Boston’s best hidden gems

Everyone knows about Fenway Park, Faneuil Hall, and the Freedom Trail—but Boston has so much more to discover. If you’re craving off-the-beaten-path destinations, let us guide you. This curated list features nine quirky and memorable spots around Boston that should be on every design lover’s list.

Handpicked by a Boston insider, these unique destinations promise Instagram-worthy moments and unforgettable travel stories that will make you the envy of friends and colleagues.

This list is the tip of the iceberg. We’ll release our full architect-led tours program when registration opens in March. Sign up, and we’ll notify you when registration opens!

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A grand stone archway with two tall towers, leading into a snowy cemetery.

Forest Hills Cemetery

Founded in 1848 by Henry A.S. Dearborn, this stunning 275-acre garden cemetery is an active burial ground, open-air museum, greenspace, and arboretum set within Boston’s Emerald Necklace. Known for its ornate monuments, Victorian landscape design, rare works of art, and notable residents, it offers a unique blend of history, art, and nature. Look for the famous neo-Gothic entrance gate, Daniel Chester French’s iconic “Death and the Sculptor” sculpture, and the poignant “Boy in the Boat” sculpture by Max Greim. The cemetery offers tours by local historians but be sure to book in advance.

What makes it unique:

  • Final resting place for famous poets, writers, abolitionists, and politicians including E.E. Cummings, Anne Sexton, Eugene O’Neill, Emily Greene Balch, Lucy Stone, and Eugene Foss.
  • Home to the largest U.S. collection of memorial sculptures by Daniel Chester French.
  • Features a sculpture path with contemporary works by Fern Cunningham, Charles Jones, Danielle Kremar, Mitch Ryerson, John Sherrill-Houser, and George Sherwood.

Details:

  • Hours: Varies by gate; the main entrance is open daily, 8am–7pm.
  • Admission: Free
  • Nearby subway stops: Forest Hills (Orange line)
  • Nearby attractions: Franklin Park, Arnold Arboretum

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A view of a library reading room with red armchairs, tables, and sculptures.

Boston Athenaeum

Located in Beacon Hill and dating back to 1807, the Boston Athenaeum is one of the oldest and most distinguished independent libraries in the country, with a circulating collection of 500,000+ books. Marvel at its beautifully preserved neoclassical architecture—highlighted by the magnificent rotunda, ornate columns, and the famous grand staircase. Explore its remarkable art collection with works by John Singer Sargent, Charles Willson Peale, and Gilbert Stuart. Plus, be sure to check out some of its more controversial items like a book allegedly bound in human skin.

What makes it unique:

  • Home to a special collection of 100,000+ rare books—featuring the works of Lord Byron, John Masefield, and T.S. Eliot—and manuscripts dating back to the American Revolution from authors like John Adams and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
  • Houses a nationally recognized collection of eighteenth-century prints, photographs, and drawings by Winslow Homer, Samuel Bemis, and Isaac Sprague, among others.
  • Part library, museum, and cultural center, the Athenaeum offers 12 levels to explore and tour, with exhibitions and special programs hosted regularly.

Details:

  • Hours: Monday–Thursday, 9am–8pm; Friday–Saturday, 9am–5pm
  • Admission: $40 Day admissions are available, plus $10 art and exhibition passes
  • Nearby subway stops: Park Street (Red and Green lines)
  • Nearby attractions: Massachusetts State House, Boston Common

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A room with green walls, ornate furniture, and paintings.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

There’s a good chance you’ve never experienced anything like the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. A Venetian-style palace, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is an unparalleled blend of art, architecture, and personal vision. Founded in 1903, the museum houses an eclectic collection of 7,500+ works—European paintings, Asian sculptures, manuscripts, textiles, tapestries, and decorative arts—from artists including Titian, Rembrandt, Michelangelo, Raphael, Botticelli, Manet, Degas, Sargent, Whistler, Zorn, and Matisse. The museum’s iconic courtyard—filled with seasonal floral displays—is a masterpiece, surrounded by rooms and galleries that transport visitors to another era.

What makes it unique:

  • Designed by Gardner herself, it remains largely untouched per her will—aside from an 80,000 square feet glass-enclosed wing designed by Renzo Piano.
  • Gardner’s playful sense of humor is woven throughout the museum experience. In the courtyard, a breathtaking Medusa takes center stage, framed by elegant stone sculptures. On the third floor, a portrait of Gardner playfully exchanges glances with a striking bust across the courtyard. There are many more—ask the museum’s security guards in each room.
  • Much of the art remains unlabeled, staying true to Gardner’s vision of allowing visitors to personally experience each piece.
  • Site of one of the world’s most famous art heists—estimated at $500 million in value—with empty frames left in the galleries for the stolen works.

Details:

  • Hours: Weekdays, 11am–5pm; Thursdays until 9pm; Weekends, 10am–5pm; closed Tuesdays.
  • Admission: $22 for adults, includes admission to all special exhibitions.
  • Nearby subway stops: Museum of Fine Arts or Fenway (Green line)
  • Nearby attractions: Museum of Fine Arts, Fenway Park

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A collection of paintings and sculptures with an air of humor and kitsch.

Museum of Bad Art

Honoring the best of the worst, the Museum of Bad Art (MOBA) is the world’s only museum dedicated to the collection, exhibition, and celebration of “art too bad to be ignored.” Located inside Dorchester Brewing Co., this irreverent collection features hilariously awful paintings, sculptures, and mixed media works—all created with earnest intent. Browse 60+ works like “Lucy in the Field with Flowers,” “Non-Seeing Eye Dog,” and “Sunday on the Pot with George.”

What makes it unique:

  • The only gallery in the world dedicated exclusively to bad art, showcasing pieces with “significant flaws” that make them fascinating.
  • Offers an experience that combines humor, creativity, and an appreciation for the earnest effort behind every failed masterpiece.
  • Located inside Dorchester Brewing Co. so you can enjoy a beer and BBQ while you peruse art gone awry.

Details:

  • Hours: Open 11:30am; close Sunday–Monday 9pm, Tuesday–Thursday 10pm, Friday–Saturday 11pm
  • Admission: Free
  • Nearby subway stops: JFK / UMass (Red line)
  • Nearby attractions: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Franklin Park Zoo

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Swan boats on a lake in a park.

Boston Public Garden

America’s first public botanical garden, the Boston Public Garden, is a vibrant 24-acre oasis in the heart of the city. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted in the Victorian tradition, the garden features meticulously landscaped flowerbeds, winding walking paths, and a picturesque lagoon. Be sure to take a ride on the iconic Swan Boats, which have been a staple of the lagoon since 1877. Don’t miss the “Make Way for Ducklings” sculpture by Nancy Schön—celebrating the beloved children’s book—and see if you can spot the famous bench where Matt Damon and Robin Williams sat in the film Good Will Hunting.

What makes it unique:

  • First public botanical garden in the U.S., designed in the Victorian style in 1837 with ornamental fountains and monuments.
  • Features Boston’s famous Swan Boats—created and operated for over 100 years by the same family.
  • A living museum of horticulture with over 80 meticulously maintained rare plant species and a diverse collection of trees, many of which date back over a century.

Details:

  • Hours: Open daily, 6:30am–11pm
  • Admission: Free; Swan Boat rides cost $4.75 for adults
  • Nearby subway stops: Arlington (Green line), Park Street (Red and Green lines)
  • Nearby attractions: Boston Common, Beacon Hill, Charles River Esplanade

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A bridge spanning a river in a city with buildings on both sides.

Harvard Bridge

Connecting Boston to Cambridge over the Charles River, the Harvard Bridge is an iconic 364.4 smoot-long structure with a unique claim to fame. The bridge is famously measured in “smoots”—a non-standard unit of length created in 1958 by MIT students as part of a fraternity prank, using student Oliver Smoot (5 feet 7 inches tall) as the measuring tool. The bridge offers scenic views of the Boston skyline and is a favorite for cyclists and joggers.

What makes it unique:

  • The only bridge officially measured in “smoots,” marked every 10 smoots for a quirky touch of MIT history.
  • Offers stunning panoramic views of Boston and Cambridge, especially during sunrise or sunset.
  • Features a historical marker commemorating Harry Houdini‘s daring escape from shackles beneath its arches in 1908.

Details:

  • Hours: Open 24/7
  • Admission: Free
  • Nearby subway stops: Kendall/MIT (Red line), Hynes Convention Center (Green line)
  • Nearby attractions: MIT campus, Charles River Esplanade

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A historic stone building with large windows and an entranceway.

The Liberty Hotel

Combining history and luxury, The Liberty Hotel in Beacon Hill was once the infamous Charles Street Jail. Built in 1851, the jail housed notorious criminals like Sacco and Vanzetti before closing in 1990. Today, the building’s unique architecture, including its towering central rotunda and original granite facade, has been impeccably preserved and reimagined into a 5-star luxury hotel. Guests can dine at Clink.—where cell bars remain part of the decor—or enjoy cocktails at Alibi—a bar set in the former drunk tank.

What makes it unique:

  • Originally the Charles Street Jail, it retains the original granite facade, arched windows, and 90-foot atrium with catwalks that once served as prison walkways.
  • A remarkable adaptive reuse project by CambridgeSeven and Ann Beha Architects that includes a soaring main lobby space and a reconstruction of the building’s signature cupola.
  • Hosts rotating art exhibitions, fashion shows, and events in its dramatic, history-steeped spaces.

Details:

  • Hours: Open year-round
  • Admission: Public areas are free to visit; Hotel accommodations and dining vary in price
  • Nearby subway stops: Charles/MGH (Red line)
  • Nearby attractions: Boston Common, Beacon Hill shops, Massachusetts General Hospital

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A brick building with a green roof on a university campus.

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Located on Harvard University’s campus in Cambridge, the Harvard Museum of Natural History houses scientific and artistic wonders. Its most famous exhibit—the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models—features 4,000+ hyper-realistic, hand-blown glass flowers and plants crafted by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka in the 19th century. Other highlights include towering skeletons of a Kronosaurus and Triceratops, as well as a rare collection of gems, minerals, and meteorites. It’s also connected to the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology for a fun two-in-one museum experience.

What makes it unique:

  • Home to the world-renowned extraordinary Glass Flowers—an unmatched collection of anatomically precise glass botanical models.
  • Features rare and extinct species exhibits, including a dodo skeleton and the fossilized skeleton of a 42-foot-long Kronosaurus.
  • A spectacular mineral gallery, featuring the 1,642-carat Rhodochrosite and one of the world’s rarest blue diamonds.

Details:

  • Hours: Open daily, 9am–5pm
  • Admission: $15 for adults
  • Nearby subway stops: Harvard (Red line)
  • Nearby attractions: Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology (connected), Harvard Square shops and restaurants

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A narrow, three-story house squeezed between two taller buildings.

Rhododendrites, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Skinny House

Nestled in Boston’s historic North End, the Skinny House is the narrowest house in the city—measuring just 10.4 feet at its widest point and tapering to 9.25 feet in the rear. The four-story, wood-framed home was built in the 1870s and is rumored to be a “spite house”—constructed due to a feud between two brothers to block light and views from the adjacent property. Despite its tiny footprint, this four-story home is still a fully functioning residence and a favorite stop for visitors exploring the area’s cobblestone streets.

What makes it unique:

  • Boston’s narrowest home, known for its quirky design and the local lore of being built out of spite.
  • A marvel of narrow design, demonstrating the innovative use of vertical space and light in 19th-century architecture.
  • At 1,165 square feet across four floors, it last sold for $1.25 million in 2021.

Details:

  • Hours: Exterior viewing only; private residence
  • Admission: Free
  • Nearby subway stops: Haymarket (Orange/Green line)
  • Nearby attractions: North End shops and restaurants, Paul Revere House, Old North Church

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Boston Convention and Exhibition Center

 

Home of AIA25

Forest Hills Cemetery

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Boston Athenaeum

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Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

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Museum of Bad Art

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Boston Public Garden

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Harvard Bridge

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The Liberty Hotel

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Harvard Museum of Natural History

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Skinny House

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Things to do and see