Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

After Isabella Stewart Gardner's husband died in 1898, she bought land in the Fenway area of Boston to open a museum to display her impressive collection of Italian art. After the museum is completed in 1902, fashioned after the Palazzo Barbaro in Venice, she moved into the fourth floor and sets to work installing her collection. Today, you can visit this Boston museum to get your fill of the Italian masters, such as Titian and Giotto. The building also showcases a cache of beautiful furniture straight from Europe, which the interior designer in you might covet.

Since the museum is laid out in Gardner's vision, some recent visitors say it is something of a hodgepodge. However, as one TripAdvisor user says: "If you drop your expectations about [aesthetic] cohesion, the museum is very fun and unique. Ms. Gardner crammed a lot of the best of each style into this building."

You'll find that the Gardner's admission price is relatively reasonable compared to other city museums. Discounts are available for college students and seniors, and kids under age 18 are admitted free with a parent. Also, if you can prove your name is Isabella (after the patroness), you can tour the museum free of charge.