Itineraries: Boston In Three Days
You can easily extend the suggestions for the first 2 days to fill a third -- for instance, your Museum of Fine Arts admission is good for another visit within 10 days, and you haven't actually completed the Freedom Trail -- but you'll probably want to branch out. Today you head for Cambridge, Dorchester, or both.
1. Museum of Science
If you prefer science over history or want to stay close to downtown, head to the museum; if not, you're off to Dorchester to see the:
2. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Although they're very different, both of these museums are well worth a trip and a full morning. The Museum of Science, with its wealth of hands-on exhibits, is a great destination for families; adults and older kids who have studied American history can't get enough of the Kennedy Library. Both museums open at 9am. Both have cafeterias, but it is recommended that you wait to have lunch until you reach Cambridge at midday.
3. Eat Like a College Kid
Favorite Harvard Square lunch destinations are casual places where the sightseer's uniform of jeans or shorts and sneakers fits right in. Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage, 1246 Massachusetts Ave. (tel. 617/354-6559), is a top choice anywhere for onion rings, not to mention great burgers. It's closed Sunday. The Border Café, 32 Church St. (tel. 617/864-6100), serves terrific Tex-Mex specialties.
4. Harvard Square & Harvard University
Consider these two entities one big stop because the school couldn't exist without the neighborhood, and vice versa. Allow some time to wander around and enjoy the gentrified-boho atmosphere. Take a tour, which begins at the university's Information Center, or head out on your own. "The Square" is also a fun shopping destination.
5. Harvard University Museums
Let your interests be your guide for the rest of the afternoon. If you prefer being indoors, stay on campus to visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History and the adjacent Peabody Museum, which are equally welcoming to kids and adults. At the moment, highlights of the collections of the Harvard University Art Museum are on display at the Sackler Museum while the museum's other buildings undergo renovation. (That means a relatively short visit, but that may suit you just fine.) All of the university museums close at 5pm.
6. Mount Auburn Cemetery
A short distance from Harvard Square, Mount Auburn Cemetery is a gorgeous, fascinating destination. When you've had enough, head back to the hotel. Stay in and order room service.
Frommer’s. 2011. Suggested Itineraries. Online. Available: http://www.frommers.com/destinations/boston/0004020790.html