Free and Reduced Museum Times

I put this together for students whom I teach, but it's a quick guide for some local museums:

                                  Exploring Museums

Boston Children’s Museum

http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/ 

Fridays, 5pm – 9pm   $1 admission

308 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210
617.426.6500

From Downtown Crossing: The MBTA #7 bus stops in the Downtown Crossing area at Summer and Otis Streets and at South Station (See walking directions from South Station to the Museum). The bus will indicate that the destination is City Point.

Isabella Stewart Gardener Museum

http://www.gardnermuseum.org/home 

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 Evans Way (not gps address)
Boston, MA 02115

18 and under – Free

Take the Green Line E train to the Museum of Fine Arts stop, or the Orange Line train to the Ruggles stop

Harvard Art Museum(s)

http://www.harvardartmuseums.org/ 

32 Quincy St, Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 495-9400

Saturdays 10- 12pm- Free (under 18 always free)

5 minute walk from Harvard stop red line

Museum of Fine Art

http://www.mfa.org/ 

465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
(617) 267-9300

Wednesdays 4 pm- 9:45 pm pay what you wish

Take the Green Line E train to the Museum of Fine Arts stop, or the Orange Line train to the Ruggles stop

 MIT Museum

http://web.mit.edu/museum/ 

465 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115
(617) 267-9300

Last Saturday of every month- Free (except July and August) The MIT Museum is a 7-minute walk from the Central Square stop on the Red Line.
The # 1 bus stops on Massachusetts Avenue a few blocks from the MIT Museum.

deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

http://www.decordova.org/
First Wednesday of each month is free

51 Sandy Pond Road
Lincoln, MA 01773

781.259.8355

Funtown Splashtown USA

Funtown Splashtown USA is about an hour and a half from the city of Boston, in Saco, Maine, just off of 95 and is a good sized amusement park for children.  It is another, bigger option to Canobie Lake.  There are two sides to the park, identifiable by the bracelets one purchases upon entering.  (The entry fees are confusing, after speaking to two representatives and having friends have completely different experiences purchasing their bands, I couldn't explain it).  Splashtown houses about twenty water slides and pools for various heights and ages.  If you read the height requirements however, it will reduce the number of water slides and rides to a lot fewer available to a given group of people.  Funtown has rides for all sizes and at varying speeds also.  There are several "family" rides, such as antique cars on a track, kiddie rides including airplanes and bumper boats, and much faster rides, for older children or more daring folk.  Park hours begin sporadically in late May, and pick up in June.  The park closes again in September.  During the summer, the parks open at 10:00 on a daily basis and Splashtown closes at 6:00, Funtown at 9:00.

Food is available in the park, but you are also allowed to bring food in, just no glass containers.  There is some shopping and various other park activities, such as arcades and games.  Often during the week in the summer, camp groups will go, so weekends aren't that much busier comparatively.

A family of four would probably spend between $100-150 for a day at the park, with admission and purchasing food.  Children under 38 inches ride for free, so it is a good option for little ones!

Click here for link to FuntownSplashtown, USA

Museum of Science

One of Boston's best resources and venues is the Museum of Science in Cambridge.  The museum offers a wealth of information and exhibits, most of which are interactive.  It provides information and entertainment for primarily school age children through teenagers and adults, but also has a small area for the younger preschool/toddler age kids.  There are presentations that run everyday that are free after the admission fee is paid, as well as an Omni Show, which is an additional cost.  The presentations vary from animals to weather and the ever popular electricity show, but are all engaging and given by knowledgeable presenters.  Much of the museum staff are volunteers, many of whom have been there for years and know the museum inside and out.
Exhibits cover topics from optics, to health, force and motion, rocks and minerals, to local issues like the Big Dig.  There is a Butterfly Garden and Planetarium in addition to the other exhibits.  The museum has a cafeteria and a gift shop.  During the school year the museum is often overrun with field trips, so moving through it with younger kids can be tricky.  The is enough space and if it you time it correctly you can work around the large groups.

The museum is also located on the Charles River and is convenient by public transportation or the highway.  It can be rented out as a venue for private events also, and if you are an educator, offers a discount and has an educator's library. 

Museum of Science