Boston has been voted as the most beautiful city to visit in the winter by multiple news outlets. This has been noted to be due to the city’s architecture and snowy weather, which make it the perfect winter wonderland.
The city has many winter festivals and activities for tourists and residents to enjoy.
One of my personal favorites is the Snowport market in Seaport. This market features 100+ vendors and includes food, jewelry, crafts, self-care items, and so much more. My favorite stands are Sock Puppet City run by the fascinating Marty Allen, and Just Stars which was a small business that started in Berlin and made its way to the US. One critique I have noticed is that the prices for some shops seem high, but these are mostly small businesses, with most of the products being handmade by the people who are most of the time also running the stand themselves.
Just 10 to 15 minutes away is the famous Newbury Street. This year the street was open for a few Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm, where stalls lined the streets so pedestrians could stroll freely. This was similar to their popular Open Newberry season in the summer. This would be a better option than Snowport if you’re interested in the physical stores than the stalls since there certainly weren’t as many.
If you’re looking for some vintage and antique shopping I would recommend going to SoWa, the art and design district that has an indoor winter festival, with many vendors similar to Snowport. All the vendors are placed inside of what looks like a large warehouse with a high ceiling. Though it may not sound like a winter wonderland, the market has the perfect holiday atmosphere since it’s decorated with trees and lights. One thing I dislike about this market is the line that wraps around the building which is not enjoyable in the freezing weather. But it’s also one of the only markets that are indoors so you won’t have to endure the cold for too long. The market itself has more vintage vendors than Snowport but I would recommend venturing through the neighborhood to find the SoWa Vintage Market.
It wouldn’t be the perfect holiday season without some good pastries. Lakon Paris Patisserie is a viral bakery known for the extravagant flavors and shapes of its croissants. A few of these flavors include Nutella banana, strawberry cheesecake, and my favorite tiramisu. It was hands down the best croissant I have ever eaten. This would be the perfect stop to add if you’re visiting Snowport since it’s just across the street. They also have a few other locations in Brookline and Newton. If sweets are not your thing they have plenty of different teas, coffees and other original beverages. Sometimes viral places like this are all about the visuals of their items but they definitely lived up to the hype.