Museum of Science
For the ultimate pain-free educational experience, head to the Museum of Science. The demonstrations, experiments, and interactive displays introduce facts and concepts so effortlessly that everyone winds up learning something. Take a couple of hours or a whole day to explore the permanent and temporary exhibits, most of them hands-on and all of them great fun.Among the 500-plus exhibits, you might meet an iguana or a dinosaur, find out how much you'd weigh on the moon, battle urban traffic in a computer model, and climb into a space module. Some activities and exhibits focus on specific fields of interest -- natural history (with live animals), computers, the human body, while others take an interdisciplinary approaches. Investigate! teaches visitors to think like scientists, formulating questions, finding evidence, and drawing conclusions through activities such as strapping on a skin sensor to measure reactions to stimuli, or sifting through an archaeological site. In the Seeing Is Deceiving section, auditory and visual illusions challenge your belief in what is "real." The Science in the Park exhibit introduces the concepts of Newtonian physics through familiar recreational tools such as playground equipment and skateboards.The separate-admission theaters are worth planning for. Even if you're skipping the exhibits, try to see a show. If you're making a day of it, buy all your tickets at once -- shows sometimes sell out. Tickets are for sale in person and, subject to a service charge, over the phone and on the Web (www.tickets.mos.org). The Mugar Omni Theater, which shows IMAX movies, is an intense experience, bombarding you with images on a five-story domed screen and digital sound. The engulfing sensations and steep pitch of the seating area will have you hanging on for dear life, whether the film is about Mount Everest, Bengal tigers, or wild chimpanzees. Features change every 4 to 6 months. The Charles Hayden Planetarium takes visitors into space with daily star shows and shows on special topics that change several times a year. On weekends, rock-music laser shows take over. At the entrance is a hands-on astronomy exhibit called Welcome to the Universe.The museum has a terrific gift shop, with toys and games that promote learning without lecturing. The ground-floor Galaxy Cafés have spectacular views of the skyline and river. There's a parking garage on the premises, but it's on a busy street, and entering and exiting can be harrowing; take the T.Gone Fishing--Many fascinating interactive exhibits from the defunct Computer Museum now delight patrons of the Museum of Science. The most popular is the Virtual FishTank, which uses 3-D computer graphics and character-animation software that allows visitors to design their own virtual fish. You can even "build" fish on your home computer (visit www.virtualfishtank.com) and launch them at the museum.

Park Street Church
Henry James described this 1809 structure with a 217-foot steeple as "the most interesting mass of bricks and mortar in America." The church has accumulated an impressive number of firsts: The first missionaries to Hawaii left from here in 1819; the prominent abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison gave his first antislavery speech here on July 4, 1829; and "America" (commonly known as "My Country 'Tis of Thee") was first sung here on July 4, 1831. You're standing on "Brimstone Corner," named either for the passion of the Congregational ministers who declaimed from the pulpit, or for the fact that gunpowder (made from brimstone) was stored in the basement during the War of 1812. This was part of the site of a huge granary that became a public building after the Revolutionary War. In the 1790s, the sails for USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") were manufactured in the former granary.

Harvard Museum of Natural History and Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology
These fascinating museums house the university's collections of items and artifacts related to the natural world. The world-famous academic resource offers interdisciplinary programs and exhibitions that tie in elements of all the associated fields. On weekends, staffed "Investigation Stations" help visitors learn through hands-on activities. You'll certainly find something interesting here, be it a dinosaur skeleton, a hunk of meteorite, a Native American artifact, or the Glass Flowers.The Glass Flowers are 3,000 models of more than 840 plant species devised between 1887 and 1936 by the German father-and-son team of Leopold and Rudolph Blaschka. You might have heard about them, and you might be skeptical, but it's true: They look real. The flowers are the centerpiece of the Botanical Museum. Children love the Museum of Comparative Zoology, where the dinosaurs share space with preserved and stuffed insects and animals that range in size from butterflies to giraffes. The Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnologyboasts the Hall of the North American Indian, where 500 artifacts representing 10 cultures are on display. This hall is home to the only surviving artifacts positively attributed to the Lewis and Clark expedition. The Mineralogical Museum is the most specialized but can be just as interesting as the others, especially if gemstones hold your interest.

Best Western Roundhouse Suites
'From: All directions. The Best Western Roundhouse Suites is located in Boston's south end. 'From: Interstate 93. Take Exit 18 from either north or southbound lanes. Follow the signs to Massachusetts Avenue. Take Massachusetts Avenue southbound. The Best Western Roundhouse Suites will be on the right-hand side. 'From: Interstate 90. Travel east to Interstate 93 South. Take Exit 18 to Massachusetts Avenue. Take Massachusetts Avenue southbound. The Best Western Roundhouse Suites is on the ...

Marriott's Boston Custom House: A Marriott Vacation Club Resort
Marriott Vacation Club resorts feature spacious villas designed to provide high quality accommodations within a relaxing resort atmosphere. Each villa has a fully equipped kitchen, spacious living and dining areas and well-appointed bedrooms. / Just two subway stops from Logan International Airport, three centuries of history and the best of Boston today await at Marriott's Boston Custom House. Overlooking the Boston waterfront and adjacent to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, accommodations ...

Chandler Inn Hotel
Affordable boutique hotel in Boston's historic South End. The Chandler Inn Hotel is just a short walk from world class shopping along Newbury Street, a fantastic variety of restaurants on trendy Tremont Street and many historic and sightseeing points of interest.The Chandler Inn Hotel is small and stylish. Housed in a building dating from the early 1900's, the hotel offers 55 comfortable guest rooms. All guest rooms feature private bath, satellite television, telephones with voice mail and ...