Bus Tour: Boston Museums and the Art of Collection

Join the BH&PS for a bus tour that explores Boston’s Museums and the Art of Collecting.

We’ll start our day by traveling on a chartered motorcoach to Harvard University’s Museum of Natural History to visit the Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass models of plants. These “plants” might fool you into thinking they are real, but they are actually made out of glass! A docent will share insights into this amazing collection. We’ll also peek in on the collection of David Rockefeller’s beetles, which is located just down the hall. Over a span of 90 years, banker and philanthropist David Rockefeller collected beetles from around the world, eventually building a personal collection of more than 150,000 specimens.

Then, we’ll join the Charles River Boat Company for a 70-minute sightseeing tour on the river, enjoying fabulous views of Boston and Cambridge while listening to an engaging narrated commentary. A box lunch of Turkey/Swiss or Vegetarian sandwich with chips and a cookie will be included as part of the tour, and a full cash bar is available on board so you can purchase your beverage of choice.

After our boat docks, we’ll visit the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to learn more about how Gardner approached the act of collecting. A Venetian palace in the middle of Boston, Gardner's home is now a museum displaying her impressive, eclectic collection of European, American and Asian art. You’ll be amazed by the treasures it contains, which range from small-scale sculptures to portraits to everything in between.

Our comfortable motorcoach will then return us to Bristol. Boston traffic? No worries. Our professional driver will do all the work!

The Bus will depart from the BH&PS Headquarters, 48 Court Street, Bristol at 8am. Parking is readily available in the lot across the street. The bus will return to the BH&PS Headquarters at 6-6:30pm (subject to traffic). Included in ticket price: motorcoach transportation to Boston, admission and tour of the Harvard Museum of Natural History, boxed lunch and boat cruise along the Charles River, admission to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston.

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Host or Publisher Bristol Historical & Preservation Society