America’s Stadiums – TD Garden in Boston, MA

Let’s face it: we are a sports worshiping country. We watch’em every Sunday, we dress up in special attire, and we celebrate in some of the most famous churches in the world: Wrigley Field, Soldier Field, Fenway Park … … … TD Garden? Okay, so the Garden might not be the most famous arena we could feature today, but that’s the power of Celts fans.

Besides, the TD Garden proves that when it comes to stadiums, age isn’t everything. Since it opened in 1995, the Garden has been a major stage for professional and college sports, and not just because it’s home to two titanic teams. While both the NBA’s Boston Celtics and NHL’s Boston Bruins bring illustrious histories to the Garden, the stadium is fast building a legacy of interest all its own.

In 2004, the Democratic National Convention at the then-named FleetCenter introduced the nation to a handsome, charismatic, big-eared nobody that just four years later became President Barack Obama. As a concert stage, the Garden has seen some of the world’s biggest acts – The Who, Genesis, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Madonna and even the bad boys from Boston themselves, Aerosmith.

The Garden is still known best for sports, though. Along with the Bruins and Celts, the arena is the yearly home of the Beanpot, a college hockey square-off between the major Boston area schools – Harvard, Northeastern, Boston College and Boston University. In its time, Boston has also hosted the Women’s Final Four and several NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball regionals. Add WBA boxing and WWE exhibitions, Smackdown and Raw, and the TD Garden event schedule is always packed.

So it’s busy, and those events are top notch, but that’s not why we love the TD Garden. We chose it today, because it managed to replace its predecessor, the Boston Garden, gracefully. It pushed ahead into the world of modern stadia, but retained some of that old-school flavor. For Celts fans especially, the Garden feels like home with the incorporation of the unusual parquet floor that the Celtics have played on since 1946. It’s not the exact same floor, but original pieces from the Garden floor we’re “stitched” into the geometric patterns that give the new court its one-of-a-kind look. It’s the little things like this that give TD Garden its soul, under any name.

Want to go see it? This is the time to do it! Both the Celtics and Bruins are looking at a busy schedule over the next month, so if you don’t have tickets already, it’s time to start looking. Recommendations include:

Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens, March 2
Boston Bruins vs. New York Rangers, March 21

Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, March 17
Boston Celtics vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, April 4

Learn more about the TD Garden and purchase tickets here.

If you’re traveling in to the game, our choice of Boston hotels near TD Garden is the Holiday Inn Boston at Beacon Hill. At less than half a mile from the arena, you can literally walk to your seat (and save big time on parking by doing so). On top of that, the hotel is quick from the airport and offers free high-speed Internet.

Have fun at the TD Garden, one of America’s Stadiums.

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