Boston Area Attractions

Museum of Fine Arts
Avenue of the Arts • 465 Huntington Avenue • Boston, MA 02115 • 617.267.9300
One of the world's great art museums, the MFA works nonstop to become even more accessible and interesting. It's also expanding; construction of the new East Wing, designed by Norman Foster, should begin in early 2004. Meanwhile, the museum is rearranging some collections and closing some exhibition space. Check ahead before visiting if you have your heart set on seeing one particular piece of art -- or just show up and see what catches your eye. You're sure to find something entrancing in these magnificent collections. Every installation reflects a curatorial attitude that makes even those who go in with a feeling of obligation leave with a sense of discovery and wonder.

Dreams of Freedom
One Milk Street • Boston, MA 02109 • 617.338.6022
The Freedom Trail isn't just about colonial Boston. If you need proof, detour from the trail to the city's museum of immigration. Boston native Ben Franklin is the "host" of a multimedia show about the changing face of the population. It's an interactive experience unlike the city's typically low-tech attractions -- a big plus if you're traveling with wired (in both senses) kids. You'll have your passport stamped as you make your way through the exhibits. They include a gallery of bags and suitcases that offers a look at what people brought on their journeys to the New World, gangplanks that move, walls that "talk," and the interiors of two important modes of transportation: an early-20th-century ship and a jet liner. Temporary exhibits on immigration-related topics change every 3 months. Allow at least an hour.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace
Four South Market Building • Boston, MA 02109 • 617.523.1300
Since Boston's most popular attraction opened in 1976, cities all over the country have imitated the "festival market" concept. Each new complex of shops, food counters, restaurants, bars, and public spaces in urban centers reflects its city. Faneuil Hall Marketplace, brimming with Boston flavor (and national chain outlets), is no exception. Its success with tourists and suburbanites is so great, in fact, that you could be forgiven for thinking that the only Bostonians in the crowd are employees.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
280 The Fenway • Boston, MA 02115 • 617.566.1401
Isabella Stewart Gardner (1840-1924) was an incorrigible individualist long before strong-willed behavior was acceptable for women in polite Boston society, and her iconoclasm paid off for art lovers. "Mrs. Jack" designed her exquisite home in the style of a 15th-century Venetian palace and filled it with European, American, and Asian painting and sculpture, much chosen with the help of her friend and protégé Bernard Berenson. You'll see works by Titian, Botticelli, Raphael, Rembrandt, Matisse, and Mrs. Gardner's friends James McNeill Whistler and John Singer Sargent. Titian's magnificent Europa, which many scholars consider his finest work, is one of the most important Renaissance paintings in the United States. If you enjoy representational art and ornate architecture, run right over; if not, you'll probably be happier at the nearby Museum of Fine Arts.

John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
Columbia Point• Boston, MA 02125 • 866.JFK.1960
The Kennedy era springs to life at this dramatic library, museum, and educational research complex overlooking Dorchester Bay. It captures the 35th president's accomplishments and legacy in video and sound recordings and fascinating displays of memorabilia and photos. Far from being a static experience, it changes regularly, with temporary shows and reinterpreted displays that highlight and complement the permanent exhibits.

New England Aquarium
Central Wharf • Boston, MA 02110 • 617.973.5200
This entertaining complex is home to more than 7,000 fish and aquatic mammals. At busy times, it seems to contain at least that many people -- in July and August, try to make this your first stop of the morning, especially on weekends. You'll want to spend at least half a day, and huge afternoon crowds can make merely getting around painfully slow. Also consider investing in a Boston CityPass; it allows you to skip the ticket line, which can be uncomfortably long, and may represent a savings on the steep admission charge. The Simons IMAX Theatre, which has its own building, hours, and admission fees, is worth planning ahead for, too. Its 85-foot-by-65-foot screen shows 3D films with digital sound that concentrate on the natural world. It's a dizzying experience.

Home > Boston Attractions