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Boston, MA

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USS Constitution Museum

4.4 (336 reviews)
Open • 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

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Mike H.

To start off with, the USS Constitution Museum is not a part of the National Park system/Navy that owns and runs the actual USS Constitution. The USS Constitution Museum runs on a "pay what you feel" system with a suggested 15.00 per person charge. I paid the suggested amount and went in. The museum had some interesting relics and exhibits inside but it seemed to cater to kids. Especially the 2nd floor. A lot of interactive things for the kiddos to do. I was kidless so the 1st floor was pretty much where I stayed. The whole thing took about 30 mins then I went across the lot to the National Park Visitor's Center and checked out the actual ship.

The uss constitution
Matthew G.

The left hand need to talk to the right hand. I'm here from Oregon and as i was walking up to the ship they said it was closed due to weather. It's lightly raining guys....... 2500 miles for nothing. Not to mention multiple people in the museum said it was opening and they let us through. It wasn't until i was 60ft from the ship i was turned away.

Jasmine D.

Happened to visit the museum at the end of August when the USAA sponsored free admission for U.S. service members, veterans, and their families. We also received a USAA challenge coin and pin. The second floor is dedicated to what life was like as a sailor. The first floor has artifacts and interactive exhibits related to the USS Constitution, including an impressive, fully rigged model of old Ironsides.

Serkan G.

She is amazing ship .. no fee to visiting just smile And visit this ancient and undefeated ship ..

James R.

This is a place to take your time. The museum is donations to enter. The ship requires a photo ID and having your bags searched. We couldn't see the whole museum on this trip. We will have to come back. Some fun activities inside the museum for kids. You can design your own old time ship and fight other people.

Dani C.

My 12 year old lovedddd this museum. Be mindful cause the museum and the actual shop are not curated by the same people so they have different hours. Smaller museum, we were here about an hour. USS Constitution: The world's oldest commissioned warship afloat 1794-1797: Congress authorizes construction of 6 frigates to help protect American merchant fleets from attacks by Algerian pirates and harassment by British/French forces. They are designed by Joshua Humphreys and built at 6 different sites. The contract for the CONSTITUTION is given to Edmond Harrt's Shipyard in Boston. Made from more than 1,500 trees (from Maine to Georgia), armed with cannons cast in Rhode Island, and copper fastenings provided by Paul Revere, the vessel is truly a national ship. 1798: After Congress votes it fit for sea, it cruises in West Indies protecting U.S. shipping from French privateers. 1803-1806: President Thomas Jefferson sent her to the Mediterranean to protect American ships from the Barbary pirates. With Captain Edward Preble in command, CONSTITUTION and other ships of the squadron bombarded Tripoli. She hosted the signing of a peace treaty between the US and Tripoli. 1812-1815: War with Great Britain. The war was hardly a month old when CONSTITUTION, on the way from Chesapeake Bay to New York, met a squadron of 5 British ships. Her escape is now legendary; a 3-day, slow-speed chase. Its crew kept her ahead of the English by rowing (known to Sailors as the "white ash breeze"), by attempting to tow her with the ship's boats. Then Lt. Charles Morris suggested "kedging," in which an anchor is carried out ahead of the ship, dropped, and the ship drawn up to it. Aug 19 1812: The fight with HMS GUERRIÈRE took place 600 miles east of Boston. The 2 settled down to a short-range slugfest. At some point, someone is said to have seen British shot bouncing off CONSTITUTION's side, and shouted, "Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron' And so was born the nickname "Old Ironsides." The GUERRIÈRE was so badly damaged, she had to be sunk. Congress awarded Captain Isaac Hull a gold medal. Dec 29, 1812: 30 miles off Brazil. She began a fight with the faster HMS JAVA. American Commodore William Bainbridge was wounded twice, and the ship's wheel was shot away, but for more than 2 hours he fought until, Like GUERRIÈRE, JAVA was too badly damaged to bring home, but before sinking her, Bainbridge had her wheel removed to replace the one she shot away. Commodore Bainbridge also received a gold medal. Feb 20, 1815: 180 miles from Madeira Island. Captain Charles Stewart came upon the British men-of-war CYANE and LEVANT and overpowered them. He hoped to bring his captures home, but ran into a British squadron that retook LEVANT while CONSTITUTION and CYANE returned safely to New York. Captain Stewart received a gold medal from Congress. 1828-1830: Laid up at Boston. During this time the Navy requested the Navy Yard Commanders conduct surveys on all ships to determine how much work would need to be done to bring the ships into commission. This information reached a local publication and it was misreported that the Navy wanted to scrap 'Old Ironsides'. Immediately after that a poem by Oliver Wendell Holmes, called Old Ironsides, was written to generate public support. The Navy paid to refurbish CONSTITUTION.

Daniel A.

Really great place extremely well done. Great stories and historical content, plenty of fun areas for the kids. Lots of nooks and crannies to get into. Two floors worth of stuff to look at as well as the trip onto the actual ship with four levels and they got a tour by the US Navy.

USS constitution
Elisabeth H.

You don't really need to spend the money here- walk through the ship and read the free displays in the visitor center instead. There's even a free short movie.

Johnny Z.

Neat little museum. Love that it runs off optional donations and free to the public. Lots of history and interesting things to learn inside the museum, especially interactive cannon exhibit. The gentleman building the ship models kindly gave us a tutorial on the cannon loading/reloading process, and went over some skills of the trade on how to how to create a ship in a bottle. Also interesting to learn that the USS Constitution is the oldest floating warship and one of just a few vessels that formed the first U.S. Navy.

Uss Constitution
Delaine A.

It was very informative and interactive. Great for families or even a great date. No too expensive to spend 2 hours.

Cydney M.

GREAT MUSEUM ABOUT THE USS CONSTITUTION ======================================== My husband and I visited in January and this museum is very nice. The whole thing centers around the USS Constitution of course. We were bummed out that we couldn't tour the actual ship, but it was closed the day we were there. Check the dates and times for the museum and ship and visit both. It is very interesting as far as a historical perspective goes.

Cool
Francine L.

The USS Constitution Museum is located in a large grey-colored building that is across from the ship. Anyone can enter here and a donation amount is up to you. The inside has information about what type of wood the ship was built in, the people on the ship, what the sailors use to eat every day, how much stuff is packed inside the boat, and much more! I felt like I learned so much information about the sailors and also how life ass on the ship! I think this place should be visited by everyone and after that go on the ship! Had a wonderful time in the museum and I'm sure you'll also learn something here!

Vic C.

The USS Constitution Museum, which is part of the Freedom Trail (towards the end of it), is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard, which is part of the Boston National Historical Park in Boston. The museum is across from the USS Constitution Ship. The museum is in a restored shipyard building at the foot of Pier 2. The museum, which is free but has a suggested donation of $10-$15 for adults and $5-$10 for children (it's up to you how much you wish to donate) has plenty of items from the boat and in history. There are also interactive exhibits that help to tell the story of the USS Constitution, the sailors and the people who helped to design and build the ship. This museum is two stories and found the floor upstairs to be the most interesting and probably most fun for children (than compared to the 1stfloor) as you get to read about different sailors that sailed the USS Constitution. But it does seem a bit too elementary and so I can see adults losing interest. I liked that you get to know more about some of the sailors and their lives. I think the museum is very informative and you can probably spend an hour reading everything. Then afterwards, check out the USS Constitution (which is free to visit).

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1 year ago

Great museum that is run on donations. Multiple levels with lots of artifacts and several films that showcase the area.

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2 years ago

Free to public. Fantastic ship to tour. The best free museum. Educational and great for whole family

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“Old Ironsides has been beautifully 90 % Restored.”

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Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - Greek statue

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

4.4(1k reviews)
3.1 mi

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.

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4.1(877 reviews)
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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.

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Museum of Bad Art - "Blue Eyed Fox" ( I think)

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4.2(59 reviews)
3.6 mi•Dorchester

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!!!

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4.6(674 reviews)
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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.

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4.4(258 reviews)
3.1 mi•Harvard Square

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!

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USS Constitution Museum - museums - Updated November 2026

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