boston with a 10-year-old

I%26#39;m bringing my 10-year old niece to Boston (her first trip out of South Carolina) July 18-20. I was trying to think of an engaging activity for the afternoon/evening we arrive (a Friday). It looks like the Children%26#39;s Museum has $1 admission that evening, so it might be a good option. But is she too old for this museum?

Also, I wanted her to be able to see some street performers. We%26#39;re heading to Quincy Market on Sat. around lunch time, so I%26#39;m sure she%26#39;ll see some there. There was another suggestion before for Harvard Square on a Friday evening. There may be performers or outdoor films/concerts. Would this be a safe, bustling place to take her? We%26#39;ll prob be out until about 9pm, taking the T back to the Westin Copley.

boston with a 10-year-old

Alll good options. My understanding is that since they%26#39;ve redone the Children%26#39;s Museum, it is now much better for ';older'; kids like yours, but I haven%26#39;t checked it out myself. Harvard Square will have street performers, but not films or concerts. It%26#39;s very safe and she%26#39;ll love it.

There will be films at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River and at Rowes Wharf on the Harbor on Friday nights. There probably will be outdoor concerts, too, but I haven%26#39;t seen the schedules yet. By the time you come, we%26#39;ll have some of those other possibilities.

Other places to go include the Aquarium and Museum of Science.

AlanM

boston with a 10-year-old

Another suggestion if you will be end up at Harvard Square area is to take her to the Museum of Natural History. She%26#39;ll enjoy that place. Sunday afternoon at 1pm is the Fairy Circus at the Puppet Show Palace in Brookline. I think you both would enjoy a Duck Tour as well.

Sunday we will be taking her to Plimoth Plantation. It%26#39;s pretty surreal for a 10-year-old to see the Mayflower and talk to pilgrims. I%26#39;m finishing up activities for Friday and Saturday. So far we%26#39;re doing Harvard Square, Public Gardens/Swan Boat, Quincy Market/street performers, IMAX (she%26#39;s never been), Duck Tour. That%26#39;s a pretty full Friday night/Saturday so far. If there%26#39;s anything else I MUST squeeze in, let me know. She%26#39;ll just be thrilled to be in a ';big'; city. The T is actually a must-see for her...haha

I think your 10 year old niece would enjoy the Boston Children%26#39;s Museum and the Museum of Science (but both are busier during the weekends then the weekdays).

Few other suggestions- do a Boston Duck Tour , ride the Swan Boats, cool off at Frog Pond, have a picnic at one of the Boston Harbor Islands.

Here are a few examples of free events going on during her visit:

--Free Friday night flicks at the Hatch Shell (my guess for Friday night July 18th, the film might be a Harry Potter film)

--';Life Is Good'; festival - Saturday July 19 Boston Common

--Free Shakespeare on the Boston Common (Fri July 18th - Sun Aug 3)

--Quincy Market and Harvard Square will have the street performers

--New England Sand Sculpting Festival- Revere Beach, Revere Mon July 14- Sat July 19

--Italian Festival -July 18- July 20 in East Boston

Which IMAX are you taking her to?

I would also add the Boston Museum of Science in ahead of the Childrens Museum for a 10 year old. I took my 9 year old daughter and her friend there recently and they loved it. Lots of interactive things to do and lots of fun exhibits for kids this age.

You will love Faneuil Hall/Quincy MarketPlace!

Thanks for the many suggestions. We%26#39;re taking her to Montreal the next weekend (we%26#39;re based in Burlington, VT), so I think we%26#39;re going to fit the IMAX in there. We replaced it with a matinee Blue Man Group performance. I think that might be really enjoyable and memorable for her, so we didn%26#39;t want to miss it.

I%26#39;m glad to know the Life is Good festival is going to be happening. We%26#39;ll definitely check that out.

By the way, is there a better area than others in Harvard Sq to find street performers?

Harvard Square isn%26#39;t all that big. When you come up out of the T-station, just follow your ears for music. There%26#39;s usually a band or some hip-hop performers in the ';pit%26#39; right behind the station. There%26#39;s a guy painting in front of the kiosk at the top of the station stairs and a wonderful Chinese paper cut artist and some Salvadoran craft sellers onthe side. Cross the street over to the Harvard Coop bookstore (where the Chinese zither player often sits) and walk down to the left, where performers play and do magic in doorways along the street, to a little plaza where the jugglers usually set up. Look across the street (behind the jugglers) for an adorable little golden puppet sitting atop a stone post, a tribute to a favorite and beloved Russian puppeteer who worked that spot for years (and who died very suddenly, leaving a young family that the community aided). Cambridge is very fond of its performers.