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| | massachusetts | boston | |||
| Cambridge | |||
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Cambridge is chock a block with college students, but there’s plenty of fun things for kids to do. Founded in 1630, the center of the old village is Harvard Square today. During the American Revolution, the new American army camped out on Cambridge Common, while British supporters lived down the road on Brattle St. |
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Cambridge Common – The Cambridge Common might just look like a big grassy area, with a nice playground in the northeast corner with swings, slides, climbing structures and sand play area, but it’s much more. | ||
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In 1775, as the Revolution was getting under way, rebels and soldiers trained on the Common. On the western side, you’ll see three black cannons. These cannons were abandoned by the British army when they left Boston in March 1776. Also, check out the marker “Under this tree Washington first took command of the American Army July 3, 1775.” (This isn’t the original elm tree, but Washington did indeed take charge of the army in Cambridge.) | ||
 Across the way, on Dawes Island, find the brass horseshoes in the sidewalk. On the night of April 18, 1775, while Paul Revere headed out to Lexington, William Dawes also rode out to warn the militias, only he took the longer route, riding through Cambridge. |
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Harvard University – Harvard College was established in 1636, and today the university has a Nobel Prize winning faculty and is the alma mater of a bunch of presidents. The campus has several fun things for kids: | ||
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Old college pump (Harvard Yard) – Check out a replica of the ancient college pump, where undergraduates pumped water from a well for washing, cooking and drinking. Kids can lift the wooden handle up and down, "shake hands with the pump," but no water will come out. |
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| - Misty rocks – In front of the Science Center are a group of rocks. In in warm weather, mist sprays out above the boulders, perfect for kids to cool off. | |||
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- Winnie the Pooh's House – From the rocks, walk around the Science Center to the door on the west side. To the left of the Science Center is a tree, at the bottom of the tree is a red door marked “Pooh.” According to the kids of Cambridge, this is where Winnie of Pooh lives. | ||
| - Farmers market –On Tuesdays there’s a large farmers’ market in front of the Science Center, June - October. | |||
| Harvard Museum of Natural History – Kids love the extinct dodo bird, triceratops, giant mastodon, stuffed birds (California condor, bald eagles, puffins), and a hall of minerals with gems galore – touch that giant amethyst geode. Another specialty at the museum is 3,000 glass flowers – irises, dahlias, cactuses, banana plants, autumn leaves, water lilies, and more, crafted over 100 years ago. Tip: Admission to both the Museum of Natural History and Peabody Museum is included in the Go BostonCard. |
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Harvard Square – In front of Au Bon Pain, kids who enjoy chess can play a game with the chessmasters (or just watch). Also right by Au Bon Pain, there are grates in the sidewalk – stand over the grates and listen to the subway going by. Around the corner, in front of Cardullo’s deli, you can watch the Red Sox games on TV in the window, or stop into Herrell's for an ice cream in the old bank vault. |
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Walks – | ||
| Walk along the Charles River – From Harvard Square, go down John F Kennedy St. to Memorial Drive, and take the paths up or down along the river. |
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| Brattle Street – From Harvard Square, head out west on Mt. Auburn Street, go right on Hawthorn Street, then turn left onto Brattle Street. Visit the yellow Longfellow House (George Washington’s headquarters, as well as the home of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow who wrote the Midnight Night of Paul Revere). Continue on Brattle Street, walking past old mansions on “Tory Row” (here’s where the British loyalists lived). You can keep walking, all the way to Mt. Auburn Cemetery. If the kids get tired, just pick up the buses on Mt. Auburn St. and return to Harvard Square. |
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MIT Museum – Our favorite exhibit at the MIT Museum is the whimsical Rube Goldberg-like kinetic sculptures on the second floor – a little chair rotates on a piece of granite, gears and wires controlling it underneath, a wishbone walks along, a feather strokes a violin. The museum also has other technology goodies – rainbow-colored holograms magically appear in 3-D windows, robots that swim like a tuna, city cars that fold up, a simulator operates remote controlled vehicle on the ocean floor. |
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Museum of Science – This is a very hands-on museum where kids are encouraged to experience science through all their senses – Science in the Park where kids an jump, swing and run, or dive like a dolphin with a motion simulator, take a walk in space, discover the beauty of math in sunflowers and soap bubbles. For little kids there’s a Discovery Center. Check out the IMAX Theater, and planetarium with laser shows. The exhibits, which cover all aspects of science, life science, the natural world, computer technology and space sciences, are always changing. Tip: User your Go BostonCard for free admission to the museum. |
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Duck Tours – Next to the Museum of Science, pick up a Duck Tour that goes on land and sea in an amphibious vehicle. On the tour, you’ll dip into the Charles River, then head into downtown Boston, around the Boston Common, Public Garden, Copley Square and Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Lots of duck jokes, and it depends on the driver, but sometimes kids can drive the boat in the Charles River. | ||
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CambridgeSide Place – Charming canal with fountains, and benches to sit out and have a picnic ( the Galleria next door has casual eateries). This is also the spot to pick up boat rides: | ||
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Charles River Tour – A one hour boat ride on the Charles River (in summer the river will be dotted with sailboats). See Beacon Hill and Back Bay Boston, and Harvard and MIT from the river. |
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| Boston Harbor and Locks Tour – May to October, a longer tour takes you on the Charles River and by the USS Constitution and landmarks of the Freedom Trail, plus pass through the Charles River Locks. |
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Fun food – |
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Everyone (not just kids) loves ice cream, even in winter. In Harvard Square, try Herrell’s on Dunster St. (it’s in located in what was once a bank vault), or Toscanni’s on Main St. near Central Square. If you want to go further afield, Christina’s on Cambridge St. at Prospect St. is also delicious. |
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