Summer Fun

So You Wanna…Stay Inside

MMMM, BEER
Just because a brewery tour is one of the first things every out-of-towner does five minutes after they get here doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad idea. Sometimes there’s wisdom in crowds. So take a tip from the tourist horde and visit (or revisit) the city’s shrines to suds. In fact, make a day of it. For the Sam Adams brewery in Jamaica Plain, grab a coffee and a sandwich at Ula Cafe, do the tour, then walk down the street to Doyle’s, the pub where many of Sam’s memorable commercials are shot. For Harpoon, fuel up at Sportello or Flour first, do the tour, then hold your own follow-up tasting at Atlantic Beer Garden. Samuel Adams (tours daily, except sundays), 30 Germania St., Jamaica Plain, 617-368-5080, samueladams.com; Harpoon (tours on weekends only), 306 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-574-9551, harpoonbrewery.com.

CENTER YOURSELF
Big, weird, and totally geeky. The Mapparium, located inside the Mary Baker Eddy Library on Christian Science Plaza, is a giant painted-glass globe that you can actually walk inside. A visit includes a brief tour with enough history and trivia to placate your inner Cliff Clavin, but the real draw is the experience of feeling like you are, literally, at the center of the earth. Admission, $6; 200 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 617-450-7000, marybakereddylibrary.org.