Opposite the main entrance to Harvard Yard, Cambridge Common is the village green where General Washington took command of the Continental Army on July 3, 1775. Dawes Island at the south end pays tribute to William Dawes, the 'other rider', who on April 18, 1775 warned that the British were coming (look for the bronze hoofprints embedded in the sidewalk).

Parents take note: the excellent playground at the northern end features a Viking ship, a climbing web and plenty of water play.

Transportation

  • bostont: Harvard

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Christ Church

0.06 MILES

Cambridge’s oldest church was designed in 1761 by America’s first formally trained architect, Peter Harrison (who also designed King’s Chapel in Boston)…

2. Harvard Hall

0.15 MILES

On the north side of Johnston Gate, Harvard Hall is one of the two oldest buildings on campus, dating to 1766. (The other is Massachusetts Hall, directly…

3. Massachusetts Hall

0.17 MILES

On the south side of Johnston Gate, Massachusetts Hall is the oldest building on the Harvard campus, dating from 1720. Originally it was a dormitory…

5. John Harvard Statue

0.21 MILES

The centerpiece of Harvard Yard is this sculpture by Daniel Chester French, known as the `statue of three lies'. John Harvard was the university's first…

6. Harvard Yard

0.23 MILES

Harvard University was originally founded here in 1636, and Harvard Yard remains the historic and geographic heart of the university campus. Flanked by…

7. Harvard Museum of Natural History

0.25 MILES

This institution is famed for its botanical galleries, featuring some 3000 pieces of handblown, intricately crafted glass flowers and plants. There is a…

8. Harvard University

0.25 MILES

America's oldest college, Harvard University is one of the country's most prestigious universities. It was originally founded in Harvard Yard in 1636 by…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "usa/boston/cambridge/attractions/cambridge-common/a/poi-sig/1251354/1006351",
      "position": "superzone"
    }