Boston Skyline from Skywalk Observatory photo courtesy of Mike Richard
Sometimes, it’s OK to be a tourist. I prefer to view shorter trips of 48 hours or less like appetizer samplers, to focus on seeing just a little of a lot of different sites. Viator’s Boston CityPASS is great for such occasions, as it allows travelers to visit the city’s most popular tourist attractions for one deeply discounted rate. During a recent visit to Boston, we took advantage of the pass which allows for visits to all of these attractions within a nine-day period:
- New England Aquarium
- Museum of Science
- Skywalk Observatory at the Prudential Center
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Option Ticket: Choice of Harvard Museum of Natural History OR The Old State House – Boston’s Revolutionary Museum
First up, we visited the Skywalk Observatory located in Boston’s tallest skyscraper at The Prudential Center. Honestly, at $17 per adult, it’s not worth the price of admission on its own. But, when bundled with CityPASS, it’s a must-visit attraction that offers the best, panoramic views of the city. On a clear day, from 52 floors up, it’s easy to see up to 100 miles away, including the Atlantic Ocean, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and the city’s most famous landmarks. A number of educational installations at the observatory provide insight into the history of Massachusetts as a whole, and of Boston in particular.
View from the Skywalk Observatory at Boston’s Prudential Center photo courtesy of Mike Richard
Our next stop was at Boston’s famed Museum of Science. As a lifelong New Englander, it’s a place I know well as I’ve been visiting off and on for more than 20 years. The museum has offered a long list of standard exhibits for longer than I can remember, including installations about space exploration, the natural world, marine sciences, and even large scale dinosaur replicas including a life-sized T-Rex, among others.
T-Rex Dinosaur Exhibit at Boston Museum of Science photo courtesy of Mike Richard
Fortunately, there’s a rotating crop of exhibits to explore — more than enough to keep both kids and geeky adults (myself included) entertained. During our recent visit, a special exhibition of Modern Cuisine Photography was on display. Scientists worked with culinary masters to photograph the wares and tools of modern cooking. Through the use of ultra-high speed video cameras and microscopic photography equipment, they were able to capture a variety of kitchen scenes in never-before-seen ways. The results were beautiful, fascinating, and truly unique.
Modern Cuisine Photography Exhibit at Boston Museum of Science photo courtesy of Mike Richard
As an added bonus, the museum offers some of the best waterfront views in the city. On a warm day, it’s an ideal spot to grab an ice cream from the onsite restaurant and relax outside on the benches that line the beautiful Charles River.
Waterfront View at Boston Museum of Science photo courtesy of Mike Richard
Lastly, we visited Boston’s incredible Museum of Fine Arts. Like every world class fine arts museum around the country, it features a staggering number of exhibits and installations — nearly half a million in total. With only a few hours here, we barely scratched the surface and I would allow at least five hours to properly appreciate its collections.
Among its most noteworthy exhibitions for 2015 is a collection of black and white photography by Gordon Parks. Parks was the first African American photographer ever hired full-time by Life magazine in 1948. His body of work explored some of the country’s most critical issues including segregation and life in rural America during the middle of the 20th century.
It’s impossible to sufficiently explore all six attractions included in Boston’s CityPASS in just one day. Fortunately, the pass is good for nine days after its first use. It’s an ideal way to spend a long weekend in the city visiting some of its most popular sites.
Mike Richard is a Viator Ambassador and Rhode Island native, professional web designer and travel junkie with an unhealthy addiction to backpacking, hiking and seeing the world. Follow him at Vagabondish.
Exploring the Best of Downtown Boston with CityPASS from Boston Things to Do