TUESDAY
27
OCTOBER
Things to Do in Boston with Kids
Children eleven and under ride the MBTA free, with no cap per adult, which makes a Boston day cheaper than the same day in Washington or San Francisco. The catch is the closed day: the Children's Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts shut Tuesdays, the ICA Mondays. The Museum of Science opens daily.
Updated October 21, 2026 · refreshed weekly
- The T with kids: Children 11 and under ride free. Subway $2.40, local bus $1.70
- Closed midweek: Children's Museum and Museum of Fine Arts closed Tuesdays; ICA closed Mondays
- Free, no ticket: Boston Public Library, Boston Public Market, Arnold Arboretum, Castle Island, USS Constitution
- Greenway Carousel: $4 a ride, daily 11am–7pm, 42-inch height requirement
- Gone until spring: The Swan Boats are closed for the season and back in April 2027
Getting around: the T is the cheap part
The MBTA's rule is short and generous — children age 11 and under ride free, rail and bus, with no limit on how many ride with one adult. From twelve everyone pays a flat fare, so a trip out to Franklin Park Zoo costs the same as one stop down the Green Line.
- Subway $2.40, local bus $1.70 — flat rate whatever the distance
- Tap a contactless card or a phone at the gate; nothing to buy in advance
- Groups of ten or more children must register through the MBTA's field-trip form, whatever the chaperone count
- Walkable core: the Common, the Public Garden, the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, the Greenway and the North End are one flat loop
- Genuine drives: Franklin Park Zoo, the Arboretum, Castle Island and anything past Route 128
The closed-day trap catches three of the big four
Boston's major museums close on days you would not guess, and not the same days. A Tuesday with young children is a Museum of Science day, an ICA day or an outdoors day.
- Boston Children's Museum: closed Tuesdays, otherwise 9am–4pm, opening an hour later at 10am on the first Saturday of the month
- Museum of Fine Arts: closed Tuesdays, 10am–5pm most days, 10am–10pm Thursdays and Fridays, last entry 30 minutes before close
- Institute of Contemporary Art: closed Mondays, and on Patriots' Day, July 4, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day
- Museum of Science: exhibit halls open daily 9am–5pm, with the Planetarium and Mugar Omni running to 10pm Friday and Saturday
- Buy the Children's Museum ticket online — walk-up capacity is not guaranteed
What is actually free
A surprising amount of the city costs nothing at all: no pass, no timed entry, no reservation. These five are free every day they are open.
Boston Public Library, Central Library — Back Bay, Boston
A landmark reading room open to anyone, with free art and architecture tours and a courtyard that is the best free sit-down in the Back Bay.
Tickets
Free
Know before you go
- Monday–Thursday 9am–8pm, Friday and Saturday 9am–5pm, Sunday 11am–5pm
Who it's for
Any age, and the building is worth seeing on its own terms
Boston Public Market — Downtown Boston
An indoor, year-round hall of more than thirty New England producers — the most reliable warm room downtown on a bad-weather morning.
Tickets
Free to walk into
Know before you go
- Open daily from 8am
Who it's for
Families who need lunch and a roof between stops
Arnold Arboretum — Jamaica Plain, BostonVisit official site →
Harvard's tree collection, open to walk and run, with a Little Explorers program for three- to five-year-olds and their grownups.
Tickets
Always free
Know before you go
- Open sunrise to sunset
- Free street parking along the Arborway
Who it's for
Preschoolers, and families with a car who want space
Skip if
You are downtown on foot — this one is a trip out
USS Constitution — Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston
An active-duty Navy ship you can board, with a museum beside her that runs on a suggested donation.
Tickets
Free to board. The museum suggests $15 a person as standard, with a reduced tier of free to $10
Know before you go
- Tuesday–Sunday 10am–6pm, first come first served
- Security screening at the gate — she is a commissioned warship
Who it's for
School-age kids, and anyone who wants an hour of history for nothing
Skip if
You need a guaranteed time — there is no booking
Castle Island — South Boston
A waterfront DCR park with Fort Independence in the middle of it, free to walk into.
Tickets
Free, and the Fort Independence tours are free in season
Who it's for
Any age, on a clear day and with a car
What costs money, and what it really costs
Two indoor attractions are the expensive part of a Boston day. Both have a catch beyond the sticker price.
- Museum of Science: $33 an adult and $28 a child three to eleven, with the Planetarium, Omni and 4-D films $6 each on top
- New England Aquarium: $39.95 an adult and $30.95 a child three to eleven
- Aquarium residents' discount: $5 off a ticket for New England residents, blacked out on summer weekends and holidays
- Aquarium tickets frequently sell out at weekends — buy before you go
- Boston Children's Museum: $24 for everyone aged one and up, under-ones free
A day that actually works
Pick one indoor anchor and do it in the morning, when the queues are shortest and the child is fresh. Make the afternoon free and outdoors.
- Morning: the Museum of Science for two hours of genuine absorption, the Children's Museum if they need to run
- Book the anchor ahead — both places recommend it
- Lunch outside at Boston Public Market, the Greenway lawns or the Common, all a short walk apart
- Afternoon: the Greenway Carousel, the Public Garden, or the Freedom Trail as far as anyone's legs last
- With a car and a spare afternoon, the Arboretum is the space option
Family events in Boston this week
Live from our catalog — 23 upcoming, refreshed weekly.
Toddler Create & Play at 1524 Dorchester Ave, Boston — creative play session for ages 1–4.
Shadows and Light: Symbolist Art in Belgium (McMullen Museum) — Over 150 Belgian and European symbolist works, including 46 by Léon Spilliaert, displayed in ten thematic movements.
Miss Sarah reads short stories, sings songs, and recites rhymes in the Children’s Room at Adams Street, for ages 0–18 months.
Librarian Brittany leads read‑alouds, music, and movement at Shaw‑Roxbury for ages 5 and under.
Librarian Ashley leads stories, songs, and rhymes for children 18 months to 5 and their caregivers at the North End branch.
Laura Macias tells English and Spanish folk tales with puppets, songs, and movement at Parker Hill for ages 5 and under.
Miss Celeste leads lap bounces, stories, rhymes, baby signs, and songs for toddlers and caregivers at Roslindale, Roslindale, for ages 18 months–36 months.
Story time with books and songs in the Rey Room at the Central Library, space limited, for ages 0–5.
Family movie night showing Hocus Pocus at the North End Branch, patrons may bring snacks; all ages.
Monster House (2006) screened in the Lower Mills library community room, Dorchester, offering a PG horror‑adventure film for all ages.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show at Emerson Colonial Theatre, Boston — for all ages.
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WEDNESDAY
28
OCTOBER
Kids Activity Hour at Boston Public Market, for ages 3–13.
Pre School Storytime (Jamaica Plain community room) — Librarian Chris reads three stories, leads songs, fingerplays, prop play and parachute time, for ages 5 and under.
Stories, songs, rhymes, and early literacy activities with Librarian Ms. Allie at Brighton Branch, for ages 3–5.
Halloween Story Time & Craft (West Roxbury Community Room) — Spooky books, songs, and a Halloween craft for ages 5 and under.
Librarian Morgan leads moving, singing, and story reading for babies and toddlers at the Chinatown Lower Level, for ages 0–3.
Build royal castles or custom cars with supplied LEGO bricks at the North End Boston Public Library for ages 6–12.
Story time in the Rey Room provides an afternoon of fun for ages 0‑7.
Board games and card games are available for play at the Roslindale library, for all ages.
Ina Garten at Emerson Colonial Theatre, for all ages, children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.
THURSDAY
29
OCTOBER
Bilingual Storytime at Honan-Allston Library features songs, age‑appropriate stories, and crafts/playtime for children and caregivers, for ages 2–5.
Plant, water, and weed the Mattapan Branch Library garden, getting dirty and learning garden care, for ages 6–18.
FRIDAY
30
OCTOBER
Stories, songs, and a craft in Spanish and English at Mattapan, for all ages.
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FAQ
How much is a Boston museum day for a family of four?
Museum of Science: $122 for two adults and two children aged three to eleven, before shows at $6 a head. New England Aquarium: $141.80, or $121.80 with the New England resident discount. Boston Children's Museum: $96, with under-ones free.
Is there a limit on how many children ride the T free?
No. The MBTA sets no cap, unlike Washington, which limits it to two children per fare-paying adult. From age twelve everyone pays a regular fare.
Is the ICA free for children?
Yes. Everyone 18 and under gets in free every day, and the whole museum is free for all on Thursday evenings from 5 to 9.