Baby-friendly outings (ages 0–1) around Boston
With a baby, the outing is half for you: somewhere flat to push the stroller, space to sit and feed, and something to look at while they nap. Every place here gets our top rating, 5 out of 5, for babies under one, and all of them work with a stroller.
The libraries in Newton, Brookline, Cambridge and Lexington have roomy children's areas, frequent baby storytimes and plenty of picture books in Chinese and other languages. For a walk, the Arnold Arboretum is paved throughout, the Fresh Pond and Jamaica Pond loops are the local parents' standard stroller circuit, and Mount Auburn Cemetery is quiet enough for a baby to sleep the whole way. The PlaySpace at the Children's Museum and the infant area at the Discovery Museum have mats and crawl space, so rainy days are covered too.
- 27 places
- 18 free
- 27 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
27 places
Drive times from Newton
Cold Spring Park woodland trail
5.0Newton · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Beacon St entrance, busier during the summer Tuesday farmers market
Newton Free Library children's department
5.0Newton · 5 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot in front of the library, busier on Saturday mornings
Ride the Green Line D into the city
5.0Newton · 5 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: MBTA pay lot by Newton Centre station, or the big lot at Riverside (cheaper on weekends)
Larz Anderson Park
5.0Brookline · 10 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots inside the park (entrances on Newton St and Goddard Ave)
Brookline Public Library main branch children's room
5.0Brookline · 10 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot behind the library (2-hour limit), or street parking in Brookline Village
Fresh Pond Loop
5.0Cambridge · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots on Fresh Pond Pkwy and at Kingsley Park; easy on weekend mornings
Jamaica Pond Loop
5.0Boston · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking along Perkins St and the Jamaicaway, fine on weekend mornings
Beaver Brook Reservation falls, duck pond and spray deck
5.0Belmont · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots at the Mill St and Trapelo Rd entrances
Cambridge Public Library main branch children's room
5.0Cambridge · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Small garage under the library (time-limited, often full), street parking on Broadway; or Red Line to Harvard and a 10-minute walk
Wellesley Free Library children's room
5.0Wellesley · 15 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot in front of the library, easy on weekends
Arnold Arboretum
5.0Boston · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free street parking along the Arborway and Bussey St; or Orange Line to Forest Hills and a 5-minute walk
Elm Bank gardens and Weezie's Garden for Children (Mass Hort)
5.0Wellesley · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free lot inside the grounds; admission about $12 adults, kids cheap or free, check the website
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (Mass Audubon)
5.0Natick · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free sanctuary lot; admission about $8 adults, about $6 kids, free for Mass Audubon members
Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary (Mass Audubon)
5.0Lincoln · 20 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free farm lot; admission about $15 adults, about $10 kids, free for members
Belkin Family Lookout Farm
5.0Natick · 20 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free farm lot, arrive early on fall weekends
Cary Memorial Library children's room
5.0Lexington · 20 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots behind the library and in Lexington Center (time-limited)
Boston Public Library Central Library children's library (Copley)
5.0Boston · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Green Line to Copley puts you right there; by car use the Prudential or Copley Place garages (expensive)
Boston Public Garden and the Make Way for Ducklings statues
5.0Boston · 20 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Green Line to Arlington puts you right there; by car use the Boston Common underground garage (from about $20)
Horn Pond Loop
5.0Woburn · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots on Lake Ave and Arlington Rd
Boston Nature Center
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Walk Hill St entrance
Wright-Locke Farm
5.0Winchester · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free farm lot (Ridge St)
Thomas Crane Public Library children's room
5.0Quincy · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot beside the library; or Red Line to Quincy Center and a 5-minute walk
Rose Kennedy Greenway carousel and fountains
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Blue Line to Aquarium or Orange/Green Line to Haymarket and a 3-minute walk; by car use the Parcel 7 garage
Ferry to Charlestown and the USS Constitution
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Board at Long Wharf (by the Blue Line Aquarium station); by car use the Harbor Garage or Parcel 7
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (Concord)
5.0Concord · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the end of Monsen Rd
Smolak Farms
5.0North Andover · 40 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free farm lot
New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill
5.0Boylston · 55 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free lot inside the garden; admission about $20 adults, about $8 kids, check the website
💡 Good to know
- Saturday-morning storytimes fill up; arrive a little early. Weekday baby storytimes are calmer.
- Boston is cold and windy from November to April, so bring the stroller cover and a blanket; in the humid summer, pick the shade of the Arboretum and go in the morning.