Live in Boston for any length of time and you quickly become aware of the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) and the Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA). These museums regularly have major exhibitions that receive a lot of attention in the press. Some of the area museums participate in Bank of America’s Museums On Us program, but again these are the larger museums in the area.

Did you know that there are several wonderful lesser known museums in the Greater Boston Area that are worth visiting? While a visit to the MFA will cost $20 to visit, the price of admission at these museums is $10 or less.

Just a short drive up Rte 93 in Winchester is the Griffin Museum of Photography. The museum was founded in 1992 by the late Arthur Griffin a renowned photojournalist. If you are a photography enthusiast then you will want to visit this museum comprised of three galleries totally devoted to photography. The Griffin Gallery feature highlights from the archives of the museum’s founder. The Atelier Gallery exhibits works by up and coming photographers, and the Main Gallery mounts exhibitions from leading photographers working in a variety of photographic genres.

South of the city in Duxbury you’ll find The Art Complex Museum which houses the collection of Carl A. Weyerhaeuser, the grandson of the founder of international forest products company Weyerhauser. The collection includes Shaker furniture, American paintings and Asian art. The permanent collection consists of 8000 objects which are shown on rotation. In addition to the permanent collection, the museum mounts exhibits featuring painting, sculpture, prints and crafts created by contemporary artists. The museum also has an extensive Asian collection which includes a Japanese tea hut located on the grounds amidst a Japanese garden. Here tea ceremonies are presented several times a year.

The Greater Boston Area has long been known for its industrial innovations. From factories that produced clothing and shoes to labs that produce cures for disease, we have a long history in industry and innovation. Celebrating this history and providing inspiration for future innovators is the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation location in Waltham. At the museum there is a textile history gallery, a watches & clocks gallery, a steam power exhibit, a transportation gallery, and a re-creation of an 1800’s machine shop. Spread throughout the museum you will also see an assortment of machines used in manufacturing.

Have a passion for classic cars, there’s a museum for that (Larz Anderson Auto Museum). Interested in clean water, public health, engineering and architecture, then head to Chestnut Hill and visit the Waterworks Museum. Have a child with a passion for fire engines? Why not take that child to the Boston Fire Engine Museum this summer. Boston affords its residents the opportunity to take inexpensive cultural vacations at home.