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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Cambridge

29 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Updated March 21, 2022

Unusual Attractions in Cambridge

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Three prestigious academic collections come together to create a world-class natural history museum.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Forbes Pigment Collection

The thousands of shades on display — some toxic, others impossibly rare — are a library of more than just color.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Pooh's House

This tiny, painted door at the base of a tree stump has been a fixture of the Harvard University campus for decades.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Modica Way

An alley way dedicated to graffiti and street art is a constantly changing street gallery.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

O'Reilly Spite House

This is the house that spite built.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Mount Auburn Cemetery

This peaceful Massachusetts graveyard was one of the first "garden-style" cemeteries in America.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Blaschka Glass Flowers

Impossibly life-like natural history models created out of glass by a father and son.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Old Burial Ground

This cemetery served as the only official burial grounds in Cambridge for nearly 200 years.

See All 29 Things To Do in Cambridge

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Cambridge

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Necco Wafer Sculpture

A tiny monument to the classic American candy.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Kennedy Biscuit Lofts

Whimsical cookie-themed plaques mark the birthplace of the Fig Newton.

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Clover HSQ

A Harvard-area eatery preserves the uncovered tiles of its century-old predecessor.

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Guided Tours of Cambridge

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

Rogue Routes: The Road to the Ice Castles

A deep blanket of snow often covers New England in the winter. But there’s adventure to be found in the frozen landscape, with its steep mountains and frozen ponds—and not just for skiers and snowboarders. This route blazes a unique path through Massachusetts and New Hampshire that is filled with bright colors, bold flavors, and the legacies of pioneering thinkers.

Explore Cambridge, Massachusetts

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Stories About Cambridge

Podcast: Forbes Pigment Collection

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

August 16, 2021

Meet the Artist Who Does Extreme Close-Ups of Utility Poles

Rosamond Purcell finds stories, landscapes, and more on their mottled surfaces.

October 16, 2020

Feast Your Eyes on These Delicate Glass Models of Decaying Fruit

Blighted, century-old produce goes back on display for the first time in decades.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

August 27, 2019

Mapping the Lost Countercultural Hotspots of Cambridge, Massachusetts

Local librarian Tim Devin has found hundreds of buildings that once housed utopian groups.

Untangling the Secrets of One of Harvard’s Historic Hair Collections

The university's Houghton Library is home to a number of famous tresses.

November 20, 2017

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