Address: Day Boulevard, Boston, US
Website: mass.gov
Phone: 617.727.5290
The historic 22-acre Castle Island is home to Fort Independence, a pentagonal granite defense fort built between 1834 and 1851. Open to the public year-round, Castle Island offers a gorgeous three-mile Dorchester Bay beachfront, Fort Independence tours during the summer months, and paths for biking, running, and soaking in the coastal views of Pleasure Bay. Julie Starr-Wood says, “It’s a perfect place to go on a warm summer day with little kids. There are no big waves, lots of kids, and amazing fried clams—I may be a nutritionist, but I believe in everything in moderation.”