some spending money, he'll like Harvard Square.
posted by pracowity at 6:31 AM on March 2, 2007

The Thermals are in Cambridge Saturday night. And Restaurant Week Winter 2007 starts on Sunday.
posted by Plutor at 6:34 AM on March 2, 2007

I'll second the Museum of Science. Right on the green line, and even though lots of the exhibits are a bit out-of-date, it was one of my favorite things while I was in college (and after). I'm pretty sure I went there every year. Don't miss the lightning show (this is vital; check the schedule).

I wasn't much of a "tourist" when I was 17, so I'd say just take him through the Common on the way to the T, maybe to Quincy Market for lunch (yeah, it's awful, I know, but it's an experience!). I think part of the charm of Boston is just traipsing around the city without any particular aim, actually; it's just so walkable.

(Oh, or take him to Hooters if he hasn't got one at home; it's terrible, of course, but teenagers love Hooters. It's right next to the Fleet BankNorth TD Garden Brought to You By Chase Manhattan HSBC Center.)
posted by uncleozzy at 6:46 AM on March 2, 2007

I haven't been, but I've heard good things about TOMB (site requires Flash), an interactive adventure/puzzle-solving "entertainment experience" with an Egyptian theme. It's near the Fenway T stop.
posted by initapplette at 8:21 AM on March 2, 2007

Harvard Square? I know a gaggle of 16-17 old that LOVE to take the T there and mill about.
posted by beccaj at 8:26 AM on March 2, 2007

initapplette, I've been, and TOMB is a lot of fun, but it requires a large group of people who know each other to make it fun, IMO. If you've got 10 or 15 people all going, great! 3 - not so much
posted by darsh at 8:37 AM on March 2, 2007

How about a show at Improv Asylum? You could pair it with getting delicious dinner and coffee/dessert in the North End if you want to make a big outing of it.
posted by cadge at 8:52 AM on March 2, 2007

What about seeing an omni movie at the Museum of Science? Or a quirky movie at the Coolidge Corner Theater?
posted by irisell at 9:05 AM on March 2, 2007

Come and see me in a wonderful play!
It's called "King of the Jews", by Leslie Epstein (daddy of Theo, Red Sox manager), presented by the Boston Playwrights' Theatre at the Huntington Theatre on Mass. Avenue.
Starts at 8 Friday and Saturday, with Sat/Sun matinees to boot!
Just got a rave review in the Globe today (Friday)!
(I'm Bradley Thoennes, playing "Wohltat"...)
Stop by after and say hello.
I'm the one wearing the swastika.
Can't link this sec, but go to www.bu.edu/bpt/ for all the info.
Everyone invited!
posted by Dizzy at 10:04 AM on March 2, 2007

I've been to TOMB, and I think most 17-yr-old boys would think it was dumb. They are too young for it to be kitschy, and too old for it to be magical/exciting.

I second cadge's recommendation of going to an improv show. Another possibility is to see if you can get tickets to a show put on by students at one of the schools he's looking at.

Jillian's could make for a fun afternoon; he just can't stay past 8pm, so make it a before-dinner thing.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 11:05 AM on March 2, 2007

Go to the Red Hat in Gov Centa, they don't card.
posted by pwally at 5:45 PM on March 2, 2007