How to Find Free Boston Area Events for Kids

If you live in the Boston area and you have kids, you may be interested in finding free events for your kids. There are some great resources in the Boston area to help you find fun for free or at a considerably reduced price.

Things You'll Need

• Access to the Internet
• A little perseverance

Instructions

Online Resources

1. Visit Boston Central online. This may be the best website to find family events to attend in the Boston area. You can sign up for a free newsletter from Boston Central, and you will receive via email a list of events for the upcoming week. There are also several resources on the site to find specific types of activities to do with your family, like visiting museums or going to fairs or festivals.

2. Check out museum websites. Many museums either have free admission for kids a certain age or times when admission is free. For example, the newly refurbished Boston Children's Museum has $1.00 admission on Friday nights.

3. Go to your local library or visit its website. Your local library often has many free events for your children or wonderful events at a much-reduced price. Free story hours or music hours as well as family concerts are common events at local libraries all over Massachusetts at any time of year.

Other Resources

1. Network with mothers. If you join a local mother's group, often mothers will share information about events in the area that are coming up. The group may also have a website that lists local event information.

2. Read parent-targeted magazines. In Massachusetts a couple of newspaper magazines that list events include "Bay State Parent" and "Parents and Kids."

3. Look at events calendars in the local paper. It's a great resource for what's going on around you and in neighboring communities. Many local events, like fairs, festivals and parades are free and offer your kids lots of entertainment without making much of a dent in your pocketbook.

4. Choose a new playground to go to every now and then. Even going to a different playground is fun for kids.

5. Schedule a play date. Of course, play dates are free and a great activity to plan with your kids. Whatever you do with your family this year, plan to spend some time together just having fun.

Tips & Warnings

• Some free events include free Friday flicks at the Hatch Shell, visiting the U.S.S. Constitution, Friday night stargazing at the Museum of Science, summer Family Summer Music Series at Fort Point Channel and free Boston Children's Theatre at Fort Warren, George's Island and Boston Harbor Island (summer-pay ferry cost).

• The Harvard University Museum of Natural History is free all year on Sunday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. September through May.

• Admission is free at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum for youths under age 18.

• Children under 6 are admitted free to the American Textile History Museum in Lowell and admission is free to the Peabody Essex Museum for youths 16 and under.

• You can often reserve museum passes through your local library throughout the year except for especially busy tourist seasons in Boston. These passes will either get you free admission to museums or get you admitted at a much-reduced rate.

• "Bay State Parent" and "Parents and Kids" can be picked up for free at various places, including community centers, day care centers and some kid-friendly stores.

Resources

• Boston Central is a great resource for finding kid-friendly events in the Boston area.