We came here to visit the Mapparium and I thought it was quite interesting. The tour takes only 15 minutes and you walk inside a huge globe. They don't allow pictures which definitely sucks because a selfie inside a globe would be good to post on Facebook or Instagram. Oh well! read more

Visited on a Sunday afternoon curious about the Mapparium . We arrived before the 1.40 presentation and were ushered in to join the group. The Mapparium is one piece of this library and as a former geography teacher, I wish we had one in our home town. The room is tiny and sound carries... so any whisper could be heard by others. There is short audio presentation about the history of the Mapparium and how it was built in 1936. On the grounds is the Church of Christ Scientist, which is beautiful church. If you have a 30 minutes in afternoon, make your way over to the Mary Baker Eddy Library. read more

went with a 3rd grade class for a field trip when i was student teaching few years ago. maybe i didn't get to fully enjoy all the features praised about, so i didn't see the hype of it. yeah it was a beautiful scene; the colored glass-built globe, from the inside perspective, with such magnitude, it was indeed amazing. but we only got to spend the few minutes we were in there, so i personally wouldn't think it was worth the $6 at all. we were out quick, but we got unlimited time to tour the rest of the building and all other exhibits, which i have no interest in whatsoever. if the glass globe is the feature of the place, and we paid $6 to see just that, then i should be able to spend as long as i like in there. just my thought. i do agree with the other reviewer that the architectural view from the outside is amazing too, w/the long fountain and all. read more

Gorgeous, and well worth $6 entrance fee to see the Mapparium, which is a completely spherical room with stained glass panels that depicts the world when this globe was built (early 1900s). There's a glass bridge that cuts through the middle of the globe where we entered to view the globe, in a short tour and light show. We then tested out the strange acoustics- whispers can be hear loud & clear at opposite sides of the globe (to my cousin's shock & delight), and if you speak in the center, it sounds like you're talking with your ears plugged. If you go, you should go with a friend so you can test out the acoustics for yourself. Very unique attraction and extraordinarily beautiful. It was cool to see how much the world has changed...the world had countries "USSR", "Czechoslovakia", "Siam"...and almost the entire continent of Africa was colonies of European countries. The exhibit on Mary Baker Eddy (who the library is named after), hall of quotes, and overall building is very serene and a nice respite in a very busy part of the city. Even though it's part of the Christian Science Center, the exhibits are not overly religious, and the mapparium doesn't refer to religion at all. I have passed this place a gazillion times over the years, but this was my first time visiting. I wish the tour was a little longer (and allowed photographs)- I can't believe I've never visited this place in the past! read more

So, we (my boyfriend and I) came here just for the Mapparium. I can't speak to the rest of the library or anything about Mary Baker Eddy, buuuut I can tell you about that tour! To see the Mapparium, we paid $4 ($2 discount with a student ID). They have tours pretty often, and the tour lasts about 20 minutes. Our guide spoke about the library for a few minutes outside of the Mapparium, and the rest of it was inside that globe. There's a short light display (meh, it was informative, but the audio was terrible) The last half of the tour consisted of us trying out the special features in the globe, which were the echo and whispering galley effects. When you're inside, the globe doesn't feel like it's 3 stories high. You're not supposed to take pictures because the image is trademarked, but it is definitely possible to sneak a few photos in. (Just be sure to turn your sound off - everything is amplified in there!) read more

I guess I wasn't impressed about this place like all the other reviews. This tour was included with our Boston go card, so we decided to check it out since the duck tour was sold out and we were trying to figure out things to do in the area. I guess it's nice to see a map from the inside. I wouldn't have paid $6 otherwise. It's one of those places where I would go once and not care to go to it again. When we arrived, we got our tickets and were told to wait inside the next room for the following tour. I don't know what happened, but someone while sitting there, we didn't hear the tour guide announce our tour time. By the time we realized what time it was, the tour had already started for 5 mins. So, we had to go to the front and exchange our tickets for the next showing, which was in another 20 mins. The room is kinda cool because you get to see the globe from the inside. The tour made me a bit sleepy and I thought it was boring. We left after the tour was over. I was not impressed, but it was nice to see and experience the acoustics achieved from being inside a sphere. read more

The Mapparium is amazing - well worth the $6 admission for the tour. The tour itself is pretty short and only gives you 10 or so minutes in there (you aren't allowed in the mapparium unless on the tour). They give you a nice talk on the history of the room and how it was made, as well as info on the acoustics. It's beautiful, and I've never seen anything like it, I'm glad I finally made time to check it out. read more

Tucked away from the crush of traffic and noise is this very unique place. When you walk into the Christian Science center and buy a ticket, you are corralled into a large ballroom area with stained glass windows, fountains, and projectors bouncing words on the walls and floors. It had a very surreal feeling, especially after I had been trekking through the busy streets of Boston all day. Finally, the main event: the Mapparium. It delivers all of the promise of being inside a giant stained glass globe. This sets the stage for strange audio features as voices travel through the arc of the globe. It was also really cool to see how the map has changed since the Mapparium was erected. Unfortunately, photography wasn't allowed so I couldn't get a shot of my favorite bowling pin (Toby) inside the globe. This is one of those offbeat gems that can soothe a hectic day in Boston and I highly recommend that you experience it - even if it is over and done with in under and hour! read more

Globe Room Review Only: Neat map. Beautiful colors and lights behind them. It is just a big map though, so don't expect like a multiple room event or anything. I went on a free day which was cool since we didn't have to pay, but it mean no person providing information/history about this. They don't let you take pictures and parking isn't that easy either. I wouldn't go back but it was fine to go there once. read more

Wow just wow! This is a must see exhibit the mapparium you stand inside on each side of the doors and whisper they can hear you. The acoustics were awesome. I learned that a lot has changed from the map. It is made of stained glass beautiful art work! read more

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The 3d globe was a very unique experience, and worth the trip if you are in the area. Quick and affordable even for a large group. Nothing to go out of the way for, as you will read in some of the other reviews... traffic and parking is a challenge. read more

So fun! And affordable! Wait, am I in Boston? Its fun to play with the acoustics of the all glass globe as well as enjoy how outdated the map is compared to the modern map of the world. Our tour guide was very helpful, too. Highly recommend this to any tourist in Boston! read more

The library is beautiful, and the Mapparium is stunning! Definitely worth stopping by, but the tours are short and don't give much information read more

The Mary Baker Eddy Library is an interesting piece of history. The mapparium seems to be what they're known for, but apart from that, there wasn't much to see. The acoustics within the sphere are pretty neat, and the presentation is very amusing. Apart from a huge tourist spot, I don't really see the reason to return or to explore everything. Apart from the mapparium presentation, everything seemed really bland. read more

For the small fee ($6), it is definitely worth visiting to see the Mapparium. One of the most unique spots to bring tourists in Boston. Since I have been coming here they have shifted the exhibits from focusing on Christian Science as a religion to Christian Science as a publisher, which is interesting. Will still come back for that stained glass globe. read more

Like most of the people on here, I visited the Mary Baker Eddy Library in order to see the Mapparium. Overall, it was a cool way to spend 20 minutes and I'm glad I checked it out, but it isn't something I would consider a must-see if you aren't already in the area. They have "tours" every 20 minutes between 10:20am-4:00pm. For the tour, a group of people is taken inside the globe for 15-20 minutes, and there is a little show with an audio recording talking about history and the globe you are standing in. After the show, everyone has a few minutes to look around, investigate the acoustics that come along with being inside a sphere, etc. On the day I visited, it was pretty busy and there were quite a few people on the tour. Perhaps I would have enjoyed it more if we'd been able to move around a bit more while we were inside. But at $6 for adults, or $4 for college students, it doesn't break the bank and it's a pretty unique thing to see. read more

As far as bang per buck goes, not sure the Marker Baker Eddy Library has it all, but it's definitely a memorable experience if you can spare $6 ($4 if you're a student, $3 if you have the Gilt City coupon). I won't spoil the splendor of the Mapparium for you...just don't have absurdly high expectations for a 30ft stained glass globe with super trippy acoustics that are bound to make you giggle for the few minutes you get to spend in it. If you've ever played with an "acoustic mirror" or "whisper dish," you'll know why this is fun. Be sure to move around and test it out! And also watch what you say...everyone can hear you. EVERYONE. So try to suppress the urge to make comments like "wow, the world is SO BIG!," or "wow, is Hawaii really that far away?" or "wait...Yugoslavia is a country?" Besides the Mapparium...there's not really much here, unless you're a Christian Science aficionado. Some nice interior design, but that's about it. Brownie points if you can sneak in a cool picture from inside the globe without getting yelled at! read more

The Mappparium is a wonderful spot. It is a 3-story glass replica of earth and its continents that you walk into. It is geographically accurate as of 1935. It is interesting both to see what has changed, and to really feel where various geographic locations are. For example, I was struck by how low (below the walkway at the equator) Australia and New Zealand are. We want to take the kids back, particularly my 6th grader who knows all the countries in Africa now (in 1935 the French seemed to have control of much of it). The other exhibits were also worth seeing, particularly the "yellow journalism" and papparazzi who were after Mary Baker Eddy - and the reason for the launch of the Christian Science Monitor - fair reporting without bias. read more

They've since dropped the "for the betterment of humanity" from the name, which makes it more manageable to say in one breath. However it takes a lot more than that to describe the experience of being in the mapparium. Though I have to say my opinion is a bit skewed because I couldn't hear in one ear that day, so it was really more of a delirium to me. We had the misfortune of getting in the tour with a large group of middle school girls who made things more uncomfortable in the closed environment. I love maps and geography, so I sort of wet myself in there. But the rest of the "library" (only a small section was actually books on shelves) was also cool if you like learning (again, guilty). MBE did a lot of stuff including pioneering women's rights movements and embracing the power of ideas. If you like the evolution vs. christianity debate, there is also a lot of info in there and some books that look worthy of a peruse. I took a girl here who was a teacher and we had a great time (and I think she found a new field trip for her class!). If you're not into museumy, learny environments, it's not worth paying $6. I mean, unless you're trying to impress a teacher or something... or looking meet geeky middle schoolers I guess. read more

Also posted under Christian Science Church: Although I have not visited the Mapparium or the church recently, I have been to both several times under different circumstances. In the 90's we first visited the Mapparium on a visit to our daughter who was a student at BU at the time. She told us it was one of those places that everyone who visits Boston really should see. I had never even heard about it until then. The Mapparium is such a wonder! I love the acoustics, the way a whisper bounces off the glass walls. It is visually stunning as well. What an idea, to make a glass globe that people can travel through. Love it! Several years later I was running a summer program for urban high school kids, and we were doing a field trip to some Boston colleges, so I worked in a visit to the Mapparium. Unfortunately it was undergoing some renovation so we could not enter; instead we toured the Church. Picture this: two adults with about 40 high school kids, traipsing through the church after being told we must be absolutely silent because the organ tuner was working and needs to hear only the sound of the organ notes. Good luck with that! But, amazingly enough, the kids tip-toed down the aisles and then we were brought to the downstairs stained glass windows. The tour guide quizzed the kids on the Bible stories and who was depicted in each window. They were mostly Buddhist or Hindu and had no idea about Old Testament folks, so they kept guessing God or Jesus. Pretty funny. The tour guide was very positive (in a "Damn, this is hopeless" kind of way!) and praised them for their attempts. We also got a bit of a history of the religion, how Christian Scientists believe that cures to diseases and illness happen if people pray hard enough; some of the kids were really sucked into this thinking and suggested we all pray for a cure to AIDS and cancer on the bus ride back to Lowell. I then did some explaining about various faiths and beliefs and how it is up to us to come to our own decisions about the place religion and prayer has in our lives. But yeah, lovely reflecting pool, great looking Church, marvelous Mapparium. read more

5 stars for shear insanity. this was the core of our sunday and we decided to make the trek in for some culture, propaganda and knowledge. oh and fun, all those together are the ingredients for fun, not in equal parts, obv. so the library itself is a museum for this eddy person, maybe im not a caring person (jerk anyone?) but i didnt pay too much attention to the back story or what movie she was in, and i sure wasnt reading on my day off, so i was hoping for a bio recap from wifey, didnt happen. i wasnt too concerned as i was really there for the MAPPITERIA! everyone knows good things end in -teria. i dont think its actually called that, it doesnt matter, $4 for a student ID, gets you into this handmade mindfuck! its hard to explain, but its a huge globe made of glass and conducts acoustics pretty funky, a whisper can be heard clear as day on the other end of the room at normal decibel, i cant explain it within this yelp. there were a few little kids there, but i really really wanted to whisper really softly 'if you can hear this youre dying' all pink floyd and stuff, but figured that might not end well. this chamber is something you need to experience, its crazy! whats also kooky was this whole christian science stuff. they had some kiosks in the museum with the path to faith game (BS), sorry if i offended you dr faith. i chuckled inside, let face it, i was at this place there for phenomenon only. oh, additionally there was a fire drill while we were inside the glass globe dealio, so we got to go in twice, so i guess that was a bonus too, thats it. read more

WOW cool place. I've always been meaning to go, but I forget about this place because I love the Christian Science reflecting pool nearby - and I always have to swing by. The mapparium is really awesome. About $4 to go in if you are a student. $5-6 for general admission. You can only go as a tour and its about 15-20 mins. The tour guide talks and then there's a quick show inside the mapparium. I would definitely recommend coming to see this place, it's stunning. The whole thing is made of stained glass!! I don't want to give too much away, you just have to go see it at least once. read more

I came to see the Mapparium. The building is very nice. I got there on time for the first tour which was at 10:20am. It's a 15 min tour. Photography is NOT allowed which I was super disappointed about. Not sure why since it's pretty cool to see in photos. That's what originally caught my attention in finding what to do in Boston. There are some very cool sound effects you can hear and interact with. A unique experience and inexpensive. Student disc available. read more

A friend told me this was a must see, and...she was right. Though after seeing it once, I don't think I'll ever need to see it again. It was cool - as others have described a 30 ft. (3-story) glass globe frozen in time (a la 1935) that you can walk through. The acoustics are great fun (if you're not on a tour with about 30 6-year olds). The $6 admission price, while cheap for this city is totally not worth it if you've got more than two in your party. That literally only gets you into the Mapparium for about 10 minutes, while the rest of the building and the church next door is free to tour - and frankly, much more impressive. We didn't care about the religious aspect of it, but the buildings were gorgeous and they do have some fun interactive games, etc. read more

Having lived in Cambridge for 1.5 years I am surprised i didnt visit earlier. The 3 storey globe is marvellous and is worth the 6$ ticket. Just takes about 20 mins for the guided tour of the maparium. read more

Very cool three story globe frozen in time. Worth the short walk from Copley Plaza. Fascinating to see how much has changed in the world in a very short time. Also neat acoustics when you're inside the globe and hear yourself in stereo. read more

Such an interesting lady. The Mapparium was amazing! It wasn't very expensive to get in. The stained glass globe was fantastic. Very interesting to see how the world and countries looked many years ago, and how things have changed and countries have changed their names (some of them) to currently. A great lesson in history for all ages. Mary Baker Eddy was ahead of her time and established the Church of Christ, and was an author and teacher. Don't miss this! read more

I have been talking about going to the Mapparium for years. For some reason, it just hasn't been one of those places that makes the list when I'm ready for something to do. Finally the BF and I met up at 4p on a Friday night to take their last tour. We had this 3 story globe all to ourselves and I loved it. The light "show" was pretty cool and it was really neat to look around to see how the map has changed over the years. The acoustics were fun for us to play around with too. Such a neat experience! read more

Mapparium is a must see ! Absolutely stunning! Wish they allowed photos in there! And the acoustics.. I whispered my friends name from across the room and she heard it as if it was someone standing right next to her saying her name. It's brilliant. read more

A visit to the Mapparium is a must! The tour takes about 15 minutes. You walk onto a transparent bridge in a circular room made of glass panels recreating an older version of the globe. After a short history, you are able to test the acoustics yourself. If you stand right in the center and talk, it sounds just like surround sound. If you and a friend go on opposite sides and whisper to each other, you can hear it. This is a very cool space and not to be missed! read more

Very cool architecture at this building inside and out and of course with the Mapparium. I was the only one who showed up for the guided tour of the Mapparium so I enjoyed a private one on one tour with another worker who I think was a docent in training. The $6 fee also gets you in to the upstairs museum which tells you about Mary Baker Eddy herself and a bit about her story. The museum was good, but not my favourite in the city. There was a good enough synopsis on Mary Baker Eddy presented in the First Christ Church free guided tour (see my review on that for more info). Being inside the LED backlit globe is an experience. The acoustics are cool - when you stand in the center of the world it sounds as if you put an instant microphone on and I'm told if two people stand on opposite sides and whisper they can hear each other. There is a video portion of the tour which highlights the diversity of the world and the similarities. The video and guide also explain the differences between the pictured globe and our modern day borders. It's a quick 20 minute tour (minus the museum) - I'd recommend squeezing the Mapparium into your itinerary. It's not Boston related in content, but it's history has a link to Boston and there is no where else where you can see something like this. read more

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Just here to talk about the Mapparium as I've never seen anything else at this location. As a map lover, I LOVE the Mapparium. It's unique, it's beautiful, it's fun to play with the acoustics. I like to visit every few years just to soak it all in. One star taken away because they do not let you hang out inside long enough (I really like to pour over maps for a long while), AND no photos allowed. It's such a great photo opportunity, really sad they don't allow it. read more

Was pretty interesting! With you could just sort of go through the maparium on your own and not wait for a tour guide. And it's a bummer you can't take pix..... the sound in here is crazy! I wasn't too interested in the religious aspect of this place but it was cool, NEvertheless. read more

The mapparium is a very cool attraction and gives a good idea of relative scale of the earth and how much it has changed since 1935. Definitely worth the $6 read more

Visiting Boston for the week and I've been to all the major tourist stops. The mapparium has been one of my favorites. Such an interesting concept and a beautiful sight. I recommend going during the week when it's not very busy so that you get the full experience without the crowds. A must see if you're in Boston!! read more

This place was pretty neat for a quick visit and priced affordably too. The Mapparium is basically a 2 story stained glass globe of the world that you can go inside of and view. The interesting thing about being inside a sphere is how well sounds and voices travel. We played around with that for a while and departed. No photography allowed! read more

Pleasantly surprised. Students pay only $4 to see the mapparium which made me extra happy. Definitely check it out if you are in the neighborhood ... We walked from the commons and it wasn't far! Also, if you go soon check out the sculptures found around the plaza - pretty neat! read more

If you don't want to do the whole museum thing, just come to at least see the globe (a 15 minute tour). The Mapparium is the largest indoor globe that is representative of the world map before WWII. Every inch represents 22 miles and the map includes countries that no longer exist and countries with different boundaries. The tour usually holds about 30-some people for 15 minutes in the spherical room. The room does not absorb sound so your voice will echo and everyone will hear your convo (so if you speak a different language, you're in luck- otherwise, refrain from saying anything mean or vulgar :)). If you stand under the 'North Star', you can hear yourself really loudly and clearly. If you go with a friend, have one person stand at each end of the sphere and talk, you'll hear each other as if you are right next to each other! The admission is pretty cheap- $4 for students/seniors, $6 for adults, and cheaper for kids (can't remember exactly). Groupon sometimes has deals too, but regardless, make a quick stop here! read more

Mapparium tour: 20 minutes is an overstatement, especially if you remove the part where your guide lets you or the recording take over the acoustic space. Interesting but barely worth 1 adult & 1 student = $10 (glared at IDs so skipped trying Senior rate) read more

I went in the Mapparium and I found it really nice. The building is very big, but the mapparium was not as big as we expected it to be. During the visit it was a little bit boring. The geography in the globe is not perfect because it is old, but the colors a very nice! When you go inside of the globe, you can hear a very wonderful and peculiar sound because even if someone is far away from you you can easily hear what they are saying. Its an amazing place, but the name of the church is stupid. read more