$20 Dollar Days
Choose an Adventure
It's hard to find affordable family friendly options. These are some of our families favorite ways to spend a day that doesn't cost more than $20-ish bucks.
You should also follow along on IG: UrbanSuburbanKids where through the stories I'm sharing all the local events and activities from story times, travel ideas, local pop ups and more!
Charlestown
Depending on what you and your littles are up for, start your journey at either point. Parking will be easiest at a meter in the Navy Yard.
The new Thomas Menino Playground next to Spaulding Hospital is awesome, you can also watch the planes and boats travel by while you play. Then follow the harbor along Charlestown Naval Shipyard Park, where you can play at another playground, one with a splashpad. You can also checkout The Anchor, an open air lounge/beer garden with apps and drinks that frequently has live entertainment (music and movie nights). If you continue a long the harbor you’ll bump into the USS Constitution and Museum. The USS Constitution is free and open for public tours Tuesday through Sunday. The museum is operated separately, and charges $5-20per person. Check with your local library for discounted tickets. If you are still up for more walking, then head over to Paul Revere Park which sits along the banks of the Charles River and features a dog park, fenced playground and pretty cool views of the city and Zakim Bridge. Still want to keep walking? Follow the North Bank footbridge to North Point Park, you can watch the scateboarders, see the trains enter/exit north station, watch the duck boats on the river, have a picnic in the park or enjoy yet another playground and North Point Island park.. All in all from Menino Park to North Point is just over 1.3 miles.
South Boston
Head into South Boston, and travel out towards Castle Island. If you’re up for a decent walk, then park your car at the base of Pleasure Bay. Start off with a visit to Lago playground, play in the sand at the beach and watch the planes. On a windy day you’re bound to see some kite surfers in the bay. If you walk along the outside of the bay, you’ll get views of some of the Boston Harbor Island. This is a good place to bring a bike, while there is a decent amount of foot traffic, the ground is flat and easy to navigate. If you want to try your hand at fishing and have a pole you will find a few spots along the trail to Fort Independence where fisherman gather. Once you get out to the the Fort you can watch the ships enter/exit the Harbor, get an ice cream or lunch from Sullivans, have a picnic, play on the Castle Island playground, explore the Fort (tours are open to the public but check with the Castle Island Association regarding times and repairs), or just walk around the outside of the Fort among the many paved trails. From the flag pole and once around fort point it’s about 1.5 miles.
Check with the library regarding Discount Museum Tix
Beacon Hill
If you’re coming from outside the city, you can catch the commuter rail. Walk from North Station through the West End (follow the Thoreau Footpath) and cross into the esplanade through the foot bridge (Blossom St/Storrow). Once on the Esplanade you walk/bike a giant loop down to the Mass Ave Bridge, and back to North Station. If you plan ahead, you can stop the Hatch Shell for an event, Alfond Memorial Spray Deck (reopening after renovation), play in any number of play spaces: (Charlesbank Playground/Gronk Playground, Esplanade Playspace), have a picnic under the trees. Visit Community Boating to rent kayaks or sailboats. Friday’s the Esplanade offers free Music & Movement classes. You can cross back over Storrow Drive and head back into Beacon Hill on the Arthur Fiedler Footbridge at Arlington Street. If you’re up for more of a walk, head into The Boston Common or Boston Public Garden for more play, Make Way for Ducklings, Swan Boats, Carousel, Frog Pond (or Skaing depending on the time of year). Within Beacon Hill checkout the Beacon Hill Books, a beautifully renovated brownstone bookstore offering a children’s section, cafe and back patio. Explore the old cobblestone streets, visit JP Licks for an ice cream, walk to the top of the Hill for a view of the golden state house dome. If you’re taking the train back home, you can check out the Sports Museum at the Garden or grab food for dinner at HubHall. Without the Common/Garden stops, this day is about 2 miles.
Seaport/Fort Point
There are 4 kid friendly museums in the Seaport - the ICA, Boston Tea Party, Boston Children’s and the Boston Fire Museum. If you start at the Fire Museum, which is free and open to the public on Saturday, walk up to the Hood Milk Bottle and along the Fort Point Channel. Martin’s Park is a great place to spend an hour, and a lot of the park is landscaped to provide shade in the summer. If you’re hungry, the Seaport has tons of options, but the Barking Crab probably won’t care if your kids make a little noise (or a mess). Continue along the harborwalk and play on the steps infront of 50 Liberty, watch the boats in marina, pop into Porter Square Books for a story, visit the ICA, take a water taxi ride, checkout the fishing boats at Fish Pier. If you’ve made it this far and want to keep going you can see what events are happening at Lawn on D. From The Fire Musuem to Fish Pier is about 1 mile.
Coming Soon:
East Boston
Coming Soon.
Cambridge
Coming Soon.
Danvers/Middleton
Coming Soon.
Newburyport
Coming Soon.
Winthrop
Coming Soon.
Southern NH
Coming Soon.
Copyright © 2023 Urban Suburban Kids - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy Website Builder
This website uses cookies.
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.