Things to do with friends in Back Bay

The best things to do with friends in Back Bay are a round of indoor mini golf, a weekend brunch on Newbury Street and a game at a Boylston Street sports bar. Most of them are a few minutes apart on foot, between the Copley and Hynes stations. You have a free Saturday, four friends said yes, and nobody has named a time or a place.

This post suggests seven places, then covers how to link them, which ones take bookings, where to meet and what changes on Sunday. It's part of our guide to Back Bay. For general advice, see how to plan a weekend hangout with friends. For picks across the city, see where to hang out with friends in Boston.

What are the best things to do with friends in Back Bay?

Pick one activity and one meal, then choose by your start time.

Our picks in Back Bay

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

• Map Room Lounge

  Start here when the plan begins with coffee or tea in the daytime. This lounge inside the Boston Public Library seats people first come, first served, and its tea service is $53 per guest. It opens at 10 a.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. on Sunday, and closes at 4:45 p.m. both days. Copley is about a 2-minute walk.

• Swingers Back Bay

  Buy golf tickets here first if the group wants an activity and not just a table. This indoor mini golf club on Boylston Street runs from noon to midnight on Saturday and noon to 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, and it's closed on Monday. Copley is about a 5-minute walk.

• Sabina Mezcaleria

  Weekend brunch runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at this Mexican restaurant on Newbury Street, so it works as a first stop. Reserve a table, because it takes bookings and is good for groups. It closes at 1 a.m. on Saturday and 11 p.m. on Sunday. Hynes is about a 7-minute walk, and Copley about 8.

• Back Bay Social

  Larger groups should look here first, since its events team plans parties of 20 to 200 in semi-private spaces upstairs. Smaller tables can reserve through its site. It's moderately priced, serves brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends and stays open until 2 a.m. Hynes is about a 6-minute walk.

• A.T. O'Keeffe's

  Pick this Boylston Street sports bar when a game decides the plan. It's moderately priced, takes reservations, is good for groups and runs from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. every day, so it still works after a late start. Hynes is about a 5-minute walk.

• Bukowski Tavern

  Keep this Dalton Street bar for a few friends who can walk in, because it doesn't take reservations. It's moderately priced and open from noon to 1 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with the kitchen running until 11:30 p.m. Hynes is about a 5-minute walk.

• The Street Bar

  Friends coming from downtown have the shortest trip to this bar at 1 Newbury Street, since Arlington is about a 2-minute walk. Brunch runs from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on weekends, and the all-day menu starts at 3 p.m. Only afternoon tea takes reservations, and hotel guests get priority for seats.

Google Maps

The hours, price levels, reservations and group details on these cards come from Google Maps and each venue's own site as of November 2026. Walk times start at each MBTA station.

How do you fill a whole afternoon without a long walk?

Stay on Boylston Street between Copley and Hynes, where most picks are within a 5-minute walk of the next. Here is an example for Saturday or Sunday:

1. 11 a.m. Have coffee at Map Room Lounge.
2. 12:30 p.m. Walk about 5 minutes to Swingers Back Bay for mini golf.
3. 3 p.m. Walk about 3 minutes to Back Bay Social for a meal.
4. 5 p.m. Walk about a minute to A.T. O'Keeffe's if a game is on.

The Street Bar is the exception. It's about 11 minutes on foot from Map Room Lounge, so make it the first or last stop.

On a dry day, add a stop that costs nothing. The Prudential Center's South Garden has a lawn, benches and a fountain.

Which picks take a booking, and which are walk-ins?

Book the golf and any meal for more than a few people. Keep the walk-in places as backups.

• Golf. Swingers sells tickets on its site. Boston.com reported in January 2026 that $25 per person covers a 9-hole round and 30 minutes in the arcade. Ask about age rules if anyone is under 21, since it calls the place geared toward adults.
• Walk-ins. At Map Room Lounge, The Street Bar and Bukowski Tavern, have the first person to arrive ask for a table, then text the group the wait.

Where should everyone meet first?

Use the station most of the group rides through, then walk together. The Street Bar is about 21 minutes on foot from Hynes.

• B, C or D. Use Hynes for the west end of Boylston Street.
• E. This branch skips Hynes. Prudential is about 6 minutes from Bukowski Tavern.
• Orange Line and commuter rail. Back Bay station is about 5 minutes from Map Room Lounge.
• Red Line. Change at Park Street. Arlington is two stops from there.

Friends starting at The Street Bar can wait by the George Washington statue in the Public Garden, across Arlington Street. Check the MBTA's subway alerts for weekend changes before anyone leaves.

How does Sunday change the plan?

Sunday starts later on the T, and three of the seven close earlier than on Saturday. Swingers closes at 10:30 p.m., and Sabina Mezcaleria and The Street Bar close at 11 p.m.

The MBTA's subway guide lists a first train around 6 a.m. on Sunday. It says to reach a downtown station such as Park Street by 12:35 a.m. on Sunday night for the last connections, compared with 1:30 a.m. on Saturday night.

How to do it in Where2Meet

Send the Where2Meet link on Friday and have each friend add the station or cross street they'd leave from. Search by name for Swingers Back Bay and The Street Bar, because they sit at opposite ends of the neighborhood, then compare everyone's transit times. The group votes on where the day starts, and the organizer picks it.

Common questions

What can friends do in Back Bay when it rains?

Start with Map Room Lounge or Swingers Back Bay, since both are indoors. Swingers opens at noon on both weekend days.

Where can friends hang out in Back Bay without paying for an activity?

The Public Garden and the Prudential Center's South Garden cost nothing to visit. Both are outdoors, so save them for a dry day.

Which Back Bay spots stay open latest on a weekend?

Back Bay Social and A.T. O'Keeffe's stay open until 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Bukowski Tavern closes at 1 a.m. on both days.