This roaming troupe punches above its weight on the Boston theater scene, bringing the work of Shakespeare and other playwrights to venues across the area, including Roxbury, Watertown, and Cambridge. The actors are versatile (artistic director Christopher V. Edwards just did a turn as Lord Capulet in Romeo and Juliet), the direction is consistently inventive, and the contemporary selection — lately, August Wilson’s monumental American Century Cycle — is on point.

The A.R.T. at Harvard University is arguably the country’s best feeder of shows to the Great White Way. Big-time productions of 1776, The Glass Menagerie, Finding Neverland, and many more originated here. But these aren’t half-formed shows in mid-workshop — they’re fully realized, gorgeous, and intimate, thanks to being staged in the roughly 550-plus-seat theater at the Loeb Drama Center.

For a quick escape from the city, or even an overnight getaway, look no further than the Boston Harbor Islands. Take the ferry to Georges Island and explore the 19th-century fort that’s rumored to be haunted; listen to live jazz on Spectacle Island; picnic on Cathleen Stone Island (formerly known as Thompson Island); or reserve a campsite on Peddocks Island and sleep over in one of the yurts.

Cascading willows, Victorian fountains, sunbathing turtles — it’s a postcard of Boston come to life. Not much changes within the garden’s picturesque gates and tulip-lined pathways — and that’s the charm. From a child’s first visit to the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture and pleasure cruise on one of the iconic Swan Boats, to prom photos on the foot bridge, the Boston Public Garden is tailor-made for memories.

At over 140 years old, the Boston Symphony Orchestra is one of the city’s longest-standing cultural treasures, and for most of the year, the lights are on at the gilded auditorium of Symphony Hall. For most of the fall and spring, the orchestra (music directed by Andris Nelsons since 2014) offers symphonies, concertos, and even opera in concert, and world-class soloists are a regular presence.

Sometimes it feels necessary to pretend to be a Bridgerton. You can do this at tea at the Central Library branch of the Boston Public Library, in a tea room run by The Catered Affair. The regal spot still serves cucumber sandwiches, scones, and petit fours — but the main attraction is a tea menu with everything from Earl Grey to a sip infused with jasmine petals. You can go for a wedding shower or anniversary, but please consider making a reservation.

If you’ve written off Faneuil Hall Marketplace and Quincy Market as just for tourists, take a second look. The historic meeting hall and the granite-and-brick market buildings constitute a shopping and dining destination unparalleled in downtown. Munch a pizza slice or a lobster roll while you peruse the pushcart vendors and applaud the street performers. Full restaurants, from an Irish pub to a seafood grille, cater to bigger appetites.

The Red Sox (the team’s principal owner also owns the Globe) have for years touted Fenway Park as “America’s Most Beloved Ballpark.” Curiously, the greatest affirmation of the slogan tends to come not when the Sox are faring well, but when they are not. That’s when fans of visiting teams seize the opportunity to catch a game at the historic venue, built in 1912, and the broad appeal of Fenway is at its most obvious. If game tickets are unavailable or too pricey, a tour of Fenway is excellent.

H+H (as everyone calls it) musters a mighty chorus, energetic period-instrument orchestra, and smartly selected soloists to present performances of Baroque and classical music that crackle with life and color. Handel’s Messiah is a beloved annual tradition, but that just scratches the surface; throughout the season, the orchestra offers refreshingly eclectic programs of concertos, cantatas, symphonies, oratorios, and more, making the old new again with every outing.

Harvard’s art museums became one roughly a decade ago, in the airy Renzo Piano-designed addition and redux of its storied Fogg Museum on Quincy Street. What lies inside is nothing short of a world-class institution that, true to form, continues to push forward with innovative treatments of its renowned collection that probe the outer limits of a museum’s place in the world.