Travel News

21 Best Museums in Boston (For Every Kind of Mood!)

21 Best Museums in Boston (For Every Kind of Mood!)

Adventurous Kate contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through these links, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks!

There are so many excellent museums in Boston — it’s one of my favorite things about the city. Honestly, if you’re a big museum fan, Boston is one of the best places you could go!

Even so, most visitors to Boston tend to go to the big ones — the MFA, Museum of Science, and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum — or the mainstays of the Freedom Trail rather than branching out into the cool, niche, more out-of-the-way museums. My suggestion? Take a look at the unusual ones on this list!

Whether you’re a longtime Bostonian looking to explore your own city, a parent determined to give your kids an educational vacation, or a weekend visitor hoping to hit the best spots in three days, this guide will give you some ideas you didn’t have already.

Here they are — the best Boston museums.

Welcome to our fabulous museum city! Via Shutterstock.

Boston Museums FAQ

A sand-colored stone museum courtyard filled with pointy Gothic windows, statues, and so much lush greenery.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum has the best courtyard in all of Boston. Via LnP images on Shutterstock.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is a memorable museum full of European, Asian, and American artworks. It’s a great place to stroll slowly through paintings, tapestries, sculptures, and other decorative arts and immerse yourself in the history of the area through art. 

Founded by the eccentric Isabella Stewart Gardner, the museum was made possible because her will stipulated that her art collection be permanently displayed “for the education and enjoyment of the public forever.” She had a bohemian style and a thirst for travel, which makes the collection very unique. The courtyard is to die for.

But probably what this museum is best known for is the most famous heist in the history of Boston which occurred in 1990. Thirteen works of art with a combined value of $500 million were stolen in a brilliant display of thievery that remains unsolved even today.

Today, there are empty frames where the stolen art should be. I highly recommend learning about the heist before visiting; the “Last Seen” podcast is a good place to start.

Admission to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is $20 for adults, $18 for seniors 65+, and $13 for students with valid ID. 

Two bright red glowing orbs in a dark room sending what looks like a strike of lightning to a giant bird cage with a man inside it.
The Van der Graaf Generator at Boston’s Museum of Science, via James Kirkikis on Shutterstock

Museum of Science

As one of the world’s largest…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Adventurous Kate…