Though best known for its world-class universities, Cambridge, Massachusetts has so much more to offer than academia. With its historic museums, scenic riverside views and outdoor spaces, delicious restaurants and vibrant arts scene, Boston’s crunchy, quirky neighbor is worth a visit. So, what to do with a weekend in Cambridge?
Saturday
Start your weekend right at Crema Café in Harvard Square — a hugely popular spot with delicious coffee, pastries and a range of breakfast options.
Next, take a stroll around Harvard Square 76, a busy shopping area with a student vibe. At the south end of the Square, visit the scenic Charles River. The Weeks Footbridge is a particularly nice spot to take it all in.
Weeks Footbridge
A little ways outside of the main campus you’ll find the Harvard Museum of Natural History 84, a quirky hidden gem tucked behind the chemistry labs. It’s worth a quick stop inside to at least check out the internationally acclaimed glass flower exhibit: an incredible collection of over 4,000 antique, lifelike flowers, fruits and plants hand-crafted from glass. If you’re in a museum mood, Harvard has several great ones to offer in addition to HMNH. The Harvard Art Museums 85, encompassing three smaller museums in a single complex, are personal favorites.
Glass flowers at the Harvard Museum of Natural History
Tatte Café in Harvard Square is your destination for lunch. With several locations around Cambridge and Boston, this bakery and cafe offers delicious salads, sandwiches and baked goods. The grilled halloumi salad is tough to beat.
Head towards the famed Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It’s an easy T ride away (that’s Massachusetts for “subway”), or get in the Cambridge spirit and grab a bike from the Hubway bike-share service ($6 for a day-pass). Duck into the MIT Museum 80 for quirky science exhibits and great gifts for the nerd in your life. Don’t miss the Hall of Hacks, where you’ll learn about MIT students’ elaborate pranks through the ages.
Then, go check out one of the more famous hacks: the Harvard Bridge spanning the Charles River, measured and marked in “Smoots,” a nonstandard unit of measurement that corresponded to the height of MIT freshman Oliver Smoot in 1958. (He repeatedly lay down all the way across the bridge while his fraternity brothers marked out the measurements; the bridge came to 364.4 smoots, plus or minus one ear — leave it to MIT students to include the margin of error).
MIT Museum
Need a costume or a quirky wardrobe reboot? The Garment District / Dollar-A-Pound, a legendary Cambridge “Alternative Department Store,” is the place for you: the ground floor is an actual pile of second-hand clothes, shoes, accessories and other treasures you never knew you needed that costs one dollar per pound; upstairs is a sizeable store offering vintage, second-hand and new items in a more traditional format (i.e. the clothes are on hangers).
The Garment District
Not in the mood to shop? Take a detour to the Taza Chocolate factory store, a very bikeable and not un-walkable trip from the MIT area (technically just over the border in the town of Somerville) and a must-visit for chocolate-lovers. Tour their facilities, learn about their sustainable chocolate production processes and, most importantly, sample their terrific stone-ground chocolate products to your heart’s content.
Taza Chocolate factory store
Make your way to Central Square: an official Massachusetts State Cultural District, this is a neighborhood filled with character and known for its ethnic restaurants, bars, live music and theater. There are lots of great dinner options up and down Massachusetts Ave. Dosa Factory — tucked in the back of an Indian grocery store — offers delicious South Indian dosas (lentil crepes) in a no-frills setting (the roasted eggplant is seriously good). Up Mass Ave a little ways towards Harvard Square is Dumpling House, a Chinese joint hugely popular with locals. Or embrace the Cambridge ethos at Life Alive 78 veggie/vegan café in the heart of Central Square; trust me, you don’t have to be vegetarian or vegan to enjoy your meal there.
A Central Square mural
After dinner, hit up ImprovBoston, improvisational theater right in the heart of the Square. Head to Brick & Mortar before or after the show for terrific, creative cocktails in a sleek, hidden upstairs space. In the mood for something else instead? Make your way back to Harvard Square for a milkshake or beer and a round of pool in Tasty Burger’s basement bar. If it’s live music you’re after, head around the corner to Beat Hotel, a bohemian venue offering live jazz, blues, R&B and other genres.
ImprovBoston performers
Sunday
Kick off Day 2 with a delicious Middle Eastern brunch at Sofra Bakery & Cafe 80, right on the edge of Cambridge but definitely worth the trip (on the 71/73 bus route or an easy bike ride). Go on the early side or be prepared to wait — it gets pretty packed on the weekends, a testament to its deliciousness.
Sofra
Head a few blocks east to Mount Auburn Cemetery — the first landscape-designed cemetery in the country. This National Historic Landmark, complete with scenic walking paths and a tower with great views of Cambridge and Boston, is an oasis of calm worth exploring. Birdwatchers will be delighted by mergansers, wood ducks, warblers, and a host of other avian visitors. History buffs flocked to the cemetery for the chance to visit the gravesites of a number of famous individuals, including famed American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Christian Science founder Mary Baker Eddy, and antislavery politician Charles Sumner.
Washington Tower, Mount Auburn Cemetery
Make your way back towards Harvard Square and take part in one of Greater Boston’s favorite and most serious pastimes: eating ice cream. Even in a blizzard, you’ll find ice cream stores across the region not only open but busy. Get in on the ritual at J.P. Licks in Harvard Square, one of the top ice cream spots in the area.
Check out some of the Cambridge arts scene next. Head to a show at Club Passim, a well-known folk music club with a laid-back vibe, featuring local musicians; check out the Cambridge Artists Cooperative Gallery; or see what’s on at the Harvard Film Archive, which screens films Friday through Monday on a wide range of themes.
Club Passim
Head for dinner at Night Market, a hip underground space serving up Asian street food. If you’re in the mood for somewhere with less graffiti, The Red House is another top choice, offering a diverse farm-to-table menu in a converted historic house.
The Red House
