Check out these great local activities to keep your family entertained all year long!
1. Beneski Museum of Natural History at Amherst College
Dinosaur fans will enjoy this free museum at Amherst College. More than 1,700 specimens are on display, including fossil skeletons of a mammoth, mastodon, dire wolf, saber-toothed cat, giant Irish elk and cave bear, the world’s largest collection of dinosaur tracks, and skulls of a tyrannosaurus rex and a triceratops.
11 Barrett Hill Drive, Amherst, 413-542-216; amherst.edu/museums/naturalhistory.
2. Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
This floating historical museum features live re-enactments, interactive exhibits, restored tea ships and a stirring documentary film on the Boston Tea Party. You’ll meet the colonists, explore the ships and dump crates of tea overboard, just like they did in 1773 to protest taxation without representation.
Fort Point Channel, Boston; bostonteapartyship.com.
3. Children’s Museums
Children’s museums are plentiful in New England! Try the Boston Children’s Museum, Providence Children’s Museum in Rhode Island, The Discovery Museums in Acton and The Children’s Museum in Easton. Everything at each of these museums has a fun learning component, and kids learn best by doing!
Boston Children’s Museum, 308 Congress Street, Boston, 617-426-6500; bostonkids.org.
The Discovery Museums in Acton, 177 Main Street, Acton, 978-264-4200; discoverymuseums.org.
The Children’s Museum in Easton, The Old Fire Station, 9 Sullivan Avenue., North Easton, 508-230-3789; childrensmuseumineaston.org.
North Shore Children’s Museum, 10 Main Street, Peabody, 978-538-5765; nschidlrensmuseum.org.
Children’s Museum of New Hampshire, 6 Washington Street, Dover, N.H., 603-742-2002; childrens-museum.org.
Amelia Park Children’s Museums, 29 South Broad Street, Westfield, 413-572-4014; ameliaparkmuseum.org.
Children’s Museum of Holyoke, 444 Dwight Street, Holyoke, 413-536-7048;www.childrensmuseumholyoke.org.
Providence Children’s Museum, 100 South Street, Providence, R.I., 401-273-5437; childrenmuseum.org.
4. Concord Museum
Explore Native American life, see the famed 1775 Revere lantern, learn how a clock works and study nature with Henry Thoreau. Children of all ages will enjoy the newly designed family guide and intriguing museum artifact hunts.
Cambridge Turnpike at Lexington Road, Concord, 978-369-9763; concordmuseum.org.
5. Davis Farmland
Visit in the spring and meet new baby animals and their families. Kids can become junior farmers for the day and help out with milking, egg collecting and even bottle-feeding. Farmland’s Adventure Play & Spray, New England’s largest zero-depth spray-ground, provides plenty of cool water fun on hot summer days. In the fall, pick apples and pumpkins, or try the adjacent Mega Maze.
145 Redstone Hill, Sterling; davisfarmland.com.
6. EcoTarium
An urban oasis awaits you at EcoTarium. Walk through the treetops at this indoor/outdoor museum, or take a thrilling multimedia journey through the galaxy at a digital planetarium. Kids will enjoy meeting wildlife, strolling nature trails, riding a narrow gauge railroad and exploring hands-on, family-friendly exhibits.
222 Harrington Way, Worcester, 508-929-2700; ecotarium.org.
7. Emily Dickinson Museum
Visit The Homestead and The Evergreens, two homes that make up the Emily Dickinson Museum. The famous poet was born here and spent most of her life here, as well. “This Was a Poet,” a 45-minute guided tour, is a great introduction to Dickinson and covers her family, her education and her poetry.
280 Main St., Amherst, 413-542-8161; emilydickinsonmuseum.org.
8. Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
If you’ve read The Very Hungry Caterpillar not once, not twice, but a thousand times to your kids, then head to this wonderfully accessible museum. While the three galleries – one with Carle’s works and two others with rotating exhibits – are fun to explore, the hands-on and special programs really get kids excited.
125 Bay Road, Amherst, 413-658-1100; carlemuseum.org.
9. Frank Newhall Look Memorial Park
The 150-acre Look Park has something for everyone, from bumper boats to miniature golf. Kids like to ride the tiny steamer train, which does a one-mile loop by a small zoo, and then visit the zoo animals. Other activities include a water spray park, tennis courts, playgrounds and pedal boats.
300 North Main St., Florence, 413-584-5457; lookpark.org.
10. Harvard Museum of Natural History
Children love this museum for its fascinating glass flower and gemstone exhibits, mounted and standing specimens of marine life, mammals and birds from around the world, and featured displays.
26 Oxford St., Cambridge, 617-495-3045; hmnh.harvard.edu.
11. LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston
Scheduled to open in May 2014, LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston will be the first in New England. The indoor attraction, geared toward children ages 3 to 10 and their families, will feature millions of LEGO bricks, rides, LEGO Studios 4D Cinema, replicas of Boston landmarks made out of LEGO bricks and more.
598 Assembly Row, Somerville; legolanddiscoverycenter.com/boston.
12. Lupa Zoo
This privately owned zoo in Ludlow features exotic animals, such as bears and ostriches, but there are also animals to pet and feed, including miniature horses, goats and crowd favorite Geoffrey the Giraffe. Feeding Geoffrey lettuce leaves is an activity that kids adore. There’s also a playground and a tiny train to ride. Open from April to November, weather permitting.
62 Nash Hill Road, Ludlow, 413-583-8370; lupazoo.org.
13. Magic Wings
More than 4,000 butterflies flit around the 8,000-square-foot glass conservatory at Magic Wings Conservatory and Gardens, guaranteeing that you’ll never leave the attraction without getting your fill of these beautiful, delicate creatures.
281 Greenfield Road, South Deerfield, 413-665-2805; magicwings.com.
14. Mapparium
A world-famous exhibit at The Mary Baker Eddy Library, the Mapparium is a three-dimensional, stained-glass globe of the world of 1935, enhanced by A World of Ideas, an original presentation that features words, music and lights to illustrate how the world has changed.
200 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 888-222-3711; marybakereddylibrary.org
15. Mass Audubon
Get outdoors and enjoy the beauty and wildlife of Massachusetts by visiting your local Mass Audubon sanctuary. Year-round programs offer people of all ages the chance to connect with nature, from the tidal flats and marshland of Cape Cod to Berkshire mountain ridges and everything in between.
800-283-8266; massaudubon.org.
16. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
This world-class art museum makes time for kids. The Family Art Cart here is full of interactive activities created for children ages 4 and up – sending them off among the museum’s masterpieces to piece together puzzles and sketch favorite art works.
Avenue of the Arts, 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300; mfa.org.
17. Museum of Science
The great thing about this place is that age doesn’t matter; there’s plenty here to interest and inspire everyone. From the snap, crackle and pop of the electricity exhibit to giant dinosaur fossils and a computer area that lets you operate a robot, the Museum of Science’s exhibits never disappoint.
1 Science Park, Boston, 617-723-2500; mos.org.
18. New England Aquarium
You don’t need scuba gear to see, touch and learn about the wonderful creatures who live in our seas. Just step through the doors of Boston’s finest aquarium for an underwater adventure the entire family will love!
Central Wharf, Boston, 617-973-5200; neaq.org.
19. Paul Revere House
Built around 1680, the Paul Revere House is the oldest building in downtown Boston. Take a tour of the house that this historical figure – and father to 16 children – lived in, and from where he left on April 18, 1775, to warn Samuel Adams and John Hancock that the British were coming. Fun family events year round.
19 North Square, Boston, 617-523-2338; paulreverehouse.org.
20. Plimoth Patuxet
Plimoth Patuxet, a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate, brings to life the stories of the Wampanoag and the English colonists known as Pilgrims in 17th-century New England. Museum exhibits include the 17th-Century English Village, Wampanoag Homesite, Craft Center, Nye Barn, historic Mayflower II and the Plimoth Grist Mill.
137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, 508-746-1622; plimoth.org.
21. Roger Williams Zoo
It’s one of the oldest zoos in the country with more than 100 exotic species in naturalistic settings. Check out majestic animals, including the African elephant, Masai giraffe, snow leopard, moon bear, giant anteater and more!
1000 Elmwood Ave., Providence, 401-941-4998; rwpzoo.org.
22. Southwick’s Zoo
Southwick’s is more than a zoo, it’s an adventure! An array of exhibits, including big cats, giraffes, rhinos and many primates, are sure to please the animal lover. Other offerings include the Skyfari sky ride, petting zoo, Parakeet Landing, and kiddie, camel and pony rides.
2 Southwick St., Mendon, 800-258-9182; southwickszoo.com.
23. The Butterfly Place
The Butterfly Place is an indoor garden filled with hundreds of freely-flying butterflies from around the world. See caterpillars, chrysalids and cocoons up close as you walk around the winding pathway.
120 Tyngsboro Road, Westford, 978-392-0955; butterflyplace-ma.com.
24. Winslow Farm
Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary is a nonprofit, stay-for-life sanctuary established for the rescue and care of abused and abandoned animals and for animal education. Winslow Farm is home to more than 200 animals, including sheep, goats, horses, llamas, alpacas, exotic birds, pigs and more.
37 Eddy St., Norton, 508-285-6451; winslowfarm.com.
25. Zoo New England
These two zoos provide a full range of animal encounters. Franklin Park Zoo is home to a tropical forest with the zoo’s famous indoor gorilla exhibit, the Giraffe Savannah, the lions in Kalahari Kingdom, the ostrich, zebra and wildebeests in Serengeti Crossing, and more. Its sister zoo to the north, Stone Zoo, is home to a bald eagle, lynx, reindeer and two black bears, Smoky and Bubba, and more.
Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Road, Boston, 617-541-5466, and Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham, 781-438-5400; zoonewengland.org.
