Attraction: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

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Address:
Columbia Point
Boston, Massachusetts 02125

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Expert Review of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

Family Review of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum

By Away Travel Expert: Steve Jermanok

Family Expert Rating

Recommended for:
Children aged 6 - 12 and 13 - 17

Family Expert Tips & Helpful Hints

Strollers are permitted
There's a cafe onsite

Visitor Information

Description:

The Kennedy era springs to life at this dramatic library, museum, and educational research complex overlooking Dorchester Bay. It captures the 35th president's accomplishments and legacy in video and sound recordings and fascinating displays of memorabilia and photos. Far from being a static experience, it changes regularly, with temporary shows and reinterpreted displays that highlight and complement the permanent installations.

Your visit begins with a 17-minute film narrated by John F. Kennedy—a detail that seems eerie for a moment, then perfectly natural. Through skillfully edited audio clips, he discusses his childhood, education, war experience, and early political career. Then you enter the museum to spend as much time as you like on each exhibit. Starting with the 1960 presidential campaign, the displays immerse you in the era. The galleries hold campaign souvenirs, film of Kennedy debating Richard Nixon and delivering his inaugural address, a replica of the Oval Office, gifts from foreign dignitaries, letters, documents, and keepsakes. There's a film about the Cuban Missile Crisis and displays on Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, First La dy Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, the civil rights movement, the Peace Corps, the space program, and the Kennedy family. As the tour winds down, you pass through a darkened chamber where news reports of John Kennedy's assassination and funeral play. The final room, the soaring glass-enclosed pavilion that is the heart of the I. M. Pei design, affords a glorious view of the water and the Boston skyline.

Contact Frommers

Telephone Number: 866/JFK-1960

Website: http://www.jfklibrary.org

Transportation: T: Red Line to JFK/UMass, then take free shuttle bus, which runs every 20 min. By car, take Southeast Expressway (I-93/Rte. 3) south to Exit 15 (Morrissey Blvd./JFK Library), turn left onto Columbia Rd., and follow signs to free parking lot

Price Information: Admission $12 adults; $10 seniors and students with ID; $9 youths 13-17; free for children under 13. Surcharges may apply for special exhibitions

Hours: Daily 9am-5pm (last film begins at 3:55pm)

Dates Closed: Closed Jan 1, Thanksgiving, and Dec 25

The details, dates, and prices mentioned here were accurate at the time of publication.