The Lawn on D

Love it here. Great place to unwind in the summer and fall. When they designed the Lawn they did so correctly. From concerts to free yoga to watching Patriots games in the early season, it’s all been fun. I even brought my niece here to carve pumpkins last October. My favorites are the glow in the dark swings and bocce ball. Definitely take advantage of the live music and food trucks in the summer.

Gster and I were on one of our long adventures around Boston. I think we walked over 8 miles that day. One hot summer day, we meandered to the Lawn on D. It was the prefect day. I wish I lived nearby so I could come everyday. The park takes up about ½ a block. It has a huge green spot, with lots of fun chairs, Adirondack chairs, and picnic spots. It also has lots of games. It is Gster’s heaven. They had cornhole, pingpong, Jenga, Bocce… it’s a mans paradise. They also serve alcohol. Like what?! I am not sure if you can BYOB, but I did see people who had their own picnics with their own alcohol. They also have several food options with burgers etc.
The coolest and most innovative part of Lawn on D is the infamous swings. They are relaxing, unique, and make you feel like a child again. It was perfect to swing, look at the sky, and be in the middle of the city. It’s a rare happenstance.
What I love is that Lawn on D brings lots of events to the area, with different outdoor art things, exhibits, concerts… it’s truly an amazing use of the space. I highly recommend stopping by, walking through, or fully experiencing the Lawn on D. It is a treat to have in Boston.

What an innovative and fun event space! I didn’t really understand the concept until I actually visited. The space is really unique and I think we’ll see a lot more spaces like this pop up in other cities. It’s a great place for families, groups of friends, and a great place to just enjoy the lovely (but infrequent) summer weather in Boston.
When I visited in on a Saturday afternoon there were a few food trucks serving lunch and dessert options, a bar, a D.J., and lots of crafts for kids. It really was a great outdoor space that everyone can enjoy. If you’re visiting Boston and planning to spend time near the Waterfront area you should make some time to stop by this space.

This place is amazing. A relaxed & Groovy place to hang out with Friends or Family. Live music, Food trucks, outdoor games. A new aged Bohemian Outdoor park. Right in the middle of the South End. A hidden Shangri-La…to have got to check this place out… Damien S… that means you.

Overall, I think this place is pretty cool. And I hope to go back at some point, but not when it’s not unexpectedly oppressively hot or Labor Day weekend.
The good:
–lawn games… giant Jenga, Bocce, Corn Hole, Ping Pong
–beer/​food availability
–use of the convention center restrooms (even if you don’t have to «go», worth a visit to get a break from the heat on a hot day)
The meh:
–I wish there were more lawn games. Two corn hole sets seems weak, as does 2 Bocce ball games (if they had flipped these the long way, they could have fit at least one more AND it would be a better area to play in.) Other reviewers mentioned bringing your own lawn games, and I suppose if you live in the area that could work, but for those of us schlepping out from the ‘burbs on the T, it’s no bueno to bring our own.
–some more seating (outside of the tent area) would be great
–some more shade (outside of the tent area… there was a DJ there on our visit, and while I thought that was great, it was too loud to sit under the tent and chat)
–the food options when there aren’t trucks; I would have been happy with a few more light snack options… seems like burgers/​dogs and other like grille items were all that was available. I get that space is limited, but I think they could offer a few more options.
Of no fault of the establishment, I was a little frustrated that some patrons seemed to not be mindful of others also wanting to utilize the space. I love children and think they are just as welcome as I am, but letting your toddler run amuck in the Bocce «court» (I keep wanting to call them courts for lack of a better word/I’m not versed in Bocce terms other than knowing the premise of the game) and pick up, and drop the Bocce balls repeatedly for 25 minutes while others are lingering hoping to snag up a game to play, is kind of annoying. As is pulling together 4 lawn chairs for 2 people and throwing your stuff/​feet on the 2 without bodies in them. It was a busy day and I was just surprised how some people didn’t seem to care that this is a shared space.
Anyway, definitely worth a return visit and I bet it’s pretty cool at night so I’ll likely make that my next time to try it out again.

I saw some grumps complaining that programming this park costs whoever runs it – some public authority — more than a million dollars per year.
Those dollars are well-​spent, especially if you’re in this park’s target demographic. As far as I can tell, that demographic is mid-20’s to late-30’s non-​hipster mainstream cool person who probably works in finance, marketing, or similar. The profession must be soul-​crushing, unconcerned with the evil it does to the world and its denizens, and high-​paying, because you’re going to need a lot of cash to pay off all those bad feelings.
But hey, that’s the Monday to Friday grind, man. On Saturday, we cruise the Lawn On D to get wasted, get weird, and get it in. I’ll bet it works too.
Here’s what you do: you may bring your frisbee or any other throwable object and throw it cheerily for about half an hour. If you or your group are especially skilled, you may go ahead and show off. Do a little dance, add a little flourish, show off those slightly muscular arms. Get your tan on.
If you are very ambitious, you can bring your own lawn-​based game. I saw one game where the goal seemed to be to knock a mid-​flight frisbee out of the air and into a plastic trash can. I saw another that involved throwing round wooden pegs at rectangular wooden pegs on the lawn. The facility itself also provides balls for bocce, ping pong tables, and whimsical translucent plastic swings of odd shape for taking a selfie. The swings are not good for swinging, but they make a good selfie.
The facility also plays a varied and inoffensively fun and catchy playlist at decent volume, so you can get funky to your favorite generically nostalgic tunes no matter your age! There is additionally beer, hot dogs, hamburgers, and other similar food. The space is, in general, a giant lawn, just like the name indicates.
Despite the fact that all of this isn’t really my scene (I prefer to go somewhere where I can make fun of grad students reading thick, indecipherable books, because I have a point of reference for that — I’ve never worked in finance), it was actually pretty good fun.
We sat under a light shade away from the main commotion, napped in the sun, read some books, and people-​watched. My mind ran crazy with speculation about the motivations of the people there. I saw a father clean his baby’s ass. I watched people try to get it in, and observed how many people were trashed.
I’ll probably hang out in Cambridge next time and write a snarky review about Foucualt or something, but I enjoyed the Lawn on D. Go once, at least.

Very easy to find. It was Labor Day, though we found a spot for parking right by on D street. They have some places on deck chairs to sit on the lawn area, as well as some play space.
It was fun to use that glow-​in-​the-​dark ring swings. There are some ping pong tables to play. We brought our lunch with us to eat at the table under the tent. They had bar as well.
Location wise, it is great, you can use facilities inside the convention centre while you are there. Looks like the city of Boston is really well designing otherwise ‘nothing there’ empty spaces throughout the city in recent years. Great job!

What a cute little gem! While visiting Boston over the weekend, we stopped by before heading to the Harpoon Brewery. If we had known earlier, we would have brought a football with us~ Perfect place to go when the weather is nice with a couple of friends!
I wish they had more finger food options on their menu and more games around the field.

How has this never existed before in Boston? This is freaking brilliant — set up a huge lawn, set up some stands for food and beer and throw some chairs out there. Done! Every Bostonian is guaranteed to love this set up considering all Bostonians wants is to be outside for the 6 months a year it’s possible.
Protip: We have a small baby and this was great for him, albeit a little loud.

If you want a new Facebook or Instagram photo, this is for you. There’s literally hordes of people just waiting to take a photo shoot on these glowing rings. I mean, this is completely free, but I think it’s quite hyped up. It seems exciting for the first five minutes, but that feeling quickly fades away. There’s nothing to do around the area afterwards.

Public playground for adults. Located across the Fort Point bridge on D Street, there was some street parking and we were lucky enough to snag a spot. Many folks opted for the Über alternative. The space was packed and there were a few security guards hovering by the door to make sure you didn’t bring outside alcoholic beverages.
The enclosed space consists of an area with a few ping pong tables, a large tent for food and drinks and picnic seating, the swing exhibit, and a grassy area for corn hole, bocce ball, Jenga, etc. Games were first come first served and I found it rather difficult to keep track of how many people were ahead of you. Other than that, this seems like a great addition to the area and a good use of space. Need confirmation of its popularity? They’re building condos right across the street.

Probably one of the coolest outdoor spots in the city. There are ping pong tables, food trucks, swings that can light up, and tons of lounge chairs and lawn space to chill on. They also have jenga — which is a nice touch to the whole place.
The glowing swings are super popular, and after waiting around for 10 minutes for an available swing, my friend and I were able to snag a swing by offering to take a picture for a pair of friends.
Definitely great for people of all ages and a quick 15 minute walk from South Station.

The Lawn on D is unlike anything I’ve seen before. And it’s awesome.
From what I’ve seen, it like an outdoor, interactive art installation/​giant playground for people of all ages. To give you a visualization:
There’s giant jenga, cornhole, ping pong, (when I was there) white giant round swings… I mean you name it, they have it! It’s a really fun concept. The venue is open to the public and is a great place for the Boston community. They have a covered seating area with a bar and picnic tables. My friend and I hungout there for a bit and listened while they set up the equipment for the live music & entertainment that night. Also, Roxy’s and Cookie Monstah set up their trucks here so that’s definitely a nice treat when you’re exhausted from playing all day. If you’re in Boston, you should venture to Lawn on D.

This spot has a little bit of everything; a nice alternative to typical bars, especially in the summer months. They have glow-​in-​the-​dark swings, giant jenga, ping pong, cornhole, giant inflatable bunnies, and food trucks. My only complaint was that they were supposed to be playing 90s music that night and there was none to be heard anywhere.
We walked right in around 8 pm and by about 8:45/9, there was a huge line that stretched all the way down the block. It had cleared up by 9:30/10, but looks like timing is everything for getting in here without a wait.

Visiting Boston for a trip and I can’t say enough about this space. I wish it was here when I lived in Boston. A smart way to develop the seaport area the place is great for families, great for a group of friends, and really a perfect way to spend an afternoon. Between the food trucks, the cornhole, the photo opportunities, and the booze, you will find something for everything. The energy in the space is great just because people are so happy to have something like this so close to the city.

The Lawn on D definitely is the it thing these days; everything Southie I guess is, right? The ever expanding seaport district, and now the total transformation of anything along the lines of D street. Add to that — Lawn on D. Good for the locals and everyone else alike. Definitely the flavor of the area for now.
The place is big enough, yet it gets pretty full during expected peak hours; most evenings, definitely all weekends. It has been bustling with people everytime I have been there. The website is very informative with all the information one can get about the hours and the weekly events that pretty much will be a late Spring through early fall affairs.
Up untill yesterday they had the huge inflated rabbits on display — all the way from the Ozzy-​land. There is almost always a band playing on weekends. And the Movie nights during warmer days are super fun if not the odd ballgame near the tent. Do visit their website which is very informative.
Few things that anyone going there for the first time must know:
— You cannot bring your own alcohol from outside. That is the most definitive rule written on their website. The Tent has plenty of options for alcohol and there are stands selling canned beer and other beverages pretty much everywhere.
— There is food for sale at The Tent and the D street Grille at the park, and usually a couple of food trucks that are always present (and keep rotating)
— Still there is no strict rule about outside food being prohibited; at least not on the website.
— The restrooms are available in the adjoining convention center from Thursdays through Sundays. Not sure what’s the scene on other days.
— No pets allowed. Nor can you bring in bikes or skateboards and such.
— Parking could be an issue given that there is only limited street parking. And during weekends, these days they are almost always full. Taking the T is the way to go.
Given how crowded this place gets, I wish it was a little bigger. Would it still be my scene? Given it looks like a scene — maybe not! But it is a really good of an option for the young and the restless to be out and about and be part of the scene. Same for families with kids. Quite a few things for the little ones to enjoy. Good for all of them…

This place represents everything I love about summer in Boston: outdoor, hip, artsy, inclusive, live music, art installations, food trucks, beer garden, outdoor Jenga, ping pong, movie nights, lit-​up swings, grass. Props to the design and architecture team for this place — I’ve grown to like and venture out to this area a lot more!

The amount of public green spaces available to the people of Boston has jumped leaps & bound since the Big Dig was completed. While gaining more space, organizations have created friendlier events for all to enjoy. Lawn on the D could have just been another faceless paved space but it has become a truly unique blank slate filled with art, music & people. The efforts to make spaces friendly to all is a grand endeavor but these folks have definitely have a great start. The summer time art installations & events were wonderful family friendly oasis to bring the masses to an area that once was filled with dark warehouses. The 1^st ever Fire & Ice Festival was a nice effort for city dwellers to further appreciation of the great city they live in.
Looking around one would not know what was here in the past. New apartments, restaurants & of course the convention center itself has all grown together here to create a brand new neighborhood. I hope to visit here more often.

Great venue for concerts and just relaxing in a park before going out. They can have lots of free stuff too!
I hope this is around next year.

Chicago it’s not, but for Boston it’s bout the coolest public space this side of the J way.
The fact that there is a resident ping pong table, lounge chairs, Lawn, and corn hole games and is walking distance to the ica makes this My new favorite park.
To bad drinks are so pricey here!