Discover Boston's Hidden Library

"Though even many locals think of its fortified-looking neoclassical palazzo as a fully members-only enclave, in fact, any budding bibliophile or art aficionado can access its barrelvaulted book halls, catacomb-like card catalogs and lightfilled art galleries. All it takes to get past the brass-studded red-leather-upholstered front doors? The purchase of a day-pass membership for the enticingly wallet-friendly price of $40. One can also book a top-to-bottom docent led architectural tour of the place, for a more guided experience."

"Most must-see among the collection of half a million volumes and 100,000-plus maps, manuscripts and bits of ephemera: books from George Washington's private library in Virginia; hundreds of theological texts shipped from England to Boston in 1698 to protect the young minds of the nascent colony from moral corruption; and a pin-cushion whose provenance, perhaps apocryphally, is attributed to one of Martha Washington's gowns."

Any visitor can enter a fortified-looking neoclassical palazzo's barrel-vaulted book halls, catacomb-like card catalogs and light-filled art galleries by purchasing a $40 day-pass membership. Docent-led architectural tours are available and often require advance booking. Founded roughly 220 years ago with early members including John Adams, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Louisa May Alcott, the library sits adjacent to Boston Common and the Massachusetts State House. Its 1849 building underwent a $17 million facelift and extension recently. Collections total about half a million volumes, 100,000-plus maps and manuscripts, and a 10,000-piece art holdings including works by Sargent, Gilbert Stuart and Allan Rohan Crite.

Read at Elite Traveler