Family reunion venue ideas in Back Bay

A good family reunion venue in Back Bay seats your whole headcount and sits a short, step-free walk from a T station. Start with how many relatives are coming, because that number rules out most of the seven places below. Your headcount keeps changing, someone is pushing a stroller, one grandparent can't manage stairs, and relatives are arriving from three directions.

This post lists seven places, then covers room sizes, where relatives can stay, and which T stop works for strollers and wheelchairs. It's part of our guide to Back Bay. For a Seaport lawn, a museum and other picks across town, see where to have a family reunion in Boston.

Which family reunion venue should you pick in Back Bay?

Pick by headcount first, then by who's coming.

Our picks in Back Bay

Chosen by the Where2Meet team. Photos, ratings and addresses load live from Google Maps.

• Parish Cafe & Bar

  Arlington station is about a 1-minute walk from this Boylston Street restaurant, so a small branch of the family has almost no walking to do. It has a children's menu and a wheelchair-accessible entrance and restroom. It's moderately priced, good for groups and takes reservations. Call with your headcount, since it publishes no room sizes.

• The College Club of Boston

  Small reunions of adults can stay and eat under one roof at this Commonwealth Avenue brownstone, which has 12 guest rooms. It isn't listed as good for children. Ask the office whether you need a member to book a private event. Arlington is about a 5-minute walk.

• Rochambeau

  Choose this French restaurant on Boylston Street when most of the reunion is grown up, since it isn't listed as good for children and its prices run expensive. It has private rooms and takes reservations. It closes at 9 p.m. on Sunday and by 11 p.m. the rest of the week. Hynes is about a 4-minute walk, and Prudential about 7.

• Back Bay Social

  Kids and grandparents can share this Boylston Street restaurant, which has a children's menu and a wheelchair-accessible entrance, restroom and seating. It's moderately priced and takes parties of 20 to 200, and its events team answers inquiries within 48 hours. Hynes is about a 6-minute walk, and Copley about 7.

• The Tower: A Longwood Venue

  Book this four-floor event venue when the family wants its own rooms for the day. It has no public hours, so contact it for a date before you tell relatives. Its entrance and restroom are wheelchair accessible. Arlington is about a 4-minute walk, and Back Bay station about 10.

• Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston

  Put the meal and the beds in one building at this Copley Square hotel, which calls itself family-friendly and has 14 event spaces. Its entrance is wheelchair accessible. Copley station is about a 2-minute walk, and Back Bay station about 3, which suits relatives arriving by commuter rail.

• The Westin Copley Place, Boston

  Reach for this hotel when the reunion runs past 200 people, since it has the largest rooms on this list and 32 event rooms in all. It's listed as good for children, and its entrance is wheelchair accessible. Copley is about a 3-minute walk, and Back Bay station about 5.

Google Maps

The hours, reservations, price levels, children's and wheelchair details, parking and walk times in this post come from Google Maps as of November 2026. Walk times start at each MBTA station. Room sizes come from each venue's own event page, linked below.

How many relatives can each room hold?

Count seats, not standing room, because children and grandparents will need chairs. These are the sit-down numbers each venue publishes:

• Up to 60. Rochambeau's Left Bank and Right Bank rooms seat 30 and 40. The Tower's Green Room seats 50. The College Club seats up to 60.
• 60 to 100. Back Bay Social's Down Bar seats 65. Rochambeau's Bordeaux Room seats 75, and its Main Dining Room seats 90. The Copley Plaza's State Suite B seats 90.
• 100 to 200. The Tower's Lounge, Library and Parlor seat 130, 140 and 180. The Westin's Essex North and Essex Center seat 150 each. The Copley Plaza's State Suites seat 180.
• Over 200. The Westin's Staffordshire room seats 260, and its America Ballroom seats 1,200. The Copley Plaza's Grand Ballroom seats 580.

None of these event pages names a family reunion, so tell them that's your event. Ask about high chairs, ramps and any minimum spend.

Where can out-of-town relatives stay?

Three of the seven have beds, so relatives can sleep close to the meal. The two hotels are about a 2-minute walk apart, which helps if one fills up.

From the Copley Plaza hotel, Parish Cafe is about an 8-minute walk. The Tower and Back Bay Social are each about 9 minutes, and Rochambeau about 12. Ask each hotel's sales office to hold a block of rooms, and when unbooked rooms go back.

The College Club's bed and breakfast page lists six double rooms and six singles. A double sleeps up to four adults. Ask the office about children, since the page doesn't mention them.

Which T stop works for strollers and wheelchairs?

Use Copley, Arlington, Prudential or Back Bay station, which the MBTA lists as accessible. Avoid Hynes, which has no elevators.

That matters most for Rochambeau and Back Bay Social, the two picks closest to Hynes. A B, C or D rider with a stroller should get off at Copley, about 10 minutes on foot from Rochambeau. An E rider can use Prudential, about 9 minutes from Back Bay Social.

Escalators at Copley and Arlington run up only, so plan on the elevator for the trip home. Check the MBTA's elevator alerts and subway alerts the week of the reunion, since Green Line work can replace trains with shuttle buses.

For one household's dinner, see where to have a group dinner in Back Bay. For an outing the next day, try things to do with friends in Back Bay.

How to do it in Where2Meet

Send one Where2Meet link and ask one person per household to add its starting point, then add the nearest station for any grandparent who won't open it. Search by name for Parish Cafe and the Westin, since they sit at opposite ends of the size range, and compare transit and driving times for the relatives with the longest trips. Once the family has voted, the organizer picks the room and calls to hold the date.

Common questions

What is a good family reunion venue in Back Bay with young kids?

Back Bay Social and Parish Cafe both have children's menus. The Copley Plaza and the Westin are both listed as good for children.

Can a family reunion be a brunch in Back Bay?

Yes. Back Bay Social serves brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Rochambeau serves it from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every day, but it suits a mostly adult group.

Where can relatives who drive park?

Back Bay Social, Rochambeau and Parish Cafe all list paid garage parking nearby. Ask the hotels about overnight parking.