Things to do in Massachusetts, United States: The Best Science Museums

Founded in 2002, the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center occupies two restored buildings on the preserved 11 acre, 10-building campus which comprised the former Marconi/RCA Wireless Receiving Station, once the busiest ship-to-shore station on the East Coast and a significant military installation during World War II. From Marconi's Spark To Modern Wireless! The Center's Marconi/RCA Wireless Museum offers interactive exhibits tracing the history of maritime wireless communication in Chatham from its formative days with Marconi through the 20th Century, and the wireless we use today. Visit arrival hours are listed; reservations are advised. Chatham Marconi's Education Center houses the museum's Wireless Today gallery and STEM education classrooms. The Center offers forward-thinking STEM education in area schools through its unique TechSmart program, STEM After Hours outside the classroom, and fun on-site week-long Summer Science classes. Please see website for details.

Sea Space has moved to Whaler's Wharf in downtown Provincetown! Experience the natural wonders of Cape Cod under the expert guidance of our dedicated educators. Family friendly exhibits and hands-on activities offered daily. Admission is free (donations welcome), but we do charge a nominal fee for special activities. Programs include: "Get to the Bottom of It" for kids age 6-12: Become a junior marine biologist, collecting and exploring the tiny marine animals in Provincetown Harbor. NEW! Junior Marine Animal Entanglement Responder (MAER) Program Kids learn what tremendous work it takes to free an entangled whale or turtle. They’ll see the tools used by our MAER team, photos and videos of actual disentanglement operations, try their hand at “rescuing” a “whale”, and brainstorm new ideas to prevent marine animal entanglement. We also offer seal walks, kayak tours and lectures. Full schedule here: https://bit.ly/2z4e4U7 ***DON'T MISS WHALE WEEK 2018, JULY 29 - AUGUST 4!***

The museum details the history of the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company.

Please note: In a preemptive measure to protect visitors, staff, volunteers and our animals from the rapidly evolving exposure to COVID-19 (Coronavirus), The Museum of Science has temporarily closed to the public, but launched a new digital Museum experience for audiences, MOS at Home. With multiple live presentations throughout the day, creative engineering projects, podcasts, kid-friendly activities, and more, the Museum is inviting the community to visit remotely for new content daily. Just imagine getting up close and personal with a 65-million-year-old Triceratops fossil, witnessing an indoor lightning storm in the iconic Theater of Electricity, walking among butterflies, or taking a journey inside the human body! With 700 interactive exhibits, exciting exhibitions, daily presentations, hands-on activities, and live animals, there is something for everyone! Create, experiment, and have fun at the Museum of Science!

The Museum of Comparative Zoology (MCZ) at Harvard University is a center for research and education focused on the comparative relationships of animal life.The MCZ's public exhibits can be viewed at the Harvard Museum of Natural History (HMNH).

Operating an Aquarium, Natural Science Museum, two Observatories and a Historic House, the Nantucket Maria Mitchell Association (MMA) is a private non-profit organization located on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. Aquarium: Locally-collected specimens are on exhibit. Displays are always changing and include anything from seahorses to octopuses to sharks! Get a “feel” for the local ecosystem at our touch tank, home to crabs, clams, baby horseshoe crabs, and more! Great for kids and adults alike! Natural Science Museum: A cross between a classic natural history museum, a zoo, and a science center, the Maria Mitchell Natural Science Museum is a great place to learn about the plants, animals, and birds of Nantucket. See live turtles and snakes! Loines Observatory: See distant planets, stars, galaxies and more through a telescope! Stargazing nights with our expert astronomers are a unique way to spend an evening enjoying Nantucket's clear and dark skies! Check our website for specific information about Stargazing dates and times. Historic Mitchell House: Take a trip back in time to 1800s Nantucket! Built in 1790, this typical Quaker house was acquired by the Mitchell family in 1818. The home became a museum in 1903 when the Maria Mitchell Association’s founders acquired the house to preserve the legacy of Maria Mitchell herself.

The Springfield Museums, located in the heart of downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, is comprised of four world-class museums covering art, history, and science, plus the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden.

Discovery Museum is a hands-on museum for families that blends science, nature, and play. The museum and its Discovery Woods accessible outdoor nature playscape and 550 sf treehouse blend the best of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) learning on a beautiful 4.5-acre campus abutting 180 acres of conservation land in Acton, MA, about 20 miles west of Boston. Originally founded in 1982 and expanded to two museums in 1987, the museum reopened in a single, 16,000sf accessible building after a complete renovation and expansion in early 2018. Hands-on, open-ended exhibits developed by professional educators inspire curiosity and exploration, providing a fun and engaging experience for children and adults to discover their world together.

The Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation tells the rich story of Mass General Hospital through interactive media displays, artifacts and photographs. Learn about the hospital's important contributions to the medical field and see how these discoveries and advancements have shaped the present – and how the hospital continues to shape the future of medicine.

Since its inception in 1948, various Harvard departments and private benefactors have added material to the original nucleus of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments (CHSI), which now contains over 20,000 objects dating from about 1400 to the present. A broad range of scientific disciplines are represented, including astronomy, navigation, horology, surveying, geology, calculating, physics, biology, medicine, psychology, electricity, and communication. Significant instruments, made obsolete by new technologies, continue to be incorporated. Many of the documents detailing the purchase and use of the instruments have been preserved, and are available for research in the Collection's adjunct library.