Put on your finest pair of dancing shoes, grab a glass of champagne and join in on one of the largest Bastille Day bashes in the United States. The French Cultural Center’s Bastille Day Party celebrates the French people’s uprising against the monarchy and storming of the Bastille prison during the French Revolution.

It’s probably no coincidence that the Museum of Fine Arts is hosting the exhibit Magna Carta: Cornerstone of Liberty right around the Fourth of July holiday, as many are celebrating the origins of America’s independence.

Celebrating its 41st year, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is more explosive and remarkable than ever. Having recently won a New England Emmy Award, the Fireworks Spectacular continues to entertain hundreds of thousands each year.

Boston happily plays host to many talented musical performers and groundbreaking theatrical acts, and the next two weeks see some real crowd-pleasers. We've got groovy chart-topping classics, a Grammy Award-winner, and a magical mix of stage shows featuring vampires, the Brothers Grimm, and mysterious goddess-worshipping islands.

Stuck in a rut and need a quick fix? Ask people-person Heather Coughlin at the Loews Boston Hotel for help. Heather has all the details on directions, transportation, and tours, and enjoys going the extra mile to make a guest feel at home. She knows exactly what a visitor needs to know when staying in Boston, like where to find the best lobster rolls, how to get to Fenway Park, and what to do if it's a rainy day for your Boston Common wedding.

Premiering in the U.K. in 2012, super-producer Cameron Mackintosh’s new version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera was, as expected, a record-breaking hit. Now that the blockbuster musical has embarked on a U.S. tour, it was inevitable that it would stop at Boston’s own lush and lavish Opera House in the Theatre District.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is one of Boston’s true masterpieces. More than a jewel for visitors, it’s a treasure trove. “It is a window to the past,” says Dr. Christina Nielsen, curator of the collection and director of program planning, “and in some ways feels like a time capsule, like you’ve traveled back in time and can see and experience the vision of a creative individual who lived in a very different era.”

While discovering Boston’s museums can keep you busy for weeks, take the time to go beyond city limits and explore Massachusett’s vibrant art and culture institutions. Here are six museums just a short trek away.