Boston is a great place to vacation with the kids. There’s a reason the city was given the nickname “the hub of the universe.” It’s a center for history, sports, art, food and much more. Best of all, there are plenty of activities for the kids in Boston that are free!
See the seals
Outside the New England Aquarium, on Commercial Wharf along the Boston waterfront, live two families of harbor seals. Their 42,000-gallon tank was built to resemble the rocky New England shore. Kids will love to watch the seals swim and play, or sleep in the sun. Four times a day, trainers give free live demonstrations of how the seals can wave, bark and even get their teeth brushed.
Go to the market
A short walk from the aquarium, the Faneuil Hall Marketplace is one of the top five tourist destinations in the country, with over 20 million visitors each year. Historic Faneuil Hall was the center of Boston politics and commerce from the early 1700s. Here, patriots like Sam Adams delivered impassioned speeches in support of American independence. Quincy Market includes three long halls filled with retail stores and a massive food court. Outside, there’s free live entertainment, and interesting things to see – like a bronze pair of basketball legend Larry Bird’s sneakers, embedded in a plaque on the ground.
Walk the Freedom Trail
Faneuil Hall is one stop on Boston’s Freedom Trail. History comes alive along this two-and-a-half mile trip through the streets of colonial Boston. National Park Service rangers are on hand to answer questions and explain the significance of 16 sites along the trail. The stops include significant landmarks in the early movement toward American independence which are free and open to the public, such as the site of the Boston massacre and the Old North Church, where Paul Revere saw lanterns hanging before his famed midnight ride. You can also go on board the USS Constitution, affectionately known as “Old Ironsides,” the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy.
Tour the capitol
Atop Beacon Hill, overlooking Boston Common and the Public Garden, sits the Massachusetts State House. Designed by Charles Bullfinch, who later went on to design the dome and rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, it’s the oldest building on Beacon Hill. Visitors can learn the history of Massachusetts, as well as the ins-and-outs of state government, on the free 45-minute tour of the state house. Kids will learn why the ladybug is the state insect, and hear the story behind the “sacred cod,” the wooden carving of a fish that hangs in the House of Representatives chamber.
Make way for ducklings
Below the State House, by the western entrance to Boston’s Public Garden, is a bronze sculpture of a mother duck followed by eight tiny bronze ducklings. Kids of all ages will immediately recognize Mrs. Mallard and little Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack. It’s the family of ducks made famous by the beloved children’s book Make Way for Ducklings. Robert McCloskey’s 1941 classic book tells the story of Mrs. Mallard and her flock, their adventure making their way to the Public Garden to meet up with Mr. Mallard, and the help they get from a friendly Boston police officer who helps “make way for the ducklings!
Visit the art museums
While both the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum charge admission for adults, kids under the age of 17 are admitted free. The two museums are recognized as among the finest in the country, with painting even the most casual art lover will recognize immediately. At the Gardner Museum, mom can get in for free as well – if her name is Isabella. Everyone by that name is welcome free of charge, all the time!
