The Accessible Travel Guide

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Massachusetts

Boston:                             B-

Quincy Market - aka Faneuil Hall - is tricky with a wheelchair but still doable. Inside the main building, there's a food court with dozens of quick options from sushi and indian food to hot dogs and sandwiches to ice cream and pastries.

There are steep ramps inside the building from the shops on the lower level to the food and seating area in the center. The floors are smooth.

Inside the food court, you'll find a sign for an elevator that takes you to the basement where there's a public restroom with two wheelchair accessible stalls and a very long line. There's a more convenient, less crowded public restroom in the North Building, inside Door 8.

 


The marketplace is crowded and the cobblestones are precarious - some parts are worse than others. Enjoy caricatures and live music in the center of the market. Wagamama has a menu of Japanese noodle dishes for about $10-$13 a person.  It has accessible seating outdoors only. Some of the stores and restaurants in the North and South Buildings aren't accessible, but many are. Through Door 7 of the North Building, there's elevator access to Zuma's TexMex café. Their bathroom is accessible but it may be tricky to navigate tables and open the door on your own.

 

On the outer edge of the marketplace, you’ll find The Black Rose, a well-known restaurant and pub. It’s noisy and crowded here at 7, and gets more crowded as the night goes on. There’s a steep accessible entrance. The main restrooms are up two steps, but there’s another, more accessible bathroom upstairs. Ask and someone gets a key to the elevator, leads you through the crowd and out a side door, and rides up the elevator with you. The restroom is spacious but with only one grab bar diagonally to the side of the toilet, transfer is less than smooth. You’re on our own finding your way back down but staff is really friendly and helpful. Meals $10-$15ish.

Across the Street from Quincy Market, you'll find Christopher Columbus Park with its accessible walkways and view of the harbor. There are more outdoor eating options and an accessible public bathroom. I found this area slightly less crowded, but there are still a lot of people taking in the cooler air and enjoying the sprinklers and grass.

On the other side of the Marriot, people are lined up at the Boston Aquarium. It's over $20 a ticket, but the outside seal exhibit is free to everyone.

Special note: Although I didn't have time to check it out myself, the historic Swan Boats at the Boston Public Gardens are wheelchair accessible and cost only $2.50.

Here's a link to another site full of accessible travel information about Boston:

Summer 2010