Dorchester

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Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States

JFK library, Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States

JFK library Stitch Crop, Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States

Boston Globe building Sept 2009, Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States

JFK UMassMBTAstation.agr, Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States

About Dorchester

Dorchester is Boston's largest neighborhood, a sprawling, diverse district south of downtown along Dorchester Bay and the Neponset River. Founded by Puritan settlers in 1630 and annexed to Boston in 1870, it is a place of triple-decker houses, lively village squares and communities from Ireland, Vietnam, Cape Verde, Haiti and the Caribbean.

Columbia Point on the bay is home to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, designed by I. M. Pei, and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, with the Commonwealth Museum and a waterfront Harborwalk next door. The James Blake House is the oldest surviving house in Boston, and Lower Mills preserves the brick mill buildings of the Walter Baker Chocolate Factory.

Fields Corner is known for Vietnamese restaurants, while Savin Hill Beach, Dorchester Park and Pope John Paul II Park offer green space and water views. The Red Line connects Dorchester to downtown Boston in about 15 minutes, and the vintage Mattapan trolley runs from Ashmont.

Best seasonMay to October for beaches, parks and the Harborwalk.

Ideal stayOne day for the Kennedy Library, Columbia Point and a neighborhood meal.

ArrivingTake the MBTA Red Line to JFK/UMass, Fields Corner or Ashmont; Logan Airport is about 20 minutes away.

12 Things You Shouldn't Miss in Dorchester

Museums 3

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

I. M. Pei's striking white and glass building on Columbia Point tells the story of President Kennedy through films, artifacts, re-...

Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate

An interactive museum next to the JFK Library built around a full-size replica of the U.S. Senate Chamber, where visitors debate a...

Commonwealth Museum

A small free museum in the Massachusetts State Archives building on Columbia Point, displaying treasures such as the 1629 Massachu...

History 2

James Blake House

A small timber-framed house built around 1661, the oldest surviving house in Boston, moved to its present spot in Richardson Park...

Walter Baker Chocolate Factory

In Lower Mills on the Neponset River, the handsome brick mill buildings of the Walter Baker company recall where chocolate has bee...

Neighborhoods 1

Fields Corner

A busy village center on Dorchester Avenue that became the heart of Boston's Vietnamese community, with pho shops, banh mi bakerie...

Food and Drink 1

Dorchester Brewing Company

A large craft brewery on Massachusetts Avenue with a lively taproom, a rotating list of house beers, a food counter and a rooftop...

Parks 2

Pope John Paul II Park

A state park along the Neponset River estuary, built on a former landfill and drive-in site and now full of meadows, salt marsh, p...

Dorchester Park

A shady wooded park near Lower Mills with walking paths through tall trees, tennis courts and a playground, one of the oldest park...

Beaches 1

Savin Hill Beach

A small sandy beach on Dorchester Bay, part of the state's Boston beaches, with a bathhouse, a walking path and views across to th...

Viewpoints 1

Columbia Point Harborwalk

A waterfront path that loops around Columbia Point past the JFK Library and UMass Boston, with wide views of Boston Harbor, the ha...

Landmarks 1

Mattapan Trolley

A short light rail line from Ashmont to Mattapan still served by restored mid-century PCC streetcars, running through Cedar Grove...

Businesses in Dorchester

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Top-rated local businesses in Dorchester, with real reviews on WiserMap.

Flooring Contractor

Glorious Flooring LLC

5.0(4)

9 Salisbury Park, Dorchester

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Photo credits

Photo: John Phelan, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: ButteBag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Fcb981, this edit (cropped to pano, corrected distortion) by mixpix 18:33, 28 De, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Emw, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo: Thomas E. Marr & Son, Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Photo: ButteBag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

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Photo: Pi.1415926535, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Owen Allen from Atherton, Australia, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Photo: Pi.1415926535, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Fcb981, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Fcb981, edited by Fir0002, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Photo: Pi.1415926535, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

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