Friends of the Boston Harborwalk
The FBHW is a group of volunteers with a mission to create awareness, promote public enjoyment, and foster local stewardship of Boston’s 43-mile Harborwalk. The group meets monthly to plan and coordinate three priorities:
- Host informative monthly two-hour tours highlighting different Harborwalk segments.
- Develop engaging and site-specific interpretive signs for residents and visitors along the Harborwalk and collaborating with waterfront property owners and other stakeholders on their installation.
- Organize waterfront clean-up events and reporting maintenance concerns to help ensure that the entire length of the Harborwalk is clean, safe, and inviting.
GET INVOLVED!
- Support the Friends of the Boston Harborwalk
- For more information on joining the FBHW, contact Mike Manning, Chair, at mmanning@bostonharbornow.org.
2024 Tour Schedule
All tours are led by volunteers from the Friends of the Boston Harborwalk. Standard walking tours take place on Saturdays at 10:00 AM; however, some locations require alternative times and winter tours may be offered online. We look forward to offering the following tours in 2024 (additional tours to be added)
- Saturday, January 20: The Great Molasses Flood – North End
- Saturday, February 17: Seaport District: Innovation or Inundation
- Saturday, March 2: Winter Harbor Cruise
- Saturday, March 23: Films of the Harborwalk
- Saturday, April 27: Boston: A History Written in Stone
- Sunday, May 18: Belle Isle Marsh Walking Tour
- Saturday, June 22: MWRA – Deer Island’s “Big Dig”
- Tuesday, July 2: Taxes, Freedom, and Independence: The Impact on Boston’s Wharf District
- Eastie Week Tour: East Boston’s Waterfront Secrets
- Eastie Week Tour: East Boston: Transportation, Immigration, Innovation
- Saturday, October 19: A Bank Heist, Waves of Molasses, and a Riot
Registration generally opens in the first week of the month.
RECORDED TOURS
During the first year of the pandemic, many tours moved online. Recordings of some of the virtual tours from 2020 and 2021 are below.
- Wharf District
- East Boston from Clippership Wharf to Boston East
- Neponset River
- Harborwalk Geology
- Boston’s Fish Pier
- The Great Molasses Flood
- Boston Harborwalk Secret Places
- Vision Chelsea Creek with Harborkeepers
To view all previous virtual tours, check out this YouTube playlist.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Please help us accomplish our goals by becoming a FBHW volunteer. Here are a few opportunities for you to become involved:
Harborwalk Guided Tour Team
Tour team volunteers lead different guided excursions each month. Most tours are on foot, others via bicycle or by boat, with each event exploring a different Harborwalk segment from Belle Isle Marsh in East Boston to the former Baker Chocolate Factory in lower Dorchester. Tours typically run from 10 am to noon on Saturdays and begin and end near public transit. If you are interested in developing and/or leading a tour, please contact Mike Manning at mmanning@bostonharbornow.org.
Harborwalk Signage Team
Our signage team works closely with property owners and all stakeholders to develop content for engaging and inclusive interpretive signs along the Harborwalk, celebrating Boston’s rich waterfront history by focusing on local points of interest. The signs created by our team to date, can be viewed here. For more information contact Mike Manning at mmanning@bostonharbornow.org.
Harborwalk Clean-up Team
Building on a long tradition of giving back to the community, countless volunteers from local corporate and civic organizations help our team periodically undertake a needed clean-up along a Harborwalk segment. These clean-ups typically occur from 9 am to noon on a date of your choosing. If you’re interested in hosting your volunteer group for this purpose, please contact Boston Harbor Now’s Volunteer Coordinator Sahil Duvadie at sduvadie@bostonharbornow.org.
2024 MEETINGS
The Friends of the Boston Harborwalk meet at 5:30 pm on the fourth Thursday of the month. They are currently meeting virtually. Please contact Mike Manning at mmanning@bostonharbornow.org to attend. Upcoming meetings will be held on the following dates:
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Thursday, January 25
- Thursday, February 22
- Thursday, March 28
- Thursday, April 25
- Thursday, May 23
- Thursday, June 27
- Thursday, July 25
- Thursday, August 22
- Thursday, September 26
- Thursday, October 24
- Thursday, November 21 (one week early to avoid Thanksgiving)
- no December meeting
FRIENDS IN THE NEWS
With Community Preservation Act funding from the City of Boston, the Friends installed eight signs around Castle Island and Pleasure Bay.
During the 2019 centennial of the Great Molasses Flood, a new sign researched and designed by the signage committee garnered significant news coverage. You can find it in Langone and Puopolo Park in the North End.
- www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2019/01/12/molasses-flood-plaque/
- www.boston25news.com/news/massachusetts/100-years-ago-in-boston-the-day-molasses-was-deadly-fast/904231962
- www.bostonglobe.com/magazine/2019/01/09/the-great-molasses-flood-was-boston-strangest-disaster/VawySumFUf5vKCibM9PLtJ/story.html