Northeastern is nestled among several museums, all within walking distance. The campus is divided by Huntington Avenue, also coined the “Avenue of the Arts.” Thanks to an annual promotion from Fleet banks, “Fleet museums on us,” cardholders can get cultured for free at select museums in Boston.
The museums in Boston include the Children’s Museum of Boston, Harvard Museum of Natural History, The Institute of Contemporary Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts and the Boston Museum of Science.
The Children’s Museum of Boston, typically for patrons that are 10 and under, is an interactive museum located on Congress Street. The museum houses a 100-year old Japanese House and, until the end of May, you can glide down the rabbit hole into Alice’s Wonderland through math and science trivia. If math and science aren’t favorites, the museum lets its visitors blow giant bubbles for a bit of mindless fun.
The Harvard Museum of Natural History houses the research and collections from Harvard’s natural history collection included the Ware Collection of Glass Flowers. Other exhibits include animals, dinosaurs, gems, meteorites and minerals, according to fleet.com.
The Institute of Contemporary Art is offbeat, with modern art that explores images and mediums of modern times.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum sits in Northeastern’s backyard, the Fenway, and houses one of the most impressive private collections to be found. “Celebrating its Centennial Anniversary this year, [the museum] is at once an intimate collection of fine and decorative art spanning thirty centuries and many cultures, and a vibrant, innovative venue for contemporary artists, musicians and scholars,” http://fleet.com said.
John F. Kennedy Library and Museum is situated on 10 acres overlooking the Boston Harbor, houses exhibits on slain president JFK’s life. Over 20 exhibits, including theaters and videos, help to recreate the world of JFK and Jacqueline Kennedy in the 1960s.
The most accessible museum to Northeastern students is the Musuem of Fine Arts, as it holds many notable artistic pieces. Even though Northeastern students have free admission already, now is the time when parents can come down and enjoy the art with you. The museum is directly across the street from Burstein and Rubenstein Halls.
The Museum of Science is located off the Green Line at Science Park by the Charles River, and it features exhibits that will rack your brain and stimulate your mind. Even if you’re not scientifically inclined, chances are you’ll enjoy one of the more than 550 exhibits there, or at least a show at the Mugar Omni Theater, Charles Hayden Planetarium or Thomson Theater of Electricity.
