Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
INFO
Contact Information:
280 The
Boston
(617) 505 4576
Box Office 617 849 8980
Description:
Isabella Stewart Gardner first welcomed visitors to her museum on New Year's Day, 1903. On that evening guests listened to the music of Bach, Mozart, and Schumann, gazed in wonder at the courtyard full of flowers, and viewed one of the nation's finest collections of art. Today, visitors experience much the same thing. The Gardner Museum has remained essentially unchanged since its founder's death in 1924. Unchanged but certainly not stagnant. Three floors of galleries surround a garden courtyard blooming with life in all seasons. The galleries are filled with paintings, sculpture, tapestries, furniture, and decorative arts from cultures spanning thirty centuries.
Free public talks and tours are offered nearly every day, from brief overviews to more in-depth discussions on particular aspects of the collection. Check the Information Desk on the first floor of the museum for times and more information. Space on tours is limited and is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
GETTING THERE
Driving and Parking:
Paid parking is available at the Museum of Fine Arts garage or lot on Museum Road, two blocks from the Gardner. Metered street parking is also available.
Public Transportation:
Take the Huntington Avenue no. 39 bus or the Green Line E-train to the Museum stop.
GETTING AROUND
Features for People with Children:
The following Family Guides are available at the information desk, free of charge:
What's Inside Fenway Court?
This guide engages families with young children in looking, imagining, and drawing together in the Museum's central courtyard. It focuses on the amazing architecture, animals, plants and Medusa mosaic found there.
This guide engages families with young children in looking, imagining, and drawing together in the Museum's central courtyard. It focuses on the amazing architecture, animals, plants and Medusa mosaic found there.
Small Wonders
Also designed for families, this guide introduces older children and adults to some of the fascinating small objects in the collection that are often overlooked because of their size.
Also designed for families, this guide introduces older children and adults to some of the fascinating small objects in the collection that are often overlooked because of their size.
Features for People with Mobility Impairments:
Most of the museum's galleries, as well as the visitor restrooms, are wheelchair accessible. Information is available in Braille and in large print at the Visitor Information Desk.
Features for People with Visual Impairments:
The Gardner Museum offers a self-guided audio tour of the Museum. The tour covers each of the gallery rooms, and approximately 35 objects in the collection, while also addressing the unique history and nature of the Museum. The cost of the audio tour is $4.
Bathrooms:
There are accessible visitor's bathrooms.
OTHER
Amenities:
There is a Museum Shop, but it is currently closed during construction.
Cautions:
The Museum is undergoing construction. Call ahead to check on current conditions.