Kid Friendly Boston?

[s_atl]

I'm going to be in Boston for 4-5 days with my 3.5 yr old and 1 yr old (while Daddy works, and we spend the weekend exploring New England and what's left of the foliage with Daddy).

Suggestions for things to go with the Toddler to keep her busy for 4-5 hours a day?

[lil_acorn]

The first things that come to mind are the New England Aquarium & the Children's Museum

[jayali]

there have been a lot of really good posts about boston from area mommas - you may want to search on the older posts.

We spent three days there in Boston when Matthew was three and we did the Children's museum and the Aquarium on rainy days. If the weather is nice I would take to the streets - boston is such a great and walkable city. However the real treat for us was walking and exploring the city - we found great parks and we LOVED the North end - where everyone was so nice to him. You definitely want to do the Duck park - we didn't but everyone raves about it. I would do Cambridge - we didn't get a chance to do that. I bet it is beautiful this time of year.

[Swimfreak78]

Not sure if you will have a car or not -- so here are some Boston friendly suggestions

Acquarium
Children's Museum
Freedom Trail
Duckboat Tour
T ride
Museum of Science (Great tactile area)


If you have a car
Stone Zoo or Franklin Park Zoo
Discovery Museum

Feel free to PM me for more suggestions!

[citymama]

Definitely do a search - there were some threads over the summer. I agree with the PPs' - Aquarium, Science Museum, Boston Public Gardens and the Duck Pond (and the Make Way for Ducklings statues - if your DD doesn't have the book already, buy it before the trip!). Great bookstores - Barefoot Books has a store in Cambridge.

[AnnieW625]

The Childrens Museum is great. We also did a Duck Boat tour and we walked around the Boston Garden and Duck pond. There is a nice play structure there. Also FWIW parks don't have play structures, playgrounds do in Boston so if you do a search for parks you may not have a play structure there. DD also loved riding the Charlie (T) trains.

ETA: if you are going to have a car I highly recommend a Garmin portable GPS system. Also there is bunch or parks/ponds called the Emerald Isle or something and you can walk around those. We stayed in Jamaica Plain and Jamaica Pond was right there and it was a nice pond to walk around.

[ryanmom]

I echo the Children's Museum and the Aquarium suggestions- both are fantastic and will keep your young ones occupied. There are also a ton of parks and playgrounds that are fun-- in the Boston Commons, there is a playground near Frog Pond and you should also definitely check out the Make Way for Ducklings statues in the Public Garden. I think the swan boats are no longer in the water but it is still fun to walk around and play in the Garden. Up on the corner of Comm Ave and Clarendon is a great little playground with lots of toys, swings and tots. It is always packed with little kids. In Copley Plaza, there are the tortoise and the hare statues for the finish line of the Boston marathon- fun to play on as well. You can essentially walk from Copley Square to the Children's Museum in about 35-40 minutes so even though Boston might seem like a big city, it really is quite manageable. The Rose Kennedy greenway- which runs along the expressway from South Station to the North End- has a lot of fun fountains and green spaces- it would be nice to walk along if you plan to go to the North End for lunch. Also, on Battery Wharf on the waterfront is the fire boat-- the fire fighters are usually hanging out on the dock and will entertain questions.
If you have a car, there is plenty more outside the city including apple picking (Bolton Spring Farm is my family's personal favorite), exploring some of the beaches- even at this time of year it is fun to look for shells and dig in the sand etc. Have a fantastic trip!

[hollybloom24]

My first question would be where are you staying? Taking the T (subway) is fun, but with a 1 and 3.5 year old, it can get old quickly! I suggest picking one area a day and staying local.

The Children's Museum is great, and has a great room for kids under two or so. There is a bakery/cafe called Flour a block away that is excellent. The Museum of Science also has a great room for toddlers. The key to both these places is to go early, especially if it is raining!

From the Aquarium you can walk to the North End or Faniuel Hall/Quincy Market. There are often street performers (jugglers, magicians, etc.) at Faniuel Hall/Quincy Market. My kids always like watching. In the North End you can get pizza at Pizzeria Regina (they only have pizza, and it is wonderful!) And then go to Mike's Pastry for a canoli, gelato or other wonderful treat!

The Public Garden is beautiful. The Make Way for Duckling statue is on the Beacon Hill side of the park. I love walking across the miniature suspension bridge. Beacon Hill has Fig's (pizza), and The Upper Crust (more pizza - more traditional than Fig's). Also the Paramount is a diner-type restaurant that is good for kids. From Beacon Hill you can walk to the Charles River and walk along the river on the Esplanade - there is a nice playground there.

I love Harvard Square, but it probably isn't all that interesting for young kids. The Border Cafe (Mexican) on Church Street is a good place to take kids for a meal. So is Wagamama (noodles) and Bombay Club (Indian - they have a good lunch buffet) at 57 JFK Street, and Le's Vietnamese in The Garage. My kids love running around Harvard Yard. The Harvard Museums are not that great for kids, IMO. Curious George Goes to Wordsworth is a terrific book/toy shop. The MIT Museum is supposed to be awesome, but I have not personally been.

I have no idea where you live, but if you have a decent zoo, I would not bother with either of the zoos, Stone or Franklin. Sadly they are just not that good. If you have no zoo, it might be fun though.