Children eleven and under ride the MBTA free, on the subway, bus and Commuter Rail. Boston Children's Museum charges 24 dollars for a child aged 1 to 15, the same as an adult, and is free only under 12 months. The Museum of Science and the New England Aquarium are both free for under-3s. The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum bans strollers outright.
What should we actually do in Boston with a toddler?
Boston Children's Museum is the one built for this exact age, and its PlaySpace is set aside for birth to three, but understand the pricing before you go: a one-year-old pays the same 24 dollars as you do. The Museum of Science is the best value at this age because under-threes are free and it lends strollers, which nowhere else does. And lean on the free outdoor half, because the Common, the Esplanade and the Arboretum cost nothing and let a two-year-old run.
The 14 things worth doing, easiest first
Ordered by how well each fits a toddler's day rather than by fame. At this age the three questions are whether the pushchair is allowed inside, whether there is somewhere safe to put a child down, and whether leaving after forty minutes wastes the ticket. That last one is why the free outdoor entries rank so high here.
The centre of Boston Common
Boston Common Frog Pond, the spray pool and carousel
A spray pool in summer and a carousel beside it, in the middle of the city's oldest park, with open lawn all around and paved paths throughout.
Easy on everyone1 to 2 hours, longer if the weather is goodWorks from walking age, and the spray pool is the best free thing here in summer- Cost
- The carousel is 4 dollars a ride. No admission price is published anywhere for the spray pool, which is free to use.
- Booking ahead
- None. The spray pool runs daily 11:00 to 18:00, weather permitting, so check the forecast rather than the calendar.
- If it rains
- If it rains: The Frog Pond Cafe on site, otherwise the Boston Public Library at Copley is a short walk.
The Esplanade, on the Back Bay side of the river
Stoneman Playground on the Charles River Esplanade
The Esplanade's toddler-specific playground, on a flat, paved, continuous riverside path that runs the length of the Back Bay.
Easy on everyone1 to 2 hours at any one stopStoneman's toddler side is the specific answer here, and it is worth knowing that the Esplanade's other playground is aimed at 5 to 12- Cost
- Free.
- Booking ahead
- None. The path is flat and step-free the whole way, which is the point of it.
- If it rains
- If it rains: The Museum of Science at the Science Park end of the path.
Jamaica Plain, on the Orange Line
Arnold Arboretum
Two hundred and eighty acres of Harvard's tree collection, open every day and free every day, with paved carriage roads a pushchair can actually use.
Easy on everyone1.5 to 3 hoursThe best running-around space in the whole city at this age, because it is enormous and there is nothing to break- Cost
- Free. In the operator's own words, open every day and free every day.
- Booking ahead
- None. The landscape is open sunrise to sunset.
- If it rains
- If it rains: The Visitor Center, open 10:00 to 16:00, and little else.
Science Park, on the dam between Boston and Cambridge
Museum of Science
The largest indoor day in the city, with exhibit halls, a planetarium and an Omni theatre, on the river between the two halves of the city.
A solid half day3 to 5 hours for the exhibit halls, far less with a toddlerDesigned wider than a toddler, and free under 3, which changes the arithmetic- Cost
- 33 dollars for an adult and 28 for a child aged 3 to 11 for the exhibit halls. Children under 3 are free.
- Booking ahead
- Re-entry is allowed on a hand stamp or your confirmation, which with a toddler matters more than it sounds. It is also the only venue here that lends strollers.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself the indoor answer, and the biggest one in Boston.
Fort Point Channel, on the waterfront
Boston Children's Museum and PlaySpace
The museum built for exactly this age, with PlaySpace set aside by the operator for birth to three, on the channel opposite the financial district.
Easy on everyone2.5 to 4 hoursPlaySpace is banded birth to three by the museum itself, which nowhere else here does- Cost
- 24 dollars for an adult and 24 dollars for a child aged 1 to 15, which is the same rate. Infants under 12 months are free.
- Booking ahead
- Note the stroller rule before you go: the operator publishes that stroller parking is limited and that some exhibits cannot accommodate them. Changing tables are in every restroom, which is the best provision in this research.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself the wet-weather answer for the whole waterfront.
Assembly Row, Somerville, on the Orange Line
LEGO Discovery Center Boston
An indoor LEGO attraction with a soft-play adventure zone, rebranded from the old LEGOLAND Discovery Center name that most guides still carry.
Easy on everyone2 to 3 hoursWorks from about 2 in the enclosed play zone, and better from 4 up- Cost
- Priced per person rather than by age, with an online discount running at the time of checking. Everyone pays the same rate.
- Booking ahead
- Book online for the discount. It is stroller friendly with family bathrooms and changing facilities, which it publishes plainly, and it has an unusual rule in the other direction: adults cannot visit without a child.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself indoor and entirely enclosed.
The lagoon in the Boston Public Garden
Public Garden Swan Boats
Pedal-powered swan boats that have run on the same lagoon since 1877, a fifteen-minute circuit under the willows and the little suspension bridge.
Easy on everyone30 to 45 minutes including the queueWorks from about 1, because it is short, slow and on water- Cost
- 4.75 dollars for an adult, 3.25 for a child aged 2 to 15, and free under 2.
- Booking ahead
- None, but check the season: the boats run from mid-April to early September only, and strollers may be folded aboard or left on the path.
- If it rains
- If it rains: None on site. The Boston Public Library at Copley is the nearest indoor option.
The Rose Kennedy Greenway, near Faneuil Hall
Greenway Carousel and the canal fountain
A carousel of local animals rather than horses, on a flat, paved, step-free park that runs the length of the old expressway, with a shallow canal fountain children walk through in summer.
Easy on everyone20 minutes for the carousel, an hour with the fountainsFrom walking age. The carousel has a supervision rule rather than an age bar- Cost
- 4 dollars a single ride, and free for the accompanying adult when a child needs one.
- Booking ahead
- None. The park is flat and step-free the whole way.
- If it rains
- If it rains: None on the Greenway. The New England Aquarium is at the far end.
Central Wharf, on the harbour
New England Aquarium
A four-storey ocean tank with a spiral ramp winding around it, plus a shark and ray touch tank, on the waterfront beside the Greenway.
Easy on everyone2 to 3 hours, or 90 minutes with a small childThe ramp and the tank work from about 18 months, and under-3s are free- Cost
- 39.95 dollars for an adult and 30.95 for a child aged 3 to 11. Children 2 and under are free.
- Booking ahead
- Read the stroller rule first: strollers are welcome in the aquarium but not everywhere in it, and the operator does not lend or rent them. Re-entry is allowed, and there are family restrooms near the Harbor View Cafe.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself indoor, and the Simons Theatre is the sit-down half of it.
Franklin Park, Dorchester
Franklin Park Zoo and the Children's Zoo
The city zoo, with a Children's Zoo, a Franklin Farm and a Nature's Neighborhoods area built for small children to move around in.
A solid half dayThe operator's own estimate is a half dayNature's Neighborhoods and Franklin Farm are the toddler half, and they are genuinely good- Cost
- No fixed price is published. The zoo uses plan-ahead pricing that varies by day, so check the date before budgeting.
- Booking ahead
- Book by date because of the variable pricing. Strollers can be brought or rented on site, and every public restroom has a changing station.
- If it rains
- If it rains: On site, the Tropical Forest and Bird's World are the covered options.
Seaport, on the harbour
Institute of Contemporary Art
A cantilevered gallery over the water in the Seaport, with a harbourwalk outside it and free entry for anyone under 18.
Easy on everyone1 to 1.5 hours with a small childA short visit rather than a day, and free for them, which is the point- Cost
- 20 dollars for an adult and free for everyone aged 18 and under.
- Booking ahead
- Check the day: it closes Mondays and opens late on some days. First Fridays are 21 and over, so avoid that slot.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself the wet-weather answer in the Seaport.
Charlestown Navy Yard
USS Constitution and its museum
The oldest commissioned warship afloat, with a separate museum beside it, in a navy yard with open ground a child can run in.
A solid half day2 to 3 hours for bothThe museum works from about 3, and the ship itself is better from 5- Cost
- The museum runs on a suggested donation rather than a fixed price, published in three tiers.
- Booking ahead
- Plan the pushchair: neither operator publishes a stroller policy, and a buggy will not go up a ship's ladder, so one adult stays below with it.
- If it rains
- If it rains: The museum is the indoor half of the visit.
Brookline Village
Puppet Showplace Theater
A dedicated puppet theatre running family shows, typically at 10:30 and 13:00, in a small room where a toddler is close to the stage.
Easy on everyoneAbout 90 minutes including getting in and outNo hard minimum is published for mainstage shows, and the format suits about 2 up- Cost
- Not published on the pages that render, because prices sit inside a per-show ticketing widget.
- Booking ahead
- Book the specific show. The house rules ask you to keep the aisles clear, so a pushchair goes in the lobby rather than beside your seat.
- If it rains
- If it rains: It is itself indoor, with Brookline Public Library nearby.
Congress Street, on the Fort Point Channel
Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum
A costumed tour aboard replica ships where visitors throw tea into the harbour, on the bridge between downtown and the children's museum.
A solid half day1 hour for the tourWorks from about 5. Below that the tour format is the problem rather than the content- Cost
- From 36 dollars general admission, with a child band published for ages 3 to 12 and under-2s free.
- Booking ahead
- Only book this with a toddler if one adult can stay outside, because the operator publishes a flat stroller ban on site and there is nowhere on the premises for a small child to move about.
- If it rains
- If it rains: Boston Children's Museum is on the other side of the same channel, two minutes away.
What parents ask about Boston
Do children ride the T free in Boston?
Yes, and further than most people expect. The MBTA publishes that children aged eleven and under ride free, and it states it in those words on the reduced fares page, the customers-who-ride-for-free page and elsewhere, which makes it one of the clearest transport rules in this research. It covers the subway, the buses and the Commuter Rail rather than just the T itself. An adult subway fare is 2.40 dollars, so a family of two adults and two small children pays 4.80 to cross the city. One gap worth knowing: the MBTA publishes no stroller-folding rule anywhere reachable, so there is no published requirement to fold.
Why does Boston Children's Museum charge for a one-year-old?
Because its free band stops at twelve months rather than at three or five, and it charges a flat rate above that. The operator's published price is 24 dollars for an adult and 24 dollars for a child aged 1 to 15, with infants under twelve months free. So a family of two adults and a two-year-old pays 72 dollars. That is worth knowing because the museum is genuinely built for this age and its PlaySpace is set aside for birth to three, and because twenty minutes away the Museum of Science and the New England Aquarium both let under-threes in for nothing.
Which Boston attractions allow strollers?
The picture is unusually mixed and worth checking per venue. The Museum of Science is the best, publishing no ban and actually lending strollers, which nowhere else in this research does. Franklin Park Zoo lets you bring your own or rent one on site. LEGO Discovery Center publishes that it is stroller friendly with family bathrooms. At the other end, the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum publishes a flat ban because of the nature of the site. Boston Children's Museum publishes that stroller parking is limited and some exhibits cannot take them, and the New England Aquarium welcomes them without lending any.
Getting around with children
Children eleven and under travel free on everything the MBTA runs, which removes most of the transport cost of a family week and covers the Commuter Rail as well as the subway. An adult one-way is 2.40 dollars with a CharlieCard, ticket, contactless payment or cash, and the reduced fare is 1.10. Commuter Rail is priced by distance in zones, published as a range from 2.40 to 13.25 dollars one way. The MBTA publishes no rule requiring a stroller to be folded, which is unusual and useful. Boston itself is small enough that the Common, the Public Garden, the Greenway and the waterfront are one continuous flat walk, and that route takes in the swan boats, both carousels and the aquarium without needing a train at all.
Where to base yourself in Boston
The Fort Point and Seaport side puts the Children's Museum, the Tea Party Ships and the Institute of Contemporary Art within a short flat walk of each other, with the Greenway and the aquarium just across the channel. That is the densest cluster for this age and it is level ground throughout, which matters more with a pushchair than proximity to the Common does.
- Free cancellation on most rooms
- No booking fee
- Prices on Trip.com
What to skip
Three things. The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum publishes a flat stroller ban on site, and there is nowhere on the premises for a small child to move about, so with a toddler it needs one adult outside or a different day entirely. Check the season on the swan boats, which run only from mid-April to early September, and the weather on the Frog Pond spray pool, which is daily 11:00 to 18:00 but weather permitting. And note the naming change that trips up older guides: the Somerville attraction is now LEGO Discovery Center Boston rather than LEGOLAND Discovery Center, it is open rather than closed for renovation as several listings still say, and it prices per person with no adult and child split.
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