The first public museum was founded in 1684 at the University of Oxford. The Ashmolean Museum was founded when Elias Ashmole donated his private collection to the university in 1677. Much of that original collection is still on display, including a crystal ball, several kidney stones, and preserved, exotic animals. By creating the museum, Ashmole sought to do what all museum curators have worked for since: to create a space where people could be inspired and educated by artifacts and art from around the world.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated museums in Massachusetts on Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor rankings factor in the average rating and number of reviews. Keep reading to see what museums are in your own home state.
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#30. Mayflower II
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (1,289 reviews)
– Address: Water Street State Pier at Pilgrim Memorial State Park, Plymouth, MA 02360
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#29. The Mapparium
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (918 reviews)
– Address: 210 Massachusetts Ave The Mary Baker Eddy Library, Boston, MA 02115-3012
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#28. John F Kennedy Hyannis Museum
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (1,201 reviews)
– Address: 397 Main St, Hyannis, MA 02601-3914
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#27. Hammond Castle Museum
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (665 reviews)
– Address: 80 Hesperus Ave, Gloucester, MA 01930-5273
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#26. The Jenney
– Rating: 5.0 / 5 (554 reviews)
– Address: 48 Summer St, Plymouth, MA 02360-3456
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#25. Witch House
– Rating: 4.0 / 5 (1,174 reviews)
– Address: 310 1/2 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970-3257
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#24. New Bedford Whaling Museum
– Rating: 5.0 / 5 (850 reviews)
– Address: 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740-6317
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#23. MASS MoCA
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (958 reviews)
– Address: 1040 Mass Moca Way, North Adams, MA 01247-2499
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#22. Old State House
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,397 reviews)
– Address: 206 Washington St, Boston, MA 02109-1702
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#21. Harvard Museum of Natural History
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,200 reviews)
– Address: 26 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138-2932
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#20. Pilgrim Monument & Provincetown Museum
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,499 reviews)
– Address: 1 High Pole Hill Rd, Provincetown, MA 02657
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#19. Hancock Shaker Village
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (788 reviews)
– Address: 1843 W Housatonic St Routes 20 & 41, Pittsfield, MA 01201-7513
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#18. Count Orlok’s Nightmare Gallery
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,020 reviews)
– Address: 217 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970-7511
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#17. Heritage Museums & Gardens
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (948 reviews)
– Address: 67 Grove St, Sandwich, MA 02563-2110
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#16. The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,013 reviews)
– Address: 2 Plunkett St, Lenox, MA 01240-2704
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#15. The Clark Art Institute
– Rating: 5.0 / 5 (1,433 reviews)
– Address: 225 South St, Williamstown, MA 01267-2878
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#14. Old Sturbridge Village
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,445 reviews)
– Address: 1 Old Sturbridge Village Rd, Sturbridge, MA 01566-1198
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#13. Whaling Museum
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1,652 reviews)
– Address: 13 Broad St, Nantucket, MA 02554-3502
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#12. New England Holocaust Memorial
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (2,546 reviews)
– Address: Between Congress and Union Streets 98 Union St., Boston, MA 02109
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#11. Plimoth Patuxet Museums
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (2,571 reviews)
– Address: 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, MA 02360-2436
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#10. Peabody Essex Museum
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (2,101 reviews)
– Address: 161 Essex St Yin Yu Tang House, Salem, MA 01970
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#9. USS Constitution Museum
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (3,643 reviews)
– Address: Bldg 22 Charlestown Navy Yard Charlestown, Boston, MA 02129
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#8. Museum of Science
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (3,337 reviews)
– Address: 1 Science Park, Boston, MA 02114-1099
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#7. Norman Rockwell Museum
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (2,525 reviews)
– Address: 9 Glendale Rd, Stockbridge, MA 01262-9703
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#6. Lizzie Borden House
– Rating: 5.0 / 5 (1,335 reviews)
– Address: 230 2nd St, Fall River, MA 02721-2006
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#5. Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (3,241 reviews)
– Address: 25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115-5538
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#4. John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum & Library
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (3,970 reviews)
– Address: Columbia Point, Boston, MA 02125
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#3. The House of the Seven Gables
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (3,066 reviews)
– Address: 115 Derby St, Salem, MA 01970-5640
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#2. Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
– Rating: 4.5 / 5 (6,593 reviews)
– Address: 306 Congress St, Boston, MA 02210-1027
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#1. Museum of Fine Arts
– Rating: 5.0 / 5 (8,254 reviews)
– Address: 465 Huntington Ave Avenue of the Arts, Boston, MA 02115-5597
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