The Boston area has more than a few special sports locations, especially if you include minor league teams and college venues. In one day you can see the top three: Fenway Park, TD Garden and Gillette Stadium. With two of the three within Boston City limits, you can quickly scoot from one to the other on Storrow Drive, then drive the forty minutes to Gillette, where Patriot Place makes for a nice way to end your day.
Before you begin your journey, check each team's schedule so you know if you'll be bumping into a crowd. Although crowds around Fenway and the Garden can add to the fun, this is of the utmost importance when visiting Foxboro-based Gillette. Stadium traffic on Route 1 is simply horrific on game days, making it almost impossible to drive the 4-mile stretch of road between Gillette and the highway in under an hour.
Start your day with a tour of Fenway Park. Get a closer look at the inner workings of "America's Most Beloved Ballpark" while enjoying the stories told by the experienced tour guides leading your way. Fenway is a place where dreams were made and legends built. Skirt the parameter of the field where Red Sox legends Ted Williams, Carl "Yaz" Yastrzemski, Carlton Fisk and Jim Rice showed off their talents. Relish the opportunity to scope out the view from the 37 feet, 2 inches atop the Green Monster deep in left field (where game day tickets are hard to come by). When you've finished, pop into one of the area restaurants, like Eastern Standard that serves great food for every meal before you hop in the car and head to your next location.
Just a short ride to the end of Storrow Drive and you've arrived at TD Garden. Park your car and head inside. The Garden tour is offered on the hour from 11:00 to 3:00, but along with the tour, the Garden has a little something extra special to show its visiting sports fans: The Sports Museum. Open daily from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (check website for closings for special events) it is worth a closer look before you leave.
Next, hop on the highway and make your way to Foxboro, MA, home of Gillette Stadium and the New England Patriots. Tours are not offered to the public on a daily basis, and if you are not part of a special event happening here, you're out of luck. But you can enjoy great views of this football, soccer and lacrosse field from adjoining dining, entertainment and shopping center, Patriot Place. When you've completed your sightseeing of the field itself, buy a ticket and enter The Hall, an interactive museum that displays all that has made the Patriots great. Then scope out the restaurants, or make your way into a movie on the Lux Level of Showcase Cinema and relax while sipping a cocktail, eating your dinner and seeing the latest new release.
