Indoor Activities in Boston

Three floors of hands-on stuff for ages 0-10. Japanese House, construction zone, Art Studio, water play. Under 12 months free. Closed Tuesdays.

Four-story Giant Ocean Tank with sea turtles, sharks, and rays. Penguins, touch tanks, and whale watch cruises (seasonal, extra). Under 2 free. First and second Sundays of each month are discounted Boston Family Days.

700+ interactive exhibits, planetarium, Omni theater, live animals, and a Discovery Center for under-8s. Under 3 free. No timed-entry anymore, just pick a date when you buy.

Museum for Old Ironsides, the oldest warship still afloat. Kids try on sailor uniforms, load a cannon, scrub the deck. Pay-what-you-wish. The actual ship next door is free to board.

Copley Square library with an entire Children's Library on the second floor. Free storytimes, crafts, STEM activities. ToddleTown (ages 3-5), StoryScape dress-up, a sensory wall for sensory needs, and therapy dog programs. All free.

Rides, 4D cinema, building workshops, and a MINILAND Boston made from millions of bricks. Ages 3-10. Book online, it's way cheaper than walk-up. Orange Line to Assembly Row.

WWII-style amphibious vehicles drive past landmarks on land, then splash into the Charles River. Departs from Museum of Science, Prudential, and Aquarium every 30 minutes. Rain or shine. April through late November.

Nature museum at the base of Blue Hills with live owls, snakes, and turtles, plus easy trails for little hikers. Outdoor exhibits open daily. 10 miles south of downtown. Good half-day trip when you need actual nature.

You walk across a glass bridge inside a three-story stained-glass globe from 1935. 608 colored glass panels. Whisper at one end, hear it clearly at the other. The map shows 1935 borders so kids can spot what changed. No photos inside. Takes 20 minutes. Adjacent church tour is free.

One of the last dedicated puppet theaters in the country. Professional shows for kids on weekends at 10:30am and 1pm, plus holiday Mondays. Small venue, shows sell out, book ahead. Summer shows are free or pay-what-you-can. WIC/EBT/MassHealth: $3.

Free volunteer-run museum in an 1891 firehouse. Antique fire engines, old uniforms, helmets, hose reels. 30-minute visit, just right for fire-truck-obsessed toddlers. Saturdays only. Donations appreciated.

4,300 handmade glass flowers from the 1890s that look completely real. Also dinosaur skeletons, minerals, meteorites, taxidermy. Ticket includes the Peabody Museum. MA residents: free Sundays 9am-noon and Wednesdays 3-5pm. $20 adults, $15 youth, under 3 free. EBT/WIC free.

Professional theater with kids productions on select weekends. Recent shows: Charlotte's Web, The Little Mermaid. 170 seats, so every seat is close. Kids' tickets $20-25. 10 miles north of Boston.

Home to the BSO since 1900. One of the first halls designed using acoustic science, and it shows. BSO season is October-April, Boston Pops in spring/summer. Rush seats $30, prime orchestra $150+.

1,200-seat theater from 1914. Stand-up comedy, live music, special events. Chappelle, Mulaney, and everyone in between have played here. Most comedy tickets $30-80, bigger names $60-150+.

Improv and sketch comedy in the North End. Mainstage show is 90 minutes of scripted sketches mixed with audience improv. College students: $20 with ID at the box office day-of. Regular tickets $48-71. Thu-Sun, late shows on weekends.

500,000+ works from ancient Egyptian to contemporary. The Art of the Americas wing, Japanese garden, and Impressionist galleries are the highlights. Adults $30, ages 7-17 $14, under 6 free. Third Thursdays after 5pm are pay-what-you-wish ($5 min).

Contemporary art museum cantilevered over Boston Harbor in the Seaport. Rotating exhibitions, performance art, film screenings. Adults $20, students $15, under 18 free. Free every Thursday 5-9pm (reserve ahead). The harbor-view cafe is genuinely good.

300-seat comedy club in the Westin Hotel lobby in the Seaport. National touring comedians on weekends, local showcases midweek. Tickets $20-45. Full bar. Group rates for 20+.

5,000-capacity venue right next to Fenway Park, opened 2022. Rock, pop, hip-hop, electronic. Good sightlines from most spots. Tickets $40-120. On Lansdowne Street, so bars and restaurants are steps away.

933-capacity rock club on Comm Ave since 1977. U2, The Police, and Radiohead all played early shows here. Indie, punk, electronic, hip-hop. Standing room with a balcony. Tickets $20-50.

Irish pub next to Fenway with comedy on Wednesday and Friday nights. Local and touring comics, $10-20 cover. Cheapest comedy in the Fenway area. Also a solid pre-game spot with food and live music on other nights.

2,500-capacity venue on Lansdowne Street. National touring acts, all genres. It's a chain, but the Southern decor gives it character and the Sunday gospel brunch is legit. Tickets $30-80. Standing floor, seated balcony. Restaurant and bar open pre-show.

Comedy nights at a cafe near BU. Stand-up, roasts, open mic. $5-15 cover. Way more casual than the proper clubs. Popular with the college crowd. Check their social media for the weekly lineup.

Bowling, billiards, arcade games, full bar and restaurant near Fenway. $7-12 per person per game. Good group activity before or after a game. 21+ after 8pm on weekends.

Live jazz 365 days a year since 1947. Tiny room on Mass Ave, standing room only, packed with Berklee students playing alongside pros. No cover. Under-21 welcome until about 9pm. Cash bar only.

200-seat jazz club inside the DoubleTree near Harvard Stadium. National and international jazz, blues, and world music acts. Shows Fri-Sat at 8pm. Tickets $27-60. Validated parking $20.

Stand-up since 1977 in the Theater District. Shows Fri-Sat at 7:30pm. Tickets $20-30, cheaper than the bigger clubs. Seinfeld, Denis Leary, and Steven Wright have all been through here.

Venetian palazzo from 1903. Gardner's will says nothing can be moved, and they haven't. The interior courtyard alone is worth $20. Empty frames still hang where 13 works were stolen in 1990 (the FBI case is still open). Under 18 free. Free first Thursdays 3-9pm. Named Isabella? Also free.

4,300 handmade glass flowers from the 1890s that look completely real. Also minerals, meteorites, and zoological specimens. Ticket includes the connected Peabody Museum. MA residents: free Sundays 9am-noon and Wednesdays 3-5pm. $20 adults, $15 youth. EBT/WIC cardholders free with up to 5 guests.

Restaurant in the South End's Boston Center for the Arts with live jazz, blues, and funk seven nights a week. No cover. The food is actually good (not just bar food), and weekend brunch has live music too. Subterranean space with an eclectic, art-filled vibe.

525-capacity room in Harvard Square. Same owners as Eastern Standard and Island Creek Oyster Bar, so the food is better than it has any right to be at a music venue. Two levels, good sightlines. Indie, electronic, hip-hop, folk. Tickets $15-45. All ages most shows.

Music venue near TD Garden with an in-house winery. Live music, comedy, podcasts, cultural events. You sit at a table with full dinner and wine service during the show. Tickets $20-60. Solid date night.

3,500-seat 1925 movie palace turned Broadway and concert venue. Gilded details, marble staircases, grand chandelier. The building alone is worth seeing. Touring Broadway, concerts, comedy, dance. Shubert Theatre is next door (same complex). Tickets $40-150.

3,500-capacity room opened 2021 in Boston Landing. Run by Bowery Presents. Fills the gap between club shows and arena tours with a great sound system and no bad sightlines. Indie, rock, hip-hop, electronic. Tickets $30-80. Near Boston Landing commuter rail.

Nonprofit art house cinema in Harvard Square since 1953. Single screen, 226 seats. Independent, foreign, and repertory films. Famous for the annual Casablanca marathon. One of the last real independent cinemas around. $14-16. Student discounts.