Things to Do in Watertown

Local artists and spouses Denise Girardin and Steve Levinsky are the brains behind Palettes, a studio that aims to awaken the creative side of the community with painting's jubilant anthem. The couple's artistic endeavors stretch far beyond Palettes, though—Steve plumbs the depths of fire to find glass art, and Denise designs unique pottery inspired by the ocean and the seahorses that ride off into the sunset every evening. In addition, they are so involved in local affairs that Natick Center Associates selected them as the recipients of the 2012 Heart of the Community Award.

A row of easels dominates Palettes' roomy space during classes and open sessions, in which students re-create works of art while snacking on menu items such as asian-noodle salad and sweet-potato chips. Herb-, spice-, and fruit-infused potions flood the Water Bar, whose imported and house-made waters are perfect for making toasts to the art instructors for offering such helpfully Latin-free guidance. Palettes' people also teach students how to develop their taste buds during Waters of the World Club educational lectures, which lead to the studio's signature H2Ommelier certification.

Three history buffs founded Boston Strolls with the goal of highlighting their city's fascinating and often hilarious forgotten tales. Launching in Beacon Hill, the tours have now expanded into the Back Bay and North End. Today, guides lead all tours past historic brick and stone facades, as well as the occasional Bruins shrine, and immerse participants in an interactive exploration of Boston's lesser-known history.

In addition to their sometimes dark and often humorous anecdotes, they also personalize the tour to each group by judging the knowledge base of their participants and accommodating anyone who is allergic to Boston. Even with their careful planning, the tours often take surprising turns. On one tour, a homeowner invited the group around a private wall to see the house's private garden that, in traditional Beacon Hill fashion, was completely hidden from all other passersby.

HipHost taps into the teeming river of local pride that runs through every city to power its huge range of sightseeing tours. Locals eager to unveil the true history and hotspots of their beloved home can contact the company to become tour hosts. Once new guides have set up their tour and peppered the website with pictures of the many sites to be seen, HipHost directs guests their way. Visitors might learn the history of an important historical figure such as Paul Revere on a Boston walk fueled by Little Italy's pizza and local craft brews, or they might skip the history lesson and, like a centipede in search of a stool, crawl from pub to pub in New Orleans. HipHost encourages guests to thank, review, and tip the local hosts for sharing their time and expertise.

Horses trot merrily at Silverbrook Farm, towing carts and bushels of fresh, crisp vegetables behind them. Here, agriculturalists eschew tractors and machinery whenever possible, forcing the steeds to whinny their best impressions of diesel engines instead. While refraining from fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides on their crops, the farmers also use all-natural processes when tending to their livestock, resulting in a bounty of free-range eggs and beef from cows fed with grass rather than the typical Funyuns.

Along with fresh food, philanthropy also thrives at the farm. After baking up pillowy loaves onsite, The Pereira Bread Co. sets aside a portion of its proceeds to donate to Citizen Schools of Massachusetts, and Silverbrook hosts regular events such as the Great Pumpkin Festival in October, appearances from Santa in December, and family movie nights under the stars' outdated, black-and-white constellations.

Cambridge Historical Tours unearths nearly 400 years of history during informative jaunts that cast light on the area's captivating, funny, and sometimes gory past. Sheathed in authentic puritan attire, guides lead groups on 90- and 120-minute treks back in time, fusing wholesome doses of humor with laboriously researched facts. Guests raise an imaginary glass at the house of John Hicks, a participant in the Boston Tea Party, and absorb the eerie ambiance of the Cambridge Burial Ground, where many of Harvard's early presidents are buried. The extended 120-minute tour reveals such sights as the picturesque Longfellow House, which was seized in 1775 to become George Washington's quarters, presumably so he could practice his putting game on the property's lush lawns.

A floating dining and entertainment center, the Odyssey I cruise ship was constructed with open decks for hosting elegant cruises that drift by Boston’s scenic vistas. Cruises pass by historically significant sights, including Charlestown Naval Yard and Castle Island, or drift under an illuminated night sky on full-moon cruises. A cappella brunch cruises combine music from an a cappella quartet with champagne and chocolate, and, on the Fourth of July, the world’s oldest commissioned warship—the _USS Constitution_—offers a view of history during its trek across the harbor while guests enjoy a lunch of lobster and mussels. Regular lunch, dinner, and brunch outings serve guests with delectable multicourse meals. Live music accompanies evening cruises, which means guests can hit the boat's dance floor and show off their Nobel Prize–winning dance moves before the night’s end.