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    Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

    4.0 (19 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    6/2010
    Vivian C.

    It's free. How nice! But that's not what drew me here... the honor of that belonged to the "Jim Henson's Fantastic World" exhibit, hosted by the National Heritage Museum from April 3, 2010 through June 27, 2010. I stopped by the National Heritage Museum on a hot and humid afternoon and drove around their not that large a parking lot for a bit before I finally found myself a spot. As I walked up to the museum, I passed by a sign that alerted me that photos were not allowed. Bummer! Once inside, the air conditioning pleasantly cooled me off. The Henson exhibit was quite popular as evidenced by the crowd of all ages wandering the halls. Colorful muppets were exhibited in glass cases in the center of the rooms while photos and pictures and several video monitors lined the walls. In the final room (assuming you went clockwise through the halls), there's even a short corner table with some books to flip through. And for the kiddies, I spotted a little "find this" type sheet with magnets to mark the items as they were found - I even saw an adult carrying one of these around. I also had the opportunity to check out the museum's auditorium, which was more wide than deep, but no seat was too far from the stage. Bathrooms are conveniently located by the entrance just off from the main hall. A great little free museum... I'll have to head over sometime to check out the other exhibits.

    National Heritage Museum
    Amy L.

    The National Heritage Museum is charming hidden gem. The Jim Henson exhibit, which is running through June 27, 2010 is wonderful and was the main reason for my visit. For younger visitors, there is a scavenger hunt-type game to keep them entertained and engaged in the Henson exhibit. I also enjoyed wandering through "Treasured Lands: The Fifty-Eight U.S. National Parks in Focus" exhibit of Quang-Tuan Luong's photography. Many folks were picnicking on the grounds. There is a small cafe, but it was closed during our visit. Lexington Center, which is filled with restaurants, is a quick five minute drive from the museum.

    Dr. Joseph Warren
    Jocelyn G.

    This is a small museum tucked away on RT. 2A in Lexington not far from the Village Green where all those events took place long ago. They are associated with the Masons and it is evident in the ruler and level symbols scattered around the building. The good things about the museum are: ~ it is free, completely and totally. ~ the air conditioning was just what we needed on a hot day like today ~ it wasn't crowded ~ they had some beautfiul quilts in one of their exhibits ~ it is well signed and marked There aren't really any bad things other than it being a little outdated in some ways. There is a large exhibit (I'm assuming permanent) about the history of the Masons and one on the American Revolution. They also had some really cool clocks on display. Not a bad place to visit if you want to just slow down for a while and avoid the crowds.

    Entrance of National Heritage Museum
    Ken S.

    Don't overlook this wonderful place if you are visiting Lexington or live nearby. The standing exhibition on the history of Masonry is worth the trip alone (unfortunately, details of the secret handshake are not revealed), but the ever-changing special exhibitions are frequently outstanding. (For example, a few years back the museum presented several hundred objects from Kenneth Rendell's famous collection of artifacts from Frontier America.) The museum also hosts lectures, concerts, and summer sings--consistently excellent in my experience.

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    Other than being a pain to get to without a car, it's a place filled with fantastic history

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    Review Highlights - Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library

    Aside from the Jim Henson Exhibit (which is only temporary so act fast!) The National Heritage Museum has some other nice exhibits as well.

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    Hancock Clarke House

    Hancock Clarke House

    4.8
    (6 reviews)

    my brother and I visited Lexington, and enjoyed an amazing day of learning. We ended our tour at…read morethe Hancock Clark , and I'm glad we did. Even when we arrived close to the end of the day, our curator Carol still took us through the and treated us with such professionalism. Thank you, Lexington Historical Society for all that you do.

    For the package deal of $15 you can visit this house and two others (Buckman Tavern and Munroe…read moreTavern), otherwise it's $8 per house. This house was probably the most extensive tour of the 3 - it starts with a 10 minute video introducing you to what happened that morning in April 1775. You're then brought into the well-kept house by a guide who introduces you to this beautiful home built by Thomas Clark, a wealthy book maker, for his parents who were in ministry. You can hear how much thought, money, and planning was put into the house through the guide's stories. This house is known for housing John Hancock and Samuel Adams on the big night - they were on the run with rewards on their heads. They escaped right in the nick of time when Paul Revere came to warn them to get out. It's absolutely fantastic to be able to see the original architecture and imagine the history that went on there. Guides are very informative and very enthusiastic about the house and everything in it. I'd recommend doing the package deal - the tickets never expire so even if you don't get to all 3 and want to come back another time or give the tickets to someone else to use, you can do that!

    Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation

    Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation

    4.1
    (47 reviews)

    Great staff and there so much to see. Being able to see some of these innovations in real life,…read morethat I had only previous seen in history books or documentaries was pretty neat. My favorite part was to see some of the belt driven machinery actually work. We had visited the day after a person had come and replaced some of the belts. We were able to see a belt driven (automated) saw cut through a chunk of metal. It was an impromptu demo as we were walking around the the staff member saw us examining this particular piece of equipment (with our eyes of course). And he started it up for us. Again...staff is really enthusiastic and engaging. We also got to see where they do hands on workshops, where kids can design and print things in 3D, which is pretty cool. They had a nice even space as well for smaller weddings/events. Easy parking (pay) in a nearby garage and a easy walk across the bridge/walkway to get to the museum. If this type of history interests you, I would definitely recommend you stopping by. We were there for a couple of hours and throughly enjoyed the staff showing us around. Cute gift shop as well.

    I'm embarrassed to say that I've worked over a decade in this area of Waltham and have never…read morerealized this hidden gem of a historical museum existed. The guys working the front desk are super knowledgeable, funny, helpful and nice. One of them was kind enough to give us a brief intro when we first arrived. They can totally geek out on all sorts of interesting facts, which I live to absorb. Still, I wish I had planned it in advance so we could have a formal tour because there's so much to see. Before coming here I had no idea that Massachusetts held such a rich industrial heritage. We spent two hours exploring the two story museum. There were plenty of interactive exhibits (great for the kiddos and adults) and each time we looped around the museum we found something else we missed the first time going through. This place is a haven especially for those who are interested in history and engineering. They had antique bikes, wooden cars, steam fire engines, watchmaking tools, belt driven machines, typography machines, horse drawn fire truck, and even a phone booth! They also do a great job of mixing in some modern and new exhibits (e.g., we saw whimsical puppetry paintings by Tanya Harsch). The second floor also has a beautiful and grand ballroom space (perfect for corporate events or weddings). I can't wait to come back here. Whether you are local or from out of town I'd highly recommend a visit.

    Minute Man Visitor Center

    Minute Man Visitor Center

    4.6
    (79 reviews)

    With the 250th anniversary of the American Revolutionary War, we wanted to pay tribute to the…read moreglorious patriots who made sacrifices for this country! It is about 20 to 30 miles northwest of Boston, the drive is scenic especially when you start driving through all of the little towns leading to Lexington and Concord. The main attraction for our visit was to visit the north bridge memorial site where the first shots of the war began at 5am on Apr 19,1775 dubbed the "shot heard around the world" There is also a marker for the two British soldiers killed here. The site is spread out and will require some hiking if you would like to see the entire trail. I believe it was 5 to 7 miles on foot to see everything. The visit was amazing and awe inspiring! I highly recommend any history buff to visit.

    Great park on the start of the American Revolution. Although it's only open seasonally, there is a…read moregreat exhibit at the visitor's center with a great video explanation of the start of the war. The presentation is very thorough and engaging. The gift shop has decent items. Grab a map, then on a nice day it's a great walk / stepping down the same road history took the English and Americans to face each other. Some of the sites are walkable and some are a little further, but there are parking areas along the way. The tavern wasn't open when I went, but there are tour options throughout the summer. We ended out outing at North Bridge, which is another great site. On a nice weather day, you could easily spend a few hours here. It's a unique site in our nation's history, and it's a lot of fun and good times outdoors.

    Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library - museums - Updated June 2026

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