Last week, we took a trip to Boston because it’s summer time and the kids are burnt out on DC Museums. We packed ONE suitcase [pats self on back], grabbed the stroller and took off for a few days while daddy stayed behind for work. The flight was quick and painless and the hotel was 10 minutes from the airport. We had two jam packed days of sightseeing and learned a lot in the process!
My number one rule when traveling with more than one kid is that you can’t be in a rush to get anywhere. We generally have a soft schedule which means we have an idea of what we want to see/accomplish but if it doesn’t happen, I definitely don’t stress about it. Kids feed off your energy so if you’re stressed and uptight, they will be to. We’ve mastered the art of going with the flow!
Day 1
We started the morning with breakfast at Pret’s! They have organic coffee and an amazing selection of breakfast foods. Chia seed pudding, overnight oats, quinoa salads, you can’t go wrong with Pret’s! We ate here every morning because I’m a creature of habit.
The Freedom Trail – 2.5 miles of history. The kids started to petter our after about 6 hours but we got some food in them and were able to finish with the USS Constitution before we took the water taxi back to the wharf. The kids got to sign pieces of copper that will be installed on the ship as they restore it. Pretty cool! We were able to use our full size stroller on the trail itself but a lot of the sights aren’t stroller friendly so be prepared to carry it up stairs. (Thanks Aimee!)
One stop along the Freedom Trail.
Clearly in need of a break.
The USS Constitution
The Duck Tour – The kids absolutely loved the Duck Tour. I really think our driver had something to do with this though. He was hysterical and did a really good job at relaying educational information while making it fun. Plus, it’s not often you get to go from land to sea in the same vessel.
Day 2
The Boston Tea Party Museum – Everyone we ran into said we had to go to this museum and they were right. The reenactment was so cool and informative. Getting kids to retain information about this kind of history can be difficult but the hands-on approach really helps with comprehension. They even got to throw tea overboard. Such a great experience.
Dumping “tea” overboard!
The Boston Museum of Science – Butterflies, spiders and nanotechnology, oh my! There is something for everyone here (except for the baby – sorry Maddox). I will say though, once you’ve been to as many science museums as we have, you start to notice a lot of the same exhibits. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just an observation.
Butterfly exhibit
Happy boy during lunch time!
Mike’s Pastry – There are no words. Just go here if you haven’t already. Oh and bring cash because there is nothing worse than standing in line only to realize that you have to run to an ATM first. I may or may not have made that mistake my first time in Boston!
Where We Stayed
The Boston Marriott on the Wharf – I don’t think we could have asked for a hotel with a better central location. It was right next to the Boston Aquarium and less than a mile from everything we did or wanted to do. I definitely recommend this hotel. The pool is on the rooftop with some pretty amazing views.
Boston Marriott Rooftop Pool
We squeezed so much into 2 days and there is more that I want to see. I can definitely see us coming back to Boston but this time, I’ll bring the husband because he’s such a history nerd.
Boston Must Haves:
A good pair of walking shoes are a must. Even with comfy shoes, I still got a small blister while on the Freedom Trail. Thanks ankle socks that slipped into my shoe while walking.
I also recommend the lobster for eating out if you have a small one. I’m not a fan of using restaurant highchairs in tourist towns because ewe, cooties so we take our own everywhere! It’s super compact and easy to use.
A good stroller – our orbit baby with attached sidekick is such a lifesaver. If I had a quarter for every time someone stopped and asked about it, I’d have a shit ton of quarters.