Make your big family’s vacation budget go further with these free activities in Boston.
Boston Common – oldest US City park dating back to 1634
Boston Harbor Islands National Park – 34 islands of fun. Visit a Civil War-era fort, check out historic lighthouses, explore tide pools, hike, fish, swim, and more. Youth programs, visitor services, research, wildlife management, and more are coordinated by the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership.
Boston Harborwalk – public walkway that follows the edge of piers, wharves, beaches and shoreline around Boston Harbor.
Boston Public Library Tours – public tours highlighting the architecture of Charles Follen McKim and Philip Johnson, as well as the many works of famed sculptors and painters. The free tours last about an hour and are given by volunteer guides
Bunker Hill Monument – this 221-foot granite obelisk marks the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution. The battle is popularly known as “The Battle of Bunker Hill” and for the order “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes!”
Busch-Reisinger Museum – the only museum in North America dedicated to the study of art from the German-speaking countries of central and northern Europe in all media and in all periods
Commonwealth Museum – learn about Massachusetts’ history and its people
Fogg Museum – Harvard’s oldest art museum, opening in 1895
Historic Beacon Hill – one of Boston’s oldest neighborhoods with narrow cobblestone streets and brick walkways.
Institute of Contemporary Art – free for all every Thursday from 5 to 9 pm during ICA Free Thursday Nights, free for families (up to 2 adults accompanied by children 12 and under) on the last Saturday of each month (except December)
Lexington Battle Green – site of the opening shots of the American Revolution in 1775 during the Battle of Lexington
Massachusetts State House – state capitol and house of government of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Quincy Market/ Faneuil Hall Marketplace – four great places in one – Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, North Market and South Market. Shop, eat, and take in the local street performers.
The Black Heritage Trail – walking tour encompassing the largest collection of historic sites in the country relating to the life of a free African American community prior to the Civil War.
The Boston Freedom Trail – red path through downtown Boston, Massachusetts, that leads to 17 significant historic sites
The Irish Heritage Trail – a guide to landmarks of Irish-American artists and heroes from the 1700s to the present in Massachusetts
USS Constitution – the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat, n the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat.
