About

Boston Common

Boston Common was established in 1634 and is the oldest city park in the United States and was declared a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1987. The Boston Common is part of the Emerald Necklace of parks and parkways that extend from the Common to Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Dorchester.

The Common was used as a camp by the British before the American Revolutionary War, from which they left for the Battle of Lexington and Concord, and has since been the location for public gatherings, protests, concerts, and sporting events. While the original ponds on Boston Common were used for grazing cattle, the park was transformed in the late 1800s into a public park. Swimming holes and pond skating were replaced with the spray pool in the 1970s and the ice rink in 1996. Today, the only animals you’ll see frolicking at today’s Frog Pond are squirrels!

The Boston Common is a public park managed by the Boston Parks & Recreation Department and cared for by Friends of the Public Garden, a private advocacy group which provides additional funding for maintenance and special events.

Frog Pond

Frog Pond is home to a summer spray and splash pool in the summer and is the outdoor winter ice skating place to be in Boston.

Managed by The Skating Club of Boston® in a public private partnership with the City of Boston. Year-round family friendly activities include the summer spray pool, historic carousel, winter ice skating, professional figure skating shows, and special events for kids, families, citizens, and visitors.