A Museum Day in Boston

Last weekend I had the best Boston museum day!

Not only did it finally feel like spring, but I had the chance to see two exhibits I'd had on my list for a while (and others that were great surprises).

I'll be sure to do a proper post on each special exhibit, but today I want to share how you can cover two museums in the same day without becoming too exhausted.

We went to the MFA and Isabella Stewart Gardner museums specifically because I wanted to see the Frida Kahlo and Botticelli exhibits they respectively have on currently.

This is the key — if you have a couple cultural outings you'd like to do and they're close by, they can be done in the same afternoon if you're set on just seeing a few things.

We knew we wanted to see those exhibits, and of course follow anything that looked particularly interesting along the way, but with just a couple priority spots it made it easy to see, enjoy, and feel okay leaving after only an hour or so in each.

(Remember: I have plenty of tips on navigating museums without fatigue here!)

Starting with the MFA right when they opened, I grabbed an 'exhibitions' list as we headed in and was so excited to see how many other exhibits they also had in addition to the Frida Kahlo.

Show me something from Belle Époque and I'm there!

Le Chaine Simpson, Lautrec, 1896.

The Kahlo exhibit stunned, as expected.

I've been drawn to her since I was about 12 and went to a special exhibit on her at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Then it was out into the bright light for a quick walk next door to the Gardner, and up to their new exhibition space to see Botticelli.

I'm never ceased to be amazed at how the Gardner curators create their special exhibits — they are creative, thought-provoking, and the smaller space makes you feel like you're really seeing something special, as though its displayed just for you.

We wandered the incredible rooms, and even got to hear a bit of a tour guide's take on a particular Annunciation painting!

Annunciation, Piermatteo D'Amelia, 1487.

Full posts on each exhibit are in the works, but if you're in the Boston area or visiting soon, make sure to see both as they're closing relatively soon!