Boston, beyond the front door

Guided family tour of the house where Emerson and Hawthorne once lived — hands-on history plus a scavenger hunt kids actually solve.

Solve the mystery of Mrs. Crane's missing cat at the 1929 Great House — servants' quarters, hidden rooms, a party to prepare for.

Outdoor, self-guided exploration kits for school-age kids — available at Trustees properties across the state. Show up and play.

Help with morning chores at a working farm. Barnyard cuddles, goat hikes, pizza picnics, sensory-friendly hours with reduced guest counts.

One of America's oldest working farms. Meet the youngest residents, walk grass-lane trails, and join family programs in the dairy.

Teaching kitchen and barnyard rolled into one. Pizza nights, after-school adventures and weekend family programs through the year.

Fairy and gnome houses dot the yellow trail near the Willard site — build new ones from natural materials. Open Thu–Sun from 10 AM.

100-acre historic dairy farm turned animal sanctuary — wander among cows, goats and peacocks, take the Cow Safari, grab premium ice cream from the iconic Moo Bus, and browse artisan goods in the Avenue C shop. A MetroWest gem celebrating over 250 years of farming.

Pick-your-own strawberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, peaches, apples and pumpkins — fruit season runs June through November. Plus barnyard animals (baby goats, alpaca, guinea fowl), farm-themed playground, hand-dipped ice cream, apple cider donuts and a full farm kitchen. Open on holidays. Free parking.

WWII-style amphibious vehicle tour of the city, ending with a splash into the Charles. Best first-day-in-Boston activity for kids.

Door-to-door pickup. Prince the Cat scavenger hunt at Old North Church, USS Constitution, Tea Party Museum, Fort Independence, Bunker Hill. BYO car seats.

Interactive Freedom Trail tour built for kids — earn a Liberty Junior Park Ranger badge from the National Park Service.

All major attractions on one ticket. Young kids love the trolley itself. Combo package: 2 days + harbor cruise + Old State House Museum.

Small-group bike tours through Fenway, the Italian North End, Rose Kennedy Greenway, the Esplanade. Best for older kids and teens.

3-hour cruise from the Downtown Waterfront. Spot humpback and finback whales, plus white-sided dolphins. Seasonal April–October.

Summer 2026: step into the Hundred Acre Wood. Permanent highlights — Japanese House from Kyoto, the rope-climb, PlaySpace for under-3s. Daily drop-in programs, story times & hands-on activities in the studios — check the live calendar.

Boston Family Days: free admission for Boston families on the 1st and 2nd Sundays each month. Gallery activities, kid tours, home-school programs.

Sharks, the giant Pacific octopus, Myrtle the green sea turtle, African penguins. Four-storey 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank at the center.

Guided 1-hour tour back to December 1773. One of the original tea chests, live reenactments, and kids throw "tea" into the harbor.

Free tours by crew in 1812-style uniforms. Captain's quarters, hammocks below deck, the great wheel. Donations suggested.

Make soap bubbles, operate cranes, drive a mini race car. The science playground is the standout. Trolley stops at the door.

Famous Glass Flowers collection plus full dinosaur skeletons. 18 exhibits, including the Romer Hall of Vertebrate Paleontology.

360-degree view 52 floors up. Little city models and big screens help kids locate Fenway, the Common, Back Bay. Included in CityPass.

Three house-sized steam engines inside an 1887 pumping station on the reservoir. Free walk-in Wed–Sun, and $10-per-student STEM field trips with chaperones free.

Home to America's oldest car collection, set in a grand carriage house on the Larz Anderson park lawn. Rotating exhibits plus weekend lawn events kids love.

A niche museum of hand papermaking history and artifacts. Small and appointment-only — call ahead to arrange a visit before you go.

"Fairsted" — the home and design office of the founder of American landscape architecture (Central Park, the Emerald Necklace). Explore the grounds free; ranger tours of the house.

The restored Beals Street house where President John F. Kennedy was born, with ranger-led tours and JFK's own family stories. A quick, memorable history stop.

Five museums on one campus plus the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden and the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum — science, art, history and dinosaurs. One ticket covers everything; a full rainy-day or road-trip destination (~90 min west of Boston).

Overnights for organized groups of 10+ (schools, Scouts) and MOS members: explore the exhibits after hours, watch a Lightning show before bed, and wake up to an IMAX movie.

Smaller than most museum overnights and more hands-on, with themed programming. Guests sleep among the exhibits (bring an air mattress!) and everyone under 18 gets a free return pass. They post specific public dates — a Girl Scouts night, family nights — alongside group bookings.

“Nautical Nights” — kids sleep in genuine sailors’ bunks aboard the WWII Battleship Massachusetts. Welcomes youth groups, Scout troops and adventurous families. Probably the most unforgettable overnight on the list.

A “Night in the Museum” youth overnight in the 1800s living-history village: includes a nighttime snack, breakfast, a tour, and admission for both surrounding days. Built for groups of 36–80.

Overnight programs for groups of 20+ (March–November): the Patuxet Overnight with an Indigenous educator and a Wampanoag feast, the Plimoth Overnight with a pilgrim-style experience, or a combo. Indoor and camping options.

The “Snorin’ Roarin’ Sleepover” for groups of 10+, Friday and Saturday nights year-round: choose Tropical Forest or African Savannah, with zookeeper presentations and live animal encounters, plus free zoo admission the next day.

72-acre zoo. Lions, tigers, fruit bats, monkeys, kangaroos, pygmy hippos, giraffes. Seasonal grass maze and red panda bamboo climb.

Smaller, easier for young children. Penguins, snow leopards, reindeer. Stroller-friendly loop you can finish in an afternoon.

Only accessible by boat (~50-min ferry from Boston). Family tours and games inside the historic Civil War-era fort.

A North American gray wolf sanctuary on the North Shore. Educational presentations bring you face-to-face with a real wolf pack while naturalists share their behavior, biology and conservation story.

Pedal a giant duck, swan, dragon or manta ray around Fort Point Channel right next to the Children's Museum. Pure novelty fun on a warm afternoon — brilliant photo op. Operates summer weekends (~Memorial Day through fall).

Standard 1-hour daily tour, pregame tour, or 15-minute highlights. See the Green Monster from inside the oldest active MLB ballpark.

Victorian-era pedal-powered boats gliding silently across the Public Garden lagoon. Make Way for Ducklings statues steps away.

Seasonal June–October. Actors and Wampanoag tribal members portray Pilgrims and native people. Plymouth Rock and Mayflower II nearby.