Boston Museum, Natural history and art museums in downtown Boston, United States.
The Boston Museum is a multi-purpose institution in downtown Boston that brings together natural history collections, art galleries, and a wax museum under one roof. Its halls hold minerals, fossils, preserved organisms, artworks, and handcrafted botanical models from different periods.
The museum was founded in 1841 as a shared space for natural history and art, which was an uncommon combination at the time. This approach later influenced how other educational institutions in the region chose to organize their collections.
The Boston Museum is known for its handcrafted glass botanical models, made by 19th-century artists with extraordinary precision. These objects are displayed today much as they were when first created, and draw visitors who are curious about the meeting point of science and craft.
The building has separate entrances for its different departments, so it helps to decide in advance which collection to start with. Allow several hours to visit the main galleries without rushing.
The museum holds the only mounted skeleton of a large prehistoric marine reptile in the region, displayed as a focal point of the paleontology section. This fossil draws visitors who are interested in ancient sea life and rarely seen specimens.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
