Our kids have been talking about Florida (and going back) since we got home from that vacation, so we decided to do a mini staycation and take them to Boston for a night. We had such a fun time – and the absolute bonus was only being a short drive from home! Today I’m sharing what we did during our kid-friendly Boston trip, from the children’s museum to a water taxi to a free playground and everything in between. You can use this as a trip itinerary if you’ll be in Boston for 2 days with kids and want to have a family-friendly time.
Staying in East Boston with Kids
We drove straight to our hotel (Hyatt Regency Boston Harbor, which is also where we had our wedding reception!) and parked there, got into our room around noon, and figured out what we wanted to bring out for the day with us.
We grabbed our stroller and headed downstairs, got our water taxi tickets from the concierge desk, and went outside to wait for our boat. The water taxi is an event in itself, because it transports you from East Boston across the harbor to a variety of destinations.
We chose to be dropped off right outside the Children’s Museum, our destination. (For reference, this is in the Fort Point area of Boston.)
You could easily spend 2-3 hours at the Children’s Museum.
I think it’s perfect for kids aged 3-10. Our almost-5 year old was in heaven, with so many different things to do. But even our almost-2 year old found a ton of stuff to do. There are rooms where you can build structures out of PVC pipes, play in an airplane cockpit, climb, explore, OH and the water tables were a huge hit with my kids too! My only gripe about the water tables area is that it’s built for kids who are 3+, and my son was juuust a smidge too short. He really needed a little stool but he was having an amazing time anyway! Make sure you pack an extra shirt just in case the aprons don’t keep the water off of your little ones. Budget 2-3 hours for this museum.
For older kids, the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum is a cool spot right across the street. Probably best for the 5+ crowd, it’s a fun piece of history to learn about. And you get to throw fake tea boxes off of the ship into the harbor, so that’s exciting.
Once we had exhausted the kids, we stopped for an early dinner at The Smoke Shop, a BBQ place.
The kids enjoyed the mac & cheese while we did the brisket/pulled pork/ribs combo. I loved being able to sit outside on the most perfect summer afternoon, and the BBQ was tasty. If you’re not a BBQ type of person, there’s a Bon Me nearby, as well as Bartaco (highly recommend for tacos!). If you have older kids or just want to go fancier, Sportello is one of my favorite restaurants in that area.
We went for a walk after our early dinner and went to play at the Martin Richard Park and playground, which my kids just adored. The ship was so much fun to play on!
Now this is where we made a bit of an error…
The water taxi runs until 6pm back to the Hyatt, and we called them at 6:02pm for a pick up not realizing this. There is another water taxi but they rarely answer their phone, we found out later, so they were out. And in Boston, it’s very hard to find an Uber that has car seats. So we did the next best thing (well…. like our plan D) and took the T over to the airport and then the hotel shuttle back to the hotel. Not optimal, but the kids were excited to ride on a bus and then a minibus, so I guess it was a win in their eyes!
I honestly think this hotel has the best views of Boston. You can’t beat that skyline view!
On day 2 we moved a lot slower.
We ate breakfast at the hotel, which took longer than expected. There was a huge tour group staying there and they all got down to breakfast right before us, so we had to wait for a table and then service was slow. But the French toast was so good! After breakfast, we took a walk down the harborway to watch the boats in the harbor and the planes taking off from and landing at the airport.
After we checked out of our room, we had to head home – but if you’re going to be in the city for a whole day then here are some …
Other fun things to do in Boston with kids
We love visiting the Public Garden and the statue dedicated to Make Way for Ducklings, one of my kids’ favorite stories. It’s a short walk into Beacon Hill for lunch or dinner. In the wintertime there is public ice skating on the Frog Pond in the Public Garden, which is a lot of fun. In the summertime you can go on the famed swan boats for a nominal fee.
The New England Aquarium is along the harbor and one of my favorite places to take the kids. We usually have lunch across the street at Legal Seafood, a family favorite, when we go there. If you don’t have time to go into the aquarium, you can still view the harbor seals out front (free). Then take a short walk over to Faneuil Hall and grab lunch from one of the restaurant booths (a couple of my picks- Pizzeria Regina and Boston Chowda Co).
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