BOSTON — They call it America's Walking City. It's easy to pass your days in Boston meandering from one famous site (the Paul Revere House) to another (the Union Oyster House).

But follow the locals and you'll discover what makes Bostonians so loyal to their hometown: a mix of green parks, elegant shopping, under-sung museums and cozy pubs (and we don't mean Cheers).

BOSTON VISITORS BUREAU (ENLARGE)

Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau Boston's Swan Boats in the Public Garden, a tourist favorite, have been operating since 1877. They tour the central park. Summer sailing or rowing on Jamaica Pond attracts locals.

Jane Black/The Washington Post (ENLARGE)

At Irish pub Matt Murphy's there's a nightly lineup of local and up-and-coming national bands. It's an authentic contrast to Cheers.

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Here are six tourist traps paired with their lesser-known equivalents that locals treasure.

Pubs

Tourist: Cheers

Once known as the Bull & Finch Pub, this Beacon Hill bar changed its name to Cheers after the TV show made it the most famous bar in America. No one will know your name here; the only regulars are tourists.

Insider: Matt Murphy's Pub

In contrast, this Irish pub has built a real community in Brookline Village, the first town outside the city limits. The draw: a proper pint of Guinness, greaseless fish and chips and, most important, no cheesy leprechaun paraphernalia. For music lovers, there's a nightly lineup of local and up-and-coming national bands. The bar even has its own record label, Pub Records, so you can take a piece of your trip home.

14 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-232-0188, www.mattmurphyspub.com.

Museums

The MFA has long been considered one of the country's top art destinations, with a notable collection of Monets. But in recent years, curators have staged more populist exhibits. (Ralph Lauren's designer cars, anyone?) They've also upped prices: $17 for general admission and $23 for special exhibitions.

Insider: Fogg Museum

Brainy Bostonians head to the Fogg, Harvard University's oldest art museum. Opened in 1895, it's about to be renovated (on June 30). The Italian Renaissance courtyard, based on a 16th-century Tuscan facade, is surrounded by galleries that trace the arc of Western art from the Middle Ages to the present, including its own terrific collection of impressionist paintings, plus a number of Picassos. Special exhibitions are thoughtful, not crowd-pleasers, and often highlight contemporary art that far outshines that at the newer, buzzier Institute of Contemporary Art downtown. If you can't visit before the gallery closes, a selection of works from the Fogg and its sister museums, the Busch-Reisinger and the Arthur M. Sackler, will be on view across the street at the Sackler during the closing.

Admission: $9. 32 Quincy St., Cambridge. 617-495-9400, www.artmuseums.harvard.edu.

Nature

Boston's famous Swan Boats have been operating since 1877, and in all that time the ride hasn't changed. The slow 15-minute paddle-boat cruise is a Disneyesque tour of the city's central park.

Insider: Sailing on Jamaica Plain Pond

Far more entertaining is summer sailing or rowing on Jamaica Pond, a 68-acre lake in part of Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks. From the water you'll see the 1 1/2-mile bike and running path packed with joggers and families and a panorama of trees. (The pond is a stone's throw from the 265-acre Jamaica Plain Arboretum.) It's the best way to be at one with nature without tangling with Boston's notorious traffic.

Rowboats are available at the Boat House, at Jamaica-way and Pond Street, 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. ($10 per hour). Sailboats are available 3:30-6 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. weekends ($15 per hour). Information: 617-522-5061, www.jamaicapond.com.

Seafood

Established in 1826, the Union Oyster House boasts that it is the country's oldest restaurant. To that end, it serves authentic New England staples: oysters on the half shell, gluey clam chowder and boiled lobster dinners.

Insider: B&G Oysters

Sleek and airy, with cutting-edge cuisine, B&G is the antithesis of the old Oyster House. Star chef Barbara Lynch offers terrific versions of the classics — fried Ipswich clams and lobster bisque — but what the locals line up for is more innovative fare such as the tempura gray sole with cucumber, red chiles and Thai basil, or a seat at the bar where they can watch chefs expertly shuck oysters drawn from the restaurant's master list of nearly 200 varieties. Entrees $25- $29.

550 Tremont St., 617-423-0550.

Afternoon stroll

Tourist: Freedom Trail

The 2 1/2-mile path from the gold-domed State House to the home of Paul Revere takes you past 16 historic sites. Official guides in period dress also lead 90-minute tours.

Insider: Esplanade River Walk

Lush and green, the 18-mile Dudley White path snakes along the Charles River. Enter at the north end of Arlington Street, near Beacon Hill, by crossing over the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge to the Hatch Shell, where you might catch a free outdoor concert on weekends. Then wind your way up past the domes of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the spires of Harvard.

Along the way, you'll see scores of sailboats out in the river and occasional gondoliers, who sing Italian arias as they ferry tourists past the city's soaring vistas. There's ample green space to rest or throw out a blanket and picnic along the way.

Sports

Tourist: Fenway Park

The "curse" has been reversed, but Bostonians have shown that it's not just underdogs they love rooting for. The Red Sox are as beloved as ever, and their famous ballpark is considered sacred ground.

Insider: Gillette Stadium

There's really no replacing Fenway. None. Zip. Zero. But Boston sports fanatics (including scores of young women) have recently taken a shine to their soccer team, the New England Revolution.

Yes, Gillette Stadium, 30 miles outside the city in Foxboro, lacks the charm of Fenway. But like the Sox, the Revs appeal to Boston's love of the underdog. Until 2007, they had the distinction of being the only Major League Soccer team formed before 2005 not to win a major trophy. They downed FC Dallas in 2007 to win the U.S. Open Cup. Now, fans hope the team is on a roll. The Revs' season runs from April to October and, unlike with the Red Sox, mere mortals can still get tickets.

1 Patriot Place, Foxboro, www.revolutionsoccer.net. Tickets $19 to $37.

Jane Black is a former resident of Boston.