You can't miss Boston's two biggest side-by-side parks: the Boston Common and the Public Garden, where you'll find an outdoor ice skating rink, softball fields and swan boats. And when you're in the mood for some heavy-duty exploring, take a walk from there in just about any direction. Most of the city's sights can be seen within a five-square-mile area of the Boston Common and Public Garden.

Founded in the 17th century, Boston is steeped in history. From Faneuil Hall and Beacon Hill to Paul Revere's house and the site of the Boston Massacre, an intrepid sightseer can take in a huge chunk of the nation's heritage in one afternoon.

Visit Beacon Hill, located on the north side of the Boston Common, for a look at 19th-century row houses as well as the gold-domed Massachusetts State House. Stroll through the North End, on the northeastern part of town right near Faneuil Hall and the Haymarket subway station, where a variety of scrumptious Italian eateries won't leave you hungry. Walk through Back Bay, a bustling part of town just west of the Public Garden, and enjoy its many designer clothing shops, art galleries and sidewalk cafés. Check out South Boston, a waterfront area on the south side of the city, for a taste of the Irish. Head across the Charles River and explore the grounds of Harvard University, a quick subway ride northwest of the city.

Even with a population of nearly 600,000, Boston manages to maintain a small-town feel, partly because it is clean, relatively safe and easy to get around. To see the city the way it's supposed to be seen, put on your tennis shoes and tour the streets by foot.

Each year, about 13.4 million people visit Boston, where the key industries are education, finance, health care and high tech. As well, the city is considered a leader in the mutual-fund industry. Its hospitals, including Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's, are world-renowned. Its universities, such as Harvard and Boston University, attract some of the brightest students in the world to the area, and MIT graduates have helped the city's high-tech industry to flourish.

Boston's roads are notorious for their traffic, and the one-way streets can be confusing, making it tough to find your destination by car if you're not familiar with the city. So when your feet need a break, take the city's subway, called the T, to get around.

Sights worth seeing — Start where most visitors to Boston start: the Freedom Trail, the 2.5 mile walking trail through downtown Boston, the North End and Charlestown. It's easy to follow, because a painted red line on the sidewalks and roads leads you to some of the city's most notable historic sites. The trail begins at Boston Common, America's oldest public park. The Common, on 50 acres of open land, was originally a pasture for grazing cattle. Later it became a training field for the militia, and it's where the British army set up camp during their occupation of the city. It is bordered by Tremont, Park, Boylston and Beacon streets. On the Common is Frog Pond, a huge wading pool in the summer and a giant outdoor ice rink in the winter.

Head out of the Common and onto the Freedom Trail, and among the sights you'll see are the nation's first public schoolhouse, John Hancock's grave, the Old Corner Bookstore building, the site of the Boston Massacre of 1770, Faneuil Hall (where Samuel Adams and his compatriots planned Boston's revolutionary activity), the Old North Church, the U.S.S. Constitution (or "Old Ironsides" as the old warship used in the battle of 1812 is known) and the Bunker Hill Monument. To reach the beginning of the trail and the Boston Common Visitor Center, take the red or green subway line to Park Street Station, exit the station and turn 180 degrees, and the center will be 100 yards in front of you. 617-357-8300; www.thefreedomtrail.org.

Retreat to an urban oasis — Bring your blood pressure down at the serene, 24-acre Public Garden, established in 1859 as America's first public botanical garden. Willow trees tickle the pond and flowerbeds change by the season. During the spring, you'll see a breathtaking rainbow of tulips and flowering trees. Don't miss the Make Way For Ducklings sculpture, located along the main path between the pond and the park entrance. The Public Garden is bordered by Arlington, Boylston, Charles and Beacon streets. 617-522-1966; www.swanboats.com.

Stroll the neighborhoods — Start at the corner of Dartmouth and Boylston streets, where you can check out the park at Copley Square, the ornate Boston Public Library and the grand Trinity Church. Then take Dartmouth a couple blocks north to Commonwealth Avenue, where you can stroll through a narrow park that serves as a median to divide a street lined with beautiful, classical-revival-style residential buildings. It's a peaceful walk with a view of true Boston architecture and monuments to study along the way. You'll wind up at Arlington Street, which borders the Public Garden.

Time to reflect — For a moving tribute to the victims of the Holocaust, visit the New England Holocaust Memorial. The memorial consists of six 54-foot tall luminous glass towers that are lit internally. Six million numbers are etched in the glass to represent the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust. The numbers are symbolic of the grisly Nazi practice of tattooing victims. Dedicated in 1995, the towers are set on a granite path, and each one carries the name of one of the major Nazi concentration camps. Located in Carmen Park on Congress Street near Faneuil Hall; 617-457-8755; www.nehm.org.

Visit "Hah-vahd" — Located right across the Charles River from Boston, Cambridge is made up of "squares" — Harvard Square, Central Square, Porter Square, etc. — and each neighborhood is a charming collection of restaurants, eclectic shops, bookstores and music clubs. Harvard Square in particular is a must-see, home to Harvard University, a grand campus that was founded in 1636 and is the oldest university in the U.S. Follow the brick sidewalks to bookstores, music stores, performing arts theaters, movie theaters and museums. Street musicians perform on the sidewalks and in the parks, and there are live performances in many of the clubs. City of Cambridge Information Center: 795 Massachusetts Ave.; 617-349-4000; www.ci.cambridge.ma.us.

A market with history — You'll find more than 100 places to shop, including national and local stores, as well as the Bull Market, 38 pushcarts throughout the marketplace that feature the wares of local artisans. For more than 250 years, the first floor of Faneuil Hall has served as a marketplace and the second floor as an open forum meeting hall. Today the marketplace has 17 restaurants and pubs, plus 40 eateries set up food court-style inside the marketplace's Quincy Market Colonnade. While you shop, watch jugglers, magicians and musicians in action, not to mention all the Sam Adams and Ben Franklin look-a-likes. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is bordered by the waterfront, the North End, Government Center and Haymarket. 617-523-1300; www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com.

Grab the kids — The Children's Museum, located east of the Boston Common, is great for younger kids, who can dance in a video with children's book/cartoon character Arthur, pretend they're rock climbers and get messy with finger paints and arts and crafts. Admission is $9 for adults, $7 for seniors and kids 2-15, $2 for 1-year-olds and free for kids under 1. On Fridays from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. admission is $1 per person. It's open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (open until 9 p.m. Friday). 300 Congress St.; 617-426-8855; www.bostonkids.org.

Creatures of the deep — The New England Aquarium offers hours of up-close encounters with penguins, sea turtles, tropical fish, sharks, eels and much more. Many can be seen inside the 187,000-gallon, six-story Giant Ocean Tank that spirals to the ceiling. Plus, there's an IMAX theater when you're ready to sit down. The best hours for creature viewing are early morning and late afternoon. The aquarium is on the waterfront at Central Wharf, near Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (until 6 p.m. on weekends). Admission is $15.95 for adults, $13.95 for seniors, $8.95 for children 3-11, and free for kids under 3. Central Wharf; 617-973-5200; www.neaq.org.

Remembering JFK — The John F. Kennedy Museum and Library, located on Columbia Point in the southern part of the city, is filled with exhibits and film clips about the nation's most charismatic president. There are 21 exhibits covering the life and work of JFK, his administration and his family from 1960 to today. Exhibits touch on the Peace Corps, President Kennedy's press conferences, civil rights, the Cuban missile crisis and the space program. Plus, there are personal items of the president and his wife, Jackie. Open daily 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors, $7 for kids 13-17 and free for kids 12 and under. Columbia Point; 617-514-1600; www.jfklibrary.org.

An homage to art — The biggest of Boston's many art museums, the Museum of Fine Arts first opened in 1876 and moved to its current location 2½ miles southwest of the Boston Common in 1909. There's a bit of everything in the museum, from its well-known Egyptian collection to big-time traveling exhibits. American artist John Singer Sargent's paintings, sculpture and architectural ornamentation in the rotunda and his murals and reliefs in the adjacent colonnade are perhaps the most striking in the museum. The MFA's collection of works by Impressionist artist Claude Monet, along with other Impressionists, is bested only in Paris.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Saturday through Tuesday, and from 10 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Admission is $15 for adults, $13 for seniors and college students, $6.50 for kids 7-17 on school days until 3 p.m. (free all other times), and free for kids under 7. Admission is free to everyone on Wednesday from 4 to 9:45 p.m. 465 Huntington Ave.; 617-267-9300; www.mfa.org.

Still in the museum mood? There are plenty in Boston, but the most popular include:

The Museum of Science: More than 170 years old, this museum features 400+ interactive exhibits, an Omni theater, planetarium and laser show, dinosaur exhibits, a virtual fish tank, plus plenty of science, health and hands-on experiments. Located on the O'Brien Highway (Route 28) near the Science Park subway stop in Science Park, 1½ miles north of the Boston Common. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (until 9 p.m. on Friday). Admission for the exhibit halls is $14 for adults, $12 for seniors and $11 for children 3-11. There are separate admission prices for packages including the Omni theater, planetarium and laser show. Science Park; 617-723-2500; www.mos.org.

Harvard Museum of Natural History: The public museum of three of Harvard University's natural history institutions, this facility offers high-minded exhibits on science and nature. Through April, the museum will host an exhibition about life's first 3 billion years. It's open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7.50 for adults, $6 for students and senior citizens, $5 for kids 3-18 and free to kids under 3. Admission is free Sunday until noon and Wednesday from 3-5 p.m. during the school year. 26 Oxford St.; 617-495-3045; www.hmnh.harvard.edu.

By Dina Gerdeman, special for USATODAY.com