Founded in 1634, the Boston Common bears the distinction of being the oldest park in America -- making it a longtime and excellent neighbor to Beacon Hill. The jumping off point for the Freedom Trail, the Common is host to everything from full-scale Shakespeare productions to Ultimate Frisbee and impromptu snowball fights. Its a fixture of life in Boston and Beacon Hill residents benefit from their close proximity to the nearly 50 acres of green space. While the Common has a rich history filled with revolution, political protest and a whole lot of cattle grazing (up until 1830), most of today's Beacon Hill residents enjoy the Common as a great place to take a blanket and relax in the sun or else grab some ice skates for a spin around Frog Pond in the winter.

City parks officials recently announced plans to remake the "Pink Palace" -- a now-defunct men's restroom near the Common tennis courts -- into a high-end restaurant.  This park really has seen everything. 

The Common is bordered by Beacon Hill to its north and the Boston Public Garden to its west, which was created 200 years after the founding of the Common. Together with the Public Garden, the Common makes up nearly 75 acres of green space in the heart of downtown Boston.