Explore Off-Campus

30 Free Things to do in the Greater Boston Area!

1. Black Heritage Trail self-guided tour

2. Boston Center for the Arts - 539 Tremont St., Boston, 426-7700. Free exhibits in the Galleries.

3. Boston Conservatory - 8 Fenway, Boston. Call 912-9122 for information about Free Concerts (Mostly Student Performances).

4. Boston Public Gardens - see flowerbeds, wildlife, the Swan Boats and Make Way for Ducklings statues

5. Boston Public Library - lectures, movies, workshops and more. There is a free Art and Architecture Tour of the building Mondays at 2:30 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday at 6 p.m. and Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m.

6. Boston University Observatory - 725 Commonwealth Ave., 353-2630. Free Star Gazing every Wednesday Night at 7:30 p.m. from October through March, weather permitting.

7. Bunker Hill Monument and the Navy Yard in Charlestown - if you don't mind climbing the 294 steps to the top of the Monument, a great view of the city can be yours. There is also a 90 minute tour of the Navy Yard and exhibit hall. Always free!

8. Custom House Tower - Boston's first skyscraper at 495-foot, with its triangular clock tower; it's now a hotel owned by Marriott. Free tours and a trip up to the observation balcony are conducted daily at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., except Saturdays. Call 617-310-6300.

9. Decordova Museum Sculpture Park - 35 acres of woodlands and lawns in Lincoln, MA

10. Emerald Necklace Parks - tour a six mile series of six parks in Boston from Franklin Park to the Back Bay including: the Arnold Arboretum in Jamaica Plain, a 265-acre park with one of the largest collections of trees, shrubs, vines and flowers in North America and in the valley of the Riverway Park in the valley of the Muddy River, which is the boundary between Boston and Brookline. Always free and accessible by foot, car or public transportation

11. Faneuil Hall and Marketplace - While the hall has hosted orators from Samuel Adams to Ted Kennedy on the second floor, the building is also home to a variety of shops at ground level and a military museum on the fourth floor. Weather permitting, watch street performers.

12. Forest Hills Cemetery Sculpture Garden - an open air museum in Jamaica Plain. It is home to a nationally recognized collection of 19th and early 20th century memorial sculpture and architecture. Always free!

13. Freedom Trail self-guided tour

14. Harvard Museum of Natural History - a famous "Glass Flower" exhibit, gemstone collection, and a display of fossilized skeletons of prehistoric and other significant animals. Free on Sundays from 9 a.m.– noon.

15. Harvard University Art Museums - including Fogg Museum, Arthur Sackler Museum and Busch-Reisinger Museum - free on Saturdays from 10 a.m. - noon.

16. Harvard University Observatory - 60 Garden St., Cambridge, 617-495-7461. Free Stargazing and non-technical lecture held the third Thursday of the month at 8 p.m.

17. Institute of Contemporary Art - 955 Boylston St., Boston, 266-5152. Free Thursdays from 5-9 p.m.

18. Irish Heritage Trail - 3 hour self-guided walking tour of Boston

19. Massachusetts Historical Society - Always free!

20. Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge - America's first garden cemetery. Many famous people are buried here including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Isabella Stewart Gardner, and visitors may also climb Washington Tower in the center of the park for a picturesque view of the surrounding area.

21. Museum of Fine Arts - 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 267-9300. Free from 4-10 p.m. every Wednesday. The Japanese Garden behind the museum is always free and is open Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free with a UMass Boston Student ID.

22. Museum of Our National Heritage - 33 Marrett Rd., Lexington, 781-861-6559. Always Free!

23. Museum of Science - Science Park, Boston, 617-732-2500. Get free passes from any of the branches of the Boston Public Library. Call ahead to reserve them.

24. Neponset River Greenway - bike and walking trail

25. Newbuy Street - Rich architecture, history, art galleries, quirky shops and sidewalk cafes. The best way to experience Newbury Street is to start on Arlington Street at the Boston Public Gardens and walk the eight blocks to Mass Ave.

26. New England Aquarium - Central Wharf, Boston, 973-5200. Get free passes from any of the branches of the Boston Public Library. Call ahead to reserve them.

27. New England Conservatory of Music - 290 Huntington Ave., Boston. Call the Concert Line at 585-1122 for information about Free Concerts (mostly student performances)

28. Peabody Essex Museum - free the first Friday of each month from 5 p.m.- 8 p.m.

29. Rollerskate, rollerblade or jog on Castle Island in South Boston or at the Esplanade (the path that runs along the Charles River) or the Charlestown Navy Shipyard

30. Worcester Art Museum - 55 Salisbury St., Worcester, 508-799-4406. Free between 10 a.m. and noon on Saturdays.