Beautifully manicured parks now welcome visitors to the Hub in this visionary urban enclave crafted within Boston's concrete jungle. After the Big Dig project moved once-elevated roadways underground, community and political leaders seized the newfound space and crafted what is called the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. Designers set out to balance natural beauty and landscaped grace with the vitality of functional art. Parks are open 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Highlights include a fountain in the Wharf District Parks near the Aquarium T Station and Milk Street with holes arranged in a series of eccentric circles that spew chlorinated water as well Chinatown Park with a skillfully crafted Zen garden. The Greenway spans from Chinatown Park to Dewey Square Parks to the Wharf District Parks to the North End Parks. Click HERE to take an online tour of the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. Why not honor your mother by making her a permanent part of Boston history? Organizers at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Mothers' Walk are offering 6" x 6" pavers as a way to honor your mom. The $500 gift allows you to immortalize your mother's name, an official certificate that cites her as an honoree as well as an invite to the Greenway inaugural event in the fall of 2008. Follow this link to purchase a paver. Follow The Greenway on Facebook.

The Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, a 15-acre ribbon of parks and development, has taken the place of the old, green Central Artery overpass that used to weave through Boston. While we often use the term Greenway to describe what seems to be a single space, the fact is that there are four main designated park areas that comprise the Greenway, each with its own unique features and personality. Take the time you visit them and learn more: The Big Dig buried the highway and made way for the construction of parks, walkways and greenspace from the North End to the Financial District. It's clear that the Greenway could become one of the world's great urban parks. With the announcement of its fund-raising success, the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy which manages the greenway space is on its way to realizing the Greenway's full potential. With the highway gone and the city reunited with its waterfront, Boston has an opportunity unique in the history of the modern city -- to create a grand promenade of parkland through the middle of downtown. People tend to make the space their own, by bringing cricket sets to play. The streets surrounding the Greenway are busy, but the park itself has a surprisingly relaxing atmosphere. Of particular interests to families of young ones is the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Rings Fountain on the Greenway by the New England Aquarium (between Milk St and Congress St). Tall, easy-to-dash-through sprays find an unsuspecting audience of tourists, aquarium go-ers and commuters. Many parents of little ones let them strip down, unprepared to find a new water feature in their travels. The Greenway is named after Sen. Edward Kennedy's mother, who died in 1995 at the age of 104. Rose Kennedy grew up in the North End. One year after her death, the then-Gov. William Weld signed legislation naming the Greenway in her honor. The Greenway is managed by the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Inc.

The main fountain on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway is fantastic. It is near the Aquarium and easily accessible from State Street (use the State Street stop and walk all the way down State till you hit Causeway and Atlantic). The trees there are too young to provide much shade, but the fountain is really pretty and fun. If you've got a sleeper in the stroller, you can also have a nice walk home along the Greenway.

The Greenway fountains on Cross Street are a beautiful entrance to the North End neighborhood of Boston. With a large green of rolling lawn and a sidewalk dotted with lights and several fountains spurting water all day and evening, this is the perfect respite for the kids, tourist, or any city dweller on a hot summer day. There are also dozens of benches and tables covering this side of the Greenway right behind the fountains that are perfect for meeting friends, reading a book, or having a meal.

In Chinatown Park, visitors are welcomed through august gates, one traditional, the other contemporary, and are guided along a pathway brightened by gardens and a streaming fountain. The pavement in front of the old Chinatown Gate uses patterns inspired by the Chinese symbol for heaven and earth. The dense Asian neighborhood that hosts this park maintains a lively balance of diverse ethnicities, cultural references and cuisines. Chinatown is rich with immigrant stories and traditions, modern pop culture, and now one of the loveliest tree-lined acres in Boston. The Conservancy sponsored programs and activities in Chinatown Park reflect the local Asian community’s rich diversity and cultural history. Examples include Tai Chi lessons, tournaments (ping pong, chess, or checkers), cultural festivals, music and dance. Boston's 26-year-old Chinatown Gate is now a major feature of the Chinatown Gateway Park in the new Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. Opened in September 12, 2007, the concept for the Chinatown Park is inspired by the passage of Asian immigrants through Boston and the progression of the many families who have forged an indelible identity in the city. The Park will feature gates, stones, streams, and waterfalls build upon the ideals of Feng Shui; space must have balance and harmony among the elements. A signature feature of Chinatown Park will be the distinctive pavement pattern in front of the Chinatown Gate. Designed by California artist May Sun and patterned after a Chinese chess board, the square within a circle pattern symbolizes heaven and earth in the Chinese culture. Running through the center of the chessboard will be a "river" of stainless steel and colored concrete, depicting a map of Boston focused on Chinatown, South Station and the Fort Point Channel. The 26-year Chinatown Gate, a three-story red-and-gilt monolith guarded by four Fu dogs at the intersection of Hudson and Beach streets, is a gift from Taiwan in honor of Chinatown's centennial. (Gate is Páifāng or Paifong (Chinese: 牌坊) The Greenway is managed by the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy, Inc.. Conservancy sponsored programs and activities in Chinatown Park reflect the local Asian community’s rich diversity and cultural history. Examples include Tai Chi lessons, tournaments (ping pong, chess, or checkers), cultural festivals, music and dance. View an Interactive guide to the Greenway here.

• Public Restrooms around the Dewey Square Parks
• Restaurants Around Dewey Square Parks
• Bars Around Dewey Square Parks
• Attractions Around Dewey Square Parks
• Parking Around Dewey Square Parks

• Public Restrooms around the North End Parks
• Restaurants Around North End Parks
• Bars Around North End Parks
• Attractions Around North End Parks
• Parking Around North End Parks