Harvard Art Museums is where it's at. My daughter and I spent a couple of hours here and still…read moredidn't see everything. There are so many different exhibits, from ancient pieces to modern art, plus a lot of interactive exhibits to keep things that much more interesting. We caught the Celtic Art Across the Ages exhibit and a Critical Thinking exhibit that had hands-on activities and films. It wasn't just looking at art- we actually got to interact with it which made it way more fun. What I also loved about this museum is that cost is $0 to enjoy all this. Definitely worth checking out if you're in Cambridge, Mass.

Excellently curated art museum which also happens to be free to the public! They have a wide…read morecollection of art spanning from ancient Asia and the Middle East to contemporary work. There's also a nice gift store and a little cafe with a seating area on the first floor. You will find the usual collection of European masters (there's a couple of beautiful Picasso paintings from his blue period) but they also have a wide collection of religious iconography from the middle ages as well as ancient Buddhist and Islamic art. I highly recommend allowing yourself a couple hours to leisurely browse the collection. There are also lockers to secure your valuables.

My kids and I enjoyed the MIT museum! Lots of cool history and innovation! The museum is kept clean…read moreand staff is friendly and helpful throughout our trip. Be sure to check out the gift shop on your way out!

If you are a science nerd, then you will love this museum. If you're not much into museums, you're…read morenot going to like it a whole lot cuz there's a whole bunch of history and the evolution of science women in science, the space, race, advancement of photographic lenses all kinds of things that the MIT community has contributed to the advancement of our human kind. I loved it cuz I was geeking out. My husband not so much.

Everything about this museum screams as a must-see when in Boston! The collection varies in era…read morebased on sections of the home. Like most museums but I feel for this one especially, it's important to wear comfy shoes. I had seen amazing photos and videos with the courtyard collection as Isabella Stewart Gardner had a beautiful garden at the center of the building in such a unique way. It's a lovely view from the ground and even from above. It's important to make a reservation ahead of time and pick a window that has decent natural light in my opinion which makes the museum even better of a sight!!

Went on a very rainy weekday around noon. Surprisingly very busy with tours and other visitors…read more Love the layout and that it's kept in original format as she stated in her will. Of course the garden is such a highlight from all angles and levels. Kids were interested in everything! They had fun finding all the works of art on the Map and they also have a kids activity one as well. No surprise the Heist of 1990 is such a draw. Unfortunately the Dutch Room, location of the Heist, is currently under restoration. "Gardner staff are working to restore the Dutch Room so that future visitors can experience it as Isabella originally intended. This floor-to-ceiling restoration will be completed by early 2027. Electricians are upgrading the system for new and improved lighting. We'll be able to see more details, including the painted ceiling that we spent in months cleaning and stabilizing. It comes from a building in Orvieto, in central Italy. Many artists painted its 120 scenes in the 1520s." "While we will wrap up our restoration work in 2027, the room will remain incomplete until all the works of art are returned." - you are allowed to have a purse/bag. They check it when entering - you are allowed to wear a coat or use coat check - large umbrellas need to be left at entrance. Smaller ones can be on you in a a provided plastic bag but be careful not to let it swing around and hit objects - bring headphones and a charged phone to scan QR codes in each room to learn more about the art and highlights from different artists - cool old elevator access and really pretty bathrooms - some bench seating available in rooms and around courtyard (see map for available seating) - don't forget to visit the gift shop for unique gifts and they have ornaments too! Tip: use your local museum library pass Provides up to four (4) people with $5 admission per person. Children under the age of 18 are always admitted for free. Some metered parking but hard to find. Also can park at Levels P1-P3 of the Simmons School of Management Garage. MUST get ticket validated at museum

During a recent weekend trip to Boston, I reserved an entire day for the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)…read moreand it was the best decision I could have made. If I lived in Boston, I would become a member so that I could visit at will, even if only for few hours at a time. I am particularly interested in the impressionists, and John Singer Sargent, so I kept mostly to the 2nd floor. The museum is well organized, and there are staff floating around to answer any questions (one staffer even offered some tips to reduce the glare when taking a photo of a certain painting). I had checked out of my hotel so I had baggage with me (don't we all)...MFA has a convenient bag check. I also purchased a sizeable book from the bookshop and the staff put it in a box for me to keep it from being damaged during travel. I saw one temporary exhibit that was a nicely curated mix of multimedia art, and I also enjoyed seeing some of the rooms presented in a gallery style so that I could truly appreciate modern display methods. Six hours here went by in a flash, and I will definitely be back to see more of the MFA's vast collection. p.s. The equestrian sport of polo came from Persia?? Loved this fact! I also really enjoyed the time put into the object labels and the stories they told. "The most outrageous series of ferocious daubs that any slanderer of Venice could possibly imagine," a quote from a critic describing Renoir's Grand Canal, Venice, made me snort laugh out loud!

The Boston Museum of Fine Arts features an impressive selection of art from around the world and…read moreacross different periods. We explored the Egyptian, Greek, European, Flemish and Dutch, Asian, Impressionist, and a small Jewish section. The exhibits are wonderful, and the museum is too large to explore in a single day. The gift shop has a nice selection of books, cards, and other typical museum knickknacks. Their Impressionist-themed puzzles were especially interesting. This is a progressive museum that strongly supports respective causes. If that bothers you, you may not enjoy your visit.

Our whole family LOVED this museum! And when I say everyone from age 2 to almost 40 had an amazing…read moretime, I truly mean it! You could easily spend an entire day here and honestly, probably even longer. Every area has something different to explore, with hands on activities that are both fun and educational. There was so much to see and do that we were constantly discovering something new. The kids' favorite was building a car using batteries and then testing it to see how fast it would go along the track. They could have stayed there forever! My personal favorites were the bed of nails (yes, I actually tried it ) and the machine sponsored by Takeda that you stand on, and it tells you which areas of your body supposedly need a little extra attention. It was hilarious and so much fun! The AI dog robot was also SO cool! And honestly, the list of things we loved just keeps going. Even the cafeteria was a pleasant surprise. There was a good selection, the food was decent, and the prices were actually reasonable which isn't always the case at museums. This is definitely one of those places where every age can find something to enjoy. We had an amazing time as a family, and I would absolutely recommend adding this museum to your list!

Super fun thing to do with the family and children of all ages. Lots of things to touch and explore…read moreand just as many shows available as activities. We tried to get 3 shows shoved in our trip along with seeing the museum and barely made it and still missed things. For the shows, we found them all to be very entertaining. Saw the ai and robot show first in the morning. It was a fun experience and the kiddos loved it. Then we did the lighting show and I will say if you aren't a fan of loud noises and bright lights maybe pick to go inside the sensory room for this. They've thought of everything to ensure everyone has a great experience and this was a great idea to offer. Finally we did the Omni deep space show. It's an extra $10 a person but it was absolutely worth it and stunning! The kids were in absolute aw. For the museum, I will say it was exceptionally clean, and filled with hands on experiences. There's so much to do I recommend doing this with a plan. Cafeteria inside the red wing offers food for the whole family at very reasonable prices. All the food was hot and tasty. I did a separate review for them on their side and it's under "riverview cafe". Finally the gift shop was very cool. I bought a dinosaur sweater with spikes on the back and a key chain. Note: this is expensive and can easily be bypassed if you don't want to spend more because admittedly I had no plans to buy anything there and still spent $111 . Overall amazing trip with the family and it was made even easier with parking that connects right to the museum. $33 for me for 7 hours of parking. Yes you can absolutely get parking cheaper elsewhere, but if you have or know someone with a disability and want to make the experience smoother without the rush in Boston this is a great option.

This is a cute concept, and since this is the reason I dropped by, I'll review this highlight…read moreinstead of the Dorchester Brewery. It is more like a collection of art around the brewery, but the signs are funny and it's interesting to note paintings that were donated vs. found in a thrift store vs. found in the garbage. It ranges from funny proportions to some truly bizarre. It's a great activity to giggle at with friends or make up fun commentary on a date. It's a fun little concept, free, and open late, so it's a funs stop in. The brewery features a full bar, arcade and board games and BBQ food as well. The owner even showed us an old cigarette dispensing machine now filled with chocolate packs. There's a lot going on and it is apparent a lot of thought and creativity went into the space. It's certainly not like a traditional "museum" but sometimes you need to see some bad art to really appreciate some good art elsewhere. You'll end up laughing at something.

Okay, so museum may not be the exact right word. This is kind of like a gallery in a brewery. I had…read moreseen an ad for this place on Instagram, and filed it away in my brain. I pulled it out of the file and went to see bad art. We walked in and the guy at the bar was very nice and pointed out the "route" of the paintings. The art was so fun--some worse than others. I really did understand what some of what the artists were thinking, and in other cases I just laughed and scratched my head It's small and we weren't there more than 20 minutes, but it was fun. Btw--it's free!!!

Great experience! Love how this exhibit is interactive. First, we got to take part in a reenactment…read moreof the secret townhall meeting. All of the actors were awesome and stayed in character the entire time. After, we were led onto the ship where we had the opportunity to throw "tea" into the harbor. There was a lot of people to get through so this portion goes quick. Also, it's completely optional. Lastly, they take you into a few more rooms to look at artifacts and watch a short video. At the end of the tour, there is a tea room and gift shop. Overall, I think its a fun activity worth trying. You get to learn a lot about the Boston Tea Party and the Revolutionary War.

The experience was amazing! It was my first time in Boston and this is what I really wanted to do…read morewhile I was there. I was very impressed by the actors and actresses. They knew so much and knew so much about what had happened that day. It was very interactive and entertaining for the whole hour. The videos were really cool and informational. The ONLY thing I wish went a little differently was if we had a little bit more time in the exhibits to look at all the cool displays and read the information with them. It was overall a great experience.

Well curated exhibits that have a heavy emphasis on indigenous peoples. This museum was included in…read morethe Go City pass I had purchased, so I decided to check it out. There are a lot of artifacts that are well organized automatically, and that have modern informational boards accompanying them. I noticed that some artifacts were not on display and signs were present that said they were getting reviewed for cultural sensitivity. I really liked that. There was a nod to the fact that indigenous people have ownership over their histories, at least they should, and that the museum respected that. I didn't think I would enjoy the fourth floor exhibit that was mainly focused on world, fair content, but it was actually pretty cool and informative. This museum and the science museum are actually connected to each other, so that made it very convenient to check out all of the things on my wish list. Also, the admission price is very affordable if you're paying out-of-pocket. There are elevators available so that everyone can get from floor to floor to see the exhibits. This specific museum isn't huge, but the fact that it's connected to another, makes it at least a two hour plus event for anyone who plans on visiting if they want to get the richest possible experience.

I visited the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology with my husband two weeks ago when we were…read morein Boston for a long weekend for his birthday. Admission to the Harvard Museum of Natural History includes admission to Peabody, which is attached/connected. We had visited the natural history museum so decided to pop over to the Peabody as well. The museum has interesting artifacts but felt very dated and quite compartmentalized. We only explored for a little bit and wondered if we had missed rooms somewhere somehow! But I enjoyed exploring the Hall of the North American Indian, the Day of the Dead ofrenda, and the small exhibit on Harvard's Indian College. Worth popping into if you're visiting the natural history museum, but I wouldn't say it's must a visit during a visit to Boston.