Museums of Boston

2008-01-16

1 hr., 54 min./107 miles

Take I-95 out of Maine, passing through NH and into MA. Merge onto US-1 via Exit 46 towards Boston. Take the I-93 S/US-1 S and then use Exit 23 for Purchase Street. Make a slight right onto Purchase/John F. Fitzgerald Surface Road, then go left to Congress Street.

Touring tips

• Save money on gas and parking by taking the Amtrak Downeaster from Portland to Boston. Same-day, round-trip fares are just $39 per person from Portland, Old Orchard Beach or Saco if booked three days in advance. www.thedowneaster.com.

• Other museums that deserve a look include: Institute of Contemporary Art, Old State House, Boston Public Library, Museum of Afro-American History, New England Aquarium. Go to www.citypass.com for info on discount tickets to six attractions.

Because we can’t predict what’s going to happen with the weather next, this time of year seems perfect for taking advantage of indoor activities — the kind that can leave you in awe in warmth and coziness just the way an all-out expert trail in a snowstorm does it for you in the out-of-doors. We’re talking museums, and Boston has some of the finest you’ll find.

Make it a daytrip, an overnight or a long weekend and enjoy the worlds of art, science, history, music and sports this city has to offer. Six are highlighted here, but there are so many more you can choose from.

• Boston Children’s Museum, 300 Congress, St., daily 10 am-5 pm and Friday also 5-9 pm, $10/$8/$2. It’s a fun-for-all educational experience spanning three floors of hands-on exhibits about water, mazes, acting — even bubbles.

• Museum of Science, 1 Science Park, daily 9 am-5 pm and Friday also 5-9 pm, $17/$15/$14. Enjoy more than 550 exhibits focused on natural history, physical science, medicine, technology and astronomy. Don’t miss the world’s largest air-insulated generator in the Theater of Electricity and check out the 3-D cinema.

• John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Columbia Point, daily 9 am-5 pm, $10/$8/$7. The museum (above) was designed by I.M Pei on a panoramic 10-acre waterfront site and allows visitors to learn about the 35th president through 25 multimedia exhibits.

• Museum of Fine Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Sat.-Tue. 10 am-4:45 pm, Wed.-Fri. 10 am-9:45 pm, $17/$15/$6.50. See works from Degas, Gauguin, Monet, Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir, Whistler and more in this historic museum, which first opened in 1876 in Copley Square.

• USS Constitution Museum, 55 Constitution Rd., Charlestown, 10 am-5 pm (ship hours Thu.-Sat.10 am-3:50 pm), donation. Take a guided tour of Old Ironsides, the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. View the gun deck, galley, bilge pumps, captain’s quarters and upper deck.

• The Sports Museum, TD Banknorth Garden, daily 11 am-5 pm, $6/$4. Experience New England sports from high school to the pros, including artwork and interactive displays on the Celtics, Bruins, Red Sox and Patriots.

— Karen Beaudoin