All Around Town Tour + VIP All Access Pass - 48 Hour [AATVIP]

Click here for a complete list of current attractions included with the Boston Explorer Pass Frequently Asked Questions Is this just a discount card? Will I still need to buy tickets? No. Passes include admission to each attraction; no need to pay anything at the gate. Some attractions may offer upgrades or special exhibits for an additional fee. Do I need to choose my attractions in advance? Nope, choose as you go. The pass is good for any combination of the number of attractions you purchased. My child is under 3 years old. Can I get them a Boston Explorer Pass? Child Passes are recommended for children ages 3-12. Many attractions offer free admission for younger children. Please consult the attraction websites for more details. How will I get my pass? When your order is complete you will receive an email with printable and Smartphone version of your pass. There is nothing to Redeem, you can go right to first attraction you want to visit and start using your card immediately. How do I activate my pass? Easy: simply visit your first attraction! Is the pass valid all day? You bet! Feel free to visit the attractions any time of the day as long as they are open or operating. What is your refund policy? Our Risk Free Guarantee gives you one year from your purchase date to return any non-activated passes for a full refund. How much will I save? Compare the price of the pass to the gate prices of the attractions you want to visit to see how much you can save. Many customers save 35%. We give you the flexibility to create your own itinerary and choose the attractions you want to visit depending on your interests. Can I visit an attraction more than once? No. Your pass includes only one visit per attraction. Does a Boston Explorer Pass expire? Yes. You have one year from the date of purchase to begin using your pass. After one year, it will expire. Do I need to make reservations to visit the attractions? Attractions that require a reservation will display a symbol on the guidebook page.  Some attractions require a credit card to hold a reservation. In these cases, your credit card will not be charged unless you do not show up for your reservation. What’s the catch? There’s no catch. Boston Explorer Pass has a partnership with all of the participating attractions to make your visit to Boston as memorable as possible and to help you save time and money. Can I share my pass with a friend or sell it? No. The Boston Explorer Pass is non-transferrable and may not be re-sold. What happens if an attraction is closed or a tour is cancelled due to weather or other problem? While we do our best to ensure that all attractions are available, events happen that are out of our control. The great thing about a Boston Explorer Pass is that there are so many attractions to choose from. If an attraction is closed, or cannot be visited for some reason, we know you'll find a fun alternative in your guidebook!  

Shearwater is a classic Newport-style schooner yacht, only recently recognized as a national landmark in 2009. The vessel was built by Rice Brother Corporation in East Boothbay, Maine, back in a time when yachting was a rare combination of elegance and adventure; Rice Bros. were well known for building luxury pleasure yachts and produced some 4,000 hulls over a period of 64 years. The keel was laid down on January 4, 1929 and a news clip from the Boothbay Register reflects alongside a photograph "Tyler Hodgon at the old Tide Mill is getting out timbers for the schooner to be built at Rice’s. Vessel to be built of native white oak." Traditionally built from hand-hewn native white oak, she was the last boat to be constructed at that yard - likely due to the ensuing Great Depression brought on by the Stock Market Crash that occurred later that autumn. East Boothbay was a small coastal town with shipbuilding being its only industry. About 40 workmen were employed for the construction of SHEARWATER. Her designer Theodore Donald Wells was born in Hudson Falls, N Y on October 22, 1875. He was a naval architect and marine engineer, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and also the Institute of Naval Architects London. His education included post-graduate work at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He began his career as a member of the firm Herreshoff and Wells, N. Y. City in 1902. Working with Herreshoff no doubt had an influence on his designs, which bear similarities to many of the famous Herreshoff designed yachts of that time. From 1903 to 1907 he worked for Wintringham and Wells and then began practicing his profession under his own name. Mr. Wells joined the Navy Department in March 1917 and became Superintending Constructor of the Baltimore District U. S. N. Notable yachts designed and constructed under his supervision are "Viking" a 272 foot steel motor yacht built for George F. Baker in 1929 by Newport News and "Karina" a three masted schooner built for Robert E. Tod in 1932 by Staten Island Shipbuilding. Mr. Tod was a well-known offshore yachtsman as was his former yacht ‘Thistle", which competed in the Emperors Cup ocean race. SHEARWATER was launched on May 4, 1929 and photographs in the Boothbay Register reflect her graceful and elegant lines. Her first Captain, Leon Esterbrook of Edgarton, MA, arrived to take charge of the fitting out. Her owner Charles E Dunlap was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay, NY and this became SHEARWATER’s first homeport after her completion in late September 1929. It was there in Oyster Bay that she first started to thrill those who sailed in luxury aboard her and those who were privileged to crew her on race day. Since her launching and documentation in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts in 1929, she has had a colorful history and has been carefully maintained and restored to standards that few contemporary vessels are able to match and is truly a piece of American Maritime History. On November 7, 1942 SHEARWATER was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and became a member of The United States Coast Guard’s Coastal Picket Patrol during World War Two. She was painted gray and bore the numbers CG67004. Based at Little Creek, Virginia she patrolled the waters east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance and south towards Cape Hatteras. Her skipper during that period reflected on how they used their free time while out on submarine patrol to race against other yachts and in his own words "sailed in tandem with the schooner Lord Jim, racing in and out of port, up and down the east coast and winning." She was designed and built as a gaff rigged schooner but during this period was changed to a Marconi rig. She carries over 2,550 square feet while under full sail. A true veteran world cruiser, she first transited the Panama Canal in July 1946 and in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s completed a two and a half-year global circumnavigation. In December 1971 Mrs. John B. Thayer of Rosemont, wife of a former trustee and treasurer, donated SHEARWATER to the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Environmental Medicine. She was used by the university as a laboratory for research on physiological responses to the stresses of living and working underwater. Captained by James Shearson, she was fitted with compressors, generators, monitoring instruments and a small decompression chamber. She has participated in many Ancient Mariner and Classic yacht races in U S waters as well as racing in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand while on her circumnavigation in the early 1980’s. It is rumored she was once dismasted in the famous Newport to Bermuda race. She was last raced by the current owners in San Diego in May 1995 in the American Schooner Cup and finished second overall. She entered the yacht charter industry in 1966 whilst on the West Coast sailing to the Channel Islands and was again used to generate income to keep her shipshape while owned by the University of Pennsylvania. During the chartering industry’s infancy in the Caribbean, SHEARWATER was known as the " Queen of the Fleet". Today she continues this tradition offering the most unique sailing experience and has passed rigid Coast Guard inspections and can carry up to 49 passengers. We welcome you to join us for an excellent opportunity to experience the ambiance of a vintage sailing vessel while delighting in the splendors of The Manhattan sky-line, the Statue of Liberty or the beauty of the oceans beyond.

RED LOOP The official tour of the National Mall, authorized by the National Park Service and National Mall and Memorial Parks. Take in all the places that are synonymous with the nation’s Capital; The White House, U.S. Capitol, Air and Space Museum, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial are just some of the iconic landmarks. Commentary provided in live guided commentary and in a choice of 8 pre-recorded languages. BLUE LOOP The Heroes tour travels to the sites and memorials honoring American heroes. Travel over the Potomac River leaving Washington, DC behind and visiting Virginia. The tour’s main features are Arlington National Cemetery, the Pentagon, the Pentagon City Fashion Center, and the US Marine Corps War Memorial (Iwo Jima Statue.) Other highlights include the Vietnam Veterans War Memorial, WWII Memorial and Air Force Memorial. Tour is available with live-guided commentary. YELLOW LOOP Travel through the city's historic center, passing the White House and Dupont Circle before heading out to discover Adams Morgan, the National Zoo, and the old world charm of Georgetown. Recorded commentary is available in your choice of 8 languages (French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese and English available). Commentary The multi lingual tours provide a personal commentary in a choice of eight languages: English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin, Japanese and Portuguese

VR World There are a wide variety of experiences for all types of people. Some will enjoy shooting droids in space and fighting off zombies to racing on a track, while others will enjoy flying on a paraglider or climbing a mountain. Others still will enjoy watching short films or painting in the green room. Some experiences require full body motion while others are seated activities.  Each participant gets approximately 5-10 minutes at each experience. At the gate, each participant will sign up using their real name, a screen name, an email, a phone number, and other pieces of information. While not required, if a participant signs up with their own phone number, they will receive a notification when they are at the the front of the queue for their attraction There are offering a wide selection of non-alcoholic drinks, beer, wine and liquor. Our house cocktails will not disappoint. Try the VRWorldian, Simon’s Escape, Caipirinha Assassin or Salty Borzoi to name just a few. No food at this time. There is no food inside the building, but guests are able to leave and re-enter the building during the time of their ticket.  Empire State Building The world-famous 86th and 102nd floor Observatories offer unmatched views of New York City and on a clear day one can see to New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Delaware. 1,050 feet above the city’s bustling streets, the 86th floor Observatory offers panoramic views from within a glass-enclosed pavilion and from the surrounding open-air promenade. 200 feet higher, our 102nd floor Observatory is a private and serene perch in the middle of the greatest city in the world. The Observatories have been a “must visit” for millions each year since it opened to the public in 1931. Each year approximately four million people are whisked to our 86th and 102nd floors, consistently one of New York City’s top tourist attractions. Visit the Observatories 365 days per year, day and night, rain or shine, for magnificent views of Manhattan and beyond. The Empire State Building embodies the feeling and spirit of New York City. It is recognized not only as an iconic landmark offering some of the most spectacular views on earth, but also as an international symbol of shared hopes, dreams, and accomplishment. Accessibility: The Empire State Building is fully ADA compliant. We have handicapped restrooms on the 86th Floor Observatory and also have lowered viewing walls and binoculars. Service dogs are allowed throughout the building. Motorized and non-motorized wheelchairs are permitted. The 86th Floor has ramps to make getting around easier and lowered viewing walls so that visitors in chairs can still take in the view. 

Brooklyn Tour Hop aboard a double-decker bus for Gray Line CitySightseeing NY’s Brooklyn Tour, a hop on/hop off journey through the city’s most populated borough. Many people who visit the city never set foot outside of Manhattan. But that would mean you’d miss some wonderful treasures so close by. And this newly expanded tour includes many wonders, allowing you to get off at any stop and grab a bite or see the sites in person. You’ll start in downtown Manhattan, crossing the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, where you’ll see the first parkway for cars ever built in the U.S., the majesty of Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Museum (a Beaux-Arts building with a vast art and Egyptian antiquities collection), along with the graceful mansions, intriguing shops and restaurants and a wide array of cultures. Your licensed guide will also take you past the gloriously designed Prospect Park with its zoo and the Brooklyn Public Library. And of course, you’ll see the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge.​ Tours Now Offered in 11 Languages! Now, Gray Line CitySightseeing NY is giving you even more flexibility in enjoying their tours by offering multilingual audio tracks in 11 different languages on all of the popular hop on/hop off bus tours. You can experience the journey in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian and Hebrew. Hop on Hop off double-decker tickets valid for 24 hours from the time you arrive in NYC and exchange your confirmation voucher for a boarding ticket.