Visitor Information

To all our visitors, MIT community demonstrators, Open House programmers, staff, and volunteers, THANK YOU for making it a wonderful day Under the Dome! More at MIT News

We look forward to seeing you on April 23! Here you'll find useful information to help you plan your visit.

If you have questions on-site, please stop by and see our staff at one of the guest services tents—they'll be happy to assist you.

Please select a category:
Getting to MIT
Public transportation
Parking information
Getting around campus
Accessibility
Campus maps
Planning what to do and see
Guest services tents
Guided tours
Food and beverage
School group information

GETTING TO MIT

MIT is located in Cambridge, MA, just over the bridge from downtown Boston. As parking is extremely limited, we encourage our guests to use public transportation. Both the subway and bus system will drop you at our doorstep!

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Boston's public transportation system, the MBTA, known as "the T," was the first subway in the United States, and continues to be one of the easiest ways to navigate the Greater Boston area.

The closest MBTA subway stations to MIT are:

Kendall Station (Red Line)
Central Square (Red Line)

MBTA buses are available from Boston and other parts of Cambridge:

1 Bus
CT1 Bus

MBTA Maps & Schedules

VISITOR PARKING

Parking in Cambridge is expensive and very difficult to find on an average day. Complicating things further are the occasional detours and road closures due to ongoing construction. On April 23, we anticipate thousands of visitors to campus, and we strongly encourage you to use public transportation to get to MIT. Many of the MBTA subway and commuter rail stations offer parking, which you may prefer over driving into Cambridge.

Once you're here, you can get around campus on the MIT shuttles that will run throughout the day.

For Under the Dome activities, limited on-campus parking is available:

Paid parking lots and garages can be found around campus:

1 Memorial Dr.
1 Broadway
7 Cambridge Center
800 Technology Square
Marriott Hotel
Hyatt Regency Hotel

Getting around campus

Two MIT shuttle routes will be available as you explore campus. You may pick up a shuttle map onsite at one of our guest services tents or view it online.

ACCESSIBILITY

Visitors may refer to the MIT Accessibility Map.

CAMPUS MAPS

Planning what to do and see

We invite you to browse Open House activities on this website in advance of your visit. Use the search bar and filters on the left column to find exactly what you're looking for. Open House guidebooks, which list all of the day's activities, will be available at the guest services tents on April 23.

FAVORITES

Create a list of all the activities you don’t want to miss with the click of a button. Clicking the FAVORITES button on any activity description page will add it to your personal list. View your personal list by clicking FAVORITES on the left filter menu.

Note: The FAVORITES button uses cookies. Selections will be lost if you clear cookies from your browser.

ACTIVITY LOCATIONS

To help you find where you want to go, we have broken the campus into six zones of activity. A map will also be included in the printed guidebook, which you may pick up at any guest services tent on April 23.

Six campus zones:

Kendall Square
Killian Court
McDermott Court
North Court
Northeast
West

GUEST SERVICES TENTS

We encourage you to visit one of our guest services tents on April 23 to launch your exciting experience Under the Dome!

Tents are located at Massachusetts Avenue and North Court. Stop by to pick up an Open House guidebook, ask questions, and obtain other helpful visitor information.

GUIDED TOURS

You have the option of taking two different tours of MIT's campus on April 23.

(1) Open House Tour: Explore West Campus!

Join one of our MIT student tour guides for a 20-minute walking tour of MIT’s West Campus. Learn about MIT, student life, campus architecture, and the different activities available for you to explore at the Open House. Tours depart from the Kresge Auditorium lobby (W16) and Killian Court every 30 minutes, 10 am to 2 pm. The final tours from both locations leave at 2 pm.

(2) Open House Tour: Explore East Campus!

Learn about MIT, research, campus architecture, and some of the activities available for you to explore at the Open House during this 20-minute walking tour of MIT’s East Campus. Led by one of our MIT student tour guides, tours depart North Court (near Buildings 32, 76, and 68) and Killian Court every 30 minutes, 10 am to 2 pm. The final tours from both locations leave at 2 pm.

Food and beverage

From food trucks to cafeterias, there are plenty of options for grabbing a bite to eat on campus:

Kendall Square Zone

Carleton Street food trucks: Mexican food, vegetarian and vegan options
100 Main Market Place (Building E62): Cafeteria eatery with a salad bar, hot and cold food options, grab-and-go foods, snacks, coffee, and other beverages

Killian Court Zone

Bosworth's: Pastries, grab-and-go foods, coffee, tea, and other beverages

McDermott Court Zone

McDermott Court food trucks: Asian Fusion, vegetarian and vegan options, ice cream, and wood-fire pizza

North Court Zone

Koch Café: Cafeteria eatery with hot and cold food options, grab-and-go foods, snacks, coffee, and other beverages
Forbes Family Café: Cafeteria eatery with hot and cold food options, grab-and-go foods, snacks, coffee, and other beverages

West Zone

Kresge Lawn food trucks: Burgers and fries, Belgian waffles, Asian Fusion, chicken and rice bowls, Jamaican specialties, soups, salads, and sandwiches
Stratton Student Center (Building W20):
- Dunkin' Donuts
- Cambridgeside Grill (pizza, hot sandwiches)
- Subway
- Anna's Taqueria (burritos, quesadillas)
- Cafe Spice (Indian cuisine)
- Shawarma Shack (Middle Eastern cuisine)
- Shinkansen (Japanese cuisine)