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All 398 Boston Attractions »

John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum & Library

Columbia Point, Boston, MA 02125
617 514 1600
Ranked #4 of 203 attractions in Boston
4.5 of 5 stars 290 Reviews
Type: History Museums, Libraries, Specialty Museums
Activities: Group tours/walking tour
Fee: Yes
Owner description: Relive the Kennedy era in this dynamic combination museum and library, where your visit starts with a short film and then leaves you on your own to...... more » Owner description: Relive the Kennedy era in this dynamic combination museum and library, where your visit starts with a short film and then leaves you on your own to explore a series of fascinating exhibits, including the Kennedy-Nixon debate, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the space program, 1960s campaign paraphernalia and displays about Jacqueline and other Kennedy family members. The striking, I.M. Pei-designed building overlooks the water and the Boston skyline. « less
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290 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    192
    75
    18
    5
    0
Date Rating
Vermont
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 26, 2012 NEW

For a piece of Boston / US history, this is a must see! First, the JFK Museum & Library is not in downtown Boston. The best way to get there is to take the subway (Red line to the JFK / UMASS stop) and then take the free shuttle to get to and from. The grounds are impeccable with a... More

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See 3 more reviews by JF1220 for Boston
dublin
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 23, 2012 NEW
1
person found this review helpful

This Museum is so well worth visiting. It is wholly engaging. Dont be put off bringing the kids, >10 year old, there. There are many films and other attractions which makes this far and away one of the best attractions I know dealing with that period. More

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See 4 more reviews by voyager067 for Boston
Grand Blanc, Mi
Top Contributor
53 reviews 53 reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
25 helpful votes 25 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 22, 2012 NEW

We make a habit of visiting president's museums/libraries when we travel and we have seen almost all of them. We expected great things of this one, and we came away oddly disappointed. The movie that you have to see before beginning your visit was well done and and a GREAT lead-in to the museum, but the displays in the museum... More

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See 3 more reviews by DanandSharon for Boston
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Top Contributor
84 reviews 84 reviews
Reviews in 30 cities Reviews in 30 cities
52 helpful votes 52 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 21, 2012
2
people found this review helpful

Take the free shuttle from the JFK/Umass Red-line T-stop. Walking to the museum from the T stop will take at least 20 minutes, and it's not a very scenic area to stroll through. I strongly recommend taking the guided tour. It takes 1:20, but does a nice job pointing out the highlights of the collection. If you don't take the... More

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See 2 more reviews by ccs4756 for Boston
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
2 reviews
4 of 5 stars Reviewed May 20, 2012

Several nice artifacts from the Kennedu years - good films. Beautiful vistas of the Boston Harbor. A bit hard to find. More

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Sydney, Australia
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
5 helpful votes 5 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

The architecture alone is worth seeing - it evokes JFK's love of the sea that we hear so much about. the Exhibition rooms following the introductory film are very special with lots of fascinating artefacts and vignettes. The final depiction of the assassination brought me to tears. More

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See 5 more reviews by Kathy348 for Boston
Ashford, Kent
Senior Contributor
33 reviews 33 reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2012

This was an inspirational attraction, as English visitors we learnt a lot. I would sugggest that everyone who goes to Boston makes time to go here if not to realise that life is short and you should try to make a diffference. More

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See 5 more reviews by macavity22 for Boston
Boston, Massachusetts
Contributor
18 reviews 18 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed May 19, 2012

This is really an amazing place. Whatever your political leanings, you can't help but be touched by the tragedy of a remarkable life ended too soon. If you're visiting Boston, don't miss this place. More

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See 7 more reviews by M692 for Boston
Georgetown, Massachusetts
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
2 of 5 stars Reviewed May 17, 2012

Was expecting more. This was on my bucket list, but was disappointed. The views were amazing and I liked some of the exhibits (i.e. his election) and Jackie's jewelry collection/gifts received from influential people from around the world. However, I was disappointed with the size and how few things I felt they really had. More

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See 6 more reviews by Cara R for Boston
New Haven, Connecticut
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 of 5 stars Reviewed May 15, 2012

I thought that there would be more material, but it was almost all video clips and written letters or transcripts. It was interesting to see Kennedy speak, but I just didn't feel like I learned much beyond high school history class covered material. More

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