Most things to do in Somerville, MA cluster around its squares, from films and bowling in Davis to food and drink in Union to shopping at Assembly Row, and once you understand that the city makes a lot more sense. There's no single downtown here. There are five or six distinct centers, each with its own character, and knowing which one suits a given evening is most of the skill.
This is written for people who live here. If you're deciding whether to move here at all, our Somerville renter's guide covers rents and neighborhoods properly.
Which Somerville square is best for what?
Each Somerville square suits a different night out: Davis for films and bowling, Union for food and drink, Assembly Row for shopping and a cinema, and Ball and Magoun for something quieter.
- Davis Square is the one most people mean when they say Somerville. It has the Somerville Theatre, which shows first-run films and hosts live music in the same building, plus candlepin bowling at Sacco's Bowl Haven a short walk away. Davis Square is on the Red Line and has one of the densest concentrations of things to do in Somerville.
- Union Square is the food and drink center, and the Green Line Extension now reaches it directly. Bow Market is the anchor. It's a courtyard of small independent vendors, which makes it the easiest place to take someone who hasn't decided what they want.
- Assembly Row is the newest and the most commercial, with outlet shopping, a cinema and riverfront space. It has its own Orange Line stop and feels like a different city from the rest of Somerville, which is either the appeal or the problem depending on your taste.
- Ball Square and Magoun Square got Green Line stops in the extension. They're quieter and more residential, with a handful of restaurants each and none of the crowds.
- Teele Square and Powder House sit at the northwest end and are mostly residential, which is worth knowing if you're looking at apartments there and wondering how much is within walking distance.
The thing that changed Somerville most recently is the Green Line Extension, which put Union, Ball, Magoun and Gilman squares on the subway map for the first time. Before it, half the city's squares meant a bus or a long walk to the Red Line. If you're weighing a transit pass against the cost of keeping a car here, we worked through it in our piece on the MBTA pass.
What's worth doing in Somerville all year?
The Somerville Theatre, Prospect Hill Tower, the Somerville Museum and the Somerville Community Path hold up in any season.
The Somerville Theatre in Davis anchors the city. It shows first-run films and hosts live music under one roof.
The park around Prospect Hill Tower is free and open all year, and the tower itself opens for free docent tours on select days from May through October. It marks the spot where the Grand Union Flag was raised in 1776.
The Somerville Museum is small, local and worth an hour if you want to understand why the city looks the way it does. The Somerville Community Path runs through the middle of the city and connects into the wider regional trail network, which makes it the default route for walking and cycling year-round.
The Somerville Arts Council runs the city's recurring community events, including PorchFest, ArtBeat, Illuminations, SomerStreets and ArtsUnion. Most are free and most happen outdoors in the squares and on residential streets. Their events listing is the place to check what's coming up, because the dates move each year.
Somerville in the fall
Fall in Somerville opens with the What the Fluff Festival, a free street festival that closes part of Union Square for an afternoon each September. After that, the Somerville Theatre in Davis Square is the reliable indoor option once the weather turns.
Somerville in the winter
Winter pushes everything indoors, and Somerville's density works in its favor here because most squares are walkable end to end in a few minutes.
Prospect Hill Park hosts a flag raising on New Year's Day. It's outdoors, brief and free.
Davis Square carries winter better than anywhere else in the city. The theatre, the bowling and the restaurants sit within a short walk of each other and the Red Line stop, which matters in February.
Assembly Row's cinema and indoor shopping are the obvious bad-weather fallback, and the Orange Line gets you there without a long walk at either end.
Union Square's restaurants are at their best in winter, when the point is to sit somewhere warm for two hours.
In December, the Arts Council's Illuminations tour takes people around the houses residents decorate for the holidays.
Somerville in the spring
Spring is when Somerville's outdoor spaces become usable again.
The Community Path is the first thing residents go back to. It runs through the city, it's flat, and the Green Line Extension work extended it, so it now connects more of the city than it used to.
The Mystic River Reservation on the northeastern edge gives you water and open space without leaving the area. It's a real change of scene from the squares.
Spring is also when the Arts Council calendar restarts. PorchFest is the big one, held on a Saturday in May. Residents play music on their own porches and everyone else walks between them. It costs nothing and happens on ordinary streets.
Somerville in the summer
Summer is the season Somerville is built for, because so much of what people like about it happens outside.
Bow Market's courtyard is the best version of itself in summer, when the whole courtyard works as outdoor space. Assembly Row's riverfront opens up properly. The Community Path gets busy enough that you notice.
ArtBeat takes over Davis Square in July. SomerStreets closes a street to cars for a block party several times over the warmer months. It's free and it happens in different squares through the season.
Remnant Brewing, inside Bow Market, has a courtyard patio. Aeronaut Brewing is about half a mile from Union Square.
Is Somerville a good place to live for things to do?
Somerville works well for people who like having things to do nearby. The squares sit within a couple of miles of each other, each has enough going on to fill an evening, and since the Green Line Extension you can reach most of them without a car, as the walkability guide explains.
When you're apartment hunting here, pick the square you want to be able to walk to on a Tuesday night, because that's the one you'll actually use.
If you're looking, you can browse Somerville apartments on Spot Easy.
If you're bringing a car, read the resident parking permit rules first, because Somerville runs its own resident permit system for street parking.
How do you check Somerville event dates before you go?
Check the Somerville Arts Council events listing before you go, because festival dates move every year and venue schedules change. This guide gives months, not exact dates, on purpose.