Free Fridays

The Highland Street Foundation provides these activities during summer months. 

Click below for 2016 summer activities and sights:


Free Fridays

deCordova Museum and Sculpture Park

A great place to go with kids to expose them to art from an early age.  The sculpture park is perfect for your active little ones who want to run and discover and enjoy the outdoors.  The sculpture park encompasses about 35 acres of land and is surrounded by trees.  Some sculptures are interactive and some integrate into the natural surroundings.  The deCordova also can be accessed with a Minuteman Library pass so that admission is free.  Additionally, in the summer they host yoga sessions for both adults and children on the weekends, as well as artist talks, and sculpture garden tours.  The museum also has workshops and is home to a nursery school.  The interior of the museum is host to changing contemporary art exhibitions.
The grounds are perfect for picnicking and enjoying a full day of exploring.
One last family-friendly point is that the restrooms all have changing tables!

deCordova Link

Cape Cod Children's Museum

This children's museum is located in Mashpee, Cape Cod, near Falmouth.  It is housed in what seems to be a warehouse type space.  The museum is open for summer hours starting at 10 am.  It is host to exhibits that cater to the toddler set through mid elementary school, with areas like an interactive post office, kitchen/restaurant space, a submarine to explore, and a pirate ship to climb.  The museum is affordable at $7.00 per person (they start charging at 1 year old), but a visit probably won't last longer than a few hours.  The summer can get crowded, particularly on rainy days, when Cape visitors don't have a lot of other indoor choices for kids.  However, during the school year and winter months, Cape residents and visitors will find an open, fairly quiet facility.   Another drawback is the lack of an outdoor area, including not having a sitting area for outdoor snacks.  The museum staff are friendly and helpful and the exhibits range enough to provide experiences for varying ages.  They also host field trips and birthday parties.

Cape Cod Children's Museum

The Discovery Museum

  Love this Acton museum and this experience!  We go periodically and it's a great little place for toddlers.  There are two buildings here, one for younger kids (think 0-5ish) and one for older kids- Kindergartenish and up.  The younger children's building is in an old Victorian house, with each room being theme based.   From the train room, to water tables, an interactive "restaurant," kids are fully engaged in the hands on exhibits.  The outdoor space is great too, a sandbox, tricycle riding area, and a few picnic tables throughout.
The staff are very laid back about eating on the grounds and another great facet is they don't try to sell you anything- food, drinks, gifts... once you pay admission you're home free.
They're open 6 days a week, closed on Mondays, with a variety of events offered in the evenings and on weekends.

The museum is located at 177 Main St, Acton, MA, convenient to Route 2.

The Discovery Museum