Chapter V

Cambridge Attractions

Museums, parks, and historic sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts

What visitors often miss: The best Cambridge attractions aren't the obvious ones. Mount Auburn Cemetery is a Victorian landmark. The Harvard Art Museums are free for Massachusetts residents. Cambridge Common is where Washington took command of the Continental Army. Most are reachable by the Red Line.

35Attractions

10Must-See

33Free Entry

Exhibition Search

Harvard Yard

Harvard Yard

Historic heart of Harvard University, America's oldest institution of higher education.

45 minutes - 1 hour

Free (campus tours available)

Harvard · 5 min

MIT Campus

MIT Campus

World-renowned institute featuring striking modern architecture and cutting-edge innovation.

Free to walk campus

Kendall/MIT · 3 min

Harvard Art Museums

Harvard Art Museums

Three museums under one roof with world-class collections spanning ancient to contemporary art.

Harvard · 8 min

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Harvard Museum of Natural History

World-renowned natural history collections including the famous Glass Flowers.

Harvard · 12 min

Charles River Esplanade

Charles River Esplanade

Scenic waterfront park perfect for walking, jogging, cycling, and enjoying Boston skyline views.

30 minutes - 2 hours

Kendall/MIT · 8 min

Mount Auburn Cemetery

Mount Auburn Cemetery

Cambridge Highlands

America's first garden cemetery, a peaceful 175-acre oasis with stunning landscapes and notable burials.

Free (donations appreciated)

Harvard · 25 min

MIT Museum

MIT Museum

Engaging museum showcasing innovation, robotics, holography, and MIT's technological breakthroughs.

1.5 - 2.5 hours

Kendall/MIT · 3 min

Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters

Longfellow House - Washington's Headquarters

National Historic Site where Washington planned the Siege of Boston and Longfellow wrote his poetry.

1 - 1.5 hours (including gardens)

Free (National Park Site)

Harvard · 15 min

Fresh Pond Reservation

Fresh Pond Reservation

Cambridge Highlands

155-acre park centered around a beautiful reservoir with walking trails and nature.

45 minutes - 2 hours

Alewife · 15 min

Kendall Square

Kendall Square

The most innovative square mile on the planet - where tech, biotech, and innovation converge.

Kendall/MIT · 0 min

Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

One of the oldest archaeology and ethnology museums in the world, with 1.2 million artifacts.

$15 adults (includes Museum of Natural History)

Harvard · 12 min

Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts

Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts

The only building in North America designed by Le Corbusier — a brutalist masterpiece.

30 minutes - 1 hour

Harvard · 8 min

MIT Chapel

MIT Chapel

Eero Saarinen's luminous cylindrical chapel — a modernist meditation on light and water.

15 - 30 minutes

Kendall/MIT · 5 min

Kresge Auditorium

Kresge Auditorium

Eero Saarinen's thin-shell concrete dome resting on just three points — engineering as art.

15 - 30 minutes (exterior); varies for events

Free to view exterior

Kendall/MIT · 5 min

Baker House (Alvar Aalto)

Baker House (Alvar Aalto)

Alvar Aalto's serpentine dormitory along the Charles River — Finnish modernism in Cambridge.

15 - 30 minutes (exterior)

Free (exterior only)

Kendall/MIT · 10 min

Ray and Maria Stata Center

Ray and Maria Stata Center

Frank Gehry's wildly deconstructivist building — tilting towers that look ready to topple.

15 - 45 minutes

Kendall/MIT · 7 min

Cambridge Common

Cambridge Common

Where George Washington took command of the Continental Army — a park steeped in Revolution.

30 minutes - 1 hour

Harvard · 5 min

Old Burying Ground

Old Burying Ground

Cambridge's oldest cemetery (1635) — final resting place of Revolutionary War soldiers and Harvard presidents.

20 - 40 minutes

Harvard · 7 min

Christ Church Cambridge

Christ Church Cambridge

Peter Harrison's 1761 Anglican church — used as Continental Army barracks during the Revolution.

20 - 30 minutes

Harvard · 6 min

Brattle Theatre

Brattle Theatre

Legendary independent cinema since 1953 — the birthplace of the Bogart revival and repertory film.

2 - 3 hours (film + browsing)

Harvard · 3 min

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.)

American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.)

Tony Award-winning theater at Harvard — where Broadway hits are born, from Waitress to Hadestown.

$25-$95 depending on production

Harvard · 5 min

Sanders Theatre

Sanders Theatre

Harvard's Victorian gem (1876) — world-class acoustics in a space that hosted Churchill, MLK, and Yo-Yo Ma.

2 - 3 hours (with performance)

Varies by event

Harvard · 8 min

MIT List Visual Arts Center

MIT List Visual Arts Center

MIT's contemporary art museum — free, cutting-edge exhibitions where art meets science and technology.

45 minutes - 1.5 hours

Kendall/MIT · 3 min

Fort Washington Park

Fort Washington Park

Remains of a Revolutionary War fort — one of the earthworks defending Cambridge from the British.

15 - 30 minutes

Central · 10 min

Danehy Park

Danehy Park

North Cambridge

50-acre park built on a reclaimed landfill — fields, hills, and the best kite-flying in Cambridge.

30 minutes - 2 hours

Alewife · 20 min

Magazine Beach Park

Magazine Beach Park

Riverfront park with a splash pad, playing fields, and prime Charles River views.

Central · 15 min

Alewife Reservation

Alewife Reservation

North Cambridge

115-acre urban wild — wetlands, meadows, and nature trails hiding at the end of the Red Line.

45 minutes - 1.5 hours

Alewife · 5 min

Minuteman Bikeway

Minuteman Bikeway

North Cambridge

Award-winning 10-mile rail trail from Cambridge to historic Lexington and Bedford.

1 - 3 hours (depending on distance)

Alewife · 2 min

Harvard Square

Harvard Square

Cambridge's beating heart — a vibrant intersection of bookshops, cafés, street performers, and 400 years of history.

Harvard · 0 min

Central Square

Central Square

Cambridge's grittiest, most diverse square — the live music capital and best international dining.

Central · 0 min

Inman Square

Inman Square

Where locals eat — Cambridge's understated foodie square with the city's best restaurants.

Central · 12 min

Porter Square

Porter Square

Cambridge's cozy village square — Japanese restaurants, the deepest T station, and neighborhood charm.

Porter · 0 min

Brattle Street / Tory Row

Brattle Street / Tory Row

Cambridge's most elegant street — Georgian mansions where Loyalist families lived before the Revolution.

30 minutes - 1 hour (walking)

Harvard · 5 min

Harvard Science Center & Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

Harvard Science Center & Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments

Free museum of historic telescopes, sundials, and scientific instruments spanning 500 years.

30 minutes - 1 hour

Harvard · 7 min

Harvard Semitic Museum

Harvard Semitic Museum

Ancient Near Eastern artifacts from Harvard's archaeological expeditions — free and fascinating.

30 minutes - 1 hour

Harvard · 10 min

Seasonal Guide

Spring

Cherry blossoms on Memorial Drive. Harvard Yard in bloom. Open Studios in May.

Summer

Charles River kayaking. Outdoor concerts. Free Friday Flicks at the Hatch Shell.

Fall

Head of the Charles. Mount Auburn Cemetery foliage. Harvard-Yale game.

Winter

Museum season — no crowds. Ice skating on Cambridge Common. First Night New Year's.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cambridge has many excellent free attractions including Harvard Yard and campus tours, Cambridge Common (where Washington took command of the army), the MIT campus and public art collection, Fresh Pond Reservation, and several Harvard museums that offer free admission for Massachusetts residents. Mount Auburn Cemetery, America's first landscaped cemetery, is also free to visit.

Harvard has more library books than most countries have citizens.

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