1) Visit historic Harvard Square, a hub of activity adjacent to Harvard University,  and Cambridge’s oldest neighborhood. Take in the eclectic boutiques, sidewalk cafes, street performers, famous bookstores, and over 100 restaurants – while rubbing elbows with Crimson students and professors. See the Longfellow National Historic Site, home of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the former headquarters of  George Washington. Walk along Cambridge’s original thoroughfares like Brattle Street (known as Tory Row) and Winthrop Street which date back to the 1600s.

2) Take a tour of the hallowed buildings and monuments of Harvard University, which has graduated numerous world leaders including six U.S. presidents. See sites such as Massachusetts Hall, a dorm which once housed John Adams and John Hancock; beautiful Memorial Hall dedicated to Harvard’s slain soldiers in the Civil War; and Daniel Chester French's famous statue of John Harvard (French also sculpted Abraham Lincoln in the Washington D.C. Memorial).  Check out Harvard’s terrific art museums (Fogg, Busch-Reisinger and Sackler) featuring everything from German expressionism to Chinese ceramics, or see the magnificent Glass Flowers exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History.

3) See MIT’s mile-long campus along the Charles River.  Take in the eclectic architecture, including the Stata Center (designed by Frank O. Gehry);  the MIT Chapel and Kresge Auditorium (designed by Eero Saarinen); and the Dreyfus, Weisner and Landau Buildings (designed by I.M. Pei).

4) Explore MIT’s Kendall Square, home to Massachusetts' thriving high technology and biotechnology industries. Shop at the Cambridgeside Galleria with restaurants and over 100 stores. Then hop on a riverboat ride for a scenic tour of Cambridge and Boston along the Charles River.

5) Enjoy lively Inman Square, a neighborhood of diverse immigrants with a strong Portuguese and Brazilian influence. Hear live music at the Ryles Jazz Club; peruse unique shops like Boutique Fabulous (art meets fashion) and Intarawut (Thailand antiques, handbags and jewelry); or try one of their many ethnic restaurants or authentic Irish bars.

6) Discover Cambridge’s history as one of the oldest African American communities in the nation. Walk the African American Heritage Trail, 20 historic markers that honor notable blacks (including the local residence of W.E.B. DuBois) who were abolitionists, authors, educators, and office holders in Cambridge dating back to 1840.

7) Indulge in the city’s nightlife offerings. Catch a play at Harvard’s American Repertory Theater – named one of the top three regional theatres in the country by Time magazine. Check out improvisational theater at Cambridge’s ImprovBoston, which launched the careers of many famous comics including Saturday Night Live’s Jane Curtin, Steven Wright and Bobcat Goldthwait. See new classical dance at Jose Mateo's Ballet Theatre; or bop to world-class jazz at Regattabar or Scullers Jazz Club. Or try something truly different: art-meets-science dramatic performances at the new Central Square Theater, a collaboration between MIT and the local artistic community

8) Rent a canoe or kayak on the Charles River for a peaceful afternoon rowing down one of America’s most beautiful urban waterways with majestic views of Frederick Law Olmstead's “Emerald Necklace,” the Esplanade, Harvard Business School and Harvard University. Glide along this calm nine-mile waterway watching the geese swim gracefully by your boat while sailing under Cambridge’s famous bridges.

9) Venture over the Charles River to Boston and walk the Freedom Trail – a tour of Boston's revolutionary history. Take one of Boston’s World Famous Duck Tours, which hits all of Beantown’s hot spots (the golden-domed State House; Bunker Hill; Boston Common; Copley Square; the Big Dig; Government Center; trendy Newbury Street; Quincy Market and the Prudential Tower). The vehicle then drives straight into the Charles River for beautiful seaside views of Cambridge and Boston. Visit the Beacon Hill –Boston’s oldest neighborhood – with it’s tiny brick sidewalks, clapboard Federal-style row houses, and gas-lit street lamps. Or take advantage of the city’s fantastic museums like the Museum of Fine Arts or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

10) Take a 10 minute drive to historic Charlestown, where Paul Revere began his famous “midnight ride” before the Battles of Lexington and Concord. See where the Revolution’s legendary Battle of Bunker Hill occurred, where Patriots were told “Don’t fire 'til you see the whites of their eyes.” Also visit the Charlestown Navy Yard and board the illustrious USS Constitution “Old Ironsides,” one of America’s first warships.