BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Everyone knows Boston is a city steeped in history, but on a steamy hot summer day, one of the best places to experience the city is from the ocean or the harbor.
Codzilla boats zip passengers around Boston's inner harbor.
A new high-speed thrill ride called Codzilla -- a 70-foot turbocharged boat that makes 180-degree turns at close to 40 knots (43 mph) -- takes passengers out of the inner harbor into the Atlantic.
White-knuckled riders are tied down with seat belts but still hold on to the railings with one hand and cling to their belongings with the other so they don't fly overboard.
Teenage boys like Ben Whatley from Michigan think Codzilla is "pretty cool." Younger brother Jeremy agrees while huddling with his grandmother.
If you want both history and a boat ride, take one of Boston's famous Duck Tours. Operated on amphibious vehicles from World War II, the tours take you through downtown historic Boston. Then the bus becomes a sea-going vessel, settling into the harbor for a short cruise. It's a great way to see both sides of the city.
When you get back on land, the New England Aquarium awaits with a "Sharks and Rays" exhibit that wraps up September 1. It includes a large touch tank where visitors can pet stingrays and small sharks.
Megan Moore, a visitor program specialist at the aquarium, is excited to teach people that most sharks are not scary. Out of the 900 different species of sharks and rays, Moore says, only 10 to 15 have ever been known to attack a human, mostly because they confuse people with food. Sea dragons, jellyfish and harbor seals are among the other sea creatures on display at the aquarium.
If you'd rather see animals in their own habitat, you can board a whale watch tour at the harbor just outside the aquarium.
Tours take about three hours on a high-speed catamaran to the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. It's been a protected area since 1992 and is a rich feeding ground for all kinds of marine life. Tour operators guarantee whale sightings on every excursion. Visitors this year are seeing large numbers of humpback, fin and even endangered right whales. There are also lots of dolphins, seals and sea birds.
Finally, to experience Boston in a historic way, head to the Public Garden and take a peaceful 20-minute glide in a Swan Boat. The boats have been an important part of the garden every spring and summer since 1877.
Operator and owner Lyn Paget's great-grandfather got the idea for the first boat from the opera Lohengrin, in which a prince rescues his princess in a boat drawn by a swan. Paget calls the experience "magical" because the world speeds ahead but the Swan Boats never change.
"We have generations of people that have passed through here. When you come down with a friend, or child or a grandchild, their experience is going to be the same that it was for you, and there aren't too many places where you can do that anymore," Paget said.
Fran Fifis is a senior producer who has worked in CNN's Boston bureau since it opened in 1998.
All About Boston • Travel Destinations • Travel and Tourism
From the Blogs: 
Sit tight, we're getting to the good stuff
