Museums are one of my favorite places to visit for many reasons. One being that I love history. When I was in school, history was my favorite subject and I enjoyed learning all about our past and influential people. Museums are also like a big storybook, filled with amazing photos and facts.
Boston is an extremely historical and patriotic city so, there's no surprise at the amount of the museums. But, the cool thing is that these museums all focus on different areas of history, with different art forms and then, there are also museums created simply for entertainment and fun. The other great thing about museums in this city and why they are popular is because they connect with the community and host weekly and monthly events.
The events span from parties for college students to art shows, gallery nights, wine and music evening shows, and much more! So, today, I will be sharing with you, the top five museums In Boston and all the great things they have to offer.
1. Museum of Science
The Museum of Science is the most popular museum in the city because it has exhibits in everything you could think of. From dinosaurs to anatomy, astrology and much more, spending a day here is equivalent to spending the day at an amusement park (there's even a roller coaster!) All of the exhibits and activities are child friendly and also fun and exciting for adults.
The other fun part about this museum is that on top of the exhibits they also have a theater, where they play 4-D films, a huge planetarium, live presentations and a butterfly garden. They also host events for adults during the week. The events are overnight stays and group game nights that involve all of the exhibits.
This museum is allowing virtual tours at home here! https://www.mos.org/mos-at-home
Also here are the exhibits more in depth https://www.mos.org/explore/exhibits
2. The Museum of Fine Arts
The Museum of Fine Arts is one of the biggest museums in the US, with over half a million works of art. This museum showcases art work and artifacts throughout historical eras of different countries and continents as well as contemporary and cultural pieces throughout time. It also showcases the works of famous artists such as Picasso and Monet.
Over the years, The MFA has become a cultural space for Bostonians and has opened its doors to the community by hosting art classes for all ages. It also has dived into more areas of art, by having photography galleries, independent film premieres and events and artistic musical performances. The art shows and events are very popular and are similar to the way The Museum of Science does theirs.
Here is the website https://www.mfa.org
3. The Boston Children's Museum
The Boston Children's Museum is the biggest museum for children in the state and families from all neighboring cities visit frequently. The museum is similar to the science museum but has a lot more educational activities.
The activities at this museum serve to make children use their critical thinking skills, express themselves, learn more about other cultures and use their physical strength. The children get to explore different countries and learn about them, express themselves through creating art work, build different things and so much more!
Here is a virtual tour of the museum, look around! https://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/museum-virtual-tour
4. The Institute of Contemporary Art
The Institute of Contemporary Art or as we all say "The ICA" is a art museum that showcases all contemporary art throughout history. This museum is for lovers of all forms of media. They have exhibits and events on everything from visual art to music, film, dance, performance art and all things culture.
The ICA also has an educational part to it, where they have educational programs, teaching those who are interested in breaking into the art scene. Much like the others, The ICA also hosts a multitude of different events such as classes for children and families and art and culture shows for adults and teenagers. They also have hosted famous designers and showcased their work as "one time only" exhibits.
Here is the website! https://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions
5. Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum
The Isabella Gardner Stewart Museum is a museum that has art, sculptures, tapestries and paintings from periods within American, European, and Asian cultures. The museum is a little different than the others as it has garden and landscape exhibits. The museum also hosts more events such as weddings, banquets and formal parties. But, they also host a ton of weekly events and art shows with live music and wine tasting like the others. They also connect with the Boston community by having classes for artists of all ages to collaborate, meet, and make art.
The cool (but dangerous) thing about this museum is the heist that took place 30 years ago. In 1990, robbers broke into the museum and stole 13 of its most famous paintings and to this day, no one has recovered them. The museum along with the FBI worked tirelessly to find out who committed these crimes but to this day no one has come forward. The country also put up an award of 10 million dollars to whoever returns them but... nothing. This has become sort of an exhibit in itself for the museum.
ACTIVITIES
1. Go onto the link here https://www.mos.org/mos-at-home and scroll down to the section that says "Virtual Exhibits" and do the activities listed "design your museum" and "color your. museum"
2. Go on to the link https://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/daily-activities and click on one of the daily activities and complete it then tell/show me which one you did.
3.. Write about your favorite form of art. (visual art, photography, filmmaking, video, music, painting, drawing, graffiti etc.)
Tell me why this form is your favorite
Who is your favorite artist and why
What is your favorite art piece