23 Best Boston Gifts for Locals and Visitors Alike in 2024
Are you searching for the best Boston gifts for a friend, family member, college student or neighbor? It can be hard to find just the right gift for a special occasion.
At a time like this, it can be helpful to use a favorite destination or city as inspiration. Is the recipient a fan of the Red Sox, Celtics or Bruins? Have they recently relocated to, or from, the capital city of Boston? Maybe they just love the history, architecture and scenic skyline of the City on a Hill.
We’ve designed our Boston gift list to cover a variety of interests and price ranges to help you find the perfect going away gifts, housewarming gifts or graduation gift ideas for your Beantown-loving friend. They’ll be wicked thankful.
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- Foodie Boston Gifts
- Creative Boston Gifts
- Luxury Boston Gifts
- Boston Gifts for Her
- Boston Gifts for Him
Foodie Boston Gifts
1. Cooking Classes
Cooking classes in Boston are a unique experience for beginning or advanced home chefs. They’ll join gourmet chefs who will share their tips and advice for creating local, regional and international recipes.
Whether they learn how to prepare the best Boston baked beans and lobster rolls, or go with French pastries and Asian sushi, they’ll have fun discovering new skills and traditional techniques.
2. Foodie Gift Basket
Are you searching for Boston gift basket ideas for a new neighbor or colleague? Food gifts from Boston are a wonderful way to welcome a new friend to the neighborhood. It’s one thing that will definitely get used!
Formaggio Kitchen is a gourmet food shop in Boston’s historic South End. Choose local and artisan products from Europe and around the world.
Put together a gift basket filled with cheese, wine, herbs and spices, jams and jellies, honey, hot sauces, coffee, tea and smoked sea salt.
3. Savory Sauces
Michelin-starred Chef Mario Carbone recently opened Parm at Copley Place in Boston — sounds like a good reason to gift a bottle, or two or three, of Carbone pasta sauces as a food gift from Boston.
Choose from marinara, tomato basil or arrabbiata for delicious gifts for foodies who like to create quick and flavorful pasta dishes.
4. Food Tour
Help a new neighbor or colleague discover the city with food tours in Boston. They’ll join local guides who lead groups around the city. Stroll along cobblestone streets and enjoy historic landmarks while learning about the area’s food scene.
They’ll learn about all the best restaurants, bars and cafés on these fun and interactive tours. They may get to sample local favorites and famous recipes such as Boston cream pie, lobster rolls, creamy clam chowder, fresh seafood, Fenway franks and frappes (which refers to a milkshake in Boston lingo, not a coffee beverage).
5. Boston Tea Party Brews
On the night of December 16, 1773, chests of East India Company Tea were tossed into Boston Harbor. This was a pivotal point in American history.
For the most famous Boston gifts, head to the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum (or cruise to the website). You’ll find blends of Boston breakfast tea, one of the most popular in English tea culture, and black teas from Kenya and India.
6. Bay State Cutting Board
Searching for Massachusetts gifts to impress a foodie friend or family member? Boost their charcuterie game with a Massachusetts-shaped cutting board. Boards are made of bamboo and can be personalized with a name and date.
Creative Boston Gifts
7. Art Classes
Surprise a creative friend with art classes in Boston. They can choose painting, drawing, watercolors and more. This makes great gifts for artists and those with an inner artist just waiting to get out.
8. Paint and Sip
Paint and sip in Boston allow participants to combine a love of art and wine. Create a masterpiece in acrylics, watercolors or oils while spending time with friends and sipping chardonnay, cabernet, Champagne or any other beverage they choose.
9. Pottery Classes
Surprise a Boston-loving friend with pottery classes in Boston. Whether they choose to make sculptures, bowls or mugs, they’ll enjoy a fun and interactive experience.
This is a great way for newcomers to connect if they want to learn how to meet people in a new city.
10. Gift Card
A Classpop! gift card is the perfect experience gift in Boston for anyone on your list. It can be used to purchase kitchen essentials or as an experience gift card for art, fitness, sewing and pottery classes.
Luxury Boston Gifts
11. Spa Day
A day of pampering is one of the best luxury gifts from Boston you can give. Whether it’s a facial, a deep-tissue massage, a therapeutic body wrap or peaceful aromatherapy, they’ll thank you for this gift of relaxation and rejuvenation.
12. Luxury Hotel Stay
A high-end hotel stay is another one of the best luxury gifts from Boston. Boston is a world-class destination and offers properties like the Four Seasons Hotel Boston, the Mandarin Oriental Boston, the Ritz Carlton Boston and the Omni Boston at the Seaport.
With luxury spas, upscale restaurants and designer furnishings, this is one luxury gift in Boston they’ll remember.
13. Drinks With a View
With harbor views, gourmet cuisine and sparkling beverages, you can’t beat a rooftop deck for a dining experience. Treat them to a luxury experience atop one of the city’s best rooftop bars and restaurants.
Boston favorites include Deck 12 rooftop bar atop Yotel in the Seaport District, the Contessa Boston in The Newbury Boston, the Lookout Rooftop Bar Boston atop the Envoy Hotel in the Seaport District, the Rooftop@Revere at the Revere Hotel Boston Common and the Dorchester Brewing Company.
Boston Gifts for Her
14. Boston Puzzle
Boston souvenirs are a great way to share a love of the city. This puzzle of the Boston waterfront from Massachusetts Bay Trading Co. makes a fun and thoughtful gift for puzzle enthusiasts.
15. Day or Night at the Museum
Boston art galleries such as the Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Fine Arts and even the Museum of Science are great Boston gift ideas for art, science and history fans.
They’ll spend the day enjoying paintings, photography, sculpture and historical artifacts. Many even have cafés, restaurants and gift shops to take the day into the evening hours.
16. Sip in Style
This cute and functional wine glass features an engraved Boston skyline. It makes a terrific Boston gift to hold reds, whites and rosés or even a spot of sherry, rum or brunch-time mimosa.
17. Light the Way
Designed by the popular Homesick Store, the Boston candle has hints of orange, tea, nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla. It’s a wonderful Boston gift idea for a friend who has moved out of town and may be feeling homesick or a new transplant to the area.
Relive memories of cobblestone streets and spiced tea spiked with cloves and ginger. Candles are 13.75 oz. and come in a reusable glass jar. Made from a natural soy wax blend, with a cotton wick, they’re hand-poured in the U.S. Candles have a burn time of 60-80 hours.
18. Get Sporty
The Boston Marathon is one of the most famous Beantown events. Boston companies New Balance (founded in Boston in 1906 and still based there) and Reebok (not founded there, but currently based there) are great inspirations for choosing the perfect New England gifts.
Celebrate them and all their Boston-ness with a new pair of kicks for the runner in your life.
19. Broadway in Boston
Book an evening of opera, musical theater or comedy for a fun and entertaining Boston gift and date ideas in Boston. Citizens Bank Opera House hosts Broadway shows like Come From Away, The Book of Mormon and Disney’s Frozen while the Charles Playhouse is home to the crazy antics of the Blue Man Group.
The Boch Center — Wang Theater is another great spot for shows and concerts like Hadestown, Van Morrison, The Wiggles and Casting Crowns.
Boston Gifts for Him
20. Sporting Events and Concerts
Are you searching for famous Boston gifts or New England gifts? Season tickets to the Red Sox, Bruins or Celtics are an excellent Boston gift for sports fans. Gillette Stadium, home to the New England Patriots, is about 30 miles southwest of Boston in Foxborough.
Along with the NFL, the stadium hosts events and major concerts such as Kenny Chesney, Beyonce, Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks and Bruce Springsteen.
21. Whale Watching for the Win
AWhale-watching tours with Boston Harbor Cruises make great family gift ideas. Prime whale-watching season is May through October in the Boston area. Partnering with the New England Aquarium, cruises take place aboard comfortable catamarans.
Expert guides share information on marine animals and ocean conservation. Tours cruise to Stellwagen Bank Marine Sanctuary, which is a popular site for dolphins, birds and whales such as humpbacks, minkes and finbacks.
22. Reel 'em In
Check out a company like Boston Fishing Charters to present him with a half or full-day deep-sea fishing charter. He can spend the day casting for striped bass, tuna, flounder and cod just off the coast of Boston Harbor.
23. Craft Brew With a Boston View
Looking for a Boston gift for a craft beer enthusiast? This Boston beer can-inspired glass features an engraved grid of the city’s streets and neighborhoods.
It’s dishwasher safe, lead-free and has a chip-resistant rim. Add a matching city map coaster or toss in a case of Samuel Adams to go along with it.
We hope you’ve found the perfect Boston gift idea for the next birthday, anniversary or other special occasion. Take some of our ideas and use them to create a fun and unique gift for a friend, college student, graduate or new neighbor.
Whether it’s a birthday, graduation, anniversary or welcome-to-the-neighborhood Boston gift, the recipient is sure to love whatever you choose.
For even more fun gift ideas, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
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