Looking to do something in Boston we’d never done before, we recently headed to Belle Isle Marsh Reservation, Boston’s only remaining salt marsh. It’s located in East Boston, about a 40-minute drive from Wellesley Square depending upon when you go (we went on a July Saturday morning).
Parking in the lot is free, and you’re immediately directly to the sub-1-mile loop trail by a large sign. A dirt path brings you through a marshy area with a variety of vegetation including reeds, sumac, and beach roses. You’ll cross a wooden bridge that is home to dozens of swallows that flitter back and forth under the structure.
Keep walking and you hit a wooden tower marked with a mix of graffiti including the assertion that “Birds are not real.” We could swear those swallows were, though.
So did the big birds zipping to and from nearby Logan Airport. The jets got so close we almost felt like we needed to duck.
Though we saved most of our ducking for the biting flies that swarmed us on the way back to our car. Wear bug spray and long pants if you go.
After the flies had their meal, we looked for one ourselves, and happened upon nearby Belle Isle Seafood in Winthrop. It’s an old-timey restaurant with great food, reasonable prices, and nice views of the harbor. We had delicious swordfish sandwiches while trying to tear our eyes from the informercials on TV. A big scuba diver and a hovering shark added to the ambiance at this strip mall restaurant that’s not to be overlooked if you’re in the area.
From there we looked to further explore so headed toward a waterfront area we were familiar with at Piers Park. On the way we noticed a community garden near the East Boston Library and decided to check it out. We found on-street parking at Bremen Street. The garden was closed, but we stumbled upon about the mid-way point of the 3.3-mile Mary Ellen Welch Greenway rail trail, which took us to the waterfront. The trail features a handful of nice playgrounds and splash pads, plus public art, including an impressive bust of shipbuilder Donald McKay. The trail was busy but not overcrowded with walkers, runners, cyclists, and in-line skaters. Note that the trail is set for major reconstruction expected to last from fall 2025 until the end of 2026.
Once we hit the waterfront we noticed a stream of people heading toward some sort of destination at the pier. Turns out it was the Tall Ship floating oyster bar and adult playground, with a band on stage, Wimbledon on a huge screen, and lots of corn hole and other games. Sipping a beer on the ship, we had great views of the harbor, filled with vessels of all types. A couple of weeks later while on a schooner ride in the harbor we saw the Tall Ship bar lit up and looking even more lively at night.
By that point the biting flies were long forgotten, and we headed back along the trail for about a mile to get into our car and head home.
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