Yes, the month of March sees the world celebrate St Patrick’s Day – and there’s no place outside of Ireland that’s more Irish than Boston. The city is overflowing with Irish pubs, Irish bars and, of course, Irish celebrations. The city is so proud of its Celtic ancestry that it promotes an Irish Heritage Trail, a five kilometer walking tour of Boston Irish history. Needless to say, when the St Patrick's festival rolls around, Boston really celebrates.

St. Patrick's Day falls on a Monday this year, but the famous St Patrick’s Day Parade in Boston will take place on Friday, March 14th, in order to kick off the city’s most festive weekend. The city has festivities planned throughout the week and is expected to draw more than 700,000 visitors to Boston—a testament to the city’s longstanding Irish heritage. The parade begins in South Boston, a predominantly Irish neighbourhood close to Boston Harbour. A popular crowd pleaser, the Boston Police Gaelic Column perform at the parade each year.

But there’s more to Boston than its Irish connections. The city offers plenty to see and do in the city that has special significance to Americans. You can visit the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, which is the city’s oldest and most famous art establishment. The Park Street Church, built in 1809 is where the beautiful hymn “America” was first performed on the Fourth of July, 1831.

Modern history buffs will find visiting the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library and Museum thrilling, while others will be fascinated by the MIT Museum, with its displays of holography, robotics and other futuristic subjects. And kids can also have a great time. World class New England Aquarium and Franklin Park Zoo offer one the opportunity to see virtually every animal that lives on the planet. The amazing Museum of Science, teeming with interactive displays oriented to children, is a must-see, especially with its Imax theatre, featuring star-gazing and laser shows.

Boston is also well known as the birthplace of the Revolutionary War, which began the fight to create the world’s oldest democracy. Walk along the four kilometer Freedom Trail and get acquainted with Boston and its bounty of historic landmarks. The Freedom Trail, marked with a painted or bricked red line, is easy to follow for young and old alike.

Along the Trail there are sixteen locations that are identified by signs that display the history of each stop. America's oldest public park, Boston Commons, with its beautiful lake, is considered a great place to start your Freedom Trail walk. The excursion can be completed in as little as an hour, but three hours spent at a leisurely pace permits one to enjoy revolutionary landmarks. Among the stops are the Bunker Hill Monument, Paul Revere House, and the Old State House.

In the end, though, it all comes back to one of the world’s great parties - St. Patrick’s Day. They say “Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day!” and it’s especially true in Boston. No city in America is more associated with the Irish heritage as Boston, and many of the city's leading citizens claim Irish ancestry.

Over the St Patrick's Day weekend, dozens of parades take place. The most famous is probably Southie's South Boston Saint Patrick's Day Parade. This year's 108th annual parade in South Boston, the town’s most Irish neighbourhood, is one of the more well known. The South Boston neighbourhood has a glorious tradition of helping others while working to keep the Irish heritage alive.

A visit to Boston is never complete without a pub crawl. You can enjoy famous places like Matt Murphy’s Pub, which boasts Irish cuisine far beyond standard pub fare, as well as bartenders and waitresses sporting genuine brogues. Scoot over to JJ Foley’s, which caters to the hard-drinking Irish crowd, in the heart of downtown. Stop by Kitty O’Shea’s Irish Pub and Bistro, whose décor includes 200 year old floorboards from a church in Ireland and stained glass windows, depicting country scenes.

Finally, you don’t want to miss the Green Dragon Tavern, in Boston’s historic Blackstone section. This place was where early patriots, called the “Sons of Liberty” plotted and planned the political revolution of a young country. And this is just a few of what’s in store for visitors to Boston who want to sample its famous pubs! No wonder one of the longest running comedy shows on television, “Cheers”, picked Boston for its location.

If you come to Boston in March or April, be prepared for just about anything, weather-wise. It can be brutally cold or surprisingly nice, depending on how the seasons are shifting over from winter to spring. Whatever you do, be sure to pack a lot of green clothes if you plan to be in town around St. Patrick’s day!