Ward Maps Boston

Every traveler needs a map

Cris from Boston

""Ward Maps" in Boston is a shop that completely understands the curious love for all kinds of maps. I like coming here when the wanderlust is heavy..."

I love maps. I love pulling out my old map of Stockholm, marked up with Xs and arrows, and how that will remind me of afternoons wandering between the islands of the city. I love looking at my maps of the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, remembering all of the peaks that I've seen and the ones that I have yet to explore. Maps can be an inspiration, they can be a journal in geographic form, and they can be a snapshot of a place in a certain time.

Ward Maps is great because that shop understands this curious love. In the same way that record stores have bins and bins of rare and interesting vinyl, Ward Maps has bins of antique and vintage maps -- everything from street maps of 18th century Montreal to railroad surveys of early 20th century India. They also traffic in all manner of gifts for the geographic nerds that we all know and love. Globes, coasters, vintage transit memorabilia -- they're a great place for that sort of indulgence.

But, really, I just like coming here on days where the wanderlust is heavy, but the timing is inconvenient. I may not always have the time to jet off to Istanbul, but I can go to Ward Maps and look at a map of Constantinople and let my mind wander for a bit.

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Boston Spotter Cris

About me I was born in the Philippines, raised in Canada, but sharpened by a couple of decades of living in Boston. My tenure in this city kind of caught me by surprise, and I was tempted with moving elsewhere (Melbourne and I had a pretty serious thing going on for a bit), but I do admit to loving this place. My wife and I own a 100 year-old condo in Jamaica Plain, but prior to that I'd lived in Cambridge, Somerville, and the Back Bay, so my picks are all over the place, but I hope you agree that they're all worthwhile. Why Boston? I love the people. Bos...

About this spot

1735 Massachusetts Avenue

Antique map:

US$

Website

6174970737

Social

Oct 9, 2025

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