City: Cambridge, MA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (617) 495-3045

Address: 26 Oxford St.

Insider Pick:

Description: Fans of the Night at the Museum movies will be totally engaged at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, where the exhibits track the natural world from anthropology to zoology. Located on the grounds of Harvard University, the museum has beginnings that can be traced back to 1859 with the founding of the Museum of Comparative Zoology by explorer and scientist Louis Agassiz. It is the most visited tourist attraction at Harvard, and as a research center, it is still used by many different people, from scientists to college students to artists. Kids explore the renovated Great Mammal Hall and ooh and aah over massive whale and dinosaur fossils. For adults, especially those with an interest in gardening, visiting the Glass Flowers collection is a must. The more than 3,000 scientifically accurate glass models of 847 plant species were made by father and son German glassmakers Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka at their Dresden workshop between 1886 and 1936. They were commissioned at the time for use as a biological teaching and research aid. Today the delicate glass replicas of blossoms and fruits are regarded as extraordinary works of art.