Beantown challenge!

August 10, 2023 12:02 AM

Which little-known gems of museums or historical sites in Boston or Cambridge do I not yet know about? Difficulty level: I lived in eastern Massachusetts for two decades...

I'd like to spend time in a relatively quiet and interesting place with my twentysomething son while I visit him in Boston. Today we're going to Belle Isle Marsh near Suffolk Downs, as an example.

I'd love your recs for obscure museums, history walks, natural beauty, preferably away from noisy crowds and traffic. I've already been to quite a few, but if you tell me why I should go there again with my son, I'll likely believe you!

Both he and I are neurodivergent, and we need to avoid rackets of all kinds. Duck Tours and the Gardner Museum are NOT options, for example.

Boston or Cambridge only, please. I love Watertown, but it takes too long to get there, and time is at a premium.

posted by rabia.elizabeth to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (14 answers total)

I suppose you would already know about the Harvard Museum of Natural History, but I'll mention it because it is both relatively quiet and interesting. I went to see the famous exhibit of glass flowers but ended up spending much more time there than I was expecting to.
posted by Sweetie Darling at 3:37 AM on August 10, 2023 [6 favorites]

The MIT museum is always a fave! https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/
posted by scolbath at 4:09 AM on August 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

Mount Auburn Cemetery is lovely, large, and quiet.
posted by staggernation at 4:15 AM on August 10, 2023 [3 favorites]

Best answer: The Harvard Art Museums have undergone a substantial renovation recently, so even if you've been before there's probably something new to see (they're also free).

The MIT Museum might be on your radar already but I only just went for the first time this summer and I'm a Boston long-timer.

MassArt has a new museum, MAAM, that I haven't been to yet but I keep meaning to. It's free and near the MFA. No permanent collection, all rotating exhibits, so you are kind of guaranteed to see something you haven't seen before.

Still on that side of town, there's also the Warren Anatomical Museum at Countway Library, which is small and probably not worth a visit on its own unless if you're already in/near the Longwood Medical Area and/or very interested in medical curiosities.

Speaking of medical stuff, the Ether Dome is alas closed at the moment but MGH has a Museum of Medical History and Innovation.

For nature, the Arnold Arboretum is great but if Watertown is too far I feel like maybe Jamaica Plain is as well? But then you're already going to East Boston, so maybe not. There's also Jamaica Pond and the Riverway and really all of the Emerald Necklace - pretty busy in the Back Bay but once you get through the Fens it gets very peaceful.

If you like kayaking or canoeing, there are several locations where you can rent them, mostly from Paddle Boston; skip the Kendall Square location (too crowded) but consider Blessing of the Bay in Somerville (Assembly Orange line) or Allston-Brighton (not super convenient transit-wise but lots of parking).

And even though it doesn't meet your "only Cambridge or Boston" requirement I'm going to recommend the Middlesex Fells (western part if you're driving from downtown/Cambridge, eastern part if you're taking the T to Oak Grove) since it's no more difficult to get to than Belle Isle and I love the Fells.
posted by mskyle at 4:18 AM on August 10, 2023 [6 favorites]

I'll second Mount Auburn Cemetery. If you're looking to be outside, it can't be beat. Plus you can easily combine it with great food at nearby Sofra.

I'm always surprised more people don't know about the Mapparium. It's really impressive.
posted by NotMyselfRightNow at 5:03 AM on August 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

Walking in the Alewife brook reservation. Lots of birds and last time I was there I even saw some deer!
posted by danapiper at 5:03 AM on August 10, 2023 [1 favorite]

Came in to suggest Georges Island and the historic Civil War fort there, which I think doesn’t get much tourist traffic and has a lot of space to roam and explore. I believe it is officially “Boston”, but if time and travel logistics are a concern it might not be workable in this particular situation.
posted by sesquipedalia at 5:40 AM on August 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

My little slice of heaven is a match of ping pong at the tables tucked into the foliage alongside of the Harvard science center plaza, followed by a meal at the food trucks or eating some fresh produce if the farmer's market is set up in the plaza, then walking through the Yard to JP Licks.

If you are really familiar with Cambridge, you may know about the secret-something at Leavitt & Pierce. If you don't, go there and poke around a bit. But I'm not going to post it here for all the world to see.

There's also the advice guy at the old Out of Town News kiosk.
posted by cocoagirl at 6:09 AM on August 10, 2023 [2 favorites]

The Boston Athenaeum is blissfully quiet. A day pass is expensive ($40/person) but possibly worth it if you're looking for a peaceful spot to sit and read for an afternoon. You can also take a guided tour of the building.
posted by Call me Ishmael at 7:33 AM on August 10, 2023

~10 years ago, I walked along the Charles from Newton to Cambridge last time I was there and it was gorgeous. That's beyond Watertown so too far but just after the Eliot Bridge where the river loops North, I found a small but perfectly formed tree with a horizontal bough at eye-level. I noticed it because it had two pieces of laminated paper nailed thereto. I had discovered the Poetry Tree on The Charles project which enjoins us to "Enjoy the poetry, the River, and our glorious world.". That's kind of sweet and added a cherry to the icing on the cake of my day. What poem? A Tuft of Flowers by Robert Frost:
I went to turn the grass once after one
Who mowed it in the dew before the sun.
etc etc etc
posted by BobTheScientist at 9:31 AM on August 10, 2023

Nthing the MIT Museum, even if you've been in years past because they recently renovated, moved, and reopened! Also, if you're interested in the history of science, the Harvard Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments is definitely a hidden jewel. It's also very close to the anthropology and natural history museums (and cocoagirl's ping pong tables), which is handy!

Mass General actually just recently reopened access to the hospital's original building and Ether Dome! The Museum of African American History is right nearby as well, and they have guided and self-guided tours that might unveil other points of interest. It's currently closed for renovations, but the West End Museum might be good to bookmark for future visits.
posted by quatsch at 9:33 AM on August 10, 2023

Oh along the same lines as the Athenaeum, there's the French Library, which is in a lovely Back Bay brownstone and free to visit. I believe the actual library part is closed for August (so French) but you can still visit the reception rooms (and read French magazines, if that is possible/of interest for you). And the older McKim building part of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square is 1) quiet and 2) very beautiful. The courtyard is especially great.
posted by mskyle at 9:47 AM on August 10, 2023

Thirding Mount Auburn. If you get off the roads an onto the trails, there are some wonderfully peaceful areas. If climbing is an option (and you catch it at a tourist-free moment), the view from the Washington Tower is spectacular.
posted by dws at 10:00 AM on August 10, 2023

4th of the Infinite at MIT is Strobe Alley (they cover how to get there on the linked page). Super quite this time of year. I haven't been recently, but they always had some exhibits set up and some great examples of Edgerton's work at scale.
posted by chiefthe at 10:01 AM on August 10, 2023