Spring flowers with kids around Boston: Public Garden tulips, Arboretum lilacs and the swan boats
Boston winters are long, so the few weeks from mid-April through May are worth planning around: tens of thousands of tulips in the Public Garden as the swan boats start running again, hundreds of lilacs blooming at once at the Arnold Arboretum around Mother's Day, and the spring migration that packs Mount Auburn Cemetery with birders.
The classic day is the Green Line to Arlington: tulips in the Public Garden, a climb on the Make Way for Ducklings statues, then a 15-minute swan boat ride. The Arnold Arboretum is free, entirely paved and made for strollers, and Lilac Sunday is the one day a year picnics are allowed. For quiet, the spring blooms and warblers at Mount Auburn make Boston's prettiest cemetery walk, and Elm Bank in Wellesley opens in April, with a treehouse and water pumps in the children's garden to burn off a 2-year-old's energy.
- 5 places
- 3 free
- 5 stroller-friendly
- closest is 15 min away
5 places
Drive times from Newton
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)
Public Garden Swan Boats
5.0Boston · 20 min drive
1 h · stroller-friendly
$ · Parking: Green Line to Arlington puts you right there; by car use the Boston Common underground garage
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
Mount Auburn Cemetery and Washington Tower
4.0Cambridge · 15 min drive
2 h · stroller-friendly
Free · Parking: Free beside the main gate on Mount Auburn St; you can also park along the roads inside
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
💡 Good to know
- The tulips last only two or three weeks, mid-April to early May; watch the Friends of the Public Garden updates. The swan boats usually launch in mid-April.
- Lilac Sunday is packed and parking nearby is nearly impossible; take the Orange Line to Forest Hills and walk. The weekend before or after is just as fragrant and far quieter.
- April in Boston is often 50°F and windy: pack a stroller blanket and save the outdoor flowers for a clear morning.