Back Bay Fens

Amazing place, even on winter. The baseball fields were clear from snow. We really enjoyed!!

This is a lovely park. Its a good place to go for a walk. An oasis of nature in a bustling city.

Stunning park that is a great place to visit. Went during the fall time and saw the leaves changing color and it was picturesque as all could be. Had to stop myself every few minutes to take a picture. Wide trails easy to navigate and not too crowded.

Vibrant park with mature groves, gardens, streams/ponds, bike and foot paths, and a recreation area. Many beautiful hidden vignettes provide peaceful getaways. I love the Emerald Necklace and its many components, and the Fens is no exception – an urban park done very well.

1. Scenic Trails & Nature - Walking and biking paths through marshes, gardens, and tree-lined areas - Great for birdwatching and peaceful strolls 2. Kelleher Rose Garden - Beautiful, seasonal rose garden that's a hidden gem in Boston - Perfect for quiet visits and photos 3. Historical Features - Home to World War II Memorial, Victory Gardens, and bridges - Rich in local history and landscape architecture

Absolutely gorgeous park tucked in between Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts. Love my space to stroll.

I always get off at Ruggles station (Orange Line) walk past Northeastern university over Huntington Ave and past the Museum of Fine arts and through this park (a 5 minute walk) before heading down near Fenway Park. It's a nice little park. Safe and beautiful.

A phenomenally-beautiful area to walk, run, bike, and stroll! It’s the perfect lunchtime spot for a healthy way to move. You’ll be greeted by geese (and at the right time of season, their babies!) so be respectful and give them space! It’s a really great, somewhat private connection between the shops and restaurants in the Fenway area and the Longwood area where important buildings and medical care can be found. There’s also a beautiful, spacious running track and field where you’ll see students studying, people enjoying lunch, and others walking and running. I can’t say enough great things about this scenic, wonderful spot!

This was one of the reasons I moved to Boston. During my interview, I admired how a picturesque it was to have a greenway with a body of water in the middle of the big city. Part of the Emerelad necklace, a chain of parks. Not necessarily connected but somewhat neighboring. Spread throughout Downtown, JP, Roxbury, Brookline,,,

I really large park in the middle of the city. I had a nice afternoon walk here. Would come again

This is, by far, one of my favorite places in Boston. Its such a lovely area to walk through filled with wildlife. The waterways are stunning and everything is kept clean but natural enough for the wildlife to thrive. The pathways are kept very tidy and its easy for bike riders, pedestrians and I even saw some wheelchairs and ADA devices. The community garden spaces are just amazing to see what people set up in their own spaces. Its very inspiring and seeing them come alive in early Spring was pretty great. You could spend so many hours walking throughout this whole area. Bring a picnic!

What an amazing space in the heart of urban Boston. My grandparents were amongst the original Back Bay residents who started what was in 1942, a WWII "Victory Garden" where locals grew fresh fruits and vegetables. Today, the Fens features lovely individual plots/gardens where locals can rent a space and grow whatever inspires them -flowers, plants, produce... Our favorite was the Herb & Medicinal Garden where all are welcomed to sit, relax and even indulge.

Very cute park, worth the visit if your up for a walk or would like to digest after a meal in back bay. Lovely Fujiko x fog installation when I went. Great timing as a New Yorker in Boston. Great park.

The most beautiful part of The Back Bay Fens is the Kelleher Rose Garden...OH, THE AROMA! Every rose bush and trellis features a plaque, stating it's name and personality. BEST DEAL: Attend the annual, Summer "Rose Garden Party" to catch all the roses in full bloom...and the best hats in Boston. I was gifted an "Honorable Mention" Hat Contest Winner (Lynn Julian) adorned with my own creation, which was made from a Schiaparelli hat base.

Hmmm...it seems the previous reviewers didn't know or didn't mention why this is a place to stay away from at night--it's for GAY SEX. Had always heard about 'The Fens' thru friends or thru my bored moments at work (moments being all day long) where I flip between Yelp and Craigslist. If you surf the M4M missed connections page, you'll be sure to find LOTS of sex stories where two or more dudes hooked up on a tree or in some reeds and want to meet up again. Leaving Machine on Friday night with fellow yelpers Katie, Daniel, and Tarah...I mentioned I had never been to The Fens. All of a sudden, we're walking down the street and entering the point of no return. My lovely Yelp friends forced me to walk ahead of them to basically "see what happens." I've mentioned before and I'll mention again I have a TERRIBLE irrational fear of zombies...and I felt surrounded by them as dozens of men lurked around staring me/us down. Walking along the paths, you'll be sure to see guys laying on the ground, standing right outside shrubs, or you can hear twigs snapping from inside the reeds. This was definitely an experience I'll never forget. I think my favorite part was when Daniel took me in for a 2nd tour of the park and forced me to walk on some path thru the reeds and toward the water. Suddenly he gets hit in the face by a hanging vine and almost falls, I freak out and notice I'm sinking into the mud (whilst wearing my lovely J Crew flip flops), and lastly look to my right and see two dudes lurking in the reeds right next to us. WE RAN. And not a moment too soon since as soon as we got back on the road, a police cruiser came flying in (THRU the park) with its spotlight and megaphone ordering people to zip up and go home! Come here during the day if you like parks. Come here at night if you like rando same sex male hook ups...or if you're curious to experience the national geographic special that this place is. Oh, and there are vegetable gardens that people rent plots to grow their own stuff...well...FYI...the men seem to enjoy using your pumpkin patches too so be sure to wash your vegetables. And my feet are still dirty even after 4 showers.

This is more than mere park. This Fenway residents' oasis has lot to offer even if you don't live in the neighborhood. And it has served me good with many purposes. - Wind sprint around the track til I puked(it was lactic acid threshold training) - Entertaining my mom by taking her to the rose garden and Victory Garden. - Playing softball and basketball. - Lazy Sunday picnic with girlfriend - Jogging around the entire U shaped park along Park Dr and The Fenway. Whatever your interest or objective maybe, you can always find yourself enjoying this park. To me, this park is far better than The Common *AND* Public Garden combined. Do you quickly get bored with hanging out at the park and need to be entertained? There's Fenway 13 movie theater right there like The Common is to Lowes Theater! Walking through Rose Garden and/or Victory Garden inspires you to be more sophisticated or aristocratic? Then haul your ass to Isabella Gardner Museum or MFA. They are located right outside of the park! Did you forget to bring something to picnic? Shaw's is 5 mins away! Or simplely, hungry? There are good number of good restaurant near by(Burton's Grill, Cambridge 1, Church, Canestaro, and it would be even better if those burnt down restaurants get rebuilt). Did a softball drill in your head? Longwood medical area is right there! I think this "pahk" is the best in Boston! P.S. Run along the track at your own risk when someone is playing softball. Keep your eyes on the ball or it might hit you like artillery.

Not the cleanest... nor most visually appealing park in Boston. But one thing it boasts that the Common can not is its lack of crowds. With virtually zero tourists in your way... rules or logic be damned as it is right next to Fenway park and Landsdown Street. The Fens also has a gardening section maintained by various people who rent small plots for themselves. These touches of individual personality give our park the uniqueness that is Boston. The Fens is great for a stroll, taking in the War memorial, having a small picnic, or playing a game of frisbee. You're likely to see dozens of neighbors enjoying their options weekly, if not daily. The down side... what is the catch? It is minor but enough to warrant the loss of a star: WATCH OUT FOR GOOSE POO!

The Fens is one of my favorite places in the whole city. It's close to my school and close to my apartment, so it's great for getting away between classes, or after school for a run. This place is stunning in the fall - there are leaves of every color. I love running here because I get so distracted by the beauty that I forget I'm even doing a dreadful, tiring movement with my body. There's a couple of paths, some bridges to walk over, a memorial in the center, and a football/soccer field with a track around it. It's a scenic way to move between neighborhoods and a great place to just stroll! The only reason I deducted a star is the nighttime safety. I'm not sure if it's 100% accurate or not, but at Northeastern orientation, we were warned 40 times over not to go into the Fens at night. I guess it can be pretty dangerous.

The Fens are wonderful! Ignore the ignorant who think anything outside the suburban blanket of homogenized cleanliness is dangerous. This park is a treasure trove of discoveries and delights. An Olmsted project, you may discover the "old Roman bridge", the sole Redwood, the Victory Gardens and Muddy River. Urban dwellers should take advantage of all the city parks we have available or like they planned in the 1960s, the Red Sox might just buy up park space for a parking lot.

If you grow up in the area (or go to school in Boston), chances are you've heard all sorts of stories about what happens at the Fens at night. I had avoided going to the Fens until my Crossfit gym scheduled an outdoor workout there. I slowly made my way through the park to meeting point. Things started off a bit weird when we saw a squirrel gnawing on a chicken wing bone (I know, like...what?), but thankfully that was the weirdest thing we encountered. The Fens is actually pretty neat. There's a track you can run around and space to play ultimate frisbee/work out. Being totally honest, I didn't feel uncomfortable or unsafe at any point (except maybe when our coach told us what the workout was #death). I'm knocking one star off for the insane amount of goose droppings there are around the park. And when I say, "around the park," I really mean, "everywhere." On your left, goose droppings. On your right, droppings. They're probably on your shoes and in your hair too. Ugh. Savages.

After work (when it's still light out) this has been such a great place to do laps to get a few miles of running in outside. There's a track near by, part of it has quaint bridges, paved and gravel side walks, streams, ponds, college students out walking, and even some parts that dip into the trees just enough to forget you're in a city for a few minutes. Really a small work of art - and lots of fun to see change with the seasons. This is one of the many reasons I love working in the fenway area. Fun fact: this is also why the fenway station is so named - it's by the fens... as opposed to the stadium. It is fun to watch the confused tourists get off the train and get really annoyed that they should have just stayed on for one more stop.

When hearing of the infamous and proverbial "Fens," I was in utter disbelief. Such a place could only exist in Europe, and there was no way in hell the cops would allow public sex to occur each night... That is until I took my first walk through the Fens at night. A beautiful grid of city garden plots checkers the land in the light of the day, but at night The Fens moonlights as a dark and dirty outdoor bath house. The acts that I saw being performed in the Fens should be saved for the bedroom only, and I immediately felt the urge to bust into a round of elementary school patty cake... "Caught you with your boyfriend... naughty, naughty...." I feel for the unsuspecting tourist that stumbles upon one of these paths on a drunken walk home from a bar while blindly searching for the T. I also wonder if Gladys, the elderly gardening lady is aware of what took place amongst her watermelons and marigolds last night....

I'm a bit surprised that the back bay fens is capable of being reviewed, but obviously, I feel obligated to judge it as well. Yelp continues to surprise me. I don't know who started that whole "gay men rendezvous here" rumor but as a 4th year Northeastern student, I have yet to discover any of this said nonsense, even during late nights. I don't think I've ever witnessed any sketch-like activity occurring in the Fens, unless you consider college freshmen smoking some pot to be frightening. I personally love the Fens. Its the perfect running trail that kind of takes you away from the whole living- in- the- city vibe. It touches 3-4 different schools, so its a safe place, despite what others may say. There's tons of different trails to run along and some nearby places (such as my school's gym) even pass out maps of the running trails so you can decide the distance you want to go and how to accomplish that. There are also lovely gardens to walk by, and its the best short cut when heading to Fenway. Overall, one of my favorite places to run in Boston (besides the Charles). Just watch out for massive amounts of geese poop.

The most hilarious place EVER. I went one evening with a friend, we are both males, and we only went because we knew what would happen, but we didn't believe it. SO SO SO SHADY!!!! Never go alone if you want to just walk, youll get groped, raped, stalked etc. So I am sure the fens are pretty during the day, but ew, the piles of used cum rags all over the place is just not that pretty. You can walk through the maze through the tall reeds only to happen upon 2 guys going at it..Oops sorry fellas! We were followed by at least 8 guys, some hot most not, and you can see them pairing off and hiding in the tall grasses. We basically held each other tight walking through this mess and would totally do it again for the thrill, this is why I gave it a 5!

Beautiful during the daylight hours, a whole different world at night. I had no idea what I was in for when I went out with the "boys". Lots of alcohol and hallucinogens could not prepare me for what I saw one warm summer night. After several bars and staggering around town my guys thought it would be hilarious to take me thru at 3am. I'm not going to say it wasn't hilarious, I believe I was laughing so hard I was crying. At one point they thought it would be even funnier if they hid on me. Not so much guys! I appreciate the offer of $100 from the creepy man that decided to follow us but........no thank you, really, go away. Better yet, I'll go away. I'll have to find a way to get my boys back, I'm just not sure how I could top that.

Beautiful park, always clean. Stay away at night though, a lot of homeless and junkies. Scary to walk alone for anybody. My dog loves the trails though and its perfect for a quick jog around the park during the day.

I read all these reviews and noticed none of them were from a gardener in the Fens. My fiancé and I have owned a garden for 3 years now in the Fens and we love it. I'd like to mention that the gardeners are very aware of the crime related to the area, and our newsletter frequently addresses it and encourages ideas for securing the area. Unfortunately, part of the reason more lights aren't added is because of how it would disrupt the plants. I don't feel it should stop you from visiting at all, all of the writers are absolutely right that it's wonderful and safe place to visit during the day. In the evening, staying on the path along the road is safer. Just last week Paul and I were at the garden and he turns the corner with a wheelbarrow and two people behind him. They were visitors from Canada and wanted to see what vegetables we were growing and to know more about the garden history. It's a great community with a lot of nice people who love showing their gardens or speaking about them. During the Fall there is also Fens Fest, which is a community outreach event that's family friendly and really fun. A previous review mentioned how the variety of gardens resonates with the people of Boston, it's true. Our neighbor's is completely different from ours! It's absolutely worth a stroll on a sunny day down any of the little bark pathways to see how people landscaped theirs or what they planted. Paul runs around the Fens every day, it's a great running path. Sometimes I see people fishing, and there's always people playing sports. When the Rose Garden is in bloom it's gorgeous and smells so wonderful. It's worth a visit to see a part of Boston history and a taste of the residents who made 'backyards.'

Want to find a stalker on a dark night? Or some blow? Or both? Then this is your place. The fens get scary at night, but during the day, they're great to walk around. The bridges over the creeks sound cool when you walk over them or especially if you ride your bike over them; there is a great view of the Prudential + downtown, but it's through some trees, so you get a sense that you're sort of separated from the artifice of the city, which is nice if you need it sometimes; above all, however, there always seem to be ducks and geese around, which give me a sense that I'm not walking through a pseudo-cultivated semblance of a garden--rather, it makes me aware that this place was here BEFORE Boston came to be.

Where to begin? For such a small space, there really is a lot to do and see in the Back Bay Fens! I lived across from the basketball court area of the park for five years, and I can say with certainty, I've really done it all in the park (well, not THAT - we'll talk about that later!). We can start where Boylston Street meets Park Drive, across the street from Fenway Park's Ted Williams Statue. Here, you'll find the Victory Gardens (planted during WWII to help promote community and provide food for war families) - betcha didn't know you could rent your own little plot for $30 a season? Did it. The Gardens make for quite a lovely and leisurely stroll during the high season in the summer. Pick your path - but as many have pointed out, stay further from the reeds at dusk. YES gay men do have romping drugged sex in there all the time. As evidenced by the used condoms and empty booze bottles adorning my garden plot each morning I'd return. Thanks guys. We can go clockwise, towards the Back Bay area, where the Fens runs along a string of apartments on The Fenway, some owned by NU, some private apartments. Keep in mind, there is an upper and lower level here. Don't miss the great playground at the bottom! As we continue, we come upon the MFA. Now that the back is done up all pretty, you've got a beautiful view of her rear facade and the [creepily] mesmerizing giant baby head fountains as well as the Japanese Rock Garden. Keep going and we come upon a selection of the Colleges of the Fenway - Wentworth, MassArt and MCPHS. Continuing, we pass the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum (sadly, I never went before leaving Boston - don't let this happen to you!) and a little bit of Simmons and Wheelock. The park turns sharp right, going backwards along Park Drive's one-way traffic before coming up to the recently renovated playing fields. Here, you've got an almost 1/4 mile rubberized running track which encircles an astroturf football/soccer field abutted by two baseball fields. The improvements here were vast - this playing area used to be a muddy, gravely excuse for a park. And now! Glorious. It is enclosed by two sides of bleachers and at one end, two basketball courts (also refreshed). Continuing forward, we will enter the Kelleher Rose Garden - beautiful and yummy (time it right though, or you'll miss the roses!) and the War Memorial (be sure to stop and pay your respects). There's also a small pond behind these two attractions - a nice stop off to watch the ducks and geese. Going just a little further ahead, we pass an open grassy area (great for games like frisbee or reading a book under the shade of the many great trees) and then come to the intersection of Park Drive and Aggasziz Way, before reaching our starting point at the Victory Gardens. Paved and gravel paths wind throughout this entire park and many a park bench and trash can are available for use. There are two bridges for crossing the Muddy River, about 300 feet apart towards the middle of the park. Relatively safe, very clean and extremely bountiful, the Back Bay Fens really has something for everyone and I miss it dearly!

Love the little gardens people have here, it's great to walk around during the spring. For Boston, it seems like that is about a week of May before diving straight into summer, but I digress. I think its reputation is much mightier than the actual "dangers' of the Fens, but then again, use your best judgement. Don't wander around all alone at 3 am, same as you wouldn't in most places! Goose poop truly is the most dangerous part of the Fens. Beware.

They've added an gorgeous new sculpture to the middle of the Fens. It's one of those graceful blue... police poles with the phone and the big light on top in case you get raped/jumped/pooped on by a goose/etc and need to call for help. This is one of the first places I was warned about by my helpful RA when I got to Boston. However, she assured me I didn't have much to worry about, because like Jeffrey H. said, it's the menfolk they're after. Honestly though, I feel safe walking here day or night. It is the route I take to get to one of my favorite restaurants, Trattoria Toscana. There are always a bunch of guys playing a pick up game of basketball in the afternoon and some nice gardens to wander through. There are decent trails for running. Though I still haven't determined whether the statue next to the bridge looks more like R2D2 or a keg... Yes, The Fens have their charms, in a mucky kind of way. If I wanted a picnic, I'd avoid the crowds in the Commons and the T ride to the Arboretum in JP and stay right here in my hood, at the Fens.

When I first moved to Boston for SMFA, my apt was located on Park Dr. where the trail from the Rose Garden led to my building. A small, almost weirdly gated community feel permeates the Fenway/Park Drive area. It is in a black hole of no subway since Kenmore Sq. T is a couple long blocks away (and I perfected my crowd weaving technique fighting through an entire state of Red Sox fans coming FROM the T while I tried to GET to the T-AWESOME) and the MFA E-Line stop/39 bus stop is through what can be a scary walk at night. There is a 55 bus stop but...it is a pathetic joke of a bus line. However, the Fens is known for its great little nexus of food and the park. Trust me, there were days...okay, weeks, where I would stumble out of my apt., walk a block or two to great thai, sushi, italian, american, mexican, etc. food to go, then stumble over to the 'pond' and pass out with chopsticks in my hand. The Rose Garden is absolutely goregous in bloom and rather Tim Burtonesque in winter. Seeing the wedding parties at Rose Garden always made me smile...and hope I could sneak in and grab free wine. The memorials are actually tastefully done...but don't be tempted to smoke around there. I swear, every time I have tried, random men smelled it miles away and crept towards me like cheeba zombies-no joke. The track is decent, and I always enjoyed watching the real players vs. paunchy northeastern dudes play at the basketball court. There are tons of benches, stadium seating and fun little trails to shoot up, get naked, drink, and maybe...well, you fill in the blank. The grass is well kept and I always enjoyed napping/passing out on the lush grass near the bridge. In fact a lot of people enjoy napping half-naked on the grass, fyi. Since so many music students are here, you can even get lucky and hear someone practicing their violin, sax or guitar. Sean is right, def. NOT a tourist space, locals pretty much only. Probably b/c of that whole black hole no subway thing. I would recommend NOT walking around super late at night-it is eerily quiet, there are hardly any lights (WTF Boston?? Put some fuckin' lights in!), and pretty distant from anyone if any shit went down since surrounded by the moat of the Fenway road. But don't let me scare you-it is totally worth it!

It is very pretty and has great potential. But the police and the park rangers better clean this mess up...soon. Nice for a walk, a little picnic, maybe some people watching, that is if you like to watch. There are a few little gardens in between. They also offer you a little three by three plot for your own garden. Those are quite funky and very fun to look at. Rollerblading --ehh, the roads are not that great. Jogging - yep. Most likely will be running the hell away from the dudes who will offer you crack, meth and other recreational enhancements. I would say that you are better off going here during the day. It is very sketchy at night. By sketchy I mean, I have seen way to many man doing it in the bushes, near the water, on the bench...etc. We've been offered crack, meth, exctasy, pot and blowjobs. Well, not me, but my male counterparts have been offered to come to the bushes for a little boy fun. Yeah, be careful. There is a lot of hazardous materials on the ground (goose poop, needles and used condoms)

The skinny: It's a great place for sport events with large groups, but the view isn't all that great. My school hosted an "olympics" here where we do various sports events and duke it out between the grade levels. There were at least 100 people here on a Sunday morning and it was pretty awesome. The park is big enough that there's space for everyone to do something with plenty of room. We had basketball, baseball, pie-eating, and soccer going on in various parts of the field and everyone was really accommodating Passerbys could see this was a school event and some of them stayed and watched us and some simply moved to another part of Fens to do their workout. At no point did anyone seem upset or angry that we were taking up a baseball field and a basketball court and we only stayed for a few hours. There's also a community garden for those interested to grow something healthy and local and I thought that was adorable! :)) Downside: The park isn't that great for "views" though. I'd recommend the parks in Jamaica Plains for that (think Emerald Necklace!). Because of heavy use and so many events and sports done in all parts of the park, there are dry patches and places where rain and sprinkler water pools over onto the side walk etc. However, for being right in the middle of the city, it's a really nice asset to have for those needing a quick escape or a change of scenery from the Esplanade. GO OUT AND BE OUTDOORSY PEOPLE!! Run/bike everywhereeeee

I live around the Fens and walk by dog by here on a daily basis... I've only been in Boston since August 2013 and I have to say that I have not had any bad experiences here. Of course I stay in the lighted paths around the fens at night just to be safe, but I really have not seen anything shady or scary. There's always a lot of geese, squirrels, and rabbits around. There's a nice big area of grass that great for picnics during the summer. A lot of people play soccer, football, etc. on the field that's on one end of the park. The war memorial area is also a nice lighted area for people to hang out at night in the summer. The rose garden with the fountain is also pretty when in season, but a bit small. The best part of the fens is the Victory gardens. It's a great idea to let people rent plots to garden... especially in the city with limited space. My dog loves this place and it allows me to walk her around greens instead of on cement sidewalks. However, I think the Commons is just bigger and better...

What a treat! This park has it all....small pathways to discover, a track and field to use, and several nice sidewalk paths to bike, run, or walk. My first visit to the Fens was when the Rose garden was in full bloom--gorgeous! I also plan to explore the community gardens and events they hold throughout the year....cheap, free fun....the best! Downside: daytime visit only, seems it is pretty sketch at night. Water/ aroma can be kind of smelly at times.

(score 1-100) - 69. Uniqueness factor: No tourists! A park that in many areas you can have to yourself. Maybe you need to a photo shoot for a school project? Maybe you want a natural background for your wedding pics? Maybe you want to streak for the first time? The Fens is your place! The Kelleher Rose Garden is one of the secret Gems of the city that would make for a great reception area for a wedding or maybe you needs some pictures in a garden area for a back ground shot. The Rose Garden is really beautiful in the summer time and can provide a unique backdrop without all the craziness of the Public Garden. I've never been through here at night and I've heard some certain things go on at night but I just don't see it as an unsafe area. Women may have a different take on the safety factor but I have never witnessed unsavory characters or witnessed anything that could potential happen.

Pretty walk from NEU to Fenway Park. Lovely setting...

Everyone hears that the Fens is terrifying their freshman year. Eventually you go, many times, and realize that it's perfectly fine, and just like everywhere else is worse at night.

So I have lived in Fenway for about 8 months now and I just realized this park exsisted last weekend. What a dunce huh? My boyfriend and his friends were on a quest to play basketball and since I didn't have much better to do I decided to go watch and wander around the park. I was really impressed! It was a breezy nice day and I walked through the rose garden, and over to the war memorial. It would be a great spot to have a picnic and the basketball courts are really nice. There is one full court with bleachers! And one just for shooting around it looks like. There are lights there too so if you're brave or crazy you can play at night. I will definitely be frequenting this park this summer as the weather gets warmer, so pretty and about a 2 minute walk from my apartment. Who knew?! Certainly not me....

4 stars for a nice space on a nice day -1 star for the goose poop everywhere/the creepiness factor at night

oh yes the fens, we all complain about it being dodgy and smelling of weed (ALL the time!), but secretly we all love its shabby charm...or at least i do. It's not often you see gardens in a big city, so i jenjoy looking at what people are growing in their patches of land. Boston commons is good for people watching and entertainment, but the fens is good for some quiet time and a peaceful stroll, unless you're planning to take a stroll after midnight.

Situated on a beautiful strip of land behind the Museum of Fine Arts, the Back Bay Fens is an oasis of ball parks, memorials and gardens. I like it because you can get somewhat lost walking around. There are shaded paths crossing bridges and open fields where people play ball and lay out in the sun. One day I sauntered upon an absolutely gorgeous rose garden that's now in full bloom. Any lover of beautiful things or anyone looking for a little romantic tryst would not want to miss it. There is also a very large community flower garden that people obviously put a lot of work into. This is definitely one of the more "wild" parks that we have right in the city and it's a great place to be on a sunny day, or really any day.

Like everyone else, a nice stroll during the day, sketchy at night. I first heard about this little piece of the Emerald Necklace when I moved to Northeastern as a freshman. They essentially give the line to never walk through there. Which isn't really true either. It's not as sketchy as it sounds, but also not a place you'd want to wander into unprepared. All in all, you've got to love the Fens, just be careful.

I am a huge fan of running and if you are too you should check out the "Fens". The trees are gorgeous and the roses in the garden are of so many varieties you loose count after the first few steps in. Things change when the sun sets...be alert!

Since I live near both the Fens and the Riverway, I tend to pick the Riverway because it's more secluded and fun for a run, but in terms of activities, the Fens has the commons and the riverway beat. The baseball fields, track, basketball court, rose garden, marshes, bridge, pond, playground and community garden are all fun things to enjoy (except the marshes I have no idea what's there). I do get sketched out biking through it the second the sun hits the horizon but it's just a part of life accepting that there's no where nice that doesn't have crazy people or crime.

this is an ok park but i wouldnt go out of my way to go here. nice but not as nice as i thought it would be

Favorite spot to clear my head. Lots of geese roaming around Pro tip: be careful of where you walk because of the geese...oyyyy Another pro tip: lots of small gardens. Give yourself a few hours to explore on a good day

One of the few parks that's likely more enjoyable from a distance as a distraction from nearby traffic than it is amidst the space itself.

The Fens really does perpetually smell like weed. It's a great place to smoke due to all the passageways and hiding spots, though the police are always cruising the area nowadays. Beware of undercover cops and crazy people.