Area description continued:
Important locations and attractions:
Boston Common is a 48-acre public park established in 1632; people watching, concerts, street musicians, religious and political speakers. Freedom Trail is a 3 mile walking tour. Posted signs and red line pavement markers help distinguish 16 historic points in Boston National Historical Park. Old North Church, oldest church in Boston. 93 Salem St. Old State House, Boston's Heritage/American Revolution Museum. USS Constitution, Old Iron Sides, in the Charlestown Navy Shipyard. Faneuil Hall Square is the heart of the political life of Boston. John Hancock Observatory is the highest observation point in New England offering visitors a birds-eye view of the city.
Museums:
John F Kennedy Library & Museum
Columbia Point, at Morrissey Boulevard, Dorchester. (617) 929-4500. $4-$8.
The Museum of Fine Arts http://www.mfa.org
Impressive collection of American and international art plus Egyptian art, Chinese/Japanese ceramics.
Harvard Museum of Natural History http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu
Harvard University Art Museums http://www.artmuseums.harvard.edu
Includes these excellent museums: The Arthur M. Sackler Museum, 485 Broadway, (617) 495-9400. The Fogg Museum, European, Asian and American art from the Middle Ages to present. The Busch-Reisinger Museum (a section of the Fogg) focuses on the art of German-speaking Europe.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum http://www.boston.com/gardner
In 1903 "Mrs. Jack" Gardner built this architectural jewel in the style of a 15th-century Italian palace that houses her extensive art collection. The flowering courtyard is another not to be missed.
The Fenway, Boston, MA 02115 (617) 566-1401 Museum Shop: (617) 278-5122 Gardner CafŽ: (617) 566-1088
MIT Museum http://web.mit.edu/museum and MIT Museums Compton Gallery .