Celebrate International Women’s Day with a Journey on the Commuter Rail

Recognized as a global holiday in 1977, International Women’s Day celebrates women’s social, economic, cultural, and political achievements all over the world and serves as a reminder to advocate for gender equality. We’re empowering our riders to take the Commuter Rail and explore memorials and museums that honor women and check out women-owned businesses. 

This year, International Women’s Day is on a Saturday (March 8th), which means you can use the Commuter Rail’s $10 Weekend Pass, allowing you to get off and on the train as many times as you want. Take advantage of this pass by looking through our large list of attractions to visit for International Women’s History Day and National Women’s History Month. Here are a few options for things to do and places to see. 

Uncover Women’s History

Boston Women’s Heritage Trail

Boston is home to 15 trails that tell extraordinary stories of women. You can find trails located in the following neighborhoods within Boston: Back Bay East, Back Bay West, Beacon Hill, Chinatown/South Cove, Dorchester: Uphams Corner, Dorchester/Meeting House Hill, Souther Dorchester, Downtown, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, North End, Roxbury, South End, and West End. 

Along these various trails, you’ll find the sites of remarkable women who made their mark on history. Take a self-guided tour and look for stickers along the way that have QR codes on them; when you take a picture of these stickers, they will lead you to websites that give you more information about each attraction and its significance. Determine which Commuter Rail Station will be more efficient for you to get to these different areas. 

Boston Women’s Memorial

For those strolling through Newbury Street in Boston in the Back Bay neighborhood, make a pit stop at the Boston Women’s Memorial, located on Commonwealth Avenue and a 0.6-mile walk from Back Bay Station. The memorial includes three life-sized statues honoring Abigail Adams, Lucy Stone, and Phillis Wheatley, each one significant to Massachusetts’ and women’s history.

Adams, born in Weymouth, MA, in 1744, was the wife of President John Adams and an early advocate for women’s rights. Visit the home where Abigail and John Adams and four generations of the Adams family lived from 1788 to 1927 right in Quincy, MA (1.01 miles from Quincy Center). You’ll also find their final resting place in Quincy at the United First Parish Church (0.99 miles from Quincy Center).

Lucy Stone, born in Brookfield, MA in 1818, was one of the first women in Massachusetts to graduate from college, and an abolitionist and respected orator. Phillis Wheatley was born in West Africa in 1753 and sold into slavery in colonial Boston. She wrote the first book published by an African writer in America. 

Louisa May Alcott Home

Did you know that the author Louisa May Alcott, who wrote the lovable classic Little Women, lived in Massachusetts? You can visit her childhood home that inspired the story in Concord, MA. Reserve your tickets and take a guided tour of the home, where you can explore Louisa’s bed chamber, where she began writing, and walk the beautiful grounds, filled with beautiful foliage and flowers during the spring, summer, and fall months. We recommend getting a ride-share from Concord Station or meeting up with friends who live in the area, as the home is located 1.4 miles from the station. 

Nichols House Museum 

Located about 0.8 miles from North Station in the Beacon Hill neighborhood is the Nichols House Museum. In 1885, Dr. Arthur Nichols and his wife, Elizabeth, purchased the home where they raised their three daughters, Rose, Marian, and Margaret who became designers, writers, and social activists. Rose was a garden designer, but also a suffragist and museum founder. Marian founded the Beacon Hill Civic Association, while Margaret was a successful carpenter, suffragist, and defender of civil liberties. 

Open from Thursday to Saturday from 10 am to 12 pm and Sunday from 11 am to 1 pm, you can take a guided tour and explore the family’s collections, including furniture, paintings and prints, sculptures, tapestries, and textiles. The museum hosts many special events, from lectures to special tours. On International Women’s Day, the museum will host a tour highlighting the stories of the four Nichols women who lived in the home, the domestic staff, and local artists. 

Support By Shopping at Women-Owned Businesses 

Ellie’s

Right in Providence, Rhode Island, you’ll find the Parisian bistro, Ellie’s (0.6 miles from Providence Station). Ellen Gracyalny founded Ellie’s in 2012, where it first operated as a bakery until it expanded to a bistro in 2016. From Tuesday to Sunday, you can grab breakfast pastries or have a sit-down lunch from 8 am to 4 pm. For those 21+, the bistro offers a wine bar on Friday and Saturday from 6 pm to 10 pm. 

Ellie’s offers classes for anyone who wants to learn more about Parisian cuisine. Flex your creativity skills with a cake decorating class or join friends for a design and sip night.

Rockport Candle Company

Want to enrich your fragrance journey? At Rockport Candle Company, you’ll find a wide range of candles, soaps, lotions, and crystals. Located about 0.7 miles from Rockport Station, the candle company was founded by Christina Wilcox, who specializes in sea-inspired scents and candles poured in small batches. 

Find the next perfect candle for your home or buy a new handcrafted soap for your loved one. You can even make your own candle by visiting the store’s candle studio’s DIY Candle Bar. Book your reservation, and you’ll have the chance to create your own custom blend and pour it into a handcrafted candle. Enjoy the pure aroma of the New England coastline by visiting the Rockport Candle Company.

Mei Mei Dumplings

Learn the art of handmade dumplings at Mei Mei Dumplings in South Boston. Co-founded by Chef Irene Li and her siblings, this factory and classroom are inspired by Li’s favorite childhood memories growing up as a Chinese-American in the city. Her dumpling recipe combines her Chinese heritage with New England ingredients from small, independent family farms.

Order from their large selection of dumplings and other delicious meals or take a cooking class to learn how to make dumplings, scallion pancakes, and noodles from scratch. We recommend taking a rideshare from the Newmarket Station or hopping on the Red Line from South Station going outbound towards Ashmont, getting off at Broadway Station, and walking about 0.5 miles. 

Note: Mei Mei Dumplings can be found at various supermarkets and farmers’ markets around Massachusetts and throughout New England.

Celebrate the contributions of women this March by visiting historical sites, museums, restaurants, and shops inspired by women and created by women.