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:

1. Host informative monthly two-hour tours highlighting different Harborwalk segments.
2. 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.
3. Organize waterfront clean-up events and reporting maintenance concerns to help ensure that the entire length of the Harborwalk is clean, safe, and inviting.

For more information on joining the FBHW, contact Mike Manning, Chair, at mmanning@bostonharbornow.org.

UPCOMING TOURS (Tentative Schedule)

All tours are led by volunteers from the Friends of the Boston Harborwalk. Beginning in June of 2021, in person walking tours will resume. Standard walking tours take place on Saturdays at 10:00 AM; however, some locations require alternative times and winter tours may be offered online.

• Thursday, August 19 – 06:00 PM:  Castle Island and Pleasure Bay in South Boston.
• Saturday, October 16 – 10:00 AM:  Seaport Harborwalk Dash in South Boston.

RECORDED TOURS  

Recordings of the 2020 virtual tours and the plan for the 2021 tours are below.

2020 virtual tours

• June 17: Wharf District webinar (watch now)
• August 19: East Boston from Clippership Wharf to Boston East (watch now)
• September 23: Neponset River (watch now)
• October 14: Harborwalk Geology (watch now)
• November 18: Charlestown – North of the Spaulding
• December 9: Boston’s Fish Pier (watch now)

2021 virtual tours

• January 27: The Great Molasses Flood (watch now)
• February 24:  Boston Harborwalk Secret Places (watch now)
• April 21: Vision Chelsea Creek with Harborkeepers (watch now)

To register for these upcoming tours, please go to Eventbrite and/or join Boston Harbor Now’s email list. 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 Erik Bankey at esbankey@msn.com.

2021 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 please contact Mike Manning at mmanning@bostonharbornow.org to attend. Upcoming 2021 meetings will be held on the following dates: