Places to Explore

A world-class science center on the Charles River dam dedicated to inspiring a lifelong love of science through more than 700 interactive exhibits, live presentations, a planetarium, and an IMAX theater.

A world-renowned aquarium on Boston's waterfront dedicated to ocean conservation and education, centered on marine life exhibits, touch pools, and active research through its Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life.

The public face of Harvard's research collections, presenting more than 12,000 specimens spanning paleontology, zoology, botany, mineralogy, and geology alongside research-driven exhibits on contemporary science.

An interactive play-based museum on the Fort Point waterfront designed for children and families, built on the philosophy that play is how children develop critical thinking, creativity, and a love of learning.

New England's leading indoor-outdoor museum of science and nature on a 45-acre campus in Worcester, combining interactive STEM exhibits, live animals, nature trails, a planetarium, and dedicated homeschool programs.

A hands-on STEAM museum for families in Acton combining indoor interactive exhibits with an outdoor nature playscape on a 4.5-acre campus adjacent to 180 acres of conservation land.

Founded in 1799, America's oldest continuously operating museum in Salem presents art, history, and culture through diverse collections spanning maritime heritage, world cultures, design, and the natural world.

A living history museum in Sturbridge recreating rural New England life in the early 19th century through 40+ historic buildings, costumed interpreters, heritage animals, and participatory hands-on demonstrations.

A living history museum in Plymouth exploring the stories of Wampanoag people and 17th-century English colonists through immersive roleplay, historic homesites, and the Mayflower II reproduction ship.

Hartford's premier science museum dedicated to inspiring lifelong learning through more than 165 hands-on exhibits, a 3D theater, science demonstrations, and a Butterfly Encounter, located on the Connecticut River waterfront.

One of the world's great natural history museums at Yale University in New Haven, housing more than 14 million objects spanning paleontology, mineralogy, anthropology, and cultural history since 1866.

The nation's leading maritime museum in Mystic, Connecticut, preserving New England's seafaring heritage through a recreated 19th-century seaport village, historic tall ships, working demonstrations, and hands-on maritime experiences.

An interactive children's museum in Norwalk's Mathews Park offering play-based, multifaceted learning experiences designed to support healthy child development for young children and families.

Connecticut's only zoo in Bridgeport, accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, dedicated to acquainting visitors with the delicate balance between living things and their environment.

A Connecticut state park in Rocky Hill preserving one of North America's largest dinosaur track sites — over 2,000 Early Jurassic footprints — alongside geology exhibits, live animals, and an arboretum with nature trails.

Vermont's science and nature museum on the Burlington waterfront, combining 150+ interactive exhibits about Lake Champlain's ecosystem with live aquatic animals, a 3D theater, and programming for all ages.

A nationally recognized hands-on science museum on 110 acres along the Connecticut River in Norwich, Vermont, offering more than 150 interactive exhibits spanning nature, technology, astronomy, and physical sciences alongside dedicated homeschool workshops.

A major Vermont cultural institution in Shelburne housing remarkable collections of American art, folk art, and design across 39 historic and exhibition buildings, including a dedicated center for Native American art.

A wildlife rehabilitation and nature education center in Quechee featuring live raptors and songbirds, a 60-foot forest canopy walk, nature trails, and daily naturalist-led programs rooted in Vermont's native ecosystems.

New Hampshire's space and astronomy education center in Concord, honoring state heroes Christa McAuliffe and Alan Shepard through interactive exhibits on space exploration, aviation, and earth science, including one of only three 10K projection planetariums in North America.

A seasonal nature center in Holderness in New Hampshire's Lakes Region featuring live native wildlife — including black bears, mountain lions, and raptors — along a two-mile exhibit trail through meadow and forest habitats.

An open-air history museum on Portsmouth's original waterfront district, preserving historic houses on their original sites and bringing more than 350 years of New England neighborhood life alive through costumed roleplay, craft demonstrations, and heirloom gardens.

Maine's comprehensive state museum in Augusta, presenting 12,000 years of the state's natural and cultural history across four floors — currently closed for renovations, with reopening scheduled for October 2026.

A maritime heritage museum in Bath on the Kennebec River, preserving the story of Maine's seafaring tradition through a working historic shipyard, vessel collections, galleries, and naturalist-led river cruises.

New England's largest botanical garden in Boothbay, Maine, featuring themed garden collections, miles of woodland trails, large-scale sculpture, and children's garden spaces across a coastal forest landscape.

Rhode Island's only children's museum in Providence, dedicated to inspiring lifelong learning through play, creativity, and exploration, with interactive exhibits and a strong commitment to inclusive access for all families.

New England's largest zoo in Providence, housing more than 130 rare animal species from around the world within the historic landscape of Roger Williams Park, with a focus on conservation and wildlife education.

The Rhode Island School of Design's encyclopedic art and design museum in Providence, holding more than 100,000 works spanning ancient to contemporary across painting, sculpture, decorative arts, design, and costume, with free admission on Sundays and select evenings.