Nerdy Nights: Boston's Best Events For Geeks
Public Open Night
Coit Observatory, Boston University
725 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA 02215
(617) 353-2630
www.bu.edu
Hours: Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. fall and winter, 8:30 p.m. spring and summer; weather permitting
Price: Free
Just above the Astronomy Tower at Hogwarts, ahem, the Astronomy Department at Boston University, is the Coit Observatory. This is even better than a school with a witch of questionable talents teaching in the tower of a magical castle. Apart from the lack of evil wizards trying to destroy everything, there are the free nights at the observatory where visitors can use the telescopes to view the stars, which are quite magical, and boil down to some great science.
Second Friday
MIT Museum
265 Massachusetts Ave. Building N51
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 253-5927
web.mit.edu
Hours: Second Friday of every month, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Price: Free
There are many museums in Boston that geeks will enjoy, but the MIT Museum is the geekiest. Second Fridays are a great time to explore the museum, and they feature extras, such as March's fourth annual, "Nautical Night." Visitors can also get a taste of geek art, sculptures, some Einstein and robots. This uber-cool robot exhibit features decades of work on Artificial Intelligence right there at MIT. Learn more about Cog, Finnegan the RoboTurtle and RoboTuna, some of MIT's robots.
Nerd Nite Boston's Last Monday
Middlesex Lounge
315 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 868-6739
www.middlesexlounge.us
Hours: Last Monday of every month at 8:00 p.m.
Price: $5
On the last Monday of every month, nerds from in and around Boston meet at the Middlesex Lounge because the "Restaurant at the End of the Universe" is closed on Mondays. A bonafied nerd presenter appears for these gatherings, fellow nerds share a few brews, and discussion hopefully follows. There is no need to sign up. All that guests have to do is appear, grab a seat, listen and join in. Other cities are also involved in the Nerd Nite craze, so look them up when traveling.
5 wits
202 Patriot Place
Foxboro, MA 02035
(508) 698-1600
www.5-wits.com
5 wits is an adventure fun center about 30 miles from Boston. It is essentially a simulation of an explorer's adventure. It formerly had an exhibit in Boston known as TOMB that was an "Indiana Jones" style escape from three rooms, each with a puzzle the group had to decipher. The Foxboro site currently has a "20,000 Leagues" adventure and an "Espionage" adventure. That is something for both adventure book nerds and "James Bond" geeks.
Related: Toucher & Rich: Angry Nerds
Shelly Barclay is a professional freelance writer and amateur author. She writes on a variety of topics from food to mysteries. She loves to share the culture and rich history of her birthplace and home, Boston, with the rest of the world. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.