UMass Boston Neighbors Highlight City’s Storied History, Natural Beauty

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If you happen to be on Columbia Point this summer—for classes or simply to enjoy the harbor—you may be wondering what there is to do and where there is to go. The peninsula is home to a variety of great educational and recreational activities that highlight Boston’s historic character and natural resources.The Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate is one unique option on campus. The Institute offers a variety of interactive exhibitions, a recreation of Senator Kennedy’s Washington, D.C., office, and a replica Senate chamber where visitors can simulate the experience of casting a crucial vote. The Institute is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.Admission to the Institute will be free tomorrow, July 14, as part of the Free Fun Friday program.



Another popular destination is the Commonwealth Museum, located on campus near University Hall. The museum features one of 14 copies of the Declaration of Independence sent by the Continental Congress to Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War. The copy was printed in a Baltimore shop owned by Mary Catherine Goddard, the first female postmaster of the United States, and has the signature of John Hancock, the third governor of the commonwealth.

The museum is open from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. on weekdays, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends through October. Free Fun Friday admission will be available on July 28.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, next door to the Institute, is commemorating the 100th anniversary of President Kennedy’s birth. The celebration, “JFK 100: Milestones & Mementos,” began on May 26 and will run through May 2018. The exhibition features a selection of items that represent historic milestones in JFK’s personal life, early career, and presidential administration.

Some of the items featured in the exhibition include a scrapbook compiled by JFK while he was ...

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