Harvard Square and University Smartphone Guided Audio Walking

Itinerary

1. 1
   Harvard Art Museums 5 minutes

   The tour ends at the Harvard Art Museums, a free museum with iconic works that is free to enter.

2. 2
   Stop 5 minutes

   The Commander Hotel was named to commemorate the spot at Cambridge Common where George Washington first took command of the Continental Army in 1775. And it's seen it's fair share of visitors. The tour starts here then guides you step by step through Harvard Square and Harvard University.

3. 3
   Stop 5 minutes

   This is one of the oldest and most influential congregations in all of New England. The church was established in sixteen thirty-six and was the 11th oldest congregation in Massachusetts.

4. 4
   Cambridge Common 5 minutes

   The Cambridge Common is more than just a green patch at Harvard’s doorstep; historically, it’s the heart of Cambridge. In sixteen thirties, the grounds were originally set aside as “cow common” for grazing livestock and wood gathering.

5. 5
   Old Burial Ground 5 minutes

   Old Burial Ground 190 Peek over the gates for a moment. Soldiers from the American Revolution, some killed during the British retreat from Lexington and Concord in seventeen seventy-five, are memorialized by a central granite obelisk, and there are even the gravestones of two Black patriots, Cato Stedman and Neptune Frost, whose lives remind us that freedom was always fought for by many voices.

6. 6
   Christ Church Cambridge 5 minutes

   Christ Church Cambridge, founded in 1759 is the oldest standing church building in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

7. 7
   First Parish Cambridge Unitarian Universalist 5 minutes

   In eighteen twenty-nine, at the peak of the crisis, when the congregation split, the more liberal, Unitarian majority retained the historic meeting house and eventually became known as First Parish in Cambridge, which sits right in the heart of Harvard Square.

8. 8
   Harvard University 5 minutes

   Great for shopping and has a great history and story

9. 9
   Stop 5 minutes

   Before it was Cambridge, it was Newtowne. And this site tells a bit about the story.

10. 10
    Stop Pass by

    The Harvard Lampoon Building, a quirky, turreted “castle” that looks like a cross between a Flemish town hall, a medieval fantasy, and a practical joke you’re not quite sure you understand.

11. 11
    Stop 5 minutes

    Iconic bookstore with a great story.

12. 12
    Stop 5 minutes

    Johnston Gate isn’t just for show; through tradition, it has become both a literal and symbolic threshold. Each year at Commencement, the sheriffs of Middlesex and Suffolk Counties ride in on horseback through this entrance to call graduates to order—a tradition that has persisted for generations. YOu'll learn that and much more.

13. 13
    Stop Pass by

    The story of the hall holds many of the stories of the university, and a fire.

14. 14
    John Harvard Statue 5 minutes

    This statue tells of the 3 lies. What are they? Find out that and more on the tour.

15. 15
    Stop 5 minutes

    Very interesting statue with a chinese story and more.

16. 16
    Stop Pass by

    The story starts with the son that perished on the Titanic. Learn more on the tour.

17. 17
    Stop Pass by

    The old church holds stories, find out on the tour.

18. 18
    Stop Pass by

    Funded by Anne Sever in memory of her husband, James Warren Sever, it was intended as a hub for “academic life and lecture”. Critics and admirers have jousted over its design since it appeared, some calling it fortress-like, others praising its vigor and originality, but Sever has weathered every drift of opinion with understated confidence. It’s so admired by architects that the renowned Robert Venturi, a giant of postmodern design, once called Sever Hall his “favorite building in America,” attesting to both its artistic impact and the subtle genius of its details.

Good to know

• Wheelchair accessible
• Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
• Service animals allowed
• Public transportation options are available nearby
• Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
• All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
• Suitable for all physical fitness levels