The New England Aquarium and Boston Children’s Museum

Both The New England Aquarium and the Boston Children’s Museum are perfect half-day activities, especially if the day in question is as cold and rainy as ours was! We decided to spend one afternoon at each, and could have easily spent more time!

rays and sharks

My nephew and niece joined us for our time in Boston, so we had kids aged 8 months to 12 years touring both attractions. We loved the aquarium because it was comprehensive without being overwhelmingly large; only a few signature exhibits dominated, allowing plenty of time to explore the additional dozens of smaller tanks and displays. The aquarium is famous for their penguin habitat, but the highlight for our family was the hands-on sting ray and shark petting tank. This feature gets crowded, but the staff does a good job of monitoring the number of visitors at any one time; all our kids got plenty of chances to touch the marine animals.

At the Boston Children’s Museum, kids enter to see a three-story rope and plank climbing structure twisting its way toward the ceiling, and from there, they hit the ground running. In addition to the New Balance Climb, our older kids spent the most time at the Kid Power exhibits (aimed at kids age 8-12) where they played games of dodgeball on a computer-powered light-up floor, lifted themselves upward by their own power on pulleys and levers, played basketball on funky courts, and challenged themselves on climbing walls.

childrens-museum

The younger members of our group (8 months old, two years old, and five years old respectively) loved the Construction Zone with working mechanisms, building toys, and structural bridges, the community area complete with corner market and barber shop, and the infant play space.

Tip: If you have fair weather, you may want to pair the aquarium with a whale watch (which departs right from the entrance)!

Hours: The aquarium is open 9 am to 5 pm, and the museum is open 10 am to 5 pm, weekdays. On Friday evenings, the museum offers extended hours and discounted prices, and is only $1 from 6 pm to 9 pm!

Admission: Admission to the aquarium is $22 for adults and $15 for kids. The children’s museum is $12 per person (adults and children). If you hold a children’s museum membership card to any museum, be sure to present it! We were given free admission for two adults and two children thanks to our ScienceWorks card from Oregon. Both attractions are also available for discount through Smart Destinations’ using their Go Card USA: Discount Attraction Passes, or with CityPASS (see below for a deal).

Save up to 43% on Boston’s 5 best attractions with CityPASS. Shop Now!

Websites: www.neaq.com and www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org

Directions: The aquarium and children’s museum are located within blocks of one another, on opposite sides of the bay. The aquarium is located at 1 Central Wharf (there’s an easy T stop directly to its door), and the children’s museum is located at 308 Congress Street (right over the Congress Street or Seaport Blvd. bridges).



Best Beach Towns: What to do with kids in Nantucket, MA

Beachside vacation living on Nantucket, MA

It’s no secret that Nantucket, Massachusetts is a destination beach town for families. It’s been listed in the same breath as Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Cod as a premiere summer playground for decades. We were lucky enough to see this idyllic island getaway from a local’s perspective, and suggest the following activities, beaches, and shops for families visiting with kids (some may surprise you!):

Where to Play: If you’re visiting with young kids, everyone on-island will point you in the direction of Children’s Beach, located at the end of Harbor View Way, and for good reason. Protected by the harbor, the water is calm and lends itself to easy wading, splashing, and sand castle building. Plus, it boasts a great playground right on the sand and is close to shops and restaurants. Also within walking distance from town, however, is Jetties Beach. With rolling sand dunes, a snack shack, another playground (they’re onto something here!), and both protected and unprotected surf, our kids felt there was more to explore (and loved walking the sandy boardwalk over to the shack for ice cream cones).

When you’re ready for a break from the beach, be sure to check out the Whaling Museum (13 Broad Street). There’s a staffed room just for young kids to try activities and games, and lots of interesting exhibits for the older set (some might be disturbing if you have a whale lover in your group).

Then if you really want to get off the beaten tourist path, head down Madaket Road just past the dump (yes, you read that right) to Turtle Pond. (With older kids, you can easily bicycle here from town.) Are there really turtles here? You bet. And they’re huge. Bring pieces of raw chicken (yes, you read that right, too) to dangle on string as bait, and they’ll rise to the surface to nibble. Needless to say, kids can’t get enough (but keep little fingers out of reach of turtle mouths!).

There are also many walking and home tours offered by the Nantucket Historical Association. Most won’t hold the interest of very young kids, with the exception of the church tower at the First Congregational Church (62 Centre Street). Kids can climb 94 stairs to the top of the tower, which affords beautiful views of the entire town (and most of the island).

Calvin and Nate ready to feed turtles at Turtle Pond.

 

Where to Shop: There’s lots of fun shopping in town, but if you want to keep kids interested, head to The Toy Boat (41 Straight Wharf) and buy a traditional wooden boat (they have everything else you can imagine, too) to sail on nearby Children’s Beach.  Then head to Bookworks (25 Broad Street) to pick out some titles about the island’s maritime history.

Where to Eat: We loved Cap’n Tobey’s Chowder House (20 Straight Wharf) for fast service and a kid-friendly atmosphere. Be sure to stop by The Juice Bar (12 Broad Street) during afternoon or after-dinner strolls through town; they have the best ice cream (and a great selection of Nantucket Nectar juices).

Where to Stay: As hotel prices can get crazy on Nantucket, we opted to stay in a home rental. Most are rented by the week, and there’s an abundance to choose from (reserve early and consider a fall getaway for reduced rates). Our favorite vacation home rental company with a nice selection on Nantucket: Home Away.

Looking for a West Coast beach town? Check out our Great Beach Towns article on Laguna Beach, CA and Bandon, OR!

The Dinosaur Place

Shaking hands with a predator (photo courtesy of The Dinosaur Place)

1650 Hartford-New London Turnpike
Oakdale, CT

This stop was submitted by Karin Burgess of Mystic Country. Thank you, Karin, for your support of Pit Stops for Kids!

Whether you’re visiting Mystic, CT as a family or just passing through on I-95, The Dinosaur Place makes for a great pit stop complete with educational activities, fun and games, the chance to stretch your legs, and food. Along their nature trails, spot 30 life-sized dinosaurs, then let the kids loose in the playground or splashpad (summer only). Kids can also dig for gems in a candle-lit mine, pan for gold, and play paleontologist (recommended for ages 5 and up)!

Extra Tip: Plan on spending several hours (and lightening your pocketbook a bit…although you can find discounts by packaging activities).

Distance off the interstate: 10 minutes off I-95.

Admission:

Outdoor Adventure: ages 2-59 $11.99 in off-season, $18.99 in summer (with splash-pad)
Indoor Adventure: separate admission for each indoor activity, such as jackpot mine ($10.99) and Bone Zone ($12.75).

Hours: Open daily.

Food Services: The Cobalt Cafe is located in the main building and offers pizza, sandwiches, wraps, etc. There’s also an ice cream shop and a snack shop. A picnic area is available.

Website: http://www.thedinosaurplace.com

Directions: From Mystic, CT: Take I-95 South to Exit 82, Route 85. Turn right onto 85. Travel about 6 miles. Dinosaur Crossing is on your left, see Monty, the T-rex!
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