The 10 Best Budget-friendly Things to do in Cambridge, Massachusetts (MA)

June 27, 2021 Leida Jutras

Home to two of America's most prestigious universities, Cambridge exudes a certain intellectual quirkiness. A mix of historical haunts, student hang-outs, alternative art and culture venues, vintage clothing shops, bookstores and ethnic restaurants, the city is, well, really cool. Although it is located just across the Charles River from Boston, Cambridge has a distinct vibe that is noticeable immediately. Start at Harvard Square, a hub of activity and mishmash of trendy stores, outdoor cafes and colorful local characters. Pick up a walking tour map at the visitors information booth in the center of the Square. The route will take you past many important landmarks including the Mount Auburn Cemetery, Tory Row and the Longfellow National Historic Site. Harvard University offers student-led tours through the illustrious buildings and monuments of its sprawling campus. Art and architecture buffs should meander around the M.I.T campus, which includes outdoor sculptures by masters such as Picasso and 20th-century buildings designed by modern greats like Eero Saarinen and I. M. Pei. Along the way, browse through bookstores, stop to watch street performers and grab a coffee at an outdoor café to take in all this captivating city has to offer.
Restaurants in Cambridge

1. Mount Auburn Cemetery

580 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge, MA 02138-5529 +1 617-547-7105 [email protected] http://mountauburn.org
Excellent
80%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 613 reviews

Mount Auburn Cemetery

Mount Auburn Cemetery was founded in 1831 as America's first landscaped cemetery. A National Historic Landmark, its renowned landscape inspired the creation of the nation's public parks. Mount Auburn was designated an Important Bird Area by the Massachusetts Audubon Society, reinforcing its status as a significant wildlife sanctuary. Still an active burial place, Mount Auburn Cemetery provides comfort and solace to countless families. The Friends of Mount Auburn Cemetery was established in 1986 to assist in the conservation of the Cemetery's natural beauty and to promote the appreciation of its cultural, historic, and natural resources. Over 100 public programs are offered annually by the Friends to educate, enrich, and inspire the community. The Friends seeks financial support for education and interpretive programs and materials for the public, specific cultural projects, and operational support for horticultural rejuvenation and the preservation of the historic monuments, structures, and archival artifacts and records.

Reviewed By mariannakharis - Cambridge, United States

EVERYONE should visit Mt. Auburn Cemetery. It's free, beautiful, and interesting - ideal for friends on a walk (that was us!), families exploring, couples spending time together, or anyone visiting the area for the first time. Definitely take some time to go for a long walk and explore winding paths, because this cemetery is much bigger than it looks from the outside. If you drive in, there are clear places to park at the beginning of the cemetery, or you can park the car on the side of the road where fewer cars go by. There's a small area up by the tower that has an incredible view of Boston. We brought food from Sofra cafe (check it out!) and had a picnic right there. Perfection.

2. Cambridge Historical Tours

Excellent
90%
Good
8%
Satisfactory
0%
Poor
0%
Terrible
2%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 227 reviews

Cambridge Historical Tours

Offering an intimate, private tour alternative to the larger public tours, Cambridge Historical Tours' guides focus on delivering high-value entertainment while you learn. Fantastic storytelling, in-depth knowledge, and a touch of both humor and charm have kept our guests delighted for six years. Whether you're looking for tours of Harvard, The Freedom Trail, The North End, MIT, Cambridge, Beacon Hill, or surrounding areas, we can customize your path to make sure you see what you'd like to see. For travelers with kids and educational groups, we have costumes from every era. For corporate tour groups and others who prefer a more traditional tour, we can dress in business casual, or accordingly to the weather. At night, we offer private and group Ghost Tours and Pub Crawls. Private bookings of Harvard and MIT are also available in French and Spanish (subject to guide availability).

3. Harvard University

1350 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02138-3800 +1 617-495-9400 http://www.harvard.edu
Excellent
58%
Good
32%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 3,134 reviews

Harvard University

Founded in 1636, Harvard is America's oldest institute of higher learning and one of the country's most prestigious universities. Among the illustrious alumni are civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois, philosopher Henry David Thoreau, writer Gertrude Stein, composer Leonard Bernstein, cellist Yo Yo Ma and seven U.S. presidents.

Reviewed By vincentdE9094KZ - Dún Laoghaire, Ireland

The Harvard campus is a beautiful and historic place to experience calm, mature trees, and beautiful red brick buildings. If the Memorial hall is open it is worth going in.

4. Public Tour of Harvard

Excellent
71%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 199 reviews

Public Tour of Harvard

Our award-winning tours of America’s most prestigious University are led by current Harvard students. The 70-minute walking tours launch daily and are scripted as a theatrical experience. Tours are led in English and we have written translations available in Spanish, French, Mandarin, German, or Italian.

5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

77 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307 +1 617-253-1000 http://www.mit.edu
Excellent
67%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
8%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,043 reviews

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

One of the world's leading educational institutions, with an emphasis on math and sciences, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology is located on the banks of the Charles River. The M.I.T. campus includes many modern buildings designed by famous architects and is worth exploring.

Reviewed By 912masanorim - Oak Ridge, United States

Conversations and visit to an old experimental facility and hearing its future activities were very interesting; visit to the Student Center were good; visit to the Alumuni Office was a little disappointed

6. Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site

105 Brattle St, Cambridge, MA 02138-3407 +1 617-876-4491 http://www.nps.gov/LONG
Excellent
77%
Good
19%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 166 reviews

Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site

Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site preserves the home of Henry W. Longfellow, one of the world's foremost 19th century poets. The house also served as headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston, July 1775 - April 1776. In addition to its rich history, the site offers unique opportunities to explore 19th century literature and arts. The site is now closed for the season. We will reopen in May 2019! See the website for more information on programs and scheduling group tours.

Reviewed By scampi745 - Petersburg, United States

Really enjoyed time here. Visitors center staff friendly and welcoming. Took house tour (Anthony) and walking tour (Anna) about neighborhood times leading to revolution. Both very informative. House has many beautiful original objects. I enjoyed seeing a portrait of young Longfellow. Ranger stressed this was a home for family. Washington headquarters for about 9 months. Only quibble was brochure reference to 'staff'. If Martha brought staff with her, they would have been slaves. Nice gardens too.

7. Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

11 Divinity Ave Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138 +1 617-496-1027 [email protected] http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/
Excellent
51%
Good
36%
Satisfactory
12%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 162 reviews

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology

From towering Native American totem poles and large Maya sculptures to precious artifacts of the ancient world, the Peabody Museum is among the oldest archaeological and ethnographic museums in the world with one of the finest collections of human cultural history found anywhere. The Peabody Museum was founded in 1866 and is one of the oldest museums in the world devoted to anthropology, the study of ancient and contemporary peoples and cultures. The museum building adjoins the Harvard Museum of Natural History complex on the north side of the main Harvard campus. With 1.2 million objects, the Museum has one of the largest archaeological and ethnological collections in the world, including extensive archives of documents and historic photographs. The collections are heavily used by researchers, descendant communities, Harvard faculty and courses given by universities throughout the region. The museum also has an Education department that serves primary and secondary school students.

Reviewed By marcodL8041FK - Big Sky, United States

Check out the Central American stelae. They are accurate castings in plaster. The original ones have degraded from exposure to weather, so reachers come to Harvard to see the best examples of stelae.

8. Harvard Museum of Natural History

26 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138-2932 +1 617-495-3045 [email protected] http://hmnh.harvard.edu/
Excellent
63%
Good
30%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,183 reviews

Harvard Museum of Natural History

At the Harvard Museum of Natural History, just steps away from the historic Harvard Yard, you can witness the amazing artistry of the celebrated Blaschka glass flowers & sea creature collections, roar with the Siberian tiger, buzz with honeybees, find your birthstone gem, and go back in time in Romer Hall, home of the famous 42-foot Kronosaurus. The Harvard Museum of Natural History is the most-visited attraction at Harvard—for its incomparable collections based on the research of scientists across the University, and its ongoing exhibitions like Climate Change, The Rockefeller Beetles, Birds of the World, Marine Life, and more. The Harvard Museum of Natural History’s mission is to enhance public understanding and appreciation of the natural world and the human place in it, sparking curiosity and a spirit of discovery in people of all ages.

Reviewed By VincentI133

For the same admission ticket you can also access the anthropology museum connected to the natural history museum. Highlights include the extensive collection of glass models of flowers, and the collection of rocks and minerals. Kids would enjoy the taxidermied animal exhibits. Worthwhile coming to Harvard just for this!

9. Harvard Art Museums

32 Quincy St, Cambridge, MA 02138-3804 +1 617-495-9400 [email protected] http://www.harvardartmuseums.org
Excellent
69%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 475 reviews

Harvard Art Museums

The Harvard Art Museums, among the world’s leading art institutions, comprise three museums (the Fogg, Busch-Reisinger, and Arthur M. Sackler Museums) all under one roof. Masterpieces among our more than a quarter million works include works by Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Georgia O’Keefe, and Jackson Pollock; contemporary works by internationally recognized artists such as Kara Walker, Al Weiwei, and Kerry James Marshall; and an array of remarkable objects from ancient cultures in the Mediterranean, Near East, and Far East. Our special exhibitions give us the chance to showcase an even wider range of works spanning diverse media, genres, and eras. The Museums are open to everyone, 7 days a week.

Reviewed By WillyRandom - Boston, United States

Although I love the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, this is a very refreshing gem across the Charles River that keeps me coming back for the permanent collection, rotations in the Japanese section, and special exhibitions like the current Bauhaus one. It has a great cafe and beautiful indoor courtyard. Some of my favorite, amazing German Expressionist, delightful paintings are here by Franz Marc and Ludwig Ernst Kirchner. Other highlights include two stunning paintings by Gustave Moreau, one by John LaFarge, and my favorite self portrait of Van Gogh. The more I travel, the more I come back and appreciate this place.

10. Memorial Drive

Cambridge, MA
Excellent
59%
Good
37%
Satisfactory
4%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 68 reviews

Memorial Drive

Busy, scenic street that winds along the Cambridge side of the Charles River.

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