Boston Families on a Budget: Tourism Edition

Boston Common's Frog Pond is awesome!

I'm blogging a lot about weekly activities and deals, but I thought I'd come up with some fun ideas for out-of-town families visiting Boston.  There are tons of fun things to explore in Boston without breaking the bank.

If you stumbled upon this post because you're a planning a visit to Boston, hello!   You will love Boston!

Lodging

I find that it usually makes more economical sense to rent a vacation condo instead of staying at a hotel.  When you break it down, it's usually cheaper per night, and you're not forced to dine out for every single meal.  I find that looking for restaurants 3 times a day can be sort of a headache, especially when traveling with children.

I have used HomeAway.com and had good experiences.  AirBnB.com is another popular site.

Some centrally-located neighborhoods are Back Bay, Copley Square, and the South End.  These areas are great for exploring Boston by foot and by T (our subway) but if you have a car, it might be a little bit of a pain to find parking there.  You can also stay further from Boston and take the T or commuter rail in when you're exploring Boston.  There are lots of cute coastal towns (Rockport, Newburyport) with commuter rail access.

Dining

There are lots of inexpensive and tasty eateries around Boston.  Lots of seafood places especially along the waterfront, great pizza and Italian in the North End, dim sum in Chinatown - you name it!  If you visit Boston's famous Regina Pizzeria, head over to the Allston location on a Tuesday night.  It has a full menu, kids eat free on Tuesdays, and they have someone making balloon animals for the kids.

Museums

Boston has some awesome museums, and even better: many of them offer free and discounted museum days.   Be sure to take advantage!  On top of that, if you visit in the summer, Highland Street offers free museum days all over the area, including some of the local zoos.

Free Stuff to do in Boston

There are lots of free things to do in Boston city limits.    From free North End Festivals to Castle Island, there are so many fun (and historical!) family events and destinations throughout the city that you can enjoy.

Boston Common

 You can't beat Boston Common in the summer - wade in the Frog Pond, spend only a few bucks to get your entire family on a famous Swan Boat Ride, enjoy the carousel, and have a picnic!

Day Trips

Got a car?  Head over to Mystic, CT, Western Mass, Cape Cod, or Maine for a fun day trip within 2 hours of Boston.

Groupons

Last, but not least, be sure to check out my latest Groupon roundups.  I go through Groupons almost every week and find my favorite deals.  Grab a few Groupons before your trip and enjoy using them once you're here!