We know you have one goal when traveling with kids – keep them occupied! Luckily, Boston is full of fun for the entire family that will prevent you from hearing those dreaded words “I’m Bored.” From throwing tea into the Boston Harbor to experiencing the energy of a crowd at Fenway Park (Have to start them young, right?), here’s our list of 25 family friendly activities to consider adding to your Boston itinerary.

 

New England Aquarium

Dive deeper at the New England Aquarium, where you'll discover thousands of aquatic animals, from sharks, a giant Pacific octopus, Myrtle, the green sea turtle, and our favorite, the African penguins. Plus, you can even make art with Atlantic Harbor Seals! Even Picasso would give that the SEAL of approval.

Puttshack

Putt your way into a summer itinerary staple no matter the season at Puttshack. Offering a tech-infused mini golf experience that skips the paper, pens, and the outdoors, this is the perfect stop on those cold winter afternoons or rainy spring days. And don't worry, we won't judge you if you get a little competitive!

What to know before you visit: After 7:00 pm is 21+

Boston Museum of Science

Immerse the family in the latest in science and technology at the Museum of Science. Featuring permanent exhibits like To the Moon, Exploring AI: Making the Invisible Visible, and the Hall of Human Life, you might be the smartest person in the city after this stop. Well, at least you’ll feel like you are!

Have some free time away from the kids? Check out the Museum’s calendar of adult-focused events.

Boston Children’s Museum

Discover the power of play at the Boston Children's Museum. With three floors of exhibits created to encourage hands-on play, the museum is the perfect place to keep young kids busy for hours. Take it from us, you'll want to play too! 

After your visit, check out Martin's Park & Playground just outside the museum.

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

Channel your inner revolutionary at the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum as you participate in the “Destruction of the Tea!” Start your journey in the replica Meeting House where Samuel Adams will guide you towards uprising before storming the 18th-century sailing vessels Brig Beaver and Eleanor to join in the “single most important event leading up to the American Revolution.”

Frog Pond 

Experience four season fun in the heart of the Boston Common at the Frog Pond. Home to the summer spray pool, the Frog Pond Carousel, winter outdoor skating rink, Downtown Movie Nights and more, no visit to Boston with the family is complete without a stop at the Common. 

The Freedom Trail

Earn your “Liberty” Junior Park Ranger badge offered by the National Park Service as you stroll the Freedom Trail. Featuring special activities at the Old State House, Old South Meeting House, Paul Revere House, Old North Church and USS Constitution Museum, this is the perfect way to immerse the kids in Boston’s revolutionary spirit.

Duck Tours

Take the best introDUCKtion to Boston with a Duck Tour, as you cruise by the places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of firsts. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, you’ll end with a big splash as your ConDUCKtor drives the DUCK straight into the Charles River. We bet this stop will leave you quaking!

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Get admitted to Harvard. Well, the Harvard Museum of Natural History, that is. Featuring 18 exhibits like the famous “Glass Flowers” and the “Roomer Hall of Vertebrate Paleontology,” the museum provides an unmatched look into the natural world. 

LEGO® Discovery Center Boston

Let your imagination run wild at Lego® Discovery Center Boston. Featuring eight interactive exhibits with over two million bricks, a workshop led by master builders and even a 4D cinema, the possibilities for what you and your family can create are endless! 

Swan Boats 

Experience true nostalgia with a Swan Boat ride in the Public Garden. Virtually unchanged since opening in 1877, the Swan Boats are as uniquely Boston as Fenway Park, Boston Baked Beans, and the Boston Marathon. Plus, they provide some of the best views of the Public Garden!

Lawn on D 

Challenge your kids to a game of giant Jenga, bocce, ping pong or pickleball at the Lawn on D. Open during Boston’s warmer months, the Lawn on D provides free access to its swings, lawn games and live entertainment, making it one of the top free things to do in Boston. Don’t forget to grab a drink from the onsite concessions while the kids play!

USS Constitution Museum 

Enlist as a sailor on “Old Ironsides” at the USS Constitution Museum. Conveniently located on the Freedom Trail in the Charleston Navy Yard, the Museum offers interactive exhibits, hands-on activities and historic artifacts that entertain your kids for hours. Make sure to plan your visit around the Cannon firing at 8:00 am and sunset.

Kings Dining and Entertainment 

Have a blast with the whole family at Kings Dining and Entertainment, a modern bowling alley with an upscale twist. With locations in Back Bay and Seaport offering 10-pin bowling, billiards, shuffleboard, a variety of arcade games and delicious food and drinks, there's something for everyone. And, in case you forgot, we won't judge you if you get a little competitive here!

Museum of Fine Arts

Explore the world of art at the Museum of Fine Arts. Home to over 450,000 works of art, including more Monets than any museum outside of Paris, an unrivaled Japanese art collection, treasures from Egypt and the ancient world and American art from colonial to modern times, this is a must-stop for any family with a young artist!

Zoo New England

Get up close and personal with over 160 species at the Franklin Park Zoo and the Stone Zoo. From African lions to western lowland gorillas, sloths, kangaroos, reindeer, and markhors, there's an animal for every animal lover. Can’t wait to visit? You can even livestream some of the animals from your home!

The Mapparium 

View the world like never before at The Mapparium in The First Church of Christ, Scientist. The Mapparium, a three-story stained-glass globe bisected in the middle by a glass walkway, offers an undistorted 360-degree view of the world as it was in 1935.

What to know before you visit: The curved glass walls of the Mapparium do not absorb sound waves, so if you whisper at one end of the bridge, your kids will hear it on the opposite end loud and clear. Make sure to try it out!

Emerald Necklace 

Escape to the great outdoors without leaving the city. Stretching over 1,100 acres from Back Bay to Brookline, the Emerald Necklace offers everything from hiking and biking trails to playgrounds and ball fields, so there's plenty of room to let the kids run and play. Don't miss the stunning views at Jamaica Pond and Arnold Arboretum.

Catch a Game

Experience the energy of a Boston sports team home game. No matter when you visit, the Red Sox, Bruins, Patriots or Revolution will be firing up crowds throughout the city. 

Whale Watching 

Set sail on a whale-watching adventure with Boston Harbor City Cruises. Departing from 1 Long Wharf, just steps from the New England Aquarium, this is your chance to get up close and personal with large whales, including humpbacks, finbacks, minkes and the critically endangered right whales. They even guarantee you’ll see a whale on your trip!

Fort Independence 

Travel back in time by visiting Fort Independence on Castle Island. Built between 1834 and 1851 to defend Boston Harbor, the fort is now a top destination for families looking to dive deeper into Boston’s history. Plus, it has some of the most stunning views of the harbor and city skyline.

Institute of Contemporary Art

Explore the latest in art at The Institute of Contemporary Art and experience hands-on art-making at the museum's Art Lab or monthly Play Date, happening the last Saturday of each month.

Charles river Esplanade 

Take a stroll or bike ride along the Charles River Esplanade, a 3-mile stretch of parkland that runs along the Boston side of the river. With beautiful views of the water, playgrounds, and a variety of events and activities, the Esplanade is the perfect place for a family outing.

The Black Heritage Trail

Stroll through Beacon Hill and uncover the story of the Boston’s largest community of pre-civil war African Americans on The Black Heritage Trail. Highlighting stops like the 54th Regiment Memorial, the Abiel Smith School and the African Meeting House, The Black Heritage Trail shares the story of struggle, persistence and hope as Black Bostonians organized toward the equality and freedom promised in America’s documents of national liberty.

View Boston

Let the kids curate their own Boston itinerary at View Boston. Featuring a 360-degree observation deck on the Prudential Tower's 52nd floor and an interactive neighborhood discovery tool, all the kids have to say is, "I want to go there!"

Family Friendly Events

4-D Films at Museum of Science Mar 19

4-D Films at Museum of Science

In our 4-D Theater, what’s on the screen is only half the fun. With effects you can feel (and even smell!) this is one giant leap…

Ghosts and Gravestones Tour Mar 19

Ghosts and Gravestones Tour

Recurring daily. What do you get when you combine a cursed privateer, a pyromaniac circus ringleader, a demon spat out of the pits…

Greenway Carousel Mar 19

Greenway Carousel

We look forward to welcoming you at the Greenway Carousel at The Tiffany & Co. Foundation Grove on The Greenway. Take a spin…

Raptor Ridge at Franklin Park Zoo Mar 19

Raptor Ridge at Franklin Park Zoo

Visitors to Franklin Park Zoo can now immerse themselves in a newly renovated outdoor habitat home to Andean condors. The condor…

VR Experience at Key to Amaze Mar 19

VR Experience at Key to Amaze

Don't miss the best fun around right under your feet! Fly, be an archer, captain a pirate ship, fight zombies, draw, play laser…

Northeast Sports Card Expo Mar 23

Northeast Sports Card Expo

One the biggest sports card shows in the region is back! The Northeast Sports Card Expo returns to the Marriott Boston Quincy on…

Family Concert: Music and Magic Apr 13

Family Concert: Music and Magic

Join us at Symphony Hall for a family concert by the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra on April 13, 2024. Marta Żurad, conductor…

Monster Energy Supercross Apr 13

Monster Energy Supercross

Monster Energy Supercross Will Return to Gillette Stadium on Saturday, April 13 Triple Crown, 250SX Class Regions and East/West…

Swan Boats in the Public Garden Apr 15

Swan Boats in the Public Garden

Embark on a uniquely Boston experience with a Swan Boat ride in the Public Garden. Nestled in the heart of the city, the Swan…

Sesame Street Live! Say Hello! Apr 19

Sesame Street Live! Say Hello!

Elmo, Abby Cadabby, Cookie Monster, and their friends from Sesame Street are coming to your neighborhood to say hello! In Sesame…

Dudley Farm Day 2024 Apr 20

Dudley Farm Day 2024

As our goat friends would say, Dudley Farm Day is baaaaa-ck for its second year! Join us for a day of farm animals, wool weaving…

Dog Man: The Musical Apr 28

Dog Man: The Musical

Based on the worldwide bestselling hit series by Dav Pilkey, Dog Man: The Musical is a hilarious and heartwarming new production…

CoComelon Party Time! May 10

CoComelon Party Time!

Families are cordially invited to an all-new, first-of-its-kind, kid-centric event at CoComelon Party Time! An immersive…

Encanto in Concert May 11

Encanto in Concert

Join us as Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Academy Award®-winning film comes to life in a concert event, featuring the entire…

Duckling Day May 12

Duckling Day

A beloved tradition for more than 30 years, Duckling Day celebrates the children’s classic book, “Make Way for Ducklings” by…

Jurassic Park in Concert May 24

Jurassic Park in Concert

Featuring visually stunning imagery and groundbreaking special effects, the action-packed adventure of Jurassic Park pits man…

Museums & Attractions

Home to world-renowned museums, storied sports stadiums, star-studded concert venues, and distinguished performance theaters, you'll find what you're looking for in Boston.