Outings big kids (ages 5–10) actually get excited about around Boston
Once kids hit kindergarten, the bar changes: they want hands-on exhibits, hikes with a view at the end, and a real warship to climb aboard. These places get our top rating, 5 out of 5, for 5–10 year olds, from the science museum to a harbor island to an amusement park.
A downtown day pairs the lightning show at the Museum of Science with the dinosaurs at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, or the ferry to Charlestown to board the USS Constitution and climb into sailors' hammocks at the museum. In summer, take the ferry to Spectacle Island for sea glass and a hilltop skyline view, or take the wheel of a Duck Tour on the Charles. For hikes, pick the ones with a destination: World's End, Walden Pond and the Blue Hills. For a beach, the dunes at Crane Beach. And once a year, the drive to Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire is a summer day every Boston kid should get.
- 39 places
- 21 free
- 32 stroller-friendly
- closest is 5 min away
39 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
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
Harvard Museum of Natural History
5.0Cambridge · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Street parking on Oxford St or the Harvard campus visitor garage (weekend discount); or Red Line to Harvard and a 10-minute walk
MIT Museum
5.0Cambridge · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Red Line to Kendall/MIT puts you right there; by car use the garages around Kendall (cheaper on weekends)
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary (Mass Audubon)
5.0Natick · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Free sanctuary lot; admission about $8 adults, about $6 kids, free for Mass Audubon members
Cary Memorial Library children's room
5.0Lexington · 20 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots behind the library and in Lexington Center (time-limited)
Boston Public Library Central Library children's library (Copley)
5.0Boston · 20 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Green Line to Copley puts you right there; by car use the Prudential or Copley Place garages (expensive)
Boston Duck Tours
5.0Boston · 20 min drive
1.5 h · carrier recommended · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Departs from the Prudential Center (Green Line Prudential / Copley), with departure points at the Museum of Science and New England Aquarium too; garage parking is expensive
Museum of Science
5.0Boston · 20 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Garage under the museum (about $25+); or Green Line to Science Park/West End, right at the door
Horn Pond Loop
5.0Woburn · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lots on Lake Ave and Arlington Rd
Boston Nature Center
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the Walk Hill St entrance
Thomas Crane Public Library children's room
5.0Quincy · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot beside the library; or Red Line to Quincy Center and a 5-minute walk
Castle Island and Pleasure Bay loop
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Large free lot at the end of William J. Day Blvd, fills by midday on summer weekends
Wollaston Beach
5.0Quincy · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free spaces along Quincy Shore Dr plus several free lots
Houghton's Pond beach (Blue Hills)
5.0Milton · 25 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot on Hillside St, arrive before 11am on summer weekends
Rose Kennedy Greenway carousel and fountains
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Blue Line to Aquarium or Orange/Green Line to Haymarket and a 3-minute walk; by car use the Parcel 7 garage
Ferry to Spectacle Island (Boston Harbor Islands)
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
5 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$ · Parking: Board at Long Wharf (by the Blue Line Aquarium station); round-trip ferry about $25 adults, about $17 ages 3–11, free under 3, check the website
New England Aquarium
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly · reservation needed
$$$ · Parking: Blue Line to Aquarium puts you right there; by car use the Harbor Garage (aquarium discount, still about $20+)
USS Constitution Museum
5.0Boston · 25 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Pay lot inside the Navy Yard (about $15 on weekends); better to take the MBTA F4 ferry from Long Wharf or the Orange Line to North Station and walk 15 minutes
Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge (Concord)
5.0Concord · 30 min drive
1.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free lot at the end of Monsen Rd
Revere Beach
5.0Revere · 35 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Blue Line to Revere Beach or Wonderland puts you on the sand; by car use the metered spaces along Revere Beach Blvd or the Wonderland garage
Honey Pot Hill Orchards
5.0Stow · 35 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$$ · Parking: Free orchard lot, with a line to get in after 9am on October weekends
Shelburne Farm orchard and pumpkin patch
5.0Stow · 35 min drive
2.5 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Free farm lot
World's End (Trustees)
5.0Hingham · 40 min drive
2.5 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Entrance lot, about $10 for non-member adults, kids free; often full on nice weekends, check the Trustees website for whether reservations are needed
Tougas Family Farm
5.0Northborough · 40 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$$ · Parking: Free farm lot, arrive early on fall weekends
Nantasket Beach and the Paragon Carousel
5.0Hull · 45 min drive
3 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: DCR lot with a fee (about $10–15/day in summer), plus metered street parking
Southwick's Zoo
5.0Mendon · 50 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$$ · Parking: Free zoo lot; admission about $35 adults, about $25 kids, cheaper online
Cider Hill Farm
5.0Amesbury · 50 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Free farm lot
Singing Beach
5.0Manchester-by-the-Sea · 55 min drive
3 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: No non-resident parking in summer: the standard approach is the Commuter Rail Rockport line to Manchester and a 10-minute walk; non-resident summer entry fee about $7 (check the website)
EcoTarium
5.0Worcester · 55 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free museum lot; admission about $20 adults, about $14 kids, train extra
Crane Beach (Trustees)
5.0Ipswich · 60 min drive
4 h · carrier recommended
$ · Parking: Fee per car, about $30–45 for non-members on summer weekends, cheaper and guaranteed before 9am; discounts for Trustees members
Roger Williams Park Zoo
5.0Providence · 60 min drive
4 h · stroller-friendly
$$ · Parking: Free zoo lot; admission about $25 adults, about $18 kids, check the website
💡 Good to know
- The big museums are pricey: the Newton, Brookline and Cambridge libraries all lend discounted or free passes, so book online a few weeks ahead. The Harvard Museum of Natural History is free for Massachusetts residents on Sunday mornings.
- The island ferry, Duck Tours and Nashoba tubing all need advance tickets; weekend slots sell out.