The museum features a 30-foot tall indoor lightning machine that uses two Van de Graaff generators to create high-voltage electrical discharges.
It is home to the Colossal Fossil, a 65-million-year-old Triceratops skeleton that is one of the only four mostly-complete specimens in the world.
The museum stands directly on the site of the former Charles River Dam, which physically connects the city of Boston to Cambridge.
Its lightning show is performed inside a cage based on the original invention of Robert J. Van de Graaff, a former MIT professor.
The facility maintains a permanent collection of live animals, many of which are rescues that cannot be released back into the wild.
The Museum of Science in Boston is a prominent science center and indoor zoo located on a dam spanning the Charles River. It features over 700 interactive exhibits across three interconnected wings. The institution houses the Mugar Omni Theater, which utilizes a five-story IMAX Dome screen. Visitors can explore the Charles Hayden Planetarium, equipped with a sophisticated digital projection system. The museum displays a diverse range of live animal exhibits, including rehabilitated creatures from local habitats. It serves as an educational hub with specific focus areas on engineering, space exploration, and biotechnology. The building is positioned directly on the river, offering integrated views of the Boston and Cambridge skylines.
The elevated observation deck overlooking the Charles River basin during sunset.
Check the daily live presentation schedule upon arrival, as popular demonstrations like the lightning show fill up quickly.
Use the museum's mobile app to map out exhibits in advance, as the multi-level layout can be disorienting.
Visit the outdoor viewing platforms on the river side for unobstructed panoramas of the Boston skyline.
Do not attempt to see every single exhibit in one day; the museum is physically vast, and rushing will lead to fatigue.
Closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
