Location: Boston
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10 Specialty Museums in Boston That You Shouldn't Miss
Walk the Freedom Trail the first time you visit Boston and you'll quickly get a sense of this coastal city's revolutionary spirit and history. But make sure you also explore some of Boston's fine museums (try the Isabella Stewart Gardner, featuring masterpieces displayed in their collector's mansion) and old neighborhoods (like the North End, Boston's Little Italy). You can't claim to have experienced real Boston culture, though, until you've watched a Red Sox game from the bleachers.
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1. Norman B. Leventhal Map Center
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 4 reviews
The Leventhal Map Center is located on the first floor of the Boston Public Library's historic McKim Building in Copley Square. It includes an exhibition gallery featuring changing thematic exhibitions, a public learning center with research books, a reading room for rare map research, a world globe three feet in diameter, and a Kids Map Club with map puzzles.
2. John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum & Library
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,920 reviews
Relive the Kennedy era in this dynamic combination museum and library, where your visit starts with a short film and then leaves you on your own to explore a series of fascinating exhibits, including the Kennedy-Nixon debate, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the space program, 1960s campaign paraphernalia and displays about Jacqueline and other Kennedy family members. The striking, I.M. Pei-designed building overlooks the water and the Boston skyline.
Reviewed By IllyCoffeeDrinkers - Flagstaff, United States
One of us and two friends visited the John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum & Library on a cloudy Saturday morning in October. The facility itself is beautiful. There were no lines when we arrived in the morning and the introductory film was well worth watching. While no person is perfect, it was amazing to be reminded of how intelligent, passionate, charming, glamorous and successful the President and First Lady were. It was also inspiring to be reminded of all President Kennedy accomplished, dreamed to accomplish and inspired others to accomplish. There are numerous exhibits and short films which cover various aspects of President Kennedy’s life and career including his campaigns, his significant speeches, the Peace Corps, the Space Program and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Among the displays are numerous artifacts, photos and documents (some real and some facsimiles) which exquisitely personalize and dramatize the lives and careers of the President, the First Lady and his brothers Bobby and Ted (photos of a few of the items are attached). It was also awe inspiring to take the time to reread some of the President’s speeches and marvel at how he adeptly sought to inspire all Americans to work together in support of causes greater than themselves (photos of a few excerpts are also attached). Bottom line, if you are looking to be inspired or are a history buff, we highly recommend you spend a few hours at this wonderful Museum and Library. On the way out, the café and gift shop are both worth a visit too. Enjoy. If you found this review helpful and/or our photos helpful or pleasing, we hope you will click the “helpful/thank you” button. Those of us who write detailed reviews appreciate the feedback and it encourages us to write additional reviews for everyone’s consideration. Thank you.
3. Boston African American National Historic Site
4. Massachusetts Historical Society
5. Gibson House Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 67 reviews
Located on historic Beacon Street, this museum is housed in a 1859 Boston brownstone with Victorian furnishings.
Reviewed By Sobieski54
While visiting a family friend living in a similar house on Beacon Street 3 blocks away, we decided to take the tour of the Gibson House. It was interesting for us to compare the two 1890's homes, my friends house with modern plumbing, electricity, and newer bathroom and kitchen amenities, with the same size house and similar floor plan filled with all the original fixtures and furnishings. The docent was excellent, and commented that Charles Gibson, the last owner, stated that he wanted to keep the home in the original condition because people living in the 1940s were not be interested in how upper middle class Victorians lived, but folks living after the year 2000 would want to experience that moment in time.
6. The Mapparium
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 900 reviews
Discover one of Boston’s hidden cultural treasures: The Mapparium! This world-famous, three-story immersive globe is one of the key attractions at the Christian Science Plaza and has been visited by more than 10 million people since it was constructed in 1935. While the map remains frozen in time, an LED-light and sound show invites visitors to contemplate how ideas continue to shape and re-shape our world.
Reviewed By Rahaal - Tampa, United States
Though the main attraction of the Mapparium is the walk through the the interior of the great glass globe, the building containing the globe is also worth exploring. It is full of Art Deco styled adornments within its classical atrium, one can easily spend time there waiting for the tour to begin. The Mapparium can only be explored as part of a tour, and photography is not allowed, but it is well worth doing the tour. Inside the globe one will see the countries of the world as they were known in the 1930's painted on glass panes which surround you in a 360 degree panorama. This unique structure also works like a whispering gallery, so one can hear and speak with others at the opposite in end despite speaking softly. This is a fantastic place to visit, I will not hesitate to explore it again when I return to Boston
7. Museum of African American History
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 64 reviews
Reviewed By abitran128
My friend and I visited this museum on a rainy day. The museum is not as well know as some of the others in Boston, but my friend and I agree that it is totally deserves to be. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and gave us a fascinating account of Boston's rich, African American history. The meeting house (part of the museum) was a center of the abolitionist movement--Fredrick Douglass gave multiple speeches there and this was the main enlistment site for the 54th regiment. We also loved the exhibit showcasing photographs of Fredrick Douglass--it was amazing to see photography techniques evolve in conjunction with Douglass's own life and beliefs. Strongly recommended!
8. Metropolitan Waterworks Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 47 reviews
Opened in 2011, the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum uses its architecturally magnificent building, mammoth steam pumping engines, and the adjacent historic Chestnut Hill Reservoir to interpret unique stories of one of the country’s earliest metropolitan water systems. Through educational programs and exhibits focused on engineering, architecture, urbanism, public health, and social history, the Museum connects these stories to current issues and future challenges. Dubbed “The Cathedral of Steam Technology,” the facility served originally as the high service pumping station that delivered clean, safe drinking water into the heart of 19th century Boston. Built in response to the Great Fire of 1872, the Waterworks was the nexus of a complex supply and delivery system that included reservoirs, aqueducts, water towers, and other facilities that eventually became part of the Metropolitan Water Resources Authority. Today, the museum preserves the three original, coal-fired, steam engines that pumped millions of gallons of water each day into Boston. The historic building, designed in the Romanesque style of H.H. Richardson, was built by Boston City Architects Arthur H. Vinal in 1888, and enlarged by Edmund March Wheelwright in 1897. The structure was constructed near the Chestnut Hill Reservoir, part of the pastoral park and carriageway influenced by the Olmstead brothers’ landscape style. Turn of the century engineer and microbiologist George C. Whipple, later co-founder of the Harvard School of Public Health, and chemist Ellen Swallow Richards, the first woman admitted to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a pioneer of water quality testing, are among the notable contributors to the Waterworks legacy. Today, the museum serves as a community hub for audiences interested in the rich history of the Waterworks system. Thousands of visitors are welcomed each year for lectures, tours, and exhibits free of charge. Our education department partners with students and teachers for enhanced, curriculum-connected programming focused on water science, engineering, and sustainability. A dedicated group of volunteer docents, many retired engineers, historians, and scientists, guide visitors through the building and collections spaces. The Waterworks building is ADA accessible and stroller friendly. The museum is served by the T via Green Line “C” (Cleveland Circle stop) and “D” (Reservoir stop) trains, and is reachable by Buses #51 and #86. Limited parking is available onsite.
Reviewed By susanbT9024UB
On Father's Day, I took my dad, the engineer, to the Waterworks Museum. Must have driven by the building thousands of times and always noted its majesty. To truly understand the mindset of Boston in the mid 1800s to early 1900s, this museum is a must. The building was actually designed by a Boston city architect, Arthur Vinal whose portrait and that of his wife are carved in the edifice. The machines rise from the floor and fill the room. A one-of-a-kind pump designed to fit the space has incredible detailing including a masterful casing which serves as insulation. Even the ceiling is a triumph. You will have to visit to see what I mean. This pump house served the city until the late 1970s. This building embodies civic pride from its exterior magnificence to its interior detail and technical prowess. We had a knowledgable engaging tour guide (though all features of this exhibit can be covered alone), Tommy, who explained the history and use of each of the three pumps. You could spend 15 minutes here (we spent about 45 minutes) and then walk around the reservoir across the street or or visit Boston College. or have lunch at a restaurant in Cleveland Circle.
9. The West End Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 26 reviews
The West End Museum is a neighborhood museum dedicated to the collection, preservation and interpretation of the history and culture of the West End of Boston.
Reviewed By boodadley - London, United Kingdom
A gem of a museum covering the history of the West End and the "bold" vision that wiped away so much of the history of the place. #historymatters Excellent and very knowledgeable guide.
10. Boston Fire Museum
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