Harvard Museum of Natural History

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is one of the great under-appreciated family museums in the Boston area. Located on Oxford Street on the Harvard campus in Cambridge, it houses collections that rival major natural history museums at a fraction of the size — and with a fraction of the crowds.

The Kronosaurus is the star attraction for kids: a 42-foot-long skeleton of a marine reptile mounted on the gallery wall. It's one of the largest mounted marine reptile fossils in the world, and it commands the room. The dinosaur gallery also includes a Triceratops skull and various other prehistoric specimens that hit the sweet spot for the dinosaur-obsessed age group.

The mineral and gem collection is genuinely world-class — over 5,000 specimens on display. The highlight for kids is the UV room where minerals glow in vibrant neon colors under blacklight. Adults tend to gravitate toward the Glass Flowers collection — 3,000+ botanically perfect models made entirely of glass by Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka in the late 1800s.

They're breathtaking, though most kids under 10 will prefer the dinosaurs.

Your admission ticket also includes the connected Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, which has artifacts from cultures around the world. It's more suited to tweens and teens — younger kids will likely be done after the natural history galleries.

The Harvard Square location makes this an easy half-day outing. The Red Line T to Harvard station drops you a 10-minute walk from the museum. After your visit, walk through Harvard Yard (free and beautiful), grab lunch at Mr.

Bartley's or Felipe's, and browse the Harvard Square shops. The museum's free Sunday admission for Massachusetts residents (September through May) makes this an even easier sell.