I love Boston. I always say if we didn’t have family in Denver, I’d live one of two places – San Diego or Boston. Boston has so much history and such beautiful buildings, great food, and my favorite part is how easy it is to walk everywhere or take public transportation to get wherever you want to go. The locals are friendlier than say, New York, but it’s still a faster paced city which I love. We went to Nantucket for four days before taking the ferry to Hyannis and an Uber to Boston, so you can find that blog and things to do in Nantucket here. Here are the top things I recommend doing if you are heading to Boston with kids!
Go Boston Pass: To get the most bang for your buck, this pass is a must!! We got the three day pass and by going to merely two exhibits out of the 40 they include, it paid for itself. (We did the New England Aquarium and the Duck Tour.)
Boston Common: Our first stop of our trip was to Boston Common. Our hotel happened to be right next to it. It was 100 degrees when we got into town and we were all roasting, so the kids played at one of the splash pads and then later hit up Frog Pond where the water is maybe 18″ deep tops and you can walk through it to cool off. There’s also a cute carousel there too! Fun fact: Boston Common is the oldest park in America. It was founded in 1634! There are street vendors, a carousel, plenty of benches and pathways, restrooms, and in the winter they turn Frog Pond into an ice skating rink.
New England Aquarium: We’ve been to our fair share of incredible aquariums and the New England Aquarium did not disappoint. They have a shark and ray touch tank which our toddler loved. They also have a four-story 200,000 gallon floor-to-ceiling tank full of fish, coral, sharks, rays, turtles, you name it. Our girls loved the penguin exhibit at the base of the tank too. If you don’t do the “Go Boston” pass, then admission to the aquarium is $31.00 per adult and $22.00 per child. They also have an IMAX theater next door.
Duck Tour: The great thing about Duck Tours is that you get to see all the big hits in Boston without leaving the comfort of the “duck”. There are three locations where you can get on and one happens to be right by the aquarium so we went straight from the aquarium to the Duck Tour. The kids loved the tour because for the first part of the tour, you cruise through the city on a “duck”, a W.W.II style amphibious landing vehicle. Then halfway through the tour, you drive to the edge of the harbor and the “duck” pulls up its wheels and turns into a boat so you can cruise the harbor. The narrators are always funny and insightful and the tour lasts about 80 minutes. Winnie and Lila even got to take turns driving the duck while it was in the Charles River which was the highlight of their day!
The North End: Blame my Italian heritage or the fact that I live for good Italian but the North End of Boston is my favorite place to eat. It’s known as the Italian part of Boston and while the neighborhood is small (.36 of a square mile), it has TONS of amazing authentic Italian family-owned restaurants crammed in there. There’s also a few fucking incredible bakeries. My favorite happens to be Mike’s Pastry. Their cannolis are the best around for sure. And their homemade Italian cookies are so good that we got a box to bring home with us. We enjoyed eating at La Famiglia Giorgio’s Italian Restaurant. Their portions are huge and their pasta is all homemade. The amount of homemade sauces you can pair with any homemade pasta are impressive, and the price is extremely reasonable for the portion sizes you get. It was one of my favorite meals we’ve had in Boston. If you’re eating without the kids and want a little fancier vibe than what La Famiglia Giorgio’s has to offer, then check out Bricco’s which is fantastic as well.
Faneuil Hall: Faneuil Hall Marketplace (also known as Quincy Market) is where America’s first retail specialty carts program began in 1976. Local artisans were sought out to sell their goods here and it’s a great place to shop. I found a boutique that screamed my mom to me so we bought her a swarovski crystal cameo locket for her birthday. (The shop looks a little vintage, a little gypsy, and it’s called Michal Negrin.) They also have regular stores you’d find in your local mall like American Eagle, Gap, etc. If you’re a fan of the show Cheers (I may be a fucking geriatric but I’m not that old yet) then you can hit up the replica of the bar from Cheers here as well.
Shopping on Newbury Street: If you can shop like a mother fucker, you have to go to Newbury Street. The first time I went to Boston was a couple years after Vince and I started dating and I blew a good chunk of money there in a matter of minutes. We didn’t have a chance to shop there with the girls on this last trip, but it’s one of my favorite places to go. The street itself is such a beautiful walk and they have every kind of shop you can think of from little souvenir shops to high-end boutiques.
Salem: Neither my husband or I had ever gone to Salem during our past Boston trips so we figured we’d check it out this time. We took the train there which was another fun experience for the girls. Side note: I don’t know how the fuck the Dunkin’ Donuts inside the Government Center T station is still open – we went there just to grab a coffee and every donut was covered in FLIES and bugs! BARRRRRFFF! So unless you want to die, don’t eat from a dunkin’ donuts inside a T station. Anyhow, once we arrived in Salem, we wanted to check out the Salem Witch Museum, but after arriving we found out it was closed since Adam Sandler was shooting a Halloween movie there. What are the odds?! So, we settled for the Witch History Museum. It was still insightful and they give you a live presentation of historically accurate info about the Salem witch trials. The basement of the museum had creepy life-size dolls staged in 15 different scenes to depict the events leading up to the Salem witch trials.
Fenway Park: I’m cheating here a bit because we didn’t catch a Red Sox game this round but we did go to a game without the kids a few years back. Whether you are a baseball fan or not, you’ll appreciate the history of Fenway Park while you sit back and enjoy a beer outdoors.
Hotels: There are infinite choices for hotels in Boston. We stayed at the Omni Parker House. Their claim to fame is that they are where the Boston cream pie was invented. Of course I tried it and it was fucking delicious. The hotel was in a fantastic location. We walked everywhere (except to Salem because that would have taken five hours.) And if my five year old can walk from here to the North End, Faneuil Hall, the aquarium, etc. then trust me, any able bodied adult can. Unless you’re lazy as shit. Plus, whatever calories you burn walking, you will inevitably eat with all the delicious dining options in Boston.
Other things to do with kids:
If you’re planning on staying in Boston with kids longer than a few days, I recommend checking out the following:
Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum
