Park Facts

• The Esplanade stretches almost three miles along the Boston shore of the Charles River, from the Museum of Science to the Boston University Bridge.
• “The Esplanade” is the popular name for the parkland, first used about 1910. It is a French word meaning "promenade along a shore".
• The park is made land, created in several stages from landfill.
• An estimated two to three million people visit the Esplanade every year.
• The Esplanade is under the control of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), part of the state’s Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.
• The Fourth of July fireworks display uses 10,000 pyrotechnic shells and devices weighing more than 17,500 pounds, and requires a nine-person crew.
• The Esplanade contains
  • 6 miles of walkways and bike paths
  • 5 miles of riverbank
  • 3 granite landings
  • 6 wooden docks
  • 3 boathouses
  • 1 performance facility (Hatch Shell)
  • 2 playgrounds
  • 1 wading pool
  • 3 softball fields
  • 1 T-ball field
  • 5 youth soccer fields
  • 1 tennis court
  • 2 concession stands
  • 10 memorials and statues
  • 9 pedestrian bridges to take you over Storrow Drive and into the park
  • 266 park benches
  • 1900+ trees

To learn more about the Esplanade, visit our History page.

 

 

 

Photo header ©2004 Lincoln Berry, (1) Russ Schleipman©2005

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The Esplanade Association
376 Boylston Street, Suite 503
Boston, MA 02116
617.227.0365