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Harvard Museum of Natural History, Cambridge, MA

Photo: Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

MuseumsLocal GemRainy-day pick

Harvard Museum of Natural History

26 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138 · Cambridge, MA

Why you should go…

Harvard's most-visited museum is best known for the Ware Collection of Glass Flowers, thousands of astonishingly lifelike botanical models handcrafted by the Blaschka family over five decades. Beyond them wait the Great Mammal Hall's hanging whale skeletons, a 42-foot Kronosaurus, glittering mineral galleries, and dioramas of New England wildlife. One ticket also admits you to the adjoining Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, and Massachusetts residents get free windows on Sundays and Wednesday afternoons. Steps from Harvard Yard.

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Good to know

General museums guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Check the special exhibition separately

    Touring shows usually carry their own ticket and their own opening hours, listed apart from general admission.

  • Look for the free window

    Many museums run community days, member evenings, or discounted late openings. It is worth a look before you pay full price.

  • Travel light through the door

    Large bags and backpacks often have to go to a coat check, and lines for it move slowly at opening.

  • Weekday mornings beat weekend afternoons

    School groups clear out by early afternoon midweek, while weekends stay busy from late morning on.

Maps and brochures

Harvard Museum of Natural History: property map

What's around here?

The closest stops to Harvard Museum of Natural History, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Harvard Yard

    Free

    Stroll the oldest part of Harvard's campus, past the John Harvard statue, Widener Library and Memorial Church.

    0.3 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    Rainy-Day Pick

    Harvard Art Museums

    Free

    Harvard's art museum near Harvard Square, with more than 50 galleries across three floors around a skylit courtyard.

    0.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Harvard Square

    Free

    Explore bookstores, cafes, street life and historic Harvard Yard around the busy plaza at the center of Cambridge.

    0.4 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Tours
    Local Gem

    Trademark Tours

    $25–$50

    Student-led walking tours of Harvard and MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

    0.5 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Museums
    Family Favorite

    Museum of Science

    $25–$50

    Live lightning shows, dinosaurs, a planetarium and hundreds of hands-on exhibits spanning the Charles River.

    2.4 mi awayMore like this

  • Museums
    Local Gem

    The Sports Museum

    Under $25

    Boston sports history museum inside TD Garden.

    2.9 mi awayMore like this