We enjoyed parents weekend so much! We actually travelled from California each year to attend. Nothing new from year to year, but we enjoyed the festivities with our son. Enjoy and if time permits, attend as many events as possible.
Any Harvard parents out there want to revive this thread?
Weâll start with the upcoming Visitas. I heard the kids will go on their own ways leaving the parents (if they go, that is) along to fend for themselves. Are there anything in the program for the parents? Are there nearby hotels recommended by the school for the parents?
@noansweres: Yes, there are events for parents (https://visitas2018.sched.com), however many of the activities are geared towards students. In years past, there have also been parties at some of upperclass houses in the evenings (parents not invited). As such, IMHO itâs a good time for parents to practice âcutting the cordâ and letting their teenager take a giant leap toward adulthood. Years ago, I dropped my daughter off at the dorm room she was staying at for Visitas and didnât see her again until the end of the weekend.
Trip Advisor has a list of hotels near Harvard square, however you might be able to an AirBnB that is cheaper: https://www.tripadvisor.com/SmartDeals-g60890-d102687-Harvard_University-Cambridge_Massachusetts-Hotel-Deals.html
@gibby Thanks for the links, they are very helpful. It seems not much events for the parents only. Are we allowed to attend some of the featured events, such as the museum tours, lunches, Presidentâs address, etc, all the fun stuff? Seems we only have the Harvard parents social and the financial aid meeting.
Most certainly!
We plan to come with my daughter because my husband has never toured Harvardâs campus. So we plan to hang in Boston for the weekend while sheâs there.
Yes, please attend featured events. Itâs a great time for parents. My son spent time with us touring events. As a matter of fact, most of his friends spent time with their families. Touring the campus and local sites was fun, as well. Enjoy!
Insearch20012, please do visit Boston and the surrounding cities. We visited a few of the other campuses in the area and ate at wonderful restaurants while in Boston. Lots and lots to see! Enjoy
The lunches they listed as part of the Visitas program, which I assume are in the school cafeteria, can the parents join in as well?
@noanswers,you can but you will have to pay for the privilege. 
Itâs worth experiencing the atmosphere, at least once. When we went back for freshman parentsâ weekend, my daughter only wanted us to take her off campus for food.
@3girls3cats Thanks. I heard the food isnât the greatest in the school cafeteria. Like you said, it would be a good experience, and perhaps make us understand in the future why our DS is spending more money eating off campus?
@noanswers, lol, exactly! The setting is glorious, the food less so.
@noanswers Iâll participate in helping resurrect this thread! I also kept my distance during Visitas and didnât eat in Annenberg till Freshmen Move-In. Make sure to attend the For Parents Only: âThe College Experienceâ panel on Sunday at 4:00. This was very helpful and I appreciated hearing a panelist remark, âYou can tell your child they donât need to keep proving they belong at Harvard, they belong.â There is so much to do in the Boston/Cambridge area⊠itâs incredible!
I would be happy to see this thread revived!
There is so much to do in Cambridge. I believe parents have access to all the museums. Donât miss the glass flowers at the Museum of Natural History. The minerals and gems exhibit there is also wonderful. The HMNH connects through its back to the Peabody Museum (they are contiguous, connected through the back of each building), which has many great exhibits as well. Other things worth seeing are Houghton Library. Often Pusey has a small and interesting exhibit. The Harvard Art Museums (also called the Fogg) have some wonderful pieces; if possible take one of the student-guided tours. During Freshmen Parentsâ and Junior Parentsâ Weekend, there will be tours of Widener, Wadsworth House, and access to all the museums, so donât worry if you miss a few things.
Regarding restaurants: if youâre there with your spouse and want to eat a nice meal, try Harvest and Toscanoâsâbest to make reservations at both. For breakfast, I love Crema. Flour is a great sandwich place. If itâs a chilly April evening, have hot chocolate at Burdickâsâbut they close on the early side, so check first. For burgers, try Bartleyâs or Boston Burger Company, a little ways down Mass Ave. Nine Tastes is a great Thai place. Clover has terrific vegetarian and vegan food. You will be able to eat in Annenberg during move-in and FPW. Your child may not want to eat there, but be sure to do it at least once, and after freshman year you will not be able to do it.
Look at the kiosks at the end of the Yard near the science center to see if there are any concerts or lectures you want to see. You can also check out the Harvard Gazette online for event listings.
Wander through Radcliffe Yard after stopping at Burdickâs and sit in the garden located in the corner on the Garden Street side. Walk along the river on Saturday and see if there are teams rowing (many of the Harvard teams will be in Annapolis racing Navy that weekend, however). If itâs warm enough, grab ice cream or yogurt and sit in the chairs scattered around Harvard Yard.
Finally, @noanswers and @Insearch20012, I recommend private messaging each other and connecting while youâre there. Probably the Starbucks right in Harvard Square (there are several close by) or Tatte are the best places for meet upsâupstairs at both. I would love to hear other ideas from other parents about good places to meet. Itâs really great to have a few parent connections before you get there. Also, have you found the FB page for the Class of 2022 yet? Search for that if you havenât found it.
From a parent of a 2017 kid and a 2020 kid.
@EastGrad, that is such a great answer! Let me second the Burdickâs recommendationâthe hot chocolate is sinfully good. If you like sushi, Cafe Sushi is exceptional. Itâs a bit of a walk but very much worth it.
Thank you so much EastGrad for such an informative answer. I made a reservation for Friday night at Toscanini. Looks yummy. We will try the sushi spot Saturday night. My husband went to BU decades ago so he is familiar with Boston but not at all with Cambridge. We would love to meet up with some Class of 2022 parents and yes I am connected to Class of 2022 Facebook group.
EastGrad, great recommendations!
Boston and the surrounding areas are so full of history. Weâre from Southern California so for us it was such a treat to visit real history 
- I must admit one of our favorite places to eat when in Cambridge is Border CafĂ©. It may be simply because it was the first place we ate when arriving in Cambridge and thatâs where my son made his decision to attend Harvard. He spent 4 years undergrad and 3 years at Harvard Law School. He met his future wife during his first week at Harvard. Theyâve been married 3 years and are expecting our first granddaughter in a few weeks. Lots of wonderful memories. I know I keep saying to enjoy every moment your child is in school, but thatâs simply because life goes by so quickly and soon this will all be just a memory.
BTW, the hot chocolate at Burdicks is the best!
Hi, 4 years flies by very fast! Looking for 1 extra ticket for graduation (morning exercises) for this year (5/24/18). Seniors are given 4 tickets. Tickets cannot be sold, but hoping there might be an extra ticket that a family might not need and would be willing to pass along to a family looking to include 1 more? Thanks for considering!
To private message: click on my user name to get to profile page. Then, click on orange envelope icon at top/rightâŠand input your user name. I think that should work for private message?
Thanks for your lovely update, @guitars101, and congrats to your son, daughter-in-law, and you on the new arrival! How excited you must be!
@parent1ivy, last year my S used a group me post (which included his large roommate group and some other friends) to find extra tickets. A few people only had their parents coming and they were happy to give him their extras.