Boston Family Vacation Recap

If you’re looking for a family vacation destination with a little learning, a little history, a little sport and a lot of fun, consider visiting Boston, Massachusetts. Read below to our the recap of our 5 day Boston vacation which shares where we stayed, what we ate, all the activities we did and more tips to plan our your Boston trip!

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This trip took place July 2024 with a group of 10 driving from central NJ, including 6 kids ages 5 – 13. You have have seen how we revealed this vacation trip to the kids with this egg hunt! Know that this is a very walkable city so bring good sneakers to get around and get ready to see a mix of history with modern fun! Scroll below to learn more about our summer Boston trip, which luckily had little rain and only one day of heat.

Where We Stayed In Boston

• Omni Parker House in Downtown Boston – This historic Boston hotel has a great location near Quincy Market with plenty of food options nearby. It’s the home of the Boston Cream Pie and is the longest continuously operating hotel in the United States. Our family got a normal double bedroom, while our friends were able to get two connecting rooms. We valeted our car when we first got there but didn’t use it again until we left! 

Where We Ate And Drank in Boston

• The Paramount in Beacon Hill – This was the best breakfast place, and maybe my favorite meal of the whole trip! The prices were reasonable, the staff was great with our large crew that was broken up into two tables and the pancakes were delicious! Our kids were craving fruit, since it wasn’t a big option for other meals in this city, and the side bowl of fruit was large and fresh! This isn’t a huge spot but we luckily had no wait and room for our large group upon walk up.
• Cheeky Monkey Brewing Company – This was a lucky find we hit outside of Fenway before hitting the Red Sox Game. All the kids split adult Chicken Ceaser salads and LOVED them! Hubby and I split a Monster burger and fries which was delicious.
• Warren Tavern – This historic tavern is near the USS Constitution and a great stop for lunch. It’s small and quaint but was able to fit our group of 10 in a spot Paul Revere himself visited.  
• The Dubliner – You can’t hit up this predominately Irish town without hitting an Irish bar! We chose this one for its walking distance to our hotel and the ability to book a reservation for our first time in the city.
• The Salty Dog  – We enjoyed some fried shrimp, calamari and fried fish at this seafood restaurant in Faneuil Hall Marketplace. We sat outside and people watched while we listened to live music placed in the square out front.
• Ducali Pizzeria and Bar – We hit this small pizza joint on a day of exploration along the Freedom Trail. We ordered salads, mozzarella sticks, cheese pizza for the kids and margarita pizzas for us adults and everything was delicious. It was also the first place we’ve ever experienced bathrooms split only into “sitting” and “standing”.  

• Sam Adams Tap Room – The adults enjoyed some poured brews at the long tables of this tap room located in Faneuil Hall, while the kids ate their soft pretzels and played free arcade games. Loved the tables that included a charging station built in! Note: This isn’t the brewery location which gives tours but really just a bar with a great people watching view.
• Brueggers Bagels – While not like the bagels we’re used to in NJ, it was easy to grab a quick and easy breakfast option before hitting the Freedom Trail.

What We Did in Boston

• Boston Duck Tours – While we decided late in our trip to give this activity a try, I highly recommend to do a tour FIRST! Not only do the tour guides help give you a little history lesson as you drive around, it also helps you get a better lay of the land. We LOVED our tour guide, Captain Quack Sparrow, with his duck covered attire and jungle cruise style dad jokes, but he also let the kids “drive” the boat once we got in the middle of the water!  Bonus: your duck tour ticket gets you $5 off your Museum of Science ticket.

• Museum of Science – We booked these tickets in advance for the day that rain was expected and ended up spending 4 hours here! Like the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, there are lots of hands on activities throughout this museum filled with all different themes of science. Our crew loved the engineering area, where they built their own satellites and “flew” them in space, the “guess the smell” activity, the lightning show, seeing the live sloth, and touching a tornado. Tip: You can get a hand stamp for re-entry if you want to leave for food and come back for more learning. 

• Go to a Red Sox Game at Fenway – Even if you’re not a Red Sox fan (and come from a Yankees household, like me) you can appreciate a good time at this historic stadium, the oldest in MLB. We obtained free tickets for some of the kids through their Kid Nation program and our kids (all travel softball players) had a blast getting in the baseball spirit. The game went into an extra inning and we’re happy to report the home team won at the bottom of the 10th inning and was a super exciting win for all!

• Walk the Freedom Trail – Tie up your sneakers and get ready to walk along this 2.5 mile bricked walk that includes 16 stops of historic significance in Boston. We didn’t do this all on one day but hit most of them throughout our 5 days here. Some stops have a paid component and some, like climbing aboard the USS Constitution, are free!

• Shops at Quincy Market at Faneuil Hall Marketplace – This is a popular spot that includes a large range of foods in an assortment of take out counters and souvenir shops. We enjoyed ice cream, smoothies, and breakfast sandwiches here, as well as, obtaining souvenir hoodies and a Christmas ornament.

• Boston Common Park – This is considered “America’s oldest Park” which includes a playground, botanical gardens, large splash pond named a “frog pond” and the famous Swan Boats.

• Tree House Brewery in Charlton, MA – This beautiful brewery is an hour outside the city so we were able to hit it on our way in. It’s HUGE and was a busy destination the Sunday that we visited. There were 2 lines for the different types of beers and a system to get canned beers to go. There are large picnic table areas and plenty of seating where you can bring your own food or eat at the food trucks parked on site. There are lots of wilderness surrounding the space and even some hiking trails. 

More Tips for Vacationing in Boston

• Bring good walking shoes! We had a group of 10 including small kids so we only took on Uber on this trip. Our days included lots of walking, with one 8 mile 20k step day!
• Keep a water bottle and snacks on you at all times! Our kids all rocked crossbody type bags (my girls wore these knock off Lululemon versions I got them for Christmas) which always had some snacks in tow.
• Do the tour first! No matter which tour type you pick, do it first on your trip so you can check off seeing some of the further location spots but also to help you get a lay of the land.

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