Massachusetts holds a significant place in American history, making it an enjoyable destination for children and adults alike. Explore small town attractions, family farm fun activities and exciting tours designed to show kids what sets it apart from other states.
Take your children to visit the House of the Seven Gables to view the 17th-century gabled home that inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel or tour Concord Museum for an educational tour that showcases where it all started!
Outdoor Fun: Massachusetts Family Adventures
Massachusetts offers outdoor activities suitable for every child and interest, no matter their age or stage of life. Roger Williams Park Zoo is a favorite for all generations, from those looking to see an elephant swim and pet it to taking advantage of the free-flight aviary. Kids can zip line, ride trains or enjoy the world's largest playground featuring building zones, forts and rope swings for maximum play enjoyment!
Kids can explore the natural history of Massachusetts through interactive exhibits or guided nature walks with a guide. Toddlers and preschoolers will love Cape Cod Children's Museum's life-sized castles and pirate ships! Older children may enjoy Salem museums devoted to witches and pirates or Concord's American History exhibit which brings artifacts like Paul Revere's lantern from his famous ride as well as swords and muskets alive!
All ages will enjoy the thrilling adventure of riding Mount Washington on the historic Cog Railway. Families can also ride bikes along Wachusett Mountain's rail trail or ski or snowboard in winter months or spend the day exploring lakes.
Historic Sites: Family-Friendly Massachusetts
Massachusetts may be small in terms of territory size but is packed full of American history - from Salem Witch Trials and the Boston Tea Party that helped ignite the American Revolution to making lasting memories in this New England state. Kids will certainly make lasting impressions in Massachusetts!
Many family vacations to Massachusetts involve stops at Plymouth Rock and Mayflower II, but there are other historic sites worth seeing that will prove equally enjoyable. Take the trolley tour at Adams National Historical Park to tour John and John Quincy Adams' home as well as their inaugural library; while younger visitors might enjoy taking part in guided nature walk at Nelson Memorial Beach Park to discover tidal pools and marine life that inhabit this space.
If your little ones love pirates, they will love visiting the Salem Pirate Museum where their favorite characters come alive! Kids of all ages will be impressed with its impressive artifact collection including real mummies and an extensive cave replicating a pirate cove.
Thrilling Parks: Family Fun in Massachusetts
Massachusetts theme and water parks provide plenty of entertainment. Home to the largest indoor water park in New England and North America's longest family go kart track as well as thrilling roller coasters, Massachusetts boasts many amazing waterparks and theme parks to keep guests occupied and having a blast!
Six Flags New England is one of the top theme parks in New England and boasts rides and roller coasters sure to thrill even older children. Children 12 years old or under ride for free - an added incentive if your group includes children aged under 12.
Edaville Family Theme Park in Carver offers a charming theme park experience tailored specifically for younger children with rides such as bumper cars and its classic 1903 carousel. Kids also appreciate Boston Harbor Patrol boat rides, sightseeing trains and flumes - not forgetting its great circus exhibit!
The Boston Museum of Science delights children with hands-on activities and exhibitions that provide them with hands-on learning, while Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield will dazzle everyone with its real mummy, insect collection and crystal display. Massachusetts also boasts several natural history museums as well as Cape Cod National Seashore; these destinations make ideal family outings!
Water & Air: Adventure in Massachusetts
Massachusetts offers family-friendly experiences from beaches and water to history, nature and culture that will delight both kids and parents alike. Boston boasts exciting city vibes while Cape Cod provides breathtaking coastal vistas - not to mention educational museums that teach children without them even realizing it! There's something here for all in Massachusetts' New England state of origin.
Discover Boston with a trolley or duck boat tour, explore Paul Revere's house or the USS Constitution via the Freedom Trail, watch a game at Fenway Park or ride America's oldest carousel! Younger kids may love Cape Cod Children's Museum's life-sized castles and pirate ships while teens may find fascinating the real-life mummy, insect collection and crystal display found at Berkshire Museum Pittsfield.
When visiting Cape Cod for a beach vacation, Hyannis or Chatham accommodations provide easy access to family attractions in the area. Take an educational guided nature walk at National Seashore while swimming, surfing, boating and sunbathing are among your options in clear waters with soft sand beaches.
Culture & Art: Family-Friendly Massachusetts
Studies show that bonding over fun activities improves kids' social-emotional health and academic performance, yet many families feel overwhelmed commuting their kids between soccer, baseball, scouts, friends' houses and appointments. So make a date to do something special together in order to break up the routine and strengthen family ties.
Boston museums provide fun for the whole family, from experiencing the power of the wind with kite flying days to deciphering codes in an escape room. Explore Native American and Shaker collections, take a tour of Paul Revere's house or learn a new instrument!
Fill your kids with creative spirit at the Museum of Fine Arts, with free admission all year for children - even during school vacation weeks! Take your visit one step further with in-gallery activities and art projects inspired by its collection and special exhibitions. Additionally, many cultural organizations across Massachusetts host added activities during school vacation weeks through Card to Culture; several participate in which Massachusetts families with EBT, ConnectorCare or WIC benefits receive reduced-cost entry into arts experiences.
Wildlife Encounters: Massachusetts Nature
Massachusetts boasts an amazing diversity of natural habitats that boast an astonishing variety of wildlife. From its bucolic Berkshire highlands to sprawling wetlands of its center and majestic coastal spots of its eastern edge, Massachusetts is a nature lover's dream filled with animals both large and small.
Experience American beavers building their dam, witness the blend of forest and river habitats at Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, or witness a Blanding's turtle's slow, lumbering pace in woodland meadows at Great Meadows Reserve. Or embark on whale-watching off Massachusetts with Hardy Boat Cruises or Cap'n Fish's Cruises for an organized guided tour!
At Wolf Hollow Conservation Center in Oregon, kids can experience nature first-hand through one-hour presentations that allow them to watch wolves interact. Children also meet and feed farm animals during weekly Animal Adventures classes tailored for pre-K through eighth grade kids. Meanwhile, in Salem's New England Pirate Museum they can become pirates for an afternoon, complete with a replica cave replicating an underground passage filled with treasure!
Farm Fun: Massachusetts for Families
Kids of all ages will delight in discovering where their food comes from at farms across the state. From marveling at giraffes at Roger Williams Park Zoo to petting goats or pigs at Tougas Family Farm or seeing exotic creatures at Animal Adventures (for which additional admission fees apply), visiting farms is a fun and educational way to discover the source of our sustenance!
Hornstra Dairy Farm in Sterling provides kids an opportunity to tour one of the last operational dairy farms and learn where their milk comes from, while in Berkshire Shelburne Farm provides fun activities all year round for visitors, such as feeding animals, taking a train ride, and exploring a John Deere combine and tractor playground.
Massachusetts offers miles of breathtaking beaches adorned with soft sand. If you're traveling to Cape Cod, stay close to the harbor so you can catch ferries to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket easily; alternatively choose a hotel or vacation rental near Hyannis as it will give you easy access to Cape Cod's famed beaches as well as kid-friendly attractions such as the historic Whaling Museum.
Outdoor Activities: Family Adventures in MA
Your children may be intrigued by pirates, and insects or learning American history hands-on exhibits; Massachusetts offers plenty of outdoor activities to please every age and interest. Consider taking a trolley tour through Quincy or view one of America's first families at Concord Museum while admiring Paul Revere's lantern and Thoreau's writing desk; discover intricate model ship collections featuring Native American and Shaker art; climb to the crow's nest of Discovery Museum's ship made just for kids or take on an escape room challenge for fun!
Fall River Heritage Museum dazzles visitors of all ages with its world-class collection of US Navy ships and the state-of-the-art Pearl Harbor Experience, while Berkshire Museum in Pittsfield captivates kids who prefer more hands-on learning with real mummies, insect collections and an aquarium - guaranteed to delight!
Fitchburg, Northampton or Worcester are ideal spots in central Massachusetts for accessing mountain biking and hiking trails with beautiful vistas, water parks and playgrounds. Staying in Boston puts the Freedom Trail within reach, while Cape Cod vacation rentals put beaches, historical sites and ferries directly to Nantucket or Martha's Vineyard within reach.
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