FRIDAY
6
NOVEMBER
Boston Museums with Kids
Three traps. The Children's Museum and the MFA close Tuesdays, the ICA Mondays. The Museum of Science's $33 ticket buys the exhibit halls only — Planetarium, Omni and 4-D films are $6 each on top. Children are free at the ICA up to eighteen; at the MFA a seven-year-old is $14.
Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- Museum of Science: $33 adult, $28 child 3–11, $29 senior; under 3 free. Daily 9am–5pm
- Boston Children's Museum: $24 for everyone aged 1 and up. Wed–Mon 9am–4pm, closed Tuesdays
- New England Aquarium: $39.95 adult, $30.95 child 3–11; New England residents $5 off, not summer weekends
- Museum of Fine Arts: $30 adult, $14 youth 7–17, free 0–6. Closed Tuesdays; Thu–Fri to 10pm
- ICA Boston: $20 adult; free for everyone 18 and under. Free for all Thursdays 5–9pm
- USS Constitution Museum: Suggested donation — standard $15 a person, reduced free to $10. Daily 9am–6pm
The two indoor anchors: Science and the Children's Museum
The Museum of Science is the only big museum here with no closed day. The Children's Museum is shut Tuesdays, which is exactly the day most families build a rainy indoor morning around.
Museum of Science — Science Park, BostonVisit official site →
The city's most reliable indoor day, and the one where the sticker price is not the price.
Dates
- Exhibit halls daily 9am–5pm, no closed day
- Planetarium and Omni run to 10pm Friday and Saturday, last show at 10
Tickets
Exhibit Halls $33 adult, $28 child 3–11, $29 senior 60+, under 3 free. The Charles Hayden Planetarium, the Mugar Omni Theater and the 4-D films are $6 each alongside admission, or $10 adult and $8 child standalone; members pay $2
Know before you go
- Two adults and two children aged three to eleven is $122 before a show, roughly $146 with one show each
- No parking rate is published, so price it against the T
- Science Park/West End is at the door
Who it's for
Kids who will stop and read a label — it holds attention for two hours
Skip if
You are only coming for the dome — the standalone theater ticket is cheaper than admission plus the add-on
Boston Children's Museum — Fort Point, BostonVisit official site →
The run-around museum, and the one with the cheapest way in if you plan the week around it.
Dates
- Wednesday–Monday 9am–4pm, closed Tuesdays
- Opens an hour later, at 10am, on the first Saturday of the month
Tickets
$24 a head for everyone aged one and up, adults and children the same, with infants under twelve months free
Know before you go
- $1 on TJX Sunday Afternoons, 1–4pm, with online reservations required
- EBT, WIC or a Wonderfund Access Card: $3 a person for up to four people per card, per visit
- A public-library coupon is half price for up to four; Massachusetts K-8 teachers half price; active-duty armed forces and veterans free
- Advance tickets are highly recommended — a weekend walk-up may wait
Who it's for
Under-eights who need to move
Skip if
It is a Tuesday, or it is Sunday afternoon and you have no reservation
The Aquarium, and the discount that disappears in summer
The New England Aquarium is the biggest ticket on this page. Two things decide what you actually pay: where you live, and whether you booked.
New England Aquarium — Central Wharf, BostonVisit official site →
The big-tank day out on Central Wharf, and the ticket families most often overpay for.
Dates
- Monday–Friday 9am–5pm
- Saturday and Sunday 9am–6pm
Tickets
$39.95 adult, $30.95 child 3–11, $37.95 senior 60+, under 3 free. With a Simons Theatre film it is $44.95 and $35.95. New England residents take $5 off: adult $34.95, child $25.95, senior $32.95
Know before you go
- The residents' discount is not available on weekends and holidays in summer, from Memorial Day weekend on May 23, 2026 to Labor Day weekend on September 7, 2026
- It frequently sells out at weekends — buy before you go, because same-day tickets at opening are limited
- Visitors using wheelchairs and visitors with visual impairments are admitted free of charge
Who it's for
New England residents booking a weekday outside summer — that is when it is affordable
Skip if
You were hoping to walk up on a Saturday
The art museums: free at one, paid at the other
The ICA is free for everyone eighteen and under, every day. The MFA charges from seven, and getting in free there means a Massachusetts-resident open house, Card to Culture or Boston Family Days.
Museum of Fine Arts — Fenway, BostonVisit official site →
A great encyclopedic collection, and not free for school-age children — the youth rate starts at seven.
Dates
- Closed Tuesdays
- Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Saturday 10am–5pm; Thursday and Friday 10am–10pm
- Last entry 30 minutes before closing
Tickets
$30 adult, $14 youth 7–17, free 0–6
Know before you go
- Four Massachusetts-resident Open Houses a year
- $5 pay-what-you-wish on the third Thursday of the month after 5pm
- Card to Culture for EBT holders, and Boston Family Days on the first and second Sundays of the month for Boston students and their families
Who it's for
Families with under-sevens, and anyone who can do a Thursday evening
Skip if
Your kids are seven to seventeen and the date is not an open house
Institute of Contemporary Art — Seaport, Boston
The opposite shape to the MFA: a modest adult ticket, and nothing at all for anyone under nineteen.
Dates
- Free for all Thursdays 5–9pm
- Free for all on six public holidays
- Closed Mondays, and on Patriots' Day, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
Tickets
$20 adult; free for everyone 18 and under, every day
Who it's for
Families with teenagers — you pay for the adults only
Skip if
It is a Monday
Free at the Charlestown Navy Yard
Boarding USS Constitution costs nothing. The museum beside her runs on a suggested donation whose reduced tier starts at free, which means a family that cannot pay is explicitly welcome.
USS Constitution — Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston
An active-duty US Navy ship you can walk the deck of.
Dates
- Tuesday–Sunday 10am–6pm, first come first served
Tickets
Free to board
Know before you go
- Navy security screening at the gate
Who it's for
Any age, and the free hour that anchors a Charlestown morning
USS Constitution Museum — Charlestown Navy Yard, BostonVisit official site →
The hands-on half of the visit, priced so that nobody is turned away.
Dates
- Open daily 9am–6pm
Tickets
Suggested donation — standard $15 a person, reduced free to $10
Who it's for
Families on a budget
Museum events in our catalog
Live from our catalog — 4 upcoming, refreshed weekly.
Morning at the Museum takes place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
WEDNESDAY
11
NOVEMBER
Veterans Day tour of the USS Constitution at the USS Constitution Museum, registration required.
TUESDAY
17
NOVEMBER
A Tomaquag Museum educator runs a workshop in the Rey Room, demonstrating a Native American game and art, guiding participants to craft hubbub bowl games, for ages 6–12.
FRIDAY
20
NOVEMBER
After-hours exploration of the New England Aquarium, featuring dim lighting and adult‑only access, for ages 21 and up.
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FAQ
Which museum would you pick for a four-year-old?
The Children's Museum, on a Sunday afternoon with the $1 reservation booked. Second choice is the Museum of Science, which opens daily and holds a four-year-old longer than people expect. The Aquarium is the expensive third.
What does a Boston museum day cost a family of four?
The Museum of Science is $122 for two adults and two children aged three to eleven, roughly $146 with one show each. The Children's Museum is $24 a head, so $96. The Aquarium is the dearest of the three.
Is the MFA free for children?
No. Youths 7 to 17 are $14 and adults $30; only children 0–6 are free. Free entry for older kids means a Massachusetts-resident open house, Card to Culture, the Wonderfund card or Boston Family Days.