Pubs

TOURIST: Cheers

Once known as the Bull & Finch Pub, this Beacon Hill bar changed its name to Cheers after the TV show made it the most famous bar in America. The catch: No one will know your name here; the only regulars are tourists.

INSIDER: Matt Murphy's Pub

Irish pub Matt Murphy's has built a real community in Brookline Village, the first town outside the city limits. The draw: a proper pint of Guinness, greaseless fish and chips and, most important, no cheesy leprechaun paraphernalia. For music lovers, there's a nightly lineup of local and up-and-coming national bands. The bar even has its own record label, Pub Records, so you can take a piece of your trip home with you.

14 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-232-0188,

www.mattmurphyspub.com

Nature

TOURIST: Swan Boats in the Public Garden

Boston's famous Swan Boats have been operating since 1877, and in all that time the ride hasn't changed. The slow, 15-minute paddleboat cruise is a Disneyesque tour of the city's central park.

INSIDER: Sailing on Jamaica Plain Pond

Far more entertaining is summer sailing or rowing on Jamaica Pond, a 68-acre lake in part of Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks. From the water, you'll see the 11/2-mile bike and running path packed with joggers and families, and a panorama of trees. (The pond is a stone's throw from the 265-acre Jamaica Plain Arboretum.) It's the best way to be at one with nature without tangling with Boston's notorious traffic.

Rowboats are available at the Boat House, Jamaicaway and Pond Street, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ($10 per hour). Sailboats are available for rental from 3 to 6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekends ($15 per hour). Info: 617-522-5061, www.jamaicapond.com.

Theater

TOURIST: Wang Center

In the heart of the city's slightly gritty Chinatown, the Wang Center offers short runs of hit shows, many straight from Broadway. The theater recently wrapped a week's run of Hairspray.

INSIDER: Theater at the Boston Center for the Arts

A mile away in the hip South End, it's as if all of Off-Broadway were housed under one roof. Each year, the center hosts more than 50 productions by nearly 20 small and midsize theater companies from around New England. The shows range from the offbeat to regional takes on acclaimed plays (see Steven Sondheim's Assassins from July 11 through Aug. 9; tickets are $33 to $38). The BCA also houses the Mills Gallery, which hosts contemporary art exhibitions. When you've had enough, take a break next door at the Beehive, a bar and jazz club that's open till the wee hours.

539 Tremont St., 617-933-8600,