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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Waltham

3 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Waltham, Massachusetts

Updated July 1, 2021

Unusual Attractions in Waltham

Waltham, Massachusetts

Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation

A steampunk wonderland that preserves America's history of industrial innovation.

Waltham, Massachusetts

Usen Castle

This castle constructed in 1928 was crafted from drawings of Lismore Castle in Ireland.

Waltham, Massachusetts

Fernald State School

Run by a eugenics advocate, this aging institution conducted secret radiation experiments sponsored by Quaker Oats.

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Watertown, Massachusetts

The Plumbing Museum

Located in a beautifully restored ice house, this museum is the result of decades of hard work and devotion to the craft of plumbing.

1 mile from Waltham

Weston, Massachusetts

Norumbega Tower

This tower pays homage to a legendary Viking fort established in Massachusetts that never really existed.

2 miles from Waltham

Newton, Massachusetts

Star Market

This supermarket is suspended 25 feet above an interstate highway.

2 miles from Waltham

Lexington, Massachusetts

Metropolitan State Hospital (MSH)

Once the largest public hospital for the mentally ill was also surrounded by controversy.

2 miles from Waltham

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Stories About Waltham

The Quest to Honor Disabled Patients Buried in Anonymous Graves

Historically, institutions often interred their dead with simple markers. In Massachusetts, researchers are learning about the patients' lives and the facilities' fraught legacies.

by Asia London Palomba

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