The Mapparium is part of the Christian Science publication building. For $6, you get to visit the room but only for about 20 minutes. The Mapparium is best described as a 30 foot stained glass globe, that you go through the middle of on a glass bridge. Countries are shown in color glass as they were in 1934 when the globe was made. When you are in the middle, the globe is back lit and the light effects can change. Also the sound is unique due to the shape, so you can whisper on one side and easily hear on the other. Very cool and unique.
One negative criticism- no photos allowed in the globe. That’s a shame. I don’t see what harm it does. I would have loved some close up photos of some of my favorite countries. There is a book you can buy - we did - but that only shows a fraction of the total globe.

The best thing about Boston is that no matter how often we visit, we always seem to find something new. On this visit, we discovered the Mapparium. About midway between the Fine Art museum and the Prudential building, the Mapparium is not out-of-the way by any means. It is located in the Mary Baker Eddy Library, a beautiful building in its own right. For a small admission you are taken into this one-of-a-kind 3 story tall, stained glass globe of the world. Just the size and beauty of it makes an awesome impression. Made in 1935, it's also a bit of a time-capsule. It was fun to study the countries and borders to see how much the world has changed in just a few generations. Each tour goes thru the globe is approximately 10-15 minutes long. But if you want to study it more, visitors can go back to the desk and ask for subsequent tickets for free to go through again. We also visited the adjacent Christian Science church next door. The building, it's history and the massive pipe organ were all impressive. A fun and friendly guide provided us an interesting tour and offered some background and insight into the religion itself (without being pushy). Our visit to the Mapparium was both educational and impressive.

Stumbled upon this gem and go glad we did. Located as an exhibit inside the Mary Baker Eddy Library. An amazing exhibit 3 stories in height, a glass globe seen from the inside via a suspended bridge. Our guide, Joan told the history of Mary Baker Eddy and the creation of this spectacular exhibit. $6 per adult for an all day ticket, worth every penny.