Science Museum in Boston
 

Help? We've been checking out the shows at the Boston Museum. Can you suggest the best shows for a one-day visit? Will be with my 13 year old Granddaughter, her Mom and Dad.

Has anyone been there recently? Should we buy tickets on-line before arrival?

Thanks,

P.S. Any other rainy day Plan B's?

The MOS is not a "Plan B" but IMHO a must-see in Boston for anyone with school-age kids.

Please don't make us go to the web site -- what are they currently showing?

Mugar Omni Theatre is showing: Greece-Secrets of the Past; Dolphins.

3D Theatre: Animal Vision; Bugs; Majestic Elephants & Rhinos; Mars.

Planetarium: Far far away; The worlds of star wars; Countdown to Super Nova; & The Sky Tonight.

Laser Show: Laser Magic; Laser Floyd; Dark Side Of The Moon; Laser U2.

I think I've covered it.

The butterfly exhibit is great and every kid of every age in there loved it. The planetarium is always fun.
Don't know about the rest of the options.

Reserve tickets on-line before you go and have a shorter line.

When are you going? If it's this weekend, if you have a BofA card or a MBNA card, admission to the museum is free. Still have to pay for the extras, though.

As for other rainy day ideas (there is so much to do outside in Boston, than I feel like anything inside is a "Plan B" this time of year - winter is too long here not to get outside when you can!), the aquarium is an option, the Gardner museum is beautiful on any day, but I love it on rainy days, the MFA is great, the ICA has its fans. If you want to shop, combine the Cambridgeside Galleria and the Museum of Science, or do Copley/Prudential shops with the MFA/Gardner. Every 13 year old girl I know loves to shop!

Someone on this site previously said the Butterfly exhibit was forgetable. We may have to rethink that.

We'll be in Boston June 15,16 & 17 (Thursday, Friday, Saturday). We have lots of plans for outdoor fun, but I wondered what to do if it rains.

Please tell, what is the MFA? And, will have to check out the Gardner Museum. Missed that, somehow.

MFA = Museum of Fine Arts.

Even if it rains (lightly) I would still take the Duck boat tour. They have clear plastic flaps that come down over the duck boat.

The Duck Tour is a definite. Already have my duck whistle ready from a Bostonian that I work with and it's first on our list.

I hate to sound totally ignorant, but what does IMHO mean?

The MFA and Gardner are about a 3 minute walk from each other. A full tour of the MFA for an art enthusiast would be around 3-4 Hours, the Gardner about 1-1/2.

IMHO = In My Humble Opinion

See if you can go on the tour with "Sargeant Groovy" - he's very funny.

And make sure you take along a camera. They'll let some people drive the boat -- he'll even let a kid or two drive it. Great picture opportunity.

We're staying at the Newbury Gues House in the Back Bay area and can catch the Duck Tour by the Prudential Building. Is 3pm too late for this tour? IYHO, of course.

Guest House, that is.

No, 3 p.m. is not too late, IMHO! :) ;)

However, it really depends on what you want to fit in the balance of the day. I've noticed that the earlier time slots book up first. Either way, I suggest to book your tickets online (they only set aside only so many online bookings).

What do you think?

Arriving at Boston Airport around 12:15 p.m., then taking transportation to the Hotel (possibly by cab), then trying to squeeze in the Duck Tour that day by 3pm. Will we make it? Do you have to book the exact time? And if you miss the time, will they honor your tickets?

Ummm, I would say No, it might be cutting it close, especially if you have a travel delay. But then I might be playing it too safe.

You must book a specific time on the Duck tour and there are no refunds or exchanges. You have to show up 30 minutes prior to your departure time and board 15 minutes before departure.

If for some reason you have a delay at the airport, you don't want to risk losing your tickets - gets pricey (there is also an online booking fee of $3.50). Why don't you make it for 5 p.m., get your feel for the city, and head out for dinner.

There are also some coupons listed on their website.

http://tinyurl.com/mrdcc

geordias,

I'll be in Boston @ the same time! (but I will be there until the 28th)

Did you know you can also catch the Duck Tour at the Science Museum? Maybe you can do the museum first on Friday and then take the duck tour.

I did it last year - and I got to drive the boat! (They do let BIG kids do it too ;-) ) Sgt. Ducktape was my driver. (It is a very fun tour)

BTW, if you go to the Gardner museum you get a discount coupon for the MFA.

The Duck Tour from the Science Museum is a good idea. However, our time in Boston in limited. We are arriving at our hotel on Newbury Street at about 3-3:30pm and was hoping to do something fun that first night. The Duck Tour is nearby so we thought a tour at 5pm might just work.

Anyone have any input on our Science Museum question?

Has no one gone to the Science Museum recently? I know you have. Where are you and your valued comments?

I love science museums, but believe it or not, I have not been to the one in Boston. I have passed by it several times, but never gone in.

However, I checked out their schedule of activities and events -- I would recommend going. Take your GD to the planetarium -- always fascinating, if you ask me. Also, they have the Butterfly Garden. I just visited this exhibit at the Museum of Natural History in NYC and I loved it (although others might disagree).

You can't go wrong with spending a few hours at the this museum. As for buying tickets in advance -- hard to say. My own experience in NYC has been that we were unable to get tickets to certain exhibits/shows because they were sold out. So, if you have your heart set (or GD has heart set) on a certain show, it couldn't hurt to book in advance.

Now, maybe someone who has been there can offer their 2cents. :)

I went recently with hubby to see the Star Wars exhibit. Although the exhibit was good, we really didn't like the museum as it was way too noisy and very kid oriented, younger than your 13 year olds' age I think. We also felt like it was disorganized. We didn't enjoy it at all. We were there 3-4 hours and b/c it was so packed (we were there on a Sunday) felt like we didn't see much.