Boston's Faneuil Hall Marketplace is located less than a mile north and east of Meritage Restaurant in central Boston. The Hall dates back to 1742, when it was used as a public speaking venue, donated to the city by Peter Faneuil and frequented by Samuel Adams and other great revolutionary figures. The Marketplace is today a social and shopping center where you find dozens of dining options, retail outlets, souvenir shops, Cheers bar & restaurant, street performers and holiday events. The streets and alleys around Faneuil Hall (like Chatham and Clinton streets) are dotted with pubs and lounges where college kids and mature party-goers head for late night revelry.
The New England Aquarium has evening screenings in its IMAX theater theater. The Aquarium is located along the Boston waterfront less than half a mile north of the Meritage Restaurant. Film topics include ocean life, outer space and IMAX technology. Show selections are always changing, and show times are different each season. During the winter, showings are at 5:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m., 7:00 p.m. and 7:15 p.m., and make for a great entertainment option after an early dinner with the family. An adult ticket costs between $10.95 and 12.95, and children ages 3 to 11 cost from $7.95 to 9.95 per showing, as of February 2011.
The North End is a historic Boston neighborhood located less than a mile north of the Meritage Restaurant in the city center. The area is primarily Italian and, as such, has many cafes and pastry shops to choose from for dessert or coffee. An after dinner walk through the North End can take you past the home of Paul Revere, Old North Church, Copp's Burying Ground and the Paul Revere Mall.
The Freedom Trail is a part-painted, part-brick red line, which travels through the city center from one end to the other, bringing sightseers to each of the most significant historic sites. The closest point on the Freedom Trail to the Meritage Restaurant is the Old South Meeting House at Milk and Hawley Streets, about half a mile west of the restaurant. Your after dinner stroll along the last 14 stops of the Freedom Trail takes you past historic sites including the Old State House, Boston Massacre Site, Fanny Hall, Paul Revere's House and the U.S.S. Constitution. You also pass through neighborhoods including the North End, State, Haymarket, Charlestown and Government Center.
Boston's Theater District is located at the southern tip of Boston Commons, an easy taxi ride or about a mile, west of Meritage Restaurant. Broadway-style theater, musical concerts and holiday shows are abundant. Visitors can catch shows like The Lion King, Spam-a-Lot, Mary Poppins, and acts like Katy Perry and Keith Urban at Boston Theater District venues, with general starting times around 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. Tickets are available on-line or at theater box offices.
