The Flyby Guide to Area Museums

UPDATED: Nov. 29, 2013 at 9:38 a.m.

Still on campus this Thanksgiving and looking for something to do? Boston has one of the best collections of museums in the country (if not the world!) thanks to its rich history and comfortable perch as a major academic and cultural center. Since the days ahead hold no looming midterms or p-set due dates, try spending time at one of these 14 museums for a change of pace.

Two helpful notes: All on-campus museums are free for Harvard students, as are many Boston museums (so be sure to bring your ID). And most museums will be closed today—so double-check before making plans!

Science Museums

On Campus

The Harvard Museum of Natural History includes the Harvard University Herbaria (which Dean Pfister recently reminded us are way larger than Yale’s), the Mineralogical and Geological Museum, and the Museum of Comparative Zoology. The museum is now housing a special photography exhibition called “Thoreau’s Maine Woods".

In the City

The Museum of Science is across the Charles River and includes exhibits on topics such as nanotechnology and X-rays as well as a butterfly garden. Temporary exhibitions include two about climate change:“Seasons of Change,” about how climate change affects forests in New England, and “Climate Change in Our World,” a photography exhibit.

The MIT Museum is on the campus of our neighbors down Mass. Ave. and specializes in the history of science and technology. Current exhibits include: “5,000 Moving Parts,” a large exhibition of kinetic sculptures; “Robots and Beyond, Exploring Artificial Intelligence at MIT”; and a photography exhibition called “Stanley Greenberg: Time Machines.”

The New England Aquarium has thousands of marine animals. Special exhibits showcase habitats such as the Amazon Rainforest, the Gulf of Maine, and the Pacific Reef. Its IMAX 3D theater is now showing “Journey to the South Pacific.”

Further Out

The EcoTarium in Worcester is a large indoor-outdoor museum complex that combines the Alden Digital Planetarium and the ExplorerExpress Train with more standard museum fare

Art Museums

Unfortunately, the closure of the Harvard Art Museums until 2014 means that there isn’t really a great opportunity to go to an art museum on campus. Nonetheless, Boston still has plenty to choose from in the way of fine art.

In the City

The Museum of Fine Arts is home to hundreds of thousands of works, making it one of the world's most comprehensive collections. It currently hosts an exhibition of watercolors by John Singer Sargent, and features highlights from the permanent in a brand-new Art of the Americas wing.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is located near the MFA in a beautifully landscaped “palace.” Its robust collection includes works by Raphael, Michelangelo, and Rembrandt, as well as works from India, China, and Mesoamerica.

The Institute of Contemporary Art is on the Boston waterfront and has a variety of contemporary artwork. The ICA is currently showing “Amy Sillman: one lump or two.”

Further Out

The Peabody Essex Museum is in Salem and has an enormous collection containing art from all six inhabited continents. Befitting its hometown’s history, the PEM also has a large Maritime Art and History Collection and a number of historic structures. Current exhibitions include “Impressionists on the Water,” “Beyond Human: Artist-Animal Collaborations,” and “A Legacy of Change: Native American Art.”

The RISD Museum is in Providence, RI, easily accessible by commuter rail. It’s the teaching museum of the Rhode Island School of Design and houses works by artists such as Van Gogh, Cézanne, and Picasso.

History Museums

Among American cities, Boston has a particularly long, rich history, so it naturally has myriad historical sites and museums to choose from. Here are a few good places to start.

On Campus

The Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology is physically connected to the Museum of Natural History and contains a range of cultural and historical artifacts from around the world. Its collections about the Americas are especially strong. Current exhibitions include: “Translating Encounters: Travel and Transformation in the Early Seventeenth Century”; “Wiyohpiyata: Lakota Sioux Images of the Contested West”; and one on student life in early colonial Harvard and the Indian College at Harvard.

In the City

The Old State House was built in 1713 and now serves as a museum of Boston history. It has exhibitions on the building’s history and preservation, its role in the American Revolution, the Boston Massacre, and artifacts related to the staff’s favorite “Boston stories.”

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Dorchester preserves the life and legacy of one of Harvard’s most well-known alums. I. M. Pei designed the Library's waterfront structure. Special exhibitions display artifacts from JFK’s state funeral and cover the Cuban Missile Crisis, conversations with Jackie Kennedy, and the Freedom 7 Space Capsule that made Alan Shepard the first American in space. The Library also houses the papers of Ernest Hemingway.

Further Out

Plimoth Plantation, in Plymouth, Massachusetts, is a recreation of life in 17th-century Plymouth Colony, and discusses both the Native American and English histories of Plymouth. It features the Mayflower II, the Plimoth Grist Mill, an English Village, and a Wampanoag Homesite. Admission varies based on how many locations you want to visit.