Free Things to Do With Kids Around Boston in Winter
Museums that are free for kids or on set nights, national park sites, the Arnold Arboretum and a winter market: free days out with posted hours.
- Boston
- Salem
- Somerville
The ICA and the Gardner are both free on Thursday nights from 5 to 9 p.m., and the national park sites in Salem, Boston and Lowell charge no entrance fee. Those are the anchors for a free winter day with kids. Each entry below comes from the venue’s own page, so check it for current ticketing before you go.
Museums that are free for kids
Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston
The ICA on the Seaport waterfront says admission is always free for visitors 18 and under. It also offers Free Thursday Nights, free admission for everyone from 5 to 9 p.m. every Thursday, with advance tickets required. And on its Play Date days, up to two adults per family get in free when accompanied by children 12 and under; you reserve online with the promo code PLAYDATE, and the museum’s calendar lists the dates.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
The Gardner, at 25 Evans Way in the Fenway, lists free admission for children 17 and under. Its visit page also lists free Thursday nights from 5 to 9 p.m., with tickets opening two days ahead, and free days on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January, Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples’ Day, with tickets opening two weeks in advance. Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, January 18, 2027.
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The museum is open Monday and Wednesday through Sunday, and closed Tuesdays. It is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, and it closes at 3 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
National park sites
The National Park Service runs several sites that are free to enter, and they work as winter days out because most of the visit is indoors.
Salem Maritime National Historical Park
At Salem Maritime, the park says all buildings and programs are free, and no entrance pass is required. From November 15 through April 30, the Salem Armory Regional Visitor Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Derby Wharf and the park grounds are open around the clock. All buildings are closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. The park’s phone number is 978-740-1650.
If you are heading to Salem, pair it with our guide to Salem in December.
Boston National Historical Park
The park says there are no fees at the federally or municipally owned historic sites it includes, among them Faneuil Hall. The Freedom Trail is the classic way to string these together on foot, which works on a cold day with a few indoor stops.
Lowell National Historical Park
The Lowell park does not charge an entrance fee, but it says tickets are required for the Boott Cotton Mills Museum and for park tours. Free visitor parking is available at the Hamilton Canal Innovation District garage for vehicles no larger than 6 feet 8 inches tall. Check the park’s hours page for winter hours, which change at the end of November. Our Lowell guide has more on the city.
Outdoors and free
Arnold Arboretum
Harvard’s Arnold Arboretum, at 125 Arborway in Jamaica Plain, is always free and open to everyone every day, sunrise to sunset. Its visitor center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The arboretum has a winter scavenger hunt for seasonal plants.
Dress for the weather. Winter walks closer to home are in winter walks north of Boston.
Markets, libraries and more
Not everything free has to be a museum. The Somerville Winter Farmers Market, held on Saturdays at the Armory through April 17, is free to walk through, with live local music, and our winter markets guide has the details.
Your library card can also unlock free or reduced admission at museums and zoos. Our guide to library museum passes explains how the programs work in Melrose, Malden, Medford, Salem and Somerville, and which museums they cover. For an indoor option closer to home, see indoor things to do with kids north of Boston.
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Sources
- Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston: Visiticaboston.org
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Visitgardnermuseum.org
- Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University: Visitarboretum.harvard.edu
- National Park Service: Salem Maritime hoursnps.gov
- National Park Service: Salem Maritime feesnps.gov
- National Park Service: Boston National Historical Park feesnps.gov
- National Park Service: Lowell National Historical Park feesnps.gov
- Somerville Winter Farmers Marketsomwintermarket.org
Details such as dates, hours and prices come from the sources above and can change. Check with the organizer before you go.
How we report: every date, price and address comes from a linked source.
