by Lois Lawrence

Created on: June 14, 2009   Last Updated: June 25, 2009

Boston is a vibrant, world-class city full of attractions for both adults and children. The Museum of Science, the Freedom Trail, Duck Tours, the Boston Aquarium, and the Children's Museum are just a few of the many experiences that will captivate your child's imagination, and any trip to Boston with children in tow should include a visit to one or more of them.

Just as important, and what distinguishes a trip to Boston or any great world-class city from a trip to a theme, park, for example, it that it is a place where real people live, work, and play. In order to instill in your children a genuine love for travel, it is important to show them how to experience new places both on and off the tourist circuit. Part of your visit, therefore, should be spent treating your children to Boston in some of the same ways Bostonians do on a daily basis.

A ride on the T, lunch at Regina's Pizza in the North End, a stroll along Central Wharf to with its street performers and resident seals, or a picnic on the Esplanade with an hour spent at the Charlesbank Playground might well prove to be among the most memorable moments of your children's day trip to Boston leaving them with a lasting sense of what makes Boston so special to the millions of people who call it home.

Keeping Costs under Control

Travel, especially with children, can be costly but should never be more expensive than necessary. Before setting out for a day in Boston, check first with your town or city's public library to ask about their Museum Pass Program. Most public libraries in New England now lend passes for free or discounted admission to at least a few of the major attractions in Boston.

Another way to pare down the cost of your trip is by downloading a discount coupon booklet called the Boston Family-Friendly ValuePASS, available online from the Greater Boston Convention and Visitor's Bureau.

The Museum of Science

With over 400 interactive exhibits, Boston's Museum of Science holds enough fun for not just one, but for several trips to Boston. Let your children take the lead by selecting those exhibits that excite their natural curiosity.

After an afternoon of exploration, settle them into the reclining chairs at the Mugar Omni Theater where they can relax and lose themselves in the amazing images on the five-story domed screen and listen to the state-of the-art digital sound system that is, in itself, a bonus exhibit that forms part of the theater experience.

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