What You’ll Learn in This Guide

Go beyond the traditional Harvard tourist trail with a closer look at the places, experiences and neighborhoods that reveal a different side of the university.

In this guide, you’ll discover:

• Harvard’s iconic and hidden corners — from Harvard Yard and historic architecture to lesser-known courtyards, gardens and campus spaces.
• Harvard Business School — what to see and explore on Harvard’s Allston campus, just minutes from The Atlas.
• Harvard’s museums — where to experience art, science, history and culture beyond the classroom.
• The best Harvard cafés and coffee stops — from classic Harvard Square favorites to new destinations emerging in Allston.
• Bookstores worth browsing — including Harvard Book Store and The Harvard COOP.
• Public lectures and intellectual experiences — where to find talks, panels, exhibitions and events open to the public.
• The David Rubenstein Treehouse — Harvard’s new university-wide conference center and gateway to the Enterprise Research Campus.
• One Milestone — a growing hub for research, innovation, cafés, gathering spaces and public-facing expert programming.
• Where Harvard gathers beyond campus — including Ama and Foxglove Terrace at The Atlas, where Harvard affiliates, academics, students and visitors can connect.
• Ways to make your Harvard visit more memorable — including the Brilliant Minds, Big Return package and the Atlas Scholars Club.

Start at Harvard Yard

Of course, no Harvard visit is complete without seeing the Yard—but consider it your starting point, not your final destination.

John Harvard Statue

The traditional photo stop, the stature of John Harvard is a famous bronze sculpture known locally as the “statue of three lies” because of three historial misleading facts. First, it’s not John Harvard. The sculptor, Daniel Chester French, used a student named Sherman Hoar as a model for the face in 1884 because no true portraits of John Harvard survived. Second, John Harvard is not the founder, but a major early benefactor who left his estate and library to the school. Lastly, the date isn’t exactly correct either. The base says the school was founded in 1638, but it was actually 1636. Nonetheless – don’t forget to rub the statue’s left shoe for good luck.

Widener Library

One of Harvard’s most recognizable architectural landmarks. Eleanor Elkins Widener donated the library in memory of her son, Harry Widener who died on the Titanic. To this day, a fresh flower is place in Harry’s memorial study room to honor Eleanor’s only request. The 50-plus miles of bookshelves inside are not just for holding books; the ten tiers of stacked steel form the actual structural core that holds the building’s floors and roof.

Memorial Church

An iconic part of the Yard, the soaring High Victorian Gothic landmark lost its original central tower in a devastating fire in 1956, leaving the building oddly truncated for decades until a faithful replica tower was constructed in 2000. Don’t miss the hidden initials on Johnston Gate, featuring a backward monogram “AAM” on its upper rear side. It stands for Marian Alice Appleton, whose financial contribution saved the project when Charles McKim, the architect, ran out of funds.

Sever Hall

A distinctive example of Harvard’s historic architecture, the building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970 for its masterwork brick expression and architectural significance. The entry archways are famous for an acoustic quirk; if two people stand at opposite diagonal corners of the arched entryway and whisper against the brickwork, they can hear each other clearly across the open space.

Harvard Yard’s gates and courtyards

Take time to wander beyond the main pathways, with 25 historic gates and several hidden courtyards with surprising messages and architectural design. Don’t miss Dexter Gate’s two-part message: the outside reads “Enter to grow in wisdom,” while the inside advises “Depart to serve better thy country and thy kind,” though parts of it are obscured by neighboring Wigglesworth Hall.

Student-led campus tours

A useful way to learn the stories behind the buildings. Check out our picks:

• Crimson Key Society Tours – Visit the Harvard University Visitors Center
• The Hahvahd Tour (Trademark Tours) – A Famously Entertaining 70-minute walking tour

Atlas tip: Give yourself time to wander without a strict itinerary. Some of the most interesting details are found between the major landmarks.

Explore Harvard’s Architecture

Harvard’s architecture spans centuries, making the campus itself a destination for design lovers.

Look for:

• Massachusetts Hall – Harvard’s oldest living surviving building.
• Holden Chapel – a historically multifunctioning religious site.
• Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, designed by Le Corbusier.
• Radcliffe Quadrangle and its surrounding academic and cultural spaces.
• Widener Library – houses four of it’s ten floors underground.
• Harvard Stadium – opened in 1903, this Allston sports hub is the very first concrete stadium.
• The Science Center – legend tells of it’s “Polaroid box camera” shape to honor Edwin Land.
• The David Rubenstein Treehouse – Studio Gang’s newest Harvard conference space.
• Gordon Hall – The architectural anchor of Harvard Medical School.
• Science and Engineering Complex – An Allston marvel, the chain-like covering is an eco-friendly designer’s dream.
• Dunster House – a can’t miss landmark with a stunning cupola overlooking the Charles river.

The result is a campus where historic brick, stone courtyards and contemporary architecture exist side by side.

Discover Harvard Business School

Cross the Charles River and explore a very different side of Harvard.

Located in Allston, Harvard Business School is home to one of the world’s most recognized business education communities and sits directly within the neighborhood surrounding The Atlas Hotel. Check out the HBS Map and Directions.

Explore the area for:

• Baker Library – this grand structure towers over Baker Lawn, serving as the visual anchor of the HBS campus.
• Class of 1959 Chapel – designed by The Architects Collaborative, this serene non-denominational space features a striking glass facade and coy pond with a lush greenhouse garden.
• Charles River views – explore the campus with easy access to the Charles River Reservation, Peterson Park, Burden Park and George Pierce Baker Courtyard.
• Public talks and events – check out the Harvard Events Calendar

Closely connected to Harvard’s newest Enterprise Research Campus and home to The Atlas Hotel, Harvard Business School is rich with heritage, unique places to explore, ample green space and paths to new finds.

Spend Time at Harvard’s Museums

Harvard’s museums offer an entirely different way to experience the university.

Add these to your itinerary:

• Harvard Art Museums — European, American, Asian and contemporary art within a world-class collection.
• Harvard Museum of Natural History — dinosaurs, minerals, glass flowers and natural-science collections.
• Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology — anthropology, archaeology and human history.
• Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East — explore the civilizations and cultures of the ancient Near East.

Harvard’s museums house incredible and unusual collections, from lifelike glass plants to prehistoric marine monsters.

Find Harvard’s Best Study & Café Corners

Harvard’s café culture is part of the experience. Our picks:

• PHIN Coffee House 
• Revival Cafe + Kitchen
• Tatte Bakery & Cafe 
• Pavement Coffeehouse
• Broadsheet Coffee Roasters 
• Faro Cafe
• Sofra Bakery + Cafe
• Life Alive Organic Cafe 
• Cafe Gato Rojo

A new stop: PHIN Coffee House

At the David Rubenstein Treehouse, PHIN Coffee House adds a Vietnamese-inspired coffee destination to Harvard’s Allston campus.

It’s an easy stop for Atlas guests exploring the Enterprise Research Campus and the emerging Harvard community around Western Avenue.

Visit the David Rubenstein Treehouse

The David Rubenstein Treehouse represents a new chapter for Harvard in Allston.

Located on Western Avenue, the university-wide conference center is designed to bring together Harvard’s schools, researchers, leaders and broader community.

Why visit:

• Designed by Studio Gang.
• Home to flexible spaces for conferences, conversations and events.
• Designed as a new gateway to Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus.
• Features dramatic timber architecture and expansive gathering spaces.
• Home to PHIN Coffee House.
• A glimpse into Harvard’s increasingly interdisciplinary future.

Explore One Milestone & Harvard’s New Research Community

Continue exploring Western Avenue and you’ll find One Milestone, part of the emerging Harvard Enterprise Research Campus.

This new research and innovation destination is helping transform Allston into a place where science, business and the public realm intersect.

Look for:

• New research and science-focused spaces.
• Public-facing gathering areas.
• New cafés and places to meet.
• Opportunities to hear from researchers and experts.
• Free and public-facing talks and programming when offered.
• Connections to the broader Enterprise Research Campus.

For visitors, it’s an opportunity to experience the Harvard of today and tomorrow—not just the Harvard of history.

Find a Public Lecture

One of the best ways to experience Harvard is to actually engage with its intellectual community. Before your visit, check Harvard’s public events calendars for:

• Faculty lectures
• Author talks
• Museum programming
• Academic panels
• Research presentations
• Cultural events
• Performances
• Public conversations and discussions

Visit Harvard’s Bookstores

A Harvard visit wouldn’t be complete without browsing its bookstores.

The Harvard COOP

A Harvard tradition and living legacy brand, don’t miss The COOP Concept Store at The Atlas – a first look at the new retail space experience housing curated apparel, stationary sourced from Japan, a collaborative collection of music from Vinyl Index and other globally inspired finds.

• Books
• Harvard apparel
• Gifts
• University merchandise
• Author events and programming

Atlas connection: Atlas Scholars Club members receive 10% off at The COOP.

Allston – Harvard’s Newest Neighborhood

One of the biggest changes to the Harvard experience is happening across the Charles River.

The Harvard Enterprise Research Campus is creating a new environment for research, innovation, business and community, with the David Rubenstein Treehouse and One Milestone among its emerging destinations.

And The Atlas is right in the middle of it.

From the hotel, guests can easily explore:

• Harvard Business School
• David Rubenstein Treehouse
• One Milestone
• Harvard Enterprise Research Campus
• Allstonway
• Harvard Yard
• Harvard Square
• The Charles River
• Cambridge’s museums, restaurants and cultural attractions

It’s a different way to experience Harvard: less tourist destination, more living academic ecosystem.

Harvard’s Newest Dining Destinations

After a day exploring campus, you don’t have to go far for your next gathering place.

Ama at The Atlas

The Atlas’s ground-floor restaurant, Ama at The Atlas, is a social destination for guests, locals and members of the Harvard community.

Stop in for:

• Dinner after a day on campus
• Cocktails and conversation
• A meal with visiting family
• A casual meeting
• A celebratory dinner after a Harvard event

Foxglove Terrace

Sixteen floors above Allston, Foxglove Terrace rooftop bar and lounge offers expansive views toward Boston and the Charles River and has quickly become a natural gathering place for the neighborhood.

It’s the kind of place where you might find Harvard affiliates, visiting academics, students, alumni and local leaders gathering over drinks after a day of work, research or campus events.

Make Your Return Brilliant

Coming back to Harvard for a reunion, campus visit, alumni event or family celebration?

The Atlas’s Brilliant Minds, Big Return package turns a campus visit into an occasion.

The experience includes:

• A stay at The Atlas
• Up to 15% off your stay
• A celebratory welcome experience at Ama or Foxglove Terrace
• A choice of $25 Uber credit or complimentary valet parking.
• 10% Off at The COOP Concept Store

It’s designed for the moments when returning to campus deserves more than a hotel room.

Join the Atlas Scholars Club

For those with an ongoing connection to Harvard, the Atlas Scholars Club provides an easy way to stay connected to The Atlas.

Members receive:

• 15% off at Ama
• 10% off at The COOP
• Exclusive events and experiences throughout the year
• Tailored offers and communications
• A personalized Atlas Scholars Club membership card

Whether you’re a student, parent, faculty member, administrator or alum, the Scholars Club gives Harvard’s community another reason to make The Atlas part of their campus routine.

Your Harvard Home Base

Harvard has many faces: historic and contemporary, academic and social, Cambridge and Allston.

The traditional Harvard experience may begin at the Yard. But the university’s story continues across the Charles River, through Harvard Business School, the museums, research centers, cafés, bookstores, lecture halls and gathering spaces that make this community constantly evolving.

The Atlas Hotel puts you close to all of it. Stay near Harvard Business School. Explore the Enterprise Research Campus. Walk the Yard. Discover the museums. Catch a lecture. Find a new café. Meet at Ama. Gather at Foxglove.

Go beyond the Yard. Start at The Atlas.