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Massachusetts State House
High atop Beacon Hill, Massachusetts leaders and legislators attempt to turn their ideas into concrete policies and practices within the State House. Charles Bulfinch designed the commanding state capitol, but it was Oliver Wendell Holmes who called it 'the hub of the solar system' (thus earning Boston the nickname 'the Hub').
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Massart
More formally known as the Massachusetts College of Art, this is the country's first and only four-year independent public art college. In 1873, state leaders decided the new textile mills in Lowell and Lawrence needed a steady stream of designers, so they established MassArt to educate some.
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MIT Museum
Leave it to the mischievous brainiacs at MIT to come up with the city's quirkiest museum. An exhibit called Robots and Beyond demonstrates MIT's ongoing work on artificial intelligence. You can meet humanoid robots like observant Cog and personable Kismet and decide for yourself if they are smarter than humans. Sculptor Arthur Ganson explores the fine line between art and engineering with his display of interactive sculpture.
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Mt Auburn Cemetery
On a sunny day, this delightful spot at the end of Brattle St is worth the 30-minute walk west from Harvard Sq. Developed in 1831, its 175 acres were the first 'garden cemetery' in the US.
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Mugar Memorial Library
The special collections of BU's Mugar Memorial Library are housed in the Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, an outstanding 20th-century archives that balances pop culture and scholarly appeal. Rotating exhibits throughout the library showcase the holdings. On any given day, they might include papers from Arthur Fiedler's collection, the archives of Douglas Fairbanks Jr or the correspondence of BU alumnus Dr Martin Luther King Jr.
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Museum Of Afro-American History
Beacon Hill was never the exclusive domain of blue-blood Brahmins. Waves of immigrants, and especially African Americans, free from slavery, settled on the backside of the hill in the 19th century. The Museum of Afro-American History occupies two adjacent historic buildings: the African Meeting House, the country's oldest black church and meeting house; and Abiel Smith School, the country's first school for blacks.
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Museum Of Science
This educational playground has more than 600 interactive exhibits. Favorites include the world's largest lightning bolt generator, a full-scale space capsule, a world population meter and a virtual fish tank. The amazing array of exhibits explores computers, technology, complex systems, algae, maps, models, dinosaurs, birds and much more.
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New England Holocaust Memorial
The six luminescent glass columns of the New England Holocaust Memorial were constructed in 1995. The towers are engraved with six million numbers, representing those killed in the Holocaust. Each tower - with smoldering coals sending plumes of steam up through the glass corridors - represents a different Nazi death camp. The memorial sits along the Freedom Trail, a sobering reminder of its larger meaning.
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New Old South Church
This magnificent Venetian Gothic church on Copley Sq is called the 'new' Old South because up until 1875, the congregation worshiped in the Old South Church on Milk St (now the Old South Meeting House). The new church's exterior stonework is pudding stone and the interior woodwork is exquisite Italian cherry.
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Nichols House Museum
This 1804 townhouse might be your only opportunity to peek inside one of these classic Beacon Hill beauties. Attributed to Charles Bulfinch, this one is unique in its merger of Federal and Greek Revival architectural styles. Equally impressive is the story told inside the museum - that of the day-to-day life of Miss Rose Standish Nichols, who lived here from 1885 to 1960.
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Old City Hall
This monumental French Second Empire building is now office space with one fancy restaurant, but this site has seen its share of history. Out front, a plaque commemorates the site of the first public school, Boston Latin, founded in 1635 and still operational in Fenway. The hopscotch sidewalk mosaic, City Carpet , marks the spot where Benjamin Franklin, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Charles Bulfinch were educated.
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Old Corner Bookstore
Built in 1718, this little brick building was originally a pharmacy with a residence on its upper floors. In the 19th century, however, the house was leased to a bookseller for his business, Carter & Hendlee. This was the first of nine bookshops and publishing companies that would occupy this spot, making it a breeding ground for literary and philosophic ideas.
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Old North Church
Also called Christ Church, this 1723 place of worship is Boston's oldest church. Many of the tall pew boxes bear the brass nameplates of early parishioners who had to purchase their pews. The brass chandeliers used today were first lit on Christmas in 1724. Note the candles - there is no electric lighting in the church. This remains an active church; the grand organ is played at the Sunday service.
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Old Powder House
In the years leading up to the revolution, the Old Powder House contained the largest supply of gunpowder in the state. Which is why the patriots were alarmed when British troops raided the facility and confiscated the ammunition on September 1, 1774. It was part of a British attempt to keep the peace after levying the Intolerable Acts, but patriot sympathizers mistook the move to be threatening, and rumors spread wildly.
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Old State House
Dating to 1713, the Old State House is Boston's oldest surviving public building. It's where the Massachusetts Assembly used to debate the issues of the day. It occupies a once prominent spot at the top of State St (then known as King St), which was Boston's main thoroughfare. The building is best known for its balcony, where the Declaration of Independence was first read to Bostonians in 1776.
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Opera House
After years of neglect, the restored Opera House reopened in 2004 and stages acclaimed productions of big shows such as Wicked and Spamalot . The lavish theater has been restored to its 1928 glory, complete with mural-painted ceiling, gold-gilded molding and plush velvet curtains. The glitzy theater regularly hosts productions from the Broadway Across America series, as well the Christmas-time production of the Nutcracker by the Boston Ballet.
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Otis House Museum
The stern, Federal brick building stands in stark contrast to the modern development all around it. It was the first of three houses designed by Charles Bulfinch for Mr Harrison Gray Otis at the end of the 18th century. A real estate developer, congressman and mayor of Boston, Otis and his wife Sally were renowned entertainers who hosted many lavish parties here.
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Park St Church
Shortly after the construction of Park St Church, powder for the War of 1812 was stored in the basement, earning this location the moniker 'Brimstone Corner.' But that was hardly the most inflammatory event that took place here. Noted for its graceful, 217-ft steeple, this Boston landmark has been hosting historic lectures and musical performances since its founding.
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Paul Revere House
When silversmith Paul Revere rode to warn patriots of the British march to Lexington and Concord, he set out from his home on North Sq. This small clapboard house was built in 1680, making it the oldest house in Boston. The structure actually violated building codes of the day, which - in the wake of the fire of 1676 - required brick construction. Nonetheless, the house survived and has now been restored to its 17th-century appearance.
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Peabody Museum Of Archaeology & Ethnology
Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the world's oldest museums devoted to anthropology. Rotating exhibits showcase pieces from its impressive collection, which focuses on artifacts from Native Americans and other indigenous groups. The Hall of the North American Indian traces how native peoples responded to the arrival of Europeans from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The ticket includes entry to the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
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Peddocks Island
One of the largest Harbor Islands, Peddocks consists of four headlands connected by sandbars. Hiking trails wander through marsh, pond and coastal environs. But the dominant feature of Peddocks Island is the remains of Fort Andrews, a large facility with more than 20 buildings. Peddocks' proximity to the mainland ensured its use as a military stronghold, from the Revolutionary War right through WWII.
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Photographic Resource Center
The independent Photographic Resource Center is one of the few centers in the country devoted exclusively to this art form. The PRC's ever-changing exhibits lean toward the modern and experimental, often featuring work by amateur members. Other resources include educational programs, online exhibits, a well-stocked library and unique special events.
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Prospect Hill Park
On January 1, 1776, George Washington ordered the Grand Union Flag be flown from a 76ft mast atop Prospect Hill. Bearing thirteen stripes representing the united colonies with the crosses of St Andrew in the corner, it is considered the first American flag and this is the first time it was so proudly waved.
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Robert Gould Shaw Memorial
The magnificent bas-relief opposite the State House was sculpted by Augustus St Gaudens over nearly 13 years. It honors the 54th Massachusetts Regiment of the Union Army, the nation's first all-black Civil War regiment, depicted in the 1989 film Glory . The soldiers, led by 26-year-old Shaw, steadfastly refused their monthly stipend for two years, until Congress increased it to match the amount that white regiments received.
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Spectacle Island
Recently revamped, Spectacle Island has a brand new marina (around US$15 to around US$25 per day), visitors center, snack bar and supervised beaches. Five miles of walking trails provide access to a 157ft peak overlooking the harbor. Spectacle Island is relatively close to the city and a ferry runs here directly from Long Wharf.
