Museums & Educational Attractions in Boston, MA
There are 29 museums & educational attractions in and around Boston. Each card below shows what it costs, when it opens and which ages it suits.
Sorted by distance from the middle of Boston, nearest first. Those are straight-line miles, so every drive is longer than the number on the card.
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Sloomoo MiniMoo – Boston is an interactive slime experience museum located in Faneuil Hall Marketplace in downtown Boston. Families and children can explore…
The Museum of Science, located in Boston, MA, offers families a wide range of hands-on activities, including more than 700 interactive permanent exhibits, live…
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USS Constitution Museum is a maritime heritage museum in Charlestown, Massachusetts, dedicated to the history of the USS Constitution, the world's oldest…
Museum of Fine Arts is a major art museum in Boston, MA, home to more than 100 galleries spanning global art from ancient times to today. Families can explore…
The Harvard Art Museums include: The Fogg Museum The Busch Reisinger Museum The Arthur M. Sackler Museum
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Harvard Museums of Science & Culture is a museum group in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that connects Harvard's collections and research with the public, offering…
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A museum in Boston dedicated to educating visitors about the United States Senate and civic engagement. Families can explore a full-size replica of the Senate…
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Home to “America’s Oldest Car Collection” the Larz Anderson Auto Museum is just 5 miles outside of Boston and set in the beautiful 64 acre Larz Anderson Park. The…
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An art museum at Boston College housing works spanning textiles, paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The…
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A museum in Lexington, Massachusetts, dedicated to American history, Freemasonry and fraternalism. Families can explore the exhibitions and visit the Van…
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The Lexington Arts & Crafts Society was founded in 1935 as a non-profit regional education center dedicated to preserving and promoting excellence in both…
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The Spellman Museum’s principal mission is to engage and teach diversity, history, and geography through philatelic exhibits, a research library, resource center…
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Sandmagination is New England's leading indoor sandbox play center for children aged 10 and under, located in Peabody, MA. The venue features interactive exhibits…
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum is a 30-acre outdoor art park in Lincoln, MA, home to New England's largest sculpture park set among trails, lawns, and…
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The Marblehead Museum’s Collections and Exhibits preserve and interpret the local and national importance of Marblehead — and its inhabitants — through programs…
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A museum in Concord, Massachusetts, displaying centuries of objects from the town and region, telling the stories of the diverse people who have lived there since…
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Concord Museum is a history museum in Concord, Massachusetts, showcasing original artifacts from the American Revolution and the town's literary heritage…
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A museum devoted to contemporary craft in Brockton, Massachusetts. Visitors explore changing exhibitions that showcase work across many craft disciplines, with a…
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Wenham Museum in Wenham, MA is a venue that celebrates childhood, interprets history, and explores culture for visitors of all generations. The museum features…
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The Danforth Art Museum educates the public through its Permanent Collection of American art from the 19th century to the present day, changing exhibitions of…
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STEMspot is a hands-on STEM museum combined with a cozy café and co-working space in Lawrence, MA. Children can engage in interactive STEM activities while parents…
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The Museum of Printing preserves the rich history of print communication through immersive exhibits, social media, public programs, and an extensive library.
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Haverhill Firefighting Museum in Haverhill, MA houses an extensive collection of firefighting memorabilia, apparatus, and antique fire trucks that illustrate the…
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The National Black Doll Museum of History & Culture is a special place of past and present, struggle and success, art and reality…and wonder. No matter your color…
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Custom House Maritime Museum in Newburyport, Massachusetts features exhibitions and collections spanning Native American history, colonial settlement, the…
Established in 1865, the Massachusetts State Police is the oldest state police agency in the Nation. The Massachusetts State Police Museum and Learning Center…
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Where a card says no price or no hours listed, the venue does not publish it. We would rather leave the gap than fill it with a guess. Prices come from each venue's own website, and we publish one only when the figure appears on the page we took it from. Tell us if we are missing one you know.
Which one, by age
Two children three years apart do not have to be a compromise. The age line on every card shows what that venue serves.
Museum of Science, Boston
Best here for under 2, 1 miles out, listed ages 0–16 and admission from $8.
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum
Best here for two to five, 14 miles out, listed ages 3–16 and admission $12.
Concord Museum
Best here for six to nine, 16 miles out, listed ages 6–12 and admission $8.
Larz Anderson Auto Museum
Best here for ten and up, 5 miles out, listed ages 6–16 and admission $10.
Free museums & educational attractions in Boston
3 places on this page get you in free. That makes a short trip easy to justify on a day when nobody is sure how long they will last.
Harvard Art Museums
Free to get in and 3 miles out.
Lexington Arts & Crafts Society
Free to get in and 11 miles out.
Addison Gallery of American Art
Free to get in and 20 miles out.
By town
Most of these are not in Boston proper, and the town is usually what decides whether a place is worth the trip.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Boston
7 of them: Boston Athenaeum, Norma Jean Calderwood Gallery at the Boston Athenæum, Sloomoo MiniMoo – Boston, Museum of Science, Boston and Museum of Fine Arts, the closest 1 miles from the middle of Boston and 5 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Cambridge
2 of them: Harvard Art Museums and Harvard Museums of Science & Culture, the closest 3 miles from the middle of Boston and 2 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Lexington
2 of them: Scottish Rite Masonic Museum & Library and Lexington Arts & Crafts Society, the closest 10 miles from the middle of Boston and 1 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Concord
2 of them: Concord Museum and Concord Museum, the closest 16 miles from the middle of Boston and 2 with a published admission price.
Museums & Educational Attractions in Haverhill
2 of them: The Museum of Printing and Haverhill Firefighting Museum, the closest 29 miles from the middle of Boston and 1 with a published admission price.
Planning a visit
These run from 1 to 36 miles out from the middle of Boston. Hours move with the season and with school holidays, so check the listing before you set off. If you run one of the places on this page, you can claim it for free and keep its hours and prices right.
Before you go
Grip socks. Almost every venue requires them for children and several require them for adults. Most sell them at the door for a few dollars. Bringing your own is cheaper and means you are not buying a fourth pair.
Check whether adults pay. It runs from free to full price and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you.
Weekday mornings are the toddler rush. If you want space, aim for after two on a school day. Weekend mornings are the busiest hours of the week almost everywhere.
Ninety minutes is the realistic ceiling for most children under five. There is rarely a gradual wind down. Leaving with time left on the clock is not wasted money, it is a better afternoon.
Call ahead in school holidays. Several of these venues run camps and private events that close open play with no notice on the website.
Looking somewhere else in the metro? Browse every kid-friendly place in Boston.
Other things to do in Boston
Museums & Educational Attractions in nearby cities
Common questions about museums & educational attractions in Boston
How many museums & educational attractions are there in Boston?
We list 29 museums & educational attractions within 36 miles of Boston, MA. Every one is a published listing with an address we checked.
Which museums & educational attractions in Boston publish their prices?
18 of the 29 here do, and each price was checked word for word against the venue's own page before we published it. The rest do not publish one, so their card says no price listed rather than carrying a guess.
Are any museums & educational attractions in Boston free?
Yes. 3 places get you in free: Harvard Art Museums, Lexington Arts & Crafts Society and Addison Gallery of American Art.
Which museums & educational attractions in Boston suit a toddler?
2 of them list an age range starting at two or under. Check the age line on each card, because a place that suits a six-year-old does not always suit a two-year-old.
How did Mini Navigators choose these museums & educational attractions?
We list every one we have within 36 miles of the center of Boston. Each is a published place with an address we geocoded and checked, and the business can claim its listing to keep the hours and prices current.
Do adults have to pay?
It varies more than you would expect, from free to full price, and it changes the cost of a visit by a lot when there are two of you. The price on each card is what it costs to get a child in. Where a venue publishes an adult price it is on the listing, and where it does not we have left it out rather than assume.
Do I need to book ahead?
Usually not for open play, but several venues cap capacity at weekends and during school holidays, and some close open play entirely for private events. Where a venue has its own booking page, the listing links straight to it.
What should I bring?
Grip socks, a water bottle, a change of clothes for anyone under four, and a plan for leaving before the meltdown rather than after it.
What else is there to do with kids in Boston?
Boston has 11 categories of kid-friendly places on Mini Navigators, from playgrounds and museums to splash pads and zoos. The Boston hub lists all of them.
Listings last checked August 21, 2026.