Oh, you mean you didn’t realize there was a chance thousands of people would be intrigued to come by and stop by your home?

I’ve always been fascinated by people who buy famous homes or rent their homes to movie companies and then complain about the tourists that later come around to check out the house. Driving through it is probably not a good idea either. So I would avoid parking on Acorn Street because you could get your car towed. While the legal right to exclude visitors might be in question, it is pretty clear that local residents can at least set their own parking rules. But it’s really private in that it has not been accepted as a public way, with public standards. People think of ‘private’ in the sense of something being exclusive. “Residents cannot put up a ‘No Trespassing’ sign at the front of a private way … It’s not clear to me that locals have the law behind them to exclude visitors from walking along the private way, though. They also have posted “No Trespassing” signs on the alleyway corners but those apparently don’t deter tourists. Recently, residents put up a photography sign (perhaps banning it) but that was ordered to come down. Indeed, there is currently a proposal for putting a security gate on the street. Reportedly, the owners could also keep the tourists out if they wanted to. Instead, it is the owners of the residences who are responsible for the upkeep Interestingly, Acorn Street is a “private way,” which means that it does not receive maintenance or upkeep from the city of Boston.

That’s a lot of foot traffic for such a tiny stretch of street. It’s estimated that “2,000 visitors to Acorn Street over the course of a weekend in late September or early October.” They had no idea that they would actually be preserving something that would end up causing a lot of frustration for the roughly 18 homeowners that make up the association today. Their goal, in a pre-Instagram world, was to preserve the beautiful and historic cobblestones of Acorn Street. Is Acorn Street open to the public?Īs of 2021 Acorn Street is open to the public but that might be changing some time soon….īack in the 1980s a group of residents created the Acorn Street Association. If there is any site that will capture that New England charm people look forward to visiting Boston, it’s going to be Acorn Street.Īcorn Street during October. Today, taking a stroll among the cobs feels like stepping back in time.Īnd it’s that historic essence that many tourists are interested in when they visit Acorn Street. The cobblestone alleyway at Acorn Street was laid in 1823 back when it was home to artisans and general laborers, almost exactly 200 years ago. Not only are the two completely different in terms of shape and composition, cobblestone roads would typically be older and rarer to find which is exactly why Acorn Street is so special. Initially, these stones were large but people realized horses needed to get more traction on slopes so they soon went with smaller bricks.Ī lot of people confuse setts for cobblestones but they are very different. Setts are roughly rectangular quarried stones, capable of creating relatively even streets and walkways. As a result, in the mid-19th century, paving with granite stones (or “setts”) came into use. These impossibly bumpy paths - which were found all over Boston - were not very friendly to wheels, horses, or humans. To help smooth things over, the lads back in the day would pour sand between the cobs but that could only do so much. They retained their natural shapes which is why the cobbled stones are anything but uniform. The stones (also called “cobs” or “ cobbles”) were set against each other in beds of sand. These stones were found abundantly throughout New England and more specifically transported by coastal schooners from Maine. The entire setting, while unexpectedly small, is a sight to behold and almost museum-like but make no mistake, the main attraction here is the cobblestone and it’s worth understanding why.Ī common pre-industrial paving technique for roadways was to use cobblestones. On top of that, the street cobbles its way through charming federal-style row houses complete with antique street lamps and hanging ivy.

In short, Acorn Street is famous because it’s an original cobblestone street which is super rare to find these days in the US. Tip: Use the free app WalletFlo to help you travel the world for free by finding the best travel credit cards and promotions! Acorn Street with Civil War era flag. It is arguably the most photographed street in Boston and some even say the entire country.

Are there other cobblestone roads nearby?Īcorn Street is a small street (or more accurately an alleyway) that is famous for its charming cobblestones, gas-lit lamps, red brick sidewalks, and overall historic look and feel.

4 acorn street boston ma