What Place is Being Called the ‘Coolest Hidden Wonder in Massachusetts’?

While you are making your road trip plans for the upcoming Summer months, you might be looking for a spot to travel to that may be one of the hidden gems of Massachusetts. Maybe it's a spot that can sometimes get overlooked because of all the other great spots we have to explore in the Bay State. However, you wouldn't need to go to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Salem, the Berkshires, or downtown Boston if you were going to find a place known as the 'Coolest Hidden Wonder in Massachusetts'.

According to data used from the travel publication, 'Atlas Obscura', they were able find the 'coolest hidden wonder in every state'. So, where is it Massachusetts?

While it is on the eastern side of the state, it's not quite Boston, but it's up to the north in the city of Somerville.at the Museum of Modern Renaissance.

In 2002, this former masonic temple was reshaped into a 'Temple of Art' by Russian artists Ekatrina Sorokina and Nicholas Shaplyko. Tours are offered by appointment at this unique spot, which also hosts concerts as well as the annual Somerville Open Studios.

Here's what 'Atlas Obscura' noted about the distinctive spot:

Using a style the artists call “Mystical Realism,” the walls and ceilings are covered with fresco-like paintings and mythological themes, creating a stained glass effect. The focal point, the building’s great hall, is filled with fresco-like paintings of Russian mythological and religious icons. Saturated oil colors were used for the tiger and bull totems, birds, druids, and mermaids.

The artists claim to be part of a “Modern Renaissance,” which they say “adopted the eclecticism of our life and creatively transformed it into its ideal counterpart, where mythological creatures peacefully converse with flowers, and fairy-tale landscapes harmonically incorporate complicated geometrical ornaments. It may be the key to many secrets of existence.”

The museum is located at 115 College Avenue in Somerville. And now you have one more spot to check out before you're done with your travels in 2023. As previously mentioned, be sure to make an appointment, should you decide to check out what's being called the 'Coolest Hidden Wonder in Massachusetts'.