I preface this with all my reviews of this type, in that I'm not an artsy person but still…read moreappreciate things like this. Of all the art museums I've been to (Friske, Met, MOMA, Guggenheim) this has been the best so far. I found the pieces more engaging and interesting, and I just had an overall better time. Not that I had a bad time at the others, but this was the best time of the like. My only complaint is the same complaint that I've had with the others, and that is that even with a map it can be hard to hit all the spots and can be a little difficult to fully navigate. Also, the doors separating the sections are heavy and a little awkward, so use the automatic openers. Nonetheless, the museum is amazing and well worth the trip. Plan to spend a few hours, and to have a decent time.

My son's love for art museums brought us here when we were visiting Boston & we had a wonderful…read moreexperience despite the unnecessary incident with security that occured to us, which I'm not going to mention. The museum itself was beautifully organized, spacious & had plenty to see. They had a huge selection of galleries and exhibits depicting art spanning thousands of years & many global cultures- from ancient civilization to modern contemporary art with lots of impressive collections too. My son esp. love European art & I like Renaissance art. Definitely a must-visit for anyone who appreciates art & culture. Fyi, don't forget to grab a map after you walk up those stairs. There's a lower ground level, ground level 1, level 2 & 3. Expect to spend atleast 2-3 hours.

The museum is pretty cool - the inside is artwork collected by Isabella Stewart Gardner…read more It's a good museum to check out if you're visiting Boston and tickets are affordable. The garden inside is beautiful

We came without purchasing tickets and that was a HUGE mistake. There was a super long line of…read morepeople outside and they really push purchasing tickets online beforehand. We ended up ordering tickets but the website had a horrible user experience and we ended up purchasing 2 sets of tickets accidentally. The refunded the second set of tickets after we emailed them. It was annoying because we could've gone in at an earlier time but ended up going in later with the second set of tickets. My friend told me the last time they came to the museum, the paintings were cut out of the frames from the heist. When we came this time, it looks like they replenished the paintings with new ones and it was not the same experience. Overall, this museum was gorgeous. Not sure if I will ever go back due to our poor customer experience.

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.

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.

This was an interactive reenactment and semi museum. The price for the demonstration and tour was…read morereasonable. I liked how passionate the actors and staff were in playing their parts. It was neat to see an original box that was thrown overboard during this time and to hear the stories of the people who were part of this movement. I also enjoyed the tea room and the ability to taste the teas from that time period.

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!!!

As someone who loves reading, this library was honestly a dream! The interior is absolutely…read morebeautiful and spacious, with so many different areas to sit down and study or read. I could easily see myself spending hours here if I lived in Boston lol. One thing that really stood out to me was the children's section. There were so many families visiting that they even had what looked like a stroller parking lot right in the middle of the room! What impressed me the most though was how well the noise was contained. Despite how loud and lively it was inside the children's area, you could barely hear anything as soon as you stepped outside, even with people constantly going in and out. I've never seen anything quite like this at other libraries and thought it was such a thoughtful design! It allows kids to enjoy their own space while everyone else can still have the peace and quiet you'd normally expect from a library.

We came here on a Sunday to visit the Courtyard Tea Room for their Sunday Brunch Tea. They don't…read moreopen until 11AM, which is fine, but it was pouring and windy due to the Nor'easter that was occurring and perhaps in that situation, they should open slightly early to allow those with reservations access to wait inside. Only other gripe - The amount of homeless people walking through, using the restroom to dry off, etc was ridiculous. I get this is a liberal city, but there are many tourists from all over the world and they shouldn't be subjected to the dirty restrooms, those shaking their wet trash bags onto others, etc. There was security up front where you enter, they should monitor a little better. Aside from those issues - The library's architecture was beautiful! Spacious and grand with lots of mosaic and beautiful stone, like marble work throughout. It's a very nice building with a gorgeous courtyard worth visiting when the weather is nice.

I came here to see the glass flowers exhibit and it was so worth it. The entire collection is…read morebreathtaking, so much care goes into the preservation of every piece and so interesting to learn about the history of the art and the father and son artists. This was the most impressive and captivating exhibit I have ever seen in a museum, simply insane to know that man is able to create something so intricate with glass. A must-visit in a lifetime!

I visited the Harvard Museum of Natural History with my husband two weeks ago, and we had a really…read moregood time. To be honest, natural history museums aren't my favorite. Between a natural history museum and an art museum, I'll take an art museum every time. But I'd had the Harvard Museum of Natural History for a while! When my husband and I decided to visit Boston for his birthday, visiting the museum was at the top of the itinerary. So why was this non-natural history museum girl so thrilled to check out this museum? For one specific reason! The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants - otherwise known as the Glass Flowers. The Glass Flowers is a collection of high realistic glass botanical models made by father and son Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka from 1887 through 1936 at their studio in Dresden, Germany, for the Harvard museum. The collection includes 847 life-size models (representing 780 species and varieties of plants in 164 families and 3,000 detail models of plant parts and anatomical sections. The Glass Flowers blew me away. I'm not even sure how long we spent in that one room, but I know I said, "Wait. That's glass?! That can't be glass!" about 100 times. I can't believe the Blaschkas were able to ship these incredibly detailed and delicate models to Boston from Dresden much less make them!!! This collection alone makes the Harvard Museum of Natural History worth visiting. The flowers are incredible, like nothing else I've seen. Unlike me, my husband does love natural history museums, because he's a nerd for rocks and geology. So we did spend some time in the rest of the museum, particularly the Earth & Planetary Sciences Gallery (which contains thousands of rare rock and mineral specimens), the Rockefeller Beetles, and the marine life galleries. General admission costs $20, but it also gets you admission to the connected Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, so be sure to explore that for at least a few minutes, too. If you love natural history museums, this one is worth a visit. If you're not into natural history museums, but I sold you on a visit to the Glass Flowers, make sure the Harvard Museum of Natural History is on your itinerary for your next trip to Boston!

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.

I really enjoyed this interactive museum. I could see how it would be not enjoyable if it was busy…read morebecause of the space but we did not have any issues. I would not say it's a must visit but it was definitely a fun time.

WNDR was fun and I'm glad I went. I wouldn't recommend this for everyone; you have to really want…read moreto experience it, with the understanding that it does not take that long to wander through. I was there for maybe 30 minutes, if that. I like these types of museums though so it worked for me, but may not be for everyone. None of the installations wowed me. But it's funky and cute, with friendly staff and a nice retail section. I see no reason to return, but I'm happy that I visited.

My husband and I visited ICA Boston last weekend, when we visited Boston for his birthday. We had a…read moregreat visit. We visited to see their current exhibit, "Derrick Adams: View Master," and the exhibit was great. It's the first mid-career survey of Adams's work, and it includes more than 100 artworks spanning 25 years of his career. Most of the works are never-before-exhibited works from Adams's personal collection. Making it even more special? Adams worked with the ICA to create an immersive exhibit - the way the art was displayed was unlike any other exhibit I've seen. I also enjoyed the other exhibit they had at the time, To My Best Friend, which draws from more than 50 artworks Fotene Demoulas and Tom Coté have brought into the ICA Collection. It included works by Lorna Simpson, Sarah Sze, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, and Diedrick Brackens that I really loved. There were two smaller galleries that weren't open when we visited as they set up for two exhibitions, but there was still plenty to see at the ICA Boston when we visited. Both exhibits were great. The building is incredible - with beautiful views of Boston Harbor, a great wine + coffee bar, and an exceptional gift shop. We sat outside at the wine + coffee bar and had a couple of glasses of natural wine while looking out at the harbor. We spent a little too long in their gift shop, which has great books, art items, tchotchkes, and more. I picked up a Viewfinder made for the Derrick Adams exhibit and a hat, too. We didn't have time to take advantage of this, but there's one more thing that makes ICA Boston special: ICA Watershed, a seasonal space located in the East Boston Shipyard and Marina (this year it is open until 9/7/26). Their Watershed location is accessible by a timed water shuttle; visiting it and the shuttle is free with admission to the main ICA Boston location. We had a great experience at ICA Boston. I'd love to return on a future visit to Boston.

Went for a work event and the music was absolutely DEAFENING. Please turn the sound down! I could…read morenot hear the person sitting six inches away from me, so conversation was mostly smiling, nodding, and pretending we understood each other. We would have escaped immediately, but work obligations held us hostage. I would definitely not return due to the loud music. There's no reason to have it up that high. Thankfully, once we were inside the building, the music was less overpowering and there was some good art to look at. The art gets 4/5 stars, and the staff was very friendly, so 5 stars for them. As for the Seaport itself, it's mostly ugly, towering modern buildings, chain restaurants, and exorbitant parking prices, with plenty of suburbanites and tourists milling around. Not exactly overflowing with charm.