The 10 best things to do in Boston with kids

This list covers ten places to take children inside the city of Boston, from a toddler play floor on Fort Point Channel to a warship museum in Charlestown. The list is for parents, grandparents and visiting families planning a day out, and each entry says which ages the place suits best.

The picks favor places that are open all year and built with children in mind: museums with hands-on exhibits, a zoo, a family theater and three free outdoor spots. Costs run from nothing at the parks to $39.95 for an adult ticket at the New England Aquarium, as posted in November 2026.

How we chose

The list is alphabetical, not ranked. Each place had to be inside Boston city limits, confirmed open in November 2026 from the operator’s website or an official city or state page, and set up for children, with posted hours, prices or age guidance where the operator publishes them. Year-round places came first, and three of the ten are free. Seasonal attractions that were closed at the time of writing, such as the Swan Boats and the Frog Pond carousel, were left off.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Arnold Arboretum

Harvard’s tree collection in Jamaica Plain covers 281 acres, and admission is free every day. Families can pick up a printed wildlife scavenger hunt or a seasonal hunt at the Visitor Center, or print one at home before leaving. The Photo Hunt asks children to find and photograph items around the grounds with a phone, and the Wonder Spots are short seasonal stops about plants and animals. The landscape suits any age, from babies in strollers to grade schoolers working through a hunt. Start at the Visitor Center for maps.

Hours: Grounds open daily, sunrise to sunset. Visitor Center open daily, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Address: 125 Arborway, Boston, MA 02130

Why they made the list

• Admission is free, and the arboretum’s visit page describes the grounds as always free.
• The self-guided family activities include a wildlife scavenger hunt, a winter scavenger hunt and a Tree of the Month sheet that also comes in Spanish.
• The grounds are open every day of the year from sunrise to sunset.
• The arboretum can be reached by subway, bus, bike or car, according to the visit page.

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Boston Children’s Museum

The hands-on exhibits at this museum on Fort Point Channel are aimed mostly at children 8 and under. PlaySpace is set aside for ages 0 to 3, Bubbles and Kid Power are listed for ages 4 to 8, and the Japanese House is listed for ages 6 to 8. Admission is $24 for everyone age 1 and up, and babies under 12 months are free. The museum recommends buying tickets online ahead of time so families can walk straight in. South Station, on the Red Line and Silver Line, is a short, flat walk across the channel.

Hours: Wednesday to Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Tuesday. Opens at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of each month.

Address: 308 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210

Why they made the list

• The museum publishes an age range for every exhibit, which makes a visit easy to plan around one child.
• Other exhibits on the current list include Dinos in Space, STEAM Lab, Peep’s World and The Pigeon Comes to Boston!.
• You, Me, We! is the one exhibit listed for older children, ages 5 to 10, and adults.
• Martin’s Park, a free city playground, is next door on Sleeper Street.

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Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

Costumed guides lead every group through this floating museum on the Congress Street Bridge, and the tour lasts one hour. Visitors board a restored replica sailing ship, throw tea chests into the harbor, then see the Robinson Tea Chest, which the museum describes as the only known surviving chest from 1773. The museum calls the tour suitable for all ages, though the hour of walking and listening fits school-age children best. General admission starts at $36 online. Strollers are not allowed on the tour, in the gift shop or in Abigail’s Tea Room; a stroller parking area is beside the ticket booth.

Hours: Daily off-season tours start at 10 a.m., with the last tour at 4 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Address: 306 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210

Why they made the list

• Tickets are sold for a set tour time, and doors open 15 minutes before each tour.
• The ship Eleanor has ramp access to the top deck, and the museum building has an elevator.
• Translation booklets are available on request in 11 languages, including Spanish, Portuguese and Chinese.
• The gift shop and Abigail’s Tea Room are open to people without a tour ticket.

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Castle Island and Fort Independence

A state park at the end of William J. Day Boulevard in South Boston, Castle Island has a playground, picnic areas where grilling is allowed, and two flat walking routes: the short Castle Island Loop and the longer Pleasure Bay Loop. Parking in the lot near Fort Independence is free. The paved loops work for strollers, scooters and small bikes, so the park suits toddlers through teens. Swimming beaches, a lifeguard station and rinsing showers are part of the same reservation in summer. Fort tours are seasonal, so check the state’s schedule before promising children a look inside.

Hours: Sunrise to sunset, according to the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

Address: 2010 William J. Day Boulevard, Boston, MA 02127

Why they made the list

• The park is free to enter, and the lot near the fort has free parking.
• The state lists accessible restrooms at Castle Island and at Carson Beach.
• Dogs are not allowed on the beach from May 1 through September 15.
• Metered street parking runs along the beach for days when the fort lot is full.

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Franklin Park Zoo

Zoo New England runs this zoo inside Franklin Park, and the gates are open all year. Winter visits center on the indoor Tropical Forest, while Giraffe Savannah, Lion Kingdom, the Outback Trail and African Penguin Coast are outdoors. The Children’s Zoo and Franklin Farm are built for the youngest visitors, and a playground sits across from Giraffe Savannah. All ages fit here, but toddlers through about age 10 get the most from the place. Tickets use plan-ahead pricing: the price changes by date, online is usually cheapest, and the gate costs the most. The last ticket is sold one hour before closing.

Hours: November 9 to March 31: daily, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Address: 1 Franklin Park Road, Boston, MA 02121

Why they made the list

• Daily keeper chats on the schedule include red pandas, penguins, lemurs and a gorilla feeding.
• Massachusetts EBT and WIC cardholders pay $7 per person for up to four people through December 31, 2026.
• Gorilla Grove, Butterfly Hollow and Aussie Aviary are seasonal and may be closed in cold months.
• The zoo’s directions page routes riders to Forest Hills on the Orange Line, then the Route 16 bus.

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Martin’s Park

Opened on June 15, 2019, this city playground on Fort Point Channel is named for Martin W. Richard, the youngest person killed in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. A raised bridge links the north and south play areas. The equipment includes a play ship, embankment slides, a basket swing, a maze climber and a water garden. The city designed the park for children and adults of all abilities, and the mix of gear works for toddlers through about age 12. Entry is free. The Boston Children’s Museum is next door, so the two fit into one outing.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 64 Sleeper Street, Boston, MA 02210

Why they made the list

• The city’s announcement lists drums, animal sculptures and binoculars among the smaller play pieces.
• A wooden amphitheater in the park is used for group gatherings and school events.
• The city’s calendar lists the 2026 Lighting of the Ship at the park on November 28.
• Five cherry trees in the park are memorials, according to the City of Boston.

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Museum of Science

Exhibit Halls admission at this museum on the Charles River Dam is $33 for adults, $28 for children ages 3 to 11 and $29 for seniors; children under 3 are free. The daily schedule includes a lightning demonstration billed at two million volts, live animal presentations and a science storytime for small children. A 4-D film costs $6 extra. Grade schoolers and teens get the most out of the halls, and the storytime gives preschoolers something of their own. Science Park station on the Green Line D and E branches is diagonally across the street. The museum recommends buying tickets before arriving.

Hours: Exhibit Halls open daily, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closes at 2 p.m. the day before Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Address: 1 Science Park, Boston, MA 02114

Why they made the list

• The planetarium and Mugar Omni Theater run evening shows on Fridays and Saturdays, with the last show at 10 p.m.
• Garage parking for nonmembers starts at $15 for up to one hour and reaches $24 for three to four hours.
• Families can bring food and eat on the front plaza or at picnic tables behind the building.
• Strollers and wheelchairs are available at the information desk, first come, first served.

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New England Aquarium

The Giant Ocean Tank is the center of this aquarium on Central Wharf, with the Penguin Colony around the base. Children can reach into the Shark & Ray Touch Tank, and Atlantic harbor seals and sea lions have their own areas. Tickets are $39.95 for adults, $30.95 for ages 3 to 11 and $37.95 for visitors 60 and over; children 2 and under are free. The touch tank and penguins hold toddlers, and older children tend to stay longer at the big tank. Weekends often sell out, so buy tickets ahead. A limited number are sold at the door each morning.

Hours: Fall hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Address: 1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110

Why they made the list

• Residents of the six New England states get $5 off admission on weekdays, with blackout dates.
• Visitors who use wheelchairs and visitors with visual impairments are admitted free.
• A combined ticket with a film at the Simons Theatre costs $5 more than admission alone.
• The MBTA water shuttle to the Charlestown Navy Yard leaves from Long Wharf, next to the aquarium.

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USS Constitution Museum

Building 22 in the Charlestown Navy Yard holds two floors of exhibits about the frigate docked a short walk away. In All Hands on Deck: A Sailor’s Life in 1812, children scrub a deck and balance aloft to furl a sail, which makes the gallery a good fit for ages 5 to 12. Admission is by suggested donation: $15 per person is the standard amount, with a reduced tier from free to $10. Both floors take strollers. The ship itself is free and run separately; visitors 18 and over need a photo ID and everyone goes through security screening.

Hours: Museum open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day; closes at 2 p.m. on December 24. The ship is open Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Address: Building 22, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charlestown, MA 02129

Why they made the list

• Boarding the ship is free and first come, first served.
• Strollers, wheelchairs and walkers are not allowed aboard the ship, and the lower decks are reached by steep ladder-like steps.
• The museum’s directions send transit riders to North Station, then over the Charlestown Bridge along the Freedom Trail to Gate 1.
• The museum validates parking for a discount at the Nautica Parking Garage, 88 Constitution Road.

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Wheelock Family Theatre

Now in a 46th season, this professional theater on Boston University’s Fenway Campus stages plays and musicals for children and the adults who bring them. The fall show, Disney and Pixar’s Finding Nemo, runs November 14 to December 13, 2026, and the theater recommends the production for ages 4 and up. The show page lists a running time of about 75 minutes with an intermission. Every performance has open captioning, and select dates add American Sign Language interpretation and audio description. Cast meet-and-greets follow the 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday shows. Ticket prices are posted on the theater’s ticketing page.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 200 The Riverway, Boston, MA 02215

Why they made the list

• The 2026-2027 season continues with When You Trap a Tiger from February 13 to March 7, 2027.
• The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen closes the season from April 17 to May 15, 2027.
• The theater also runs Saturday classes, school vacation classes and summer classes for young people.
• Accessibility performances of Finding Nemo are listed for December 6 at 2 p.m. and December 11 at 7:30 p.m.

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See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.