Boston with Kids
It’s hard to believe our family actually did it… we set off on a year-long adventure around the world with our kids. Boston was our very first stop and, therefore, will probably always hold a special place in our hearts. It was our first flight with our heavy backpacks, our first meal in our designated travel clothes. Our first chance to learn during tours, tasting local food, and at museums while most of our kids’ friends were starting school this week. Boston had so much to teach our family and here’s our recommendations to help you make the most out of your family time in Boston. At the end of the list, we’ve also included the literature our kids read to go along with Boston’s history if you’d like ideas on how to make this trip as educational as possible!
1. Visit The Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum
I’m so glad a family member recommended this to us, because, with such limited time, we would have never prioritized it otherwise! The word “museum” is a little misleading, because it’s really more of a whole interactive experience. There is a reason USA Today voted this as their #1 Patriotic Attraction in the U.S.!
First, you begin in a meeting hall where famous period figures air out their grievances against the tyranny of England and encourage you to let your opinion be heard with boos, here heres, and hitting the pews to show you agree (our kids thought this was amazing!). We then got to board and tour a model of the ship and actually throw the tea overboard! There were several more interactive rooms with talking paintings and reenactments that gave the kids loads of key information about Revere’s ride and the battle of Lexington and Concord. The tour ended with a visit to Abigail Adam’s Tea Room where we got to taste 5 historic teas… ranging from one that tasted “really good” to one that tasted like “blah! a campfire!” This is a great option for families that need a great one-stop shop for a historical experience that will be a crowd-pleaser for kids and parents alike. We loved that our family learned so much in a fun, unique way!!
2. Set Sail on a Whale Watching Cruise
During a special mommy/daughter afternoon, we had an incredible experience whale watching with Boston Harbor Cruises! As a child, Ashley remembers doing a very underwhelming whale watching cruise with the captain saying, “See that spray of water about a mile out? … That’s a whale!” Although you never know how active and friendly wildlife will be in their natural environment, this cruise absolutely blew our expectations out of the water. Although time did not allow on this trip, the New England Aquarium is ranked as one of the best in the U.S. and offers great combo discounts when booking with the cruise.
Our cruise docked right next to the aquarium in the lovely harbor, and shortly after we boarded, we headed out for a one-hour cruise to deeper waters. We were thankful to score an indoor, roomy table on the 2nd floor (which was wonderful since the heat index was 105 degrees that day!) Immediately upon slowing down, a huge humpback came up right along our side! He was literally so big and so close, we couldn’t even get him entirely in our photo frame! These amazing encounters continued off and on for about an hour while the naturalist on board shared great information on our surroundings. We even got a glimpse of a dolphin pod and a large shark (the naturalist said this was her first sighting in 7 years!). After heading back, the entire cruise took about 4 hours. During our short two-day stay in Boston, we still considered this large chunk of time completely worth it!
3. Attend a Red Sox Game or Tour Fenway Park
While Mom and Abigail searched for whales, Dad and Brandon hopped down the Green Line to catch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. This was a birthday present for Brandon, but Jon got tickets at a great price by watching multiple ticket vendors for a couple weeks. The tickets were in the CVS Family Section (no alcohol allowed), a great environment for taking kids to the game, as we had no idea if Bostonians got rowdy or not. Comment below with any questions for scoring great tickets at a great price for sporting events, as we’ve been doing this for decades. The game itself was great, plan to get there early to enjoy the history, and as a bonus get a free souvenior as most home games will do a give-away for early arrivers.
Now for the controversial take: the food at Fenway was blah. After hearing all the talk about the Fenway Frank (a $6 hot-dog) Jon was excited to try it, but it is a pretty terrible ball-park hotdog. The pretzel and ice cream were fine at best, and honestly the best food and drink recommendation I have is to take your own 16 oz bottle of water into the park with you. The water fountains are free to fill it back up and the water is cool and tastes just like bottled water. After the game we walked 15 minutes south to the Orange line, away from all the crowds, and caught an easy ride back into downtown. It’s a pretty great trade off to avoid massive crowds and long public transportation lines to just walk a few extra minutes! Mom and Dad have done a tour of Fenway Park during a previous trip and loved it! This is a great option if you aren’t there on a game day.
4. Walk the Freedom Trail (Better yet, book a FREE tour!)
The Freedom Trail is probably the #1 can’t-miss activity when visiting Boston. This city path incorporates 15 stops that were pivotal to America’s quest for independence and is arguably some of the most important sites in American History. You can get great brochures at the Visitor’s Center and do this on your own. You can also request a National Parks Junior Ranger’s Book to be mailed to your kids before your trip. They can even collect stamps at different locations along the trail and earn a badge for completing all the included activities!
To our family though, nothing beats a great guided tour. When we think about our favorite historical spots around the world, it almost always coincides with an amazing guide that brought it all to life. Our least favorite spots usually meant we read the plaques on the wall. A knowledgeable, engaging guide is even more important when kids are around, so we were so excited to find an affordable way to make this happen for our family with Free Tours by Foot! This was our first time using this company, and we were excited to learn they offer tons of tour options in cities across the U.S. and even in other countries. So we will definitely use them again in the future! These guides just work off tips, and they earn them! Our wonderful guide, Brian, was funny, enthusiastic, and super informative. The kids did a great job listening during the 2 hour, one-mile walking tour, and they agreed it was much more fun than reading a textbook about it.
5. Leave Time to Play and Relax at Boston Common and the Public Garden
While strolling along downtown Boston streets, make sure to visit to Boston Common and the Public Garden. These beautiful areas back up to each other and are such a nice reprieve from the concrete and the bustle. Begin at either location, but make sure to visit both!
As the oldest public park in the U.S. and originally used for cattle grazing, Boston Common is the starting-off point for the Freedom Trail and houses loads of history just by itself. Families should make sure to visit Brewer Fountain (a great spot for a picnic lunch with tables surrounding the whole area). The Frog Pond (a wading pool area in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter) and their (completely fenced in!) playground/sprayground are great options for afternoons when parents need a rest and kids need to run.
The adjacent Public Garden provides the setting for the beloved children’s book “Make Way for Ducklings“. Families can visit the statues of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings as well as the lagoon and historic swan boats mentioned in the book. You can even take a 15 min ride in one of the boats for a few dollars per person, but we opted to just walk around the lagoon, checking out every corner of the park.
Overall, Boston is a great option for families whether you have 2 days or a week. The city offers wonderful history, culture, food options, and beauty all within a relatively small area. Most of the city is completely doable to get around on foot. Their subway system is reasonable and efficient as well. We detail all of the budget / financial side of visiting Boston here, as well as tips for saving.
Recommendations for education:
Books: Johnny Tremain is a great family read aloud (we listened to it on audiobook on the train) set in Boston during the Revolutionary War. For younger readers, Sam the Minuteman and George the drummer boy are two books that give different perspectives on the American Revolution. Our kids also liked What was the Boston Tea Party? and Who was Paul Revere?
Videos: PBS has a fantastic kid’s series called Liberty’s Kids about the origins of the U.S. Season one includes episodes dedicated to the Boston Tea Party, Paul Revere, etc.
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If you have questions or tips for traveling to Boston with your family, let us know!
