Fantastic museum. Those historical inventions were amazing and awesome.

Such a great hidden gem. A great amount of local history. Many cool hands on tools and steam powered contraptions.

It has been many years since our last visit and it is even more charming today. Friendly staff.....great exhibits and a working machine shop. I was there for an archery class that was top notch....so many great programs and events going on there! Easy public parking across the river and then you enter another world of machines and history!

Went there for the Breezers Ball, had a great night! Most of the museum areas were open to walk around to look at the exhibits & learn how some of the tools /machines we use today had 1st started out. Definitely would go back again just to tour the rest of museum.

My best friend had a beautiful wedding here! Will always remember the great time we had here.

Very cool museum about local industrial history. They hold all kinds of fun events in their banquet room upstairs. Definitely not a place to miss.

Small but intriguing collection documenting history of Waltham. Especially loved the watch collection in the loft

A modest-sized Museum located in an old factory warehouse on the banks of the Charles River, next to an old mill dam for water power. Originally set up for power transmission via leather belts and pulleys, later converted to steam and then electric motors.Exhibits and occasional demonstrations of historic machine tools and machines, including a pioneering machine for making paper bags. Helpful staff. Also has large event spaces for parties, conferences, weddings, memorials, etc.

Fascinating place! Only problem is finding the entrance

This place is fascinating! We were considering this for a wedding reception venue, and we were torn between here and another location. The CRM was beat out but barely. Its huge inside with super cool exhibits, and from what I could tell, a very flexible venue. Anyone looking for a unique reception should consider here!

First you have to *find* it! No signs directing you; Googling the street address takes you wrong place (you have to use a different address!). Virtually impossible to find at night for a concert. Decent venue though. I need to go back in daylight and spend more time looking at exhibits.

Went to a second shift concert and I was amazing. 20$ a ticket and it included a drink.

Small but packed full of interesting exhibits.

We were here as guests for a wedding reception. The space is amazing. Very cool and unique venue with great exposed brick and beautiful wood beam ceilings. Sits right on the river which makes for great pictures.

Great small comfortable atmosphere but the food is not good.

A hidden gem if you enjoy history. Massachusetts has so much history and so many contributions to the World that we often forget many of them. The Charles River Museum does a great job reminding us of how important Massachusetts was/is to making the World a better place and there are many I never knew that moments as well. Only $10 per adult and lots of restaurants near by.

I enjoy the historical events held here. The watch museum is nice too.

Working in engineering, this place is a must see!! I cant believe I lived here so long without coming. Could take anywhere from 1-2.5 hours to get through depending on how much you want to read. Wonderful Waltham watch exhibit, amazing machines from the era. Also beautiful area to walk next to the Charles!

Great museum. We loved all the displays, historical facts and stories the people that lived during the time. We went for the Chrismas Carol event. It was very well done! The actors performed the reading very well and we loved the piece by Mrs. Dickens. The vendors were also great. Fun event!

We attended a wedding here and it was beautiful! Not sure if I would visit for the museum itself but it made for a lovely venue for a special event.

A really cool collection of old machinery in an old Mill building.

Nice museum, good pokestop. River water mills & 10 year old workers built Massachusettss textile industry & dont you forget it

The Very Site where US industrial revolution began. The innovation economy began here and you can learn a lot about what drives change and transformation fro their fascinating exhibits. Wonderful event series, too.

Very interesting museum for those who are interested in inventions.

It has interesting artifacts from the original Waltham mills and the later Waltham Watch factory, in one of the last built of the mill buildings. It is somewhat lacking in dates and other info about some of the artifacts. The temporary display of some of the earliest (human powered) vacuum cleaners was also amusing.

Nice history

Great wedding reception venue.

Small good venue for a singer like Mary Gauthier. Nice people all around and easily found. I understand though parking is problematic. No first hand experience, since I was dropped off.

A small museum packed with a lot of great information and items. Their newer exhibit on the formation of mills and the men behind them was especially interesting. It gives an in-depth look at how the milling industry started Massachusetts and New England and their struggles along the way. Beyond that, the museum has exhibits on Waltham watches, printing presses, bicycles, and much more. Definitely worth visiting.

The Charles River Museum of Industry documents the key innovations and entrepreneurs of Walthams industrial revolution. Waltham was unique in shifting the factory paradigm towards vertically integrated entities in which all aspects of production took place in respective parts of a single factory building. Leveraging the power generated by the Charles, the factories were able to create watches (perhaps for which Waltham is best known), bicycles, cars, and all manner of tools - many of which are on display at the museum.While the museum paints a picture of the innovations and advancements attributed to a number of notable men - be sure to check out the full story in the area behind the entrance desk.

Good event space. Lots of cool mechanical things to play with. Accurate, informative with a friendly staff. What more could you ask for?

Visited with our Cub Scouts. The museum put together a great program. Our guys had fun while learning! I highly recommend a visit, especially for groups!! Also, they have an upstairs Hall that can be rented for private events too, a super cool industrial loft space.

So much going on at the museum these days! I was there for a 2nd Shift concert Thursday - sold out crowd, intimate setting, excellent acoustics.Plenty of parking in the Embassy lot off Pine St., then a pleasant stroll across the Charles River to access the museum entrance.

Had my sisters wedding here. It was amazing!!

Great for functions has a big room upstairs. Helpful staff. The museum is small but a lot to look at and learn about early America.

Great little museum. Learned much about the watch business and old time manufacturing. We were there for a special event, so was busy with exhibitors and observers. The antique machining equipment is still in working order, and if you are lucky you can watch the machinery in action. Parking is challenging, so be sure to park in a public lot, otherwise, you risk being towed (we parked on the Church Street lot).

So much great history to learn through wonderful exhibits. Huge selection of old cars, bikes, watches and much more housed inside an Industrial Revolution factory. One of my favorite museums of all time.

Such a great place to visit

Great concert with Tracy Grammer. They have a nice small venue with a jazz and a folk music series.

Toured the venue and thought it was gorgeous, but ended up going with somewhere else due to family wants. Super funky spot, would be the absolute perfect steampunk venue.

Hidden gem. They also have concerts.

Fascinating museum about industry.

Great museum with lots of little exhibits. Check out the Waltham Watch company items they have here, it is truly amazing. The day we went they even had archery classes upstairs. They little place is kinda cool.

The museum is such a cool space - our guests LOVED it! Working with Jill was fantastic!

Its a small museam but they have some interesting things.

This place was very interesting

Incredible amount old metal working machinery

Small local museum. Very interesting displays and history - I would recommend an afternoon trip because it is not large enough for a whole day. Family friendly.

Theres some facinating stuff here, and at $10, its not a bad way to spend an afternoon, but many of the exhibits are not very well maintained/restored, and the documentation/plaques are sort of sparse.If youre interested in the history of the Boston area, and some of the technology behind the areas famous historic textiles and manufacturing, youll probably enjoy it greatly. If the history of technology isnt your passion, however, you may want to give it a miss.

I used to come here on elementary school field trips, and I remember loving it. Went to a wedding there recently, and it was a fantastic experience! So much character, and I got to geek out at my fiance.

If you are into machines, you are in heaven here. There is a lot to uncover if you take the time. There are some unique hands on displays, and several could use refurbishing, but we love it for what it is. If theres someone in your family who has endless boxes of bits and bobs, and always a can of oil, this is their heaven.

Cool to see how Waltham was a leader in technology several hundred years ago, and where the names of some of our towns and cities came from.

Great industrial history

Fun, interesting with great programming and an excellent layout.

Great selection of industrial history!

Celebrated a wonderful wedding there ceremony and reception beautiful job

Very cool for nostalgia enthusiasts!

Went there for a wedding in the evening and had a great time. The displays are pretty great if youre into history and the development of early industry. The watch collection was stunning.

Went there for an event .Alot of Waltham history under one roof . Id go again

Lot of old things to look at, not a lot of explanation either sighs or people. Lot of people just taking pictures and in the way with tripods

Great look into one history during the industrial age. Walking paths to the museum overlooks the river and provide great scenery especially during the fall months

Waltham has a rich history

Great museum on invention, transport, and time pieces!

If you are interested in industrial mill history, this place is great. Plenty of opportunities for the kids to touch and explore.

So cool

Very interesting museum about mechanical stuff. I was there for a wedding.

Really interested place if youre into mechanical engineering. The staff is also very knowledgeable and friendly.

Engines, watches and a story of the Waltham industry are great. Staff friendly and informative.

Great location for a wedding.

Fine overview of industrial history in Waltham, beautiful building, some handsome industrial objects, lovely small exhibition on Waltham watches and watchmaking.

The Industrial Museum captures the mechanical genius of an earlier era. The mill building and contents display the tools and artifacts of local businesses.

Educational.

Rather small but very interesting.

Nice, interesting exhibits. Small, doesnt take long to see everything.

Beautiful venue, not that easy to get to if you dont know where you are.

Great place! Had a blast here for the steam punk festival

I loved the Charles Dickens day. :)

Excellent museum about the history of Waltham industry and especially the Waltham watch company

Great live music series!

Great museum, friendly guides and fascinating machines.

Excellent exhibits and collection!

Really cool place

Spend some time here.

Super engaging staff, interesting collection.

Who is a very intuitive educational experience for all ages

Very interesting original machines.

Great museum terrible parking hard to find

Great local museum thats basically the heart of Waltham!

Very interesting!

Pretty cool

This place was very boring for me.

So beautifull

Nice, small

Great historical museum and function facility...

Great machining displays

Went to a wedding there, it was beautiful

Nice wedding venue

Classic

So interesting

Love the history of Waltham