You've Done This: Now Try This

Boston's famous Swan Boats have been operating since 1877, and in all that time the ride hasn't changed. The slow 15-minute paddleboat cruise is a Disneyesque tour of the city's central park.

INSIDER: Sailing on Jamaica Plain Pond

Far more entertaining is summer sailing or rowing on Jamaica Pond, a 68-acre lake in part of Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks. From the water you'll see the 1 1/2 -mile bike and running path packed with joggers and families and a panorama of trees. (The pond is a stone's throw from the 265-acre Jamaica Plain Arboretum.) It's the best way to be at one with nature without tangling with Boston's notorious traffic.

· Rowboats are available at the Boat House, Jamaicaway and Pond Street, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ($10 per hour). Sailboats are available for rental 3:30 to 6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends ($15 per hour). Info: 617-522-5061, http://www.jamaicapond.com.

Theater

TOURIST: Wang Center

In the heart of the city's slightly gritty Chinatown, the Wang Center offers short runs of hit shows, many straight from Broadway. The theater just wrapped a week's run of "Hairspray."

INSIDER: Theater at the Boston Center for the Arts

A mile away in the hip South End, it's as if all of off-Broadway were housed under one roof. Each year, the center hosts more than 50 theater productions by nearly 20 small and mid-size theater companies from across New England. The shows range from the offbeat to regional takes on acclaimed plays. (Through June 7, grab tickets to Alan Bennett's "The History Boys"; tickets are $41 to $54.) The BCA also houses the Mills Gallery, which hosts contemporary art exhibitions. When you've had enough, take a break from all that culture next door at the Beehive, a bar and jazz club that's open till the wee hours.

· 539 Tremont St., 617-933-8600,

http://www.bcaonline.org.

Seafood

TOURIST: Union Oyster House

Established in 1826, the Union Oyster House boasts that it is the country's oldest restaurant. To that end, it serves up authentic New England staples: oysters on the half shell, gluey clam chowder and boiled lobster dinners.