Boston Children's Museum
4.7(6,072)4.7 out of 5 stars, 6072 reviews Boston, MA
About Boston Children's Museum
Boston Children's Museum offers a highly engaging, hands-on, and immersive learning-through-play experience, particularly excelling in providing indoor activities for cold weather. It features a diverse range of exhibits focusing on STEAM concepts, cultural diversity, and foundational skills, with a notable dedication to specific age groups like toddlers.
What parents should know
Summarized from real visitor reviews.
Best for: Indoor/cold weather family fun in Boston.Engaging educational playdates for toddlers during weekdays.Families looking for hands-on STEAM and cultural learning experiences.Sunday afternoons if seeking a heavily discounted admission ($1/ticket option).Toddlers: Excellent with a dedicated, quieter space featuring size-appropriate toys and capacity limits.
Why families love it
- Dedicated toddler-specific play space that is quieter, has size-appropriate toys, and a maximum capacity, ideal for weekdays.
- Wonderful mainstay zones designed to teach math, spatial, kinesthetic, and social foundations.
- Rotating exhibits, such as a winter carnival space with a 'skating surface' and build-your-own ice house.
- Brand new Daniel Tiger play space.
- Emphasis on hands-on interaction, including climbing structures, water play areas, and art stations.
- Exhibits effectively incorporate STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) concepts (e.g., construction zone, art studio).
Insider tips
- Consider purchasing a membership if you plan to visit frequently, as members find it 'worth every cent'.
- For quieter visits, especially with toddlers, aim for weekdays to utilize the dedicated toddler space.
- Check opening hours carefully; the museum is closed on most Mondays and Tuesdays.
- Look for discounted admission on their website, specifically the '$1 per ticket on Sunday afternoon' by scrolling down during online ticket purchase.
- If you have young girls, be prepared for potential difficulties finding a private family changing room.
Good to know before you go
- Weekends and holiday times if you prefer a less crowded and chaotic experience.
- Mondays and Tuesdays due to museum closures.
- If you are sensitive to high admission prices and do not plan on utilizing membership benefits or specific discounts.
- If requiring guaranteed private family changing facilities (review suggests this is an issue).
- Admission price is perceived as high, with adults and young children (3-4 years old) charged the same rate.
- Crowds
- Gets very busy during weekends and holiday times, which can feel chaotic for parents.
- Value
- Regular admission is perceived as high ($66 for 1 adult, 2 kids aged 3 & 4), with adults charged the same as young children. There is a strong sentiment that adults should not be charged or should have a reduced rate (e.g., $10). However, museum membership is considered 'worth every cent' by members. A significant discount of '$1 per ticket' is available for Sunday afternoons by purchasing tickets online and scrolling down.
- Food
- Not explicitly mentioned in reviews, but no specific food policies were highlighted.
- Accessibility
- Lack of easily locatable or sufficient family changing rooms, forcing a parent to use a gendered restroom (men's room) for changing girls, raising privacy and convenience concerns.
- Safety
- Staff described as extremely helpful and nice, implying good supervision.
What parents say
"What bothered me the most was charging a 3 and 4 year old the same as an adult. At a minimum, the adults should NOT be charged since they aren’t using the exhibits, they’re there to monitor that their children don’t get hurt or are not harmed by some sick weirdo. If you are going to charge the adults, I think $10 is reasonable. Cost me $66 and I think it was overpriced. I was traveling with two girls, and I couldn’t family a family room to change the girls. If they had one, I certainly couldn’t find it. I had to use the boy’s room and have men coming in as I acted like a shield to protect"
a month ago
"We’re members of the Museum and it’s worth every cent. BCM provides wonderful indoor/cold weather fun, which is rare in Boston. With some wonderful mainstay zones to teach math, spatial, kinesthetic, and social foundations, there’s also rotating exhibits like a winter carnival space with “skating surface” and build your own ice house. There’s a brand new Daniel Tiger play space that is sure to be wildly popular. It gets busy during weekends and holiday times, and also is closed on most Mondays and Tuesday’s. Be aware of opening hours. When it’s packed, just know it’ll feel very chaotic for par"
3 months ago
"I love bring my daughter here at afternoon on Sunday JUST 1 $ per ticket on their website ( scroll down when you purchase ticket online) A lot of areas for little kid to explore! My daughter always spends here 2 hours then we go out to the park and have lunch"
a month ago
Reviews sourced from public Google data.
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