Boston is a city that has long been celebrated for its history. You can’t take a step without discovering something interesting that happened over a hundred years ago. But Boston has also more recently become a hub for Hollywood filming locations. Here’s a list of 6 famous movie locations in Boston that you can visit today.
Memorial Bench in Boston Public Garden
Good Will Hunting
Good Will Hunting has become one of the most iconic movies set in Boston. There are so many great sites you can visit including L Street Tavern in Southie (not a Harvard bar!) and the campuses of MIT and Harvard, but probably the most beloved site from the movie is the park bench in the Boston Public Garden where Will and his therapist, Sean have a heartfelt discussion. This bench has become known as the Robin Williams Memorial Bench.
Fort Point
The Departed
An instant classic when it was released in 2006, The Departed is the definitive movie about organized crime in Boston. The Massachusetts State House located in Beacon Hill is one of the most iconic images, but take a walk around Fort Point near the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse for a unique view of the city and check out where Leonardo DiCaprio’s character had an aggressive phone call about being someone else every other minute.
Hatch Memorial Shell
Blown Away
This is a lesser known movie these days, but the action thriller Blown Away starring Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones was a landmark in Boston movies when it was released in 1994. So many great scenes filmed throughout the city, but the climax of the movie is a car chase through the streets of Beacon Hill intercut with shots from the Fourth of July celebration at the Hatch Memorial Shell. It doesn’t get any more Boston than that!
Church of the Covenant
Boondock Saints
Boondock Saints is a cult classic, released in 1998, and immortalized on every guy’s dorm room wall. You can visit one of the most iconic locations from the movie, the Church of the Covenant, which was built in 1867 and serves as a great opening scene to introduce the vigilante-brothers protagonists.
Thirsty Scholar Pub
The Social Network
Although set on Harvard’s campus, much of the 2010 biographical drama, The Social Network, was actually filmed at Phillips Academy and Milton Academy. However, you can still visit the Thirsty Scholar Pub in Somerville, the bar in the opening scene where Mark Zuckerberg’s girlfriend breaks up with him.
Fenway Park
The Town
Historic Fenway Park has served as the backdrop for many beloved movies through the years. Notably the “go the distance” scene from Field of Dreams and the ending of the 2012 comedy, Ted. Maybe the most memorable Fenway-based scene was the final shootout in the Fenway garages from The Town.
