Are you looking for things to do in Massachusetts with kids?
There are so many fun family-friendly activities in Massachusetts, and we want to help you find the best ones! From exploring history at Plymouth Rock to seeing fall foliage at Mt. Greylock State Park, there’s something for everyone. We also have some fantastic outdoor adventures that will get you up close and personal with this beautiful state. And if that isn't enough, we've got lovely beaches too!
If you're planning a trip here soon, check out our article about all these fantastic places your family will love visiting together. It'll give you many ideas for what to see and do while you're here!
Learn about the Pilgrims in Plymouth
A mere 40 miles from the city of Boston, Plymouth is a great weekend getaway in Massachusetts. If you visit Plymouth, you can also easily extend into a longer period as the beginning of Cape Cod which is a mere further 20 miles onwards. It's a good option for combining a history tour with a beach vacation for families.
Plymouth is full of history that you and your kids will have learned in history. Visit Pilgrim Memorial State Park which lies along the harbor. Not only is there is a full-size replica of the Mayflower that the Pilgrims took to the USA in 1620, but Plymouth Rock where according to tradition, the Pilgrims descended onto American soil to begin their new life.
The town of Plymouth is a charming New England small town. In the town, the Pilgrim Hall Museum has a large collection of original Pilgrim possessions including bibles and furniture. It also shows how the Native Americans (the Wampanoag) lived for thousands of years in the area before the English settlers arrived.
A short drive away, Plimoth Plantation is a terrific introduction to the way of life of the Pilgrims as well as the Native Americans they encountered. Plimouth Patuxet Plantation is a living history museum with costumed interpreters and hands-on activities for kids all set in a 17th century recreation of a Pilgrim village and a Wampanoag community.
The Town Wharf area has lots of family-friendly casual seafood restaurants, such as Woods Seafood. They have great views and lots of fried seafood, as well as children's options.
Nantucket is an island made for families. Just 30 miles south of Cape Cod, it’s a world apart from the rest of Massachusetts, if not the rest of the world.
In its heyday, Nantucket was the capital of the whaling world and whaling captains were the astronauts of their time. Wealth poured into the small land between lighthouses and sandy shores - and then it didn’t. The whaling industry collapsed as the railroads and gold rush took place and Nantucket froze in time.
The result is a place with century architecture, houses in cream and slate gray with low ceilings and high doses of character.
Cars are few and far between on this island and most visitors are advised to leave theirs at home. Families cycle and walk, swim and lounge between the sand, the sea and the shop fronts, toasting smores over campfires and retracing the footsteps of Nantucket’s maritime past.
When looking for things to do in Nantucket, families will end up spoilt for choice. Youngsters can enjoy roaming the shores in the salty breeze, while school age kids can check out the shipwreck museum and the oldest mill in the US. The island is safe enough for teens to spread their wings a bit and cycle across the island to the Nrthern tip - and everyone can enjoy smores, right?!
If you’re in the Berkshires, a visit to Mount Greylock in the town of Adams is a must-do, even with kids of all ages. The 1,200-acre state park features the highest peak in Massachusetts, historic buildings, a visitor’s center, and 19 hiking trails.
Whether you’re looking for a day full of hiking with teens or an easy nature walk with toddlers, Mount Greylock has options for all ages and abilities. Start, or end your day at The Summit, where on a clear day, you can see the Green Mountains, Adirondacks, the Catskills, and even the White Mountains of New Hampshire from the various lookout points. If you’ve dreamed of stepping foot on the Appalachian Trail, you can cross that off your bucket list at Mount Greylock.
Open from dusk to dawn, from May to November; there’s enough to explore that you could spend the whole day here. Come prepared with food and drinks as there are limited food service options. Grab one of the picnic tables for lunch (or dinner) with a view!
You can enter the park two ways. From the South, take Rockwell Road, and from the North, take Notch Road. Ground yourself with a stop at the Visitor’s Center off Rockwell Road, where you can also learn about ranger-led activities in the park. For those with mobility challenges, you can enjoy the scenery from your car, as well as vista views from various parking lots at the Summit.
The small town is known as the "City of Witches" because it is the place where the famous Salem Witch Trials happened all those years ago.
Today, Salem makes for a very enjoyable visit, especially in Fall. The town is a super famous Halloween destination and, during that season, holds many festivals, costume contests, and more.
Kids will have a blast visiting attractions such as The Salem Witch Museum, the Salem Witch Village, or even going on a mysterious ghost tour at night. You can read about the best tours to take in Salem here.
Other exciting activities that kids love are taking pictures with the Bewitched Statue of Elizabeth Montgomery and visiting Count Orlok's Nightmare Gallery. This museum holds real-sized statues of the most famous characters of horror and sci-fi movies.
Some great restaurants to visit while in town are the Ugly Mug Café - where they serve beverages in "ugly" mugs donated by customers - or the Gulu-Gulu Café, which serves a heavenly brownie.
Boston is one of the best places to visit in Massachusetts with kids. Boston is an easy walking city - most of the historical sites, amazing restaurants, and cool shopping areas are just minutes away from each other. There are also lots of parks and playgrounds almost everywhere you go. In addition, you can take cool boat tours from the waterfront.
Boston is also a foodie town. You could spend days walking and eating. Head to Georgetown Cupcake for a delicious cupcake. Each day they offer one secret flavor for a free cupcake while supplies last. Georgetown Cupcake is also near amazing shopping and the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile easy walk through downtown Boston. It connects 16 nationally significant historic sites about the history of the USA. After that, go to Little Italy for some terrific pasta and a cannoli from Mike’s Pastry, the most famous cannoli place in the northeast. The flavors are mind boggling.If you would prefer an organized food tour, then consider the Boston Secret Food Tour. This tour takes you all over Boston, giving you a little bit of history, but more importantly, the opportunity to try a lot of amazing food. From lobster rolls to pasta to honey, your kids will love the surprises along the way.
If your kids are a little older, you can also take them to see an Improv show at Improv Asylum, also in Little Italy. The early shows are family-friendly, and they offer a lot of laughs.
For the ultimate bucket list beachy summer getaway, head to Cape Cod and the quaint village of Hyannis. Known as the vacation home of the presidential Kennedy family, Hyannis will impress every adventurer in your family, too. The best part? Hyannis is only a one hour and fifteen minute bus ride from Boston making it perfect for a weekend getaway or even an ambitious day trip.
Hyannis’ old-fashioned Main Street is a charming place to stroll and shop, but your kids might be more excited about the ice cream options scattered between restaurants, galleries, and shops. You can’t go wrong with Katie’s Homemade Ice Cream and its wide variety of flavors.
Hearth ‘n Kettle is a local chain of family-friendly restaurants featuring New England classics, and the Hyannis location is located right outside of Cape Codder Water Park. Enjoy some fresh seafood and be prepared to hit the water slides after you digest!
Of course, no trip to the Cape is complete without a beach day. For a low-key spot ideal for young kids, try Keyes Beach. The surf stays calm, and you’ll be able to sit back and relax thanks to the lifeguards on duty.
For even more exciting fun on the water, surprise the little ones with an interactive pirate adventure aboard the Sea Gypsy. This playful summer attraction sails through Hyannis Harbor while your kids build swashbuckling memories!
Hyannis clearly has all the ingredients for a remarkable family vacation. End your visit with a family photo at Kalmus Park Beach, then watch the sunset paint the Nantucket Sound.
Cranberries grow on low vines and the most common way to harvest them is to flood the fields they grow in, then shake the vines so that the ripe cranberries float to the surface. The result is a flooded field covered in bright red berries. It’s incredibly picturesque, but it’s also fascinating to learn about and see the harvest in action. A large vacuum pipe is then put in the water and the water and fruit are sucked up and into the back of a waiting truck. The water flows back into the field and voila, cranberries are harvested
This makes a great day out for the whole family. Several farms have cranberry bog tours, including Cape Cod Cranberry Bog Tour. Some like Bensons Pond even give you the opportunity to don waders and be a cranberry farmer for an hour or so, helping scoop the floating fruit into the nearby vacuum hose. This is not suitable for young children, but they can wait safely on the shore of the cranberry bog while their older sibling and/ or parent give cranberry farming a go. They also have a farm-to-table dining experience, where the whole family can have dinner on the farm after seeing the harvest.
Several farms also have cranberries for sale and some like Cranberry Bog Tours give kids a chance to visit with the farm animals.
Sturbridge is a great place to visit with your family, especially if you have a history lover in the bunch.
You will want to take a tour of Old Sturbridge Village . This collection of restored historic buildings includes more than 30 exhibits featuring 19th-century shops, homes, farms and businesses set on 62 acres of open land. You'll get oriented with costumed guides, fun exhibits and lots of hands on learning for kids all the way to adults.
If you are visiting in the fall there is fabulous apple picking nearby at Hyland Orchard. Plus, some of my family’s favorite BBQ is here- BT’s Smoke House is a little tiny place that is huge on flavor, and we never fail to stop on the way .
If you visit in December, you can visit Sturbridge Village all dressed up for Christmas, complete with a horse-drawn wagon and Saint Nicholas himself!
Visit your favorite authors in Concord, Massachusetts
If you are a literature lover you need to run to Concord, Massachusetts. This small town was the home of many famous writers and poets, including Louisa May Alcott (author of Little Women), Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau and H.D. Thoreau (author of Walden). The area is full of literary history and you can visit the homes where these great American authors lived!
There are several ways to quickly experience this amazing literary heritage in Concord. One way is to walk around Concord's historic center on foot or by bicycle. Or you can visit the homes of each of the authors and learn more about them.
Your kids will love visiting The Old North Bridge, where the "shot heard round the world" was fired. There is tons of room to run and explore while learning about history.
Get Wild at Six Flags
Six Flags in Agawam is 30 minutes away, and Boston is an hour by train. Your kids will love one of the biggest amusement parks in the Northeast. They offer all kinds of rides for most ages.
Their kiddie land is on the smaller side, but if you have older kids and teenagers this is a fabulous place to spend the day.
If you are visiting New England in the fall, check out the Six Flags Fright Fest! Park admission is separate but will give you access to special themed haunted mazes and some fun shows like Elvira Mistress of the Dark. It's a great time for everyone!
In Stockbridge, you have a wide range of things to see and do. The town is set in the heart of the Berkshires and is New England beauty at its best. The main attractions for families are the Norman Rockwell Museum and the Berkshire Botanical Gardens.
The Norman Rockwell Museum has lots of interesting art and information that kids will love. From the illustrations you loved as a child to behind-the-scenes tours that show how artists create their works, this museum has something special for everyone. Even if your kids normally balk at the idea of a museum they will love this one.
The Berkshire Botanical garden is nearby and though not large, it is beautifully manicured and maintained.
Explore under the sea at the New England Aquarium
The New England Aquarium is a great place to explore the underwater world of the Atlantic coast. You'll see shark, sea turtles and colorful fish that are found off our shores.
It's also a great place to learn about conservation efforts that are protecting wildlife both in our oceans and along our coasts. There are fun things for kids to do among the exhibits, but make sure you take time to talk with your children about how they can help protect these beautiful creatures after you leave!
If you are looking for a day of animal fun then head to Stone Zoo in Stoneham, Massachusetts. This incredible place is home to many different types of animals from reptiles to birds and primates. You can even go into the indoor rainforest and see frogs, parrots and more.
Stone zoo offers all kinds of educational events throughout the year, so check to see what is going on before you do your trip planning.
It doesn't stop there, though. Your family can explore all kinds of exhibits at Stone Zoo, including many different types of reptiles (like snapping turtles) and fascinating mammals like meerkats and baby baboons and so much more! If you love nature, this is one amazing place to spend the day.
The zoo is open 365 days a year, so it's easy to find time for fun. They offer memberships, which are an excellent value if you live in the area or plan on visiting often.
Visitors will appreciate all of the information that is posted along walkways and around exhibits to help younger children understand what they are seeing. Please note that parts of the zoo do close on some winter days, but there is still plenty to see no matter what time of year you visit!
Visit Springfield Science Museum
The Springfield Museum of Science has so much to see! This interactive museum is a great place to learn about science while playing.
You'll be amazed by what you can do here, from exploring the human body to building some fun machines that are powered by air pressure, water or even steam. It's one of our favorite places to visit when we are in this area.
Spark Lab is a great place to get little minds to think bigger. This hands on spot allows kids to work on inventions and solutions to real world problems.
The Dr. Seuss sculpture Garden is a favorite for kids as well. They can see the characters of the stories larger than life.
There are also special events like the week-long annual AirFest (where kids get to try out all kinds of real planes), plus they have lots of programs for homeschoolers throughout the year.
With over 300 miles of coastline Massachusetts has plenty of beaches for everyone! Some popular spots include Crane Beach in Ipswitch and Sandy Point State Reservation in Newburyport. At Sandy Point you can even camp on the beach and watch the sun set over the water every night if you like!
If you want to beach all week then head to Cape Cod and visit the white sand beaches and beautiful tranquility that only the Cape seems to have. There are dozens of amazing beaches here and tons to do when you are done with the salt and sand for the day.
The Bridge of Flowers is located in the Berkshires in Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts and is a fun and unique thing to do in Massachusetts with kids.
The bridge is lined with flowers that are native to New England and is well maintained by an army of volunteers. It is such a delight to the senses to stroll on the bridge while smelling the aroma of dozens of flowers. You will want to go lots of different times of year because the bridge is always changing!
I don’t think there is prettier foliage than in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts. Take a beautiful drive along route 7 and go through Pittsfield and Great Barrington. You will see some of the most stunning vistas ever! (If you keep going into Northern Connecticut, it is even more spectacular!)
I hope this helps you plan your trip to Massachusetts. This fabulous state is one you must visit! I hope you enjoyed 17 Things to do in Massachusetts with your kids. Please look around and see what else I can help you plan!
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