Boston's well-deserved reputation as a great sports town derives in part from the days when at least one professional team was one of the best in the world. In 2002, the New England Patriots (who play in suburban Foxboro) continued that tradition by winning the Super Bowl. Although the other pro teams haven't enjoyed that level of success recently, passions still run deep. That enthusiasm applies to some college sports as well, particularly hockey, in which the Division I schools are fierce rivals.

The FleetCenter, 150 Causeway St. (tel. 617/624-1518; www.fleetcenter.com), is open for tours from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Call for schedules during your visit. Tickets are $6 for adults and $4 for seniors and children 6 to 17. On the fifth- and sixth-floor concourses, the Sports Museum of New England (tel. 617/624-1234 or 617/787-7678) celebrates local teams and athletes (especially the Celtics and Bruins, who play in the building). Always call ahead; there's no access during events. Tours usually start daily at 11am, noon, 1, 2, and 3pm. Admission is $6 for adults, $4 for seniors and children. Note: Visitors may not bring any bags, including backpacks and briefcases, into the arena.

Baseball -- No other experience in sports matches watching the Boston Red Sox play at Fenway Park, which they do from early April to early October, and later if they make the playoffs. The quirkiness of the oldest park in the major leagues (1912) and the fact that (at press time) the team last won the World Series in 1918 only add to the Fenway mystique.

A hand-operated scoreboard fronts the 37-foot left-field wall, or "Green Monster." Watch carefully during a pitching change -- the left fielder from either team might suddenly disappear into a door in the wall to cool off. The seats are narrow, uncomfortable, and gratifyingly close to the field, and the concession items are more varied than they once were, though definitely not cheaper. But that's not why you're here. You're in an intensely green place that's older than your grandparents, inhaling a Fenway Frank and wishing for a home run -- what could be better?

The Red Sox franchise changed hands in 2002, throwing plans to demolish most of Fenway Park into limbo. The new owners have invested in the existing structure, erecting new seating above the Green Monster and behind home plate, but their long-term plans are unknown. Nothing is official, except the sense that if you've been hoping to visit "sometime," you'd better get moving.

Practical concerns: Compared with its modern brethren, Fenway is tiny. Tickets (at least $18, the most expensive in the majors) go on sale in January; order early. Forced to choose between seats in a low-numbered grandstand section -- say, 10 or below -- and in the bleachers, go for the bleachers. They can get rowdy during night games, but the view is better from there than from the deep right-field corner. Throughout the season, a limited number of standing-room tickets go on sale the day of the game, and presold tickets sometimes are returned. It can't hurt to check, especially if the team isn't playing well.

The Fenway Park ticket office (tel. 617/267-1700 for tickets, or 617/482-4SOX for touch-tone ticketing; www.redsox.com) is at 4 Yawkey Way, near the corner of Brookline Avenue. Tickets for people with disabilities and in no-alcohol sections are available. Smoking is not allowed in the park. Games usually begin at 7pm on weeknights and 1pm on weekends. Take the MBTA Green Line B, C, or D to Kenmore, or D to Fenway.

Play Ball! -- Fenway Park tours (tel. 617/236-6666) include a walk on the warning track. From May to September, tours begin on weekdays only at 10am, 11am, noon, and 1pm. There are no tours on holidays or before day games. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, and $3 for children under 16.

Basketball -- Sixteen National Basketball Association championship banners hang from the ceiling of the FleetCenter, testimony to the glorious history of the Boston Celtics. Unfortunately, the most recent is from 1986. The Celtics play from early October to April or May; when a top contender is visiting, you might have trouble buying tickets. Prices are as low as $10 for some games and top out at $85 ($250 for floor seats). For information, call the FleetCenter (tel. 617/624-1000; www.nba.com/celtics); for tickets, contact Ticketmaster (tel. 617/931-2000; www.ticketmaster.com). To reach the FleetCenter, take the MBTA Green or Orange Line or commuter rail to North Station. Note: Spectators may not bring any bags, including backpacks and briefcases, into the arena.

Football -- The New England Patriots (tel. 800/543-1776; www.patriots.com) were playing to standing-room-only crowds even before they won the Super Bowl in 2002 and moved to a snazzy new stadium. The Pats play from August through December or January at Gillette Stadium on Route 1 in Foxboro, about a 45-minute drive south of Boston. Tickets sell out well in advance, often as part of season-ticket packages. Call or check the website for information on individual ticket sales and public-transit options.

Boston College, another tough ticket, is New England's only Division I-A college team. The Eagles play at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill (tel. 617/552-3000). The area's Division I-AA teams are Harvard University, Harvard Stadium, North Harvard Street, Allston (tel. 617/495-2211); and Northeastern University, Parsons Field, Kent Street, Brookline (tel. 617/373-4700).

Golf Tournaments -- The major tours have changed their schedules several times in recent years; at least one usually gets within an hour of downtown Boston. The Senior PGA Tour (www.pgatour.com) swings by every July, landing at Nashawtuc Country Club in Concord (tel. 978/369-3457; www.nashawtuc.com). Over Labor Day weekend in 2003, the PGA Tour (www.pgatour.com) visited the Tournament Players Club of Boston, which is actually in Norton (tel. 508/285-3200; www.thetpcofboston.com). Check ahead for exact dates and other information, including whether the LPGA (www.lpga.com) and the Women's Senior Golf Tour (www.wsgtour.com) will return to eastern Massachusetts. The Globe and Herald regularly list numerous amateur events for fun and charity.

Hockey -- The Boston Bruins, one of the NHL's original six teams, are exciting but incredibly expensive to watch. Tickets for many games sell out early despite being among the priciest ($23-$77) in the league. For information, call the FleetCenter (tel. 617/624-1000; www.bostonbruins.com); for tickets, contact Ticketmaster (tel. 617/931-2000; www.ticketmaster.com). To reach the FleetCenter, take the MBTA Green or Orange Line or commuter rail to North Station. Note: Spectators may not bring any bags, including backpacks and briefcases, into the arena.

Budget-minded fans who don't have their hearts set on seeing a pro game will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of local college hockey. Even for sold-out games, standing-room tickets are usually available the night of the game. Women's games don't sell out. The local teams regularly hit the national rankings; they include Boston College, Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill (tel. 617/552-3000); Boston University, Walter Brown Arena, 285 Babcock St. (tel. 617/353-3838); Harvard University, Bright Hockey Center, North Harvard Street, Allston (tel. 617/495-2211); and Northeastern University, Matthews Arena, St. Botolph Street (tel. 617/373-4700). These four are the Beanpot schools, whose men's teams play a tradition-steeped tournament on the first two Mondays of February at the FleetCenter.

Horse Racing -- Suffolk Downs, 111 Waldemar Ave., East Boston (tel. 617/567-3900; www.suffolkdowns.com), is one of the best-run smaller tracks in the country. It's home to the Grade 2 Massachusetts Handicap, contested on the first Saturday in June. There are extensive simulcasting options during and after the live racing season, which usually runs from late September to early June. (With the transformation of New Hampshire's Rockingham Park into a harness-racing track, that may change.) The day's entries appear in the Globe and Herald. The track is off Route 1A, about 2 miles north of Logan Airport. The MBTA Blue Line has a Suffolk Downs station; wait for the shuttle bus or walk about 10 minutes to the track entrance.

Place Your Bets -- At press time, legislation was pending that would make slot machines legal in Massachusetts. If it has passed by the time you visit, you can expect to find wheels spinning and bells ringing at Suffolk Downs. Check with the track or with the front desk at your hotel for details.

The Marathon -- Every year on Patriots Day (the 3rd Mon in Apr), the Boston Marathon rules the roads from suburban Hopkinton to Copley Square in Boston. Cheering fans line the entire route. An especially nice place to watch is tree-shaded Commonwealth Avenue between Kenmore Square and Mass. Ave., but you'll be in a crowd wherever you stand, particularly near the finish line in front of the Boston Public Library. For information about qualifying, contact the Boston Athletic Association (tel. 617/236-1652; www.bostonmarathon.org).

Rowing -- In late October, the Head of the Charles Regatta (tel. 617/868-6200; www.hocr.org) attracts more rowers than any other crew event in the country. Some 4,000 oarsmen and oarswomen race against the clock for 4 miles from the Charles River basin to the Eliot Bridge in west Cambridge. Hundreds of thousands of spectators socialize and occasionally watch the action, which runs nonstop on Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday.

Spring crew racing is more exciting than the "Head" format; the course is 1 1/4 miles, and races last just 5 to 7 minutes. Men's and women's collegiate events take place on Saturday mornings in April and early May in the Charles River basin. You'll have a perfect view of the finish line from Memorial Drive between the MIT boathouse and the Hyatt Regency Cambridge. To find out who's racing, check the Friday Globe sports section.

Soccer -- The Boston Breakers (tel. 866/462-7325 or 781/292-1016; www.bostonbreakers.com) of the Women's United Soccer Association play at Boston University's Nickerson Field, off Commonwealth Avenue, April through August. Tickets cost $11 to $25 and are available through Ticketmaster (tel. 617/931-2000; www.ticketmaster.com).

The New England Revolution (tel. 877/438-7387 or 508/543-0350; www.nerevolution.com) of Major League Soccer plays at Gillette Stadium on Route 1 in Foxboro from April through September. Tickets cost $16 to $32 and are available through Ticketmaster (tel. 617/931-2000; www.ticketmaster.com).