Every good marketer or small business owner knows and appreciates the power of visual marketing through Instagram. Aside from being a quick and relatively easy way to promote products and services, Instagram is a way to give your audience a sense of a business’s personality or brand.
To help welcome the thousands of marketers and business owners in town for this week’s INBOUND 2016, we put together a cheat sheet of ten of the most Instagram-worthy locations near the conference. If you’re out and about looking for things to showcase online, check out these locations, many of which are small businesses. As always, make sure to tag your location and use hashtags when sharing your photos!
1. Lawn on D
Our #1 Instagram-worthy location is the Lawn on D, conveniently located adjacent to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. This innovative open air event space is home to giant light up swings that will bring joy to even the most jet lagged marketers.
2. Barrington Coffee Roasters
Businesses run on caffeine and this small business coffee shop makes our list because of its fresh delicious coffee and colorful tables. A 10 minute walk from the convention center, Barrington Coffee Roasters is the product of two friends with a mission to bring exceptional coffee to its customers. If you’re looking for a dose of good caffeine, check out Barrington Coffee Roasters. Who wouldn’t want to share photos of their coffee when it looks like this?
Enjoying a soy cappuccino at @barringtoncoffee in South Boston! #weekend #coffee #southie #color #art #coffeelover #ride2coffee A photo posted by Ride2Coffee (@ride2coffee) on
3. Lookout at the Envoy Hotel
After getting a proper dose of caffeine, head to the Lookout at the Envoy Hotel, one of Boston’s newest rooftop bars. Rooftop bars are few and far between and in a city with an ever-changing skyline, this view is a must for those who are visiting from out of town. Grab some food or head over to our next suggestion, which is just steps away.
4. Barking Crab
Since no trip to Boston is complete without indulging in some fresh seafood, The Barking Crab is next on our list. Whether you’re looking to fill your Instagram feed with photos of oysters or have a penchant for New England fishing decor, this restaurant with its famous red and yellow striped awning, can’t be missed.
5. Tavern Road
If seafood isn’t what you’re looking for, then perhaps Tavern Road will strike your fancy. Aside from delicious food which is all locally sourced, this small business takes its effort to the next level with cooking classes and an Insta-famous beverage director. If you’re looking for a place with great food, a warm atmosphere, and a cocktail that’s almost too beautiful to drink, check out Tavern Road.
6. Harpoon Brewery
If you’re looking for a place to throw a couple back after INBOUND sessions, then head on over to Harpoon Brewery just a few minutes away from the convention center. Not only is Harpoon local to Boston, but at this location you’ll find brews that you can’t find anywhere else, pretzels made from spelt grain, and a wall of windows that cast the perfect amount of natural light on your Instagram photos!
KICK IT & KEGS tonight we’re kicking it at @harpoonbrewery for #breastcancerawareness and the #kickitcrew was so excited that we immediately sold out! Let’s Jab, cross, drink, kick ✨ #kickitbyeliza #fempire #giveback #charity #harpoonbrewery #harpoon #newbalance #highkicksandhairwhips A photo posted by Kick It By Eliza™ (@kickitbyeliza) on
7. Dewey Square
Not far from the convention center in the other direction, you’ll find Dewey Square just outside of Boston’s South Station. Home to food trucks during the workweek, this open area is perfect for eating lunch outside on a warm day. Grass and benches aside, Dewey Square makes our list of Instagram-worthy locations because of the huge hand-painted mural on display.
8. Boston Public Market
If you’re looking to venture a bit further from the convention center, check out the Boston Public Market. Taking up a space that sat unoccupied for ages, the Boston Public Market is a veritable cornucopia of Instagram-worthy small businesses. Go here to get your hands on Boston’s famous Union Square Donuts, locally made Taza Chocolate, or fresh flowers and produce from nearby farms.
I need like 5 of this everyday #donuts #bacon #maplesyrup #tarzachocolate #boston A photo posted by Nicole Nguyen (@nicole.ngxo) on
9. Old North Church
Take a walk just a bit further than the Boston Public Market and you’ll find yourself in the Boston’s “Little Italy” known as the North End. Here you can sink your teeth into a delicious cannoli from a small family bakery and the history of The Old North Church, one of Boston’s oldest surviving churches and home to the two lanterns that ignited the American Revolution.
10. Acorn Street
Last only due to its distance from INBOUND 2016, Acorn Street is perhaps the most photographed street in the city. Located in Beacon Hill, a quick T or Uber ride away from the convention center, Acorn Street is a must for any Instagram guru. From the symmetry to the rounded cobblestones and the fallen leaves, this street is quintessential New England and the perfect way to share your experience in Boston with your customers or followers back home.
The feeling of being anonymous in a foreign city A photo posted by Sofi Méndez (@sofi.mendez) on
Bonus: Hubspot HQ and INBOUND 2016
If these suggestions weren’t enough to satisfy your Instagram cravings, there’s always the ever-photogenic Hubspot HQ and the INBOUND conference itself. Hubspot boasts a huge office space in Cambridge and if the previous few years are any indiction, the INBOUND 2016 conference is sure to be Instagram-worthy.
A photo posted by YourOwnBrand in Design (@designyob) on
Do you have a favorite place for taking photos around INBOUND 2016? Let us know in the comments below!
