The best things to do in Boston with kids are the Boston Children's Museum for under-10s, the New England Aquarium and the Museum of Science for school-age children, the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum for a history lesson with tea to throw overboard, and a Fenway Park tour for older kids and teens. Boston Common and the Public Garden add free outdoor time between them.
What works best depends on your children's ages, so this guide is organized that way, with prices and ages from each attraction's own rules.
Babies, toddlers and preschoolers
Boston Children's Museum. The Children's Museum at 308 Congress Street is built for children from birth to about age 10, with a PlaySpace for the youngest and a shoes-off area for crawlers. It is open Wednesday to Monday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and closed Tuesdays. Adults and children aged 1 to 15 pay $24; babies under 12 months are free. It recommends buying tickets ahead.
The Make Way for Ducklings statue. In the Public Garden, at the corner of Beacon and Charles streets, the bronze ducklings from the picture book Make Way for Ducklings are a free stop, and a good one for a photo. The Garden is open all year.
The Frog Pond on Boston Common. In summer it becomes a spray pool for children, and the carousel beside it runs from April to October, weather permitting. In winter it is a skating rink; see our guide to winter things to do with kids.
The Swan Boats. The pedal-powered boats on the Public Garden lagoon run from mid-April to early September, and children under 2 ride free. The 2026 season has ended; they return in April 2027.
Ages 5 to 10
New England Aquarium. The four-story Giant Ocean Tank is the centerpiece, and the harbor seals on the front plaza can be watched for free. Children 3 to 11 pay $30.95 for aquarium-only admission, and children 2 and under are free. Entry is by timed ticket and weekends often sell out, so book ahead. Aquarium station on the Blue Line is about 100 yards from the door.
Museum of Science. Hands-on exhibits, live presentations and the lightning show in the Theater of Electricity fill a day here. Children 3 to 11 pay $28 for the Exhibit Halls and children under 3 are free; Planetarium and Omni shows cost extra. Science Park station on the Green Line is across the road.
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. The one-hour tour is theater rather than a gallery: costumed guides hand visitors the names of real participants, and children get to throw tea over the side of a replica ship. Child tickets cover ages 3 to 12, and children 2 and under are free. Tickets are for a set tour time; you can also book the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum through Viator.
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Franklin Park Zoo. Zoo New England's Boston zoo, at 1 Franklin Park Road, has western lowland gorillas in its Tropical Forest, along with a Giraffe Savannah, a Children's Zoo and Franklin Farm. It is open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., with prices that vary by date when you book ahead.
Tweens and teens
Fenway Park tour. The one-hour tour runs every day of the year and stops on the Green Monster when it is open. Children 3 to 12 pay $21 and adults $30.
The Freedom Trail and USS Constitution. The Freedom Trail is free to follow, and its 2.5 miles end in Charlestown, where the USS Constitution Museum tells the ship's story, and the ship itself, an active-duty Navy vessel, is free to board. Everyone 18 and older needs a photo ID at the security checkpoint. With younger children, walk a section rather than the whole trail; our guide to free things to do in Boston with kids suggests which.
View Boston. The observation deck on the top floors of the Prudential Tower has an open-air terrace on the 51st floor and a glassed-in 52nd floor, with discounts for families of four or more on its Family Pack.
Art museums that are free for teens. The Institute of Contemporary Art is free for everyone 18 and under, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is free for everyone 17 and under. At the Museum of Fine Arts, youths 7 to 17 pay $14 and children 6 and under are free.
A two-day plan with kids
Day one: the Aquarium in the morning, lunch at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, then a section of the Freedom Trail into the North End. Day two: the Tea Party Ships and the Children's Museum, which sit close together on Congress Street in Fort Point, or the Museum of Science on a rainy day. Our family weekend plan has more detail, and the Seaport guide covers Fort Point.
Sources: Boston Children's Museum, Zoo New England; listing facts from our linked listings. Checked October 1, 2026.