Take a stroll around Harvard Square in the slideshow above. Photos by Kalman Zabarsky.

According to historian Charles Sullivan, Harvard Square was founded in 1630 as the Puritan village of Newtowne, which would become Cambridge in 1638. Many of the original streets still exist, including parts of Church Street, Story Street, Eliot Street, Arrow Street, and Mount Auburn Street. And a few early 18th-century wood frame houses on Winthrop, Dunster, and South Streets remain.

The name Harvard Square did not become popular until the middle of the 19th century. Today the square (the area around the intersection of Mass Ave and Brattle and John F. Kennedy Streets) is a commercial center for Harvard students, Cambridge residents, and tourists. It’s no surprise, given the disposable income passing through, that regional and national chains have moved in, yet the square retains many long-standing locally owned and operated businesses.

No amount of economic evolution can remove Harvard Square’s fascinating blend of characters. A sunken region next to the MBTA subway entrance is a prime venue for street performers, political activists, panhandlers, and skateboarders. Nearby, chess aficionados challenge one and all for kicks and cash. The square also attracts many of the city’s homeless.

Below are some jumping off points from which to explore the square, destinations that lead to other destinations.

The Games People Play
1100 Massachusetts Ave.

The name says it all. Since 1974, the store has offered a wide array of study-time distractions, including board games, mechanical puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, and mind-benders. Check out the specialty chess sets—and chess computers, chess clocks, and chess books. Diehard strategists won’t be disappointed: foreign board games take up an entire wall, the Chinese board game Go an entire bookshelf.

Zoe’s
1105 Massachusetts Ave.

A leisurely Sunday brunch at a local diner is a joy, and that’s just what you’ll find at Zoe’s, where the plates are piled high with golden pancakes, eggs, and bacon, the coffee is strong, and the jukebox is active. In true diner fashion, Zoe’s serves breakfast all day. After all, it’s the most important meal of the day.

A Taste of Culture
1160 Massachusetts Ave.

Carmen Heller greets every customer at her eclectic boutique with a smile and soft hello. She came to the United States more than two decades ago to bring “a taste of her Peruvian culture” to Harvard Square, and the shop’s selection of hand-crafted jewelry, colorful woven clothing, silk-screened scarves, and playful finger puppets keeps expanding. Although much of the merchandise has a South American flair, Heller works with cooperatives and artists from around the world.

Hong Kong
1238 Massachusetts Ave.

Since its modest beginnings in 1954, the Hong Kong has expanded to a three-floor enterprise that includes a restaurant, a lounge, and the largest dance floor in Harvard Square. Oddly enough, the Hong Kong also hosts the Comedy Studio six nights a week. The menu is nothing remarkable, but the Hong Kong boasts the biggest scorpion bowl in town, made from nine alcohols (mostly rums) and pineapple and orange juice. With that and some stand-up, who needs food?

Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage
1246 Massachusetts Ave.

Americans love two things: burgers and political snark. Diners can order both at Mr. Bartley’s Burger Cottage, where every seven-ounce burger is served with a free side of sarcasm. They’ve offered the Mitt Romney (“2012 or bust”), a Swiss cheese burger with grilled onions and onion rings; the Michelle Obama (“Hot and spicy”); a Cajun blue cheese burger with French fries; and other luminary-labeled fare. For the truly authentic Bartley’s experience, add an extra-thick frappe or malt—but only if you wear your stretch pants.

Harvard Book Store
1256 Massachusetts Ave.

In 1932, Mark Kramer borrowed $300 from his parents to open a small store that sold used and remainder books. Almost 80 years later, the Harvard Book Store is still independent (Frank Kramer, Mark’s son, sold it in 2008 to longtime customer Jeff Mayersohn and his wife) and has expanded to 100,000 new and used titles. The store’s award-winning Author Event Series presents readings, signings, and lectures by established and emerging fiction and nonfiction authors.

Harvard Coop
1400 Massachusetts Ave.

Founded in 1882 by a group of Harvard students, the Harvard Coop (pronounced coupe) is one of the country’s largest bookstores. Now run by Barnes & Noble, the multilevel, multibuilding retailer sells textbooks, school supplies, and dorm necessities, as well as Harvard merchandise. Each summer, the Coop distributes its profits among its members. Fees are only $1, just as they were back in 1882, but membership is selective: only students, faculty, alumni, and employees of Harvard, MIT, the Episcopal Divinity School, Wheelock, and the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy can join.

Club Passim and Veggie Planet
47 Palmer St.

Before she became a poster child for the antiwar movement in the 1960s, Joan Baez gave her first concert at a small Cambridge music venue called Club 47. Half a century later, Club 47—now called Club Passim—remains a cornerstone of local and legendary folk music. Noted performers, among them Bob Dylan, Tom Rush, Shawn Colvin, and Tracy Chapman, made some of their first public appearances here. The club’s intimate setting (102 seats) invites audience and artist interaction, and its bohemian restaurant, Veggie Planet, appeals to the health-conscious. Try the vegan pizzas and other entrées. But most of all, listen.

Cambridge Artists Cooperative
59A Church St.

Established in 1989, the Cambridge Artists Cooperative is the area’s only year-round artist-owned and -managed crafts cooperative. Featuring the work of more than 250 artisans, this 2,000-square-foot gallery offers contemporary crafts, paintings, pottery, photography, jewelry, clothing, and sculptures. New work is displayed every month.

Algiers Coffee House
40 Brattle St.

A reporter from the Times of London who reviewed this Mediterranean-inspired café several years ago raved about the coffeehouse’s beverages and cited the frequently overheard debates between Harvard students. The perspective holds true: the coffee is as strong as ever, and the philosophical exchanges never cease. Appetizers are plentiful without being overpowering (the hummus is the best in Harvard Square), and the sandwiches and shish kebabs are tasty and affordable. After a show at the Brattle Theatre, a pot of loose-leaf tea or an iced Viennese coffee goes down smoothly.

Brattle Theatre
40 Brattle St.

Fans of the silver screen have been catching flicks at the Brattle since 1953, when Brent Haliday and Cyrus Harvey, Jr., premiered with the German film Der Hauptmann von Köpenick. Showing classic, independent, foreign, and art-house films, this not-for-profit theater—one of a vanishing breed—is best known for its eclectic and repertory format. Housed in a barnlike meeting hall, this is one of the few remaining movie theaters to use rear projection, with the projector located behind the screen rather than behind the audience.

Casablanca
40 Brattle St.

Named for the classic Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman film, this lounge and restaurant has enjoyed a cultlike following since opening more than 50 years ago. A giant wall mural depicting the movie’s characters, painted by David Omar White, sets the ambiance, and the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu is as varied as the films shown at the neighboring Brattle Theatre. The bar is stylish, comfortable, and fine for people-watching.

Burdick’s
52D Brattle St.

When the Aztecs drank chocolate thousands of years ago, this “drink of the gods” was so rare and sacred that only the richest could afford it. At Burdick’s, “richest” is a culinary reference: a mug of hot chocolate here beats that watery instant stuff any day. The secret? It’s made from chocolate and chocolate alone, hand shaved and warmed in milk. If that’s not rich enough for you, try the Harvard Square, a dense chocolate cake layered with walnuts and vanilla, or a slice of chocolate mousse cake. The store also sells a wide selection of chocolate confectionaries. Of special note are its chocolate mice.

American Repertory Theater
64 Brattle St.

Founded in 1980, the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) has garnered many of the nation’s most distinguished awards, including a Pulitzer Prize, a Tony Award for best regional theater, a Jujamcyn Award, and the National Theatre Conference’s Outstanding Achievement Award. In May 2003, it was named one of the top three theaters in the country by Time magazine. Housed in the Loeb Drama Center at Harvard, the A.R.T. boasts a resident company of professional artists, teachers, technicians, and administrators. Its new club theater OBERON [http://www.americanrepertorytheater.org/venue/oberon], called a “second stage for the 21st century,” is an incubator for local artists. The company has staged dozens of American and world premieres. Several of its productions later transferred to Broadway.

The Garage
36 John F. Kennedy St.

Follow the smell of pizza, incense, and Vietnamese food, and you’ll end up at the Garage, definitely one of Harvard Square’s oddities. This multistory mini shopping mall is in fact a converted parking garage; even the original car ramp has been preserved. The Garage houses an eclectic variety of shops and eateries, most notably Newbury Comics, which features one of the region’s largest collections of new-wave and alternative music. There’s a tattoo parlor for punks, a hemp store for hippies, a Starbucks for yuppies, and more.

Berk’s Shoes
50 John F. Kennedy St.

This trendy footwear boutique has dozens of brands and styles to make the hearts of shoe-lovers flutter. Berk’s shoe inventory ranges from classic to cutting-edge to whimsical, including patent-leather clogs, sequined slippers, and polka-dot rain boots.

Grendel’s Den
89 Winthrop St.

The sign outside this dyed-in-the-wool Harvard Square watering hole claims that it was established in 1271. It’s a typo and should have read 1971. Grendel’s Den is named after the antagonist from Beowulf, and the owners kept the sign because the medieval date evokes the epic poem’s period. The bar circumvents the state’s no-happy-hour mandate by offering half-price food nightly between 5 and 7:30 p.m. and between 9 and 11:30 p.m., Sunday through Thursday. The justice system OK’d such defiance: Grendel’s famously fought a legal battle over its liquor license all the way to the Supreme Court and won—separation of church and state was at the heart of it, believe it or not. That’s worth celebrating with a burger and microbrew—or two.

Upstairs on the Square
91 Winthrop St.

Opened three decades ago as Upstairs at the Pudding, this bifurcated eatery—the casual, wood paneling-and-fireplace Monday Club Bar on the first floor, the swanky Soirée Dining Room on the second—overlooks a cozy park frequented by street musicians. The Soirée’s elegant yet simple entrées will set you back more than food at the Monday Club Bar, which serves lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch; the dining room is dinner only, from Tuesday to Saturday.

Out of Town News
Zero Harvard Square

Anyone looking for news from far and near will find it at Out of Town News, the iconic newsstand in the heart of Harvard Square. It was here that Julia Child searched for obscure Italian and German cooking magazines, and rumor has it that Robert Frost (Hon.’61) stopped by for directions to a reading on a snowy winter’s eve. The newsstand nearly folded in 2008 (why fly in yesterday’s Le Monde when it can be read online?), but was saved by Mike Patel, who in 2009 signed a five-year lease with the city of Cambridge. So don’t stop the presses yet, and don’t give up browsing in person.

Harvard Yard

The “Yahd” defines two sides of the square. Lined by Harvard’s freshman dorms, it’s the epitome of a New England college campus—red brick buildings under a canopy of hardwood trees that come ablaze each fall. Presiding over the yard is a statue of 17th-century English clergyman John Harvard, the college’s first benefactor. The sculpture is often called the “statue of three lies”: the inscription reads John Harvard, Founder, 1638, but in fact, Harvard was founded in 1636; Harvard was not the University’s founder (although his library and fortune helped to sustain the school through its early years); and no one knows what the actual John Harvard looked like. Sculptor Daniel Chester French had a student model for the statue in 1884. When you view the statue, note how bright one shoe is. Tour guides say that it’s good luck to rub Harvard’s left foot. Nearby is the Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, Harvard’s main library, with its 57 miles of bookshelves and more than three million volumes, including one of the world’s only existing copies of the Gutenberg Bible.

Harvard Art Museums
485 Broadway

The Harvard Art Museums comprise three museums and four research centers. The Fogg Museum is renowned for its superb collection of American art and furniture, Western paintings, sculpture, decorative arts, photographs, prints, and drawings from the Middle Ages to the present. The Busch-Reisinger Museum, opened in 1903, is the country’s only museum devoted to the arts of the German speaking countries of Central and Northern Europe. Among its collection of 40,000 works are significant examples of Austrian Secession art, German expressionism, 1920s abstraction, and material related to the Bauhaus movement. The Arthur M. Sackler Museum holds world-renowned collections of archaic Chinese jades and Japanese surimono, as well as Chinese bronzes, ancient ceremonial weapons, and Buddhist cave-temple sculptures. It also has an impressive collection of Islamic art dating to the ninth century.

Harvard Museum of Natural History
26 Oxford St.

A trip to the Harvard Museum of Natural History is an evolutionary experience. Visit prehistoric creatures such as fossil invertebrates, reptiles, and the world’s only mounted Kronosaurus. Wander through a garden of more than 3,000 handcrafted glass flowers or admire a 1,642-pound amethyst geode and the world’s largest turtle shell.

Getting there: By subway: take the Green Line inbound to Park Street, then the Red Line outbound toward Alewife, and get off at Harvard Square station. By foot: walk across the BU Bridge heading into Cambridge. Take a left, using the pedestrian walkways along Memorial Drive that skirt the Charles River until you reach the Harvard campus. Take a right on John F. Kennedy Street, and you tumble into the square. It’s a two-mile trip, one-way, and an easy bike ride.

Explore other neighborhoods around Boston here. Check out our Harvard Square list on Foursquare.

This article was originally published on September 11, 2009; it has been updated to include new locations and current information as of 2011.