A Kid-Friendly Itinerary for Boston with Classic Children’s Books

We created a one to two day, kid-friendly itinerary for Boston using a few classic children’s books that we read in advance of our trip. We were lucky enough to have a local-to-Massachusetts friend to act as tour guide who also happens to be a former 5th grade teacher with a degree in History. Drawing on her experience with leading fifth grade field trips, she helped bring the freedom trail to life. These are books we read to make it more memorable, and the places where we got to see them in real life.

Kid-friendly stop #1: Make Way for Ducklings Statue in Boston Public Gardens

Book: Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
For Ages: Toddlers through First Grade

We read this book quite a few times before our trip (and well before it!) This is a charming picture book that has been popular since the 1940’s. The story is all about a pair of ducks who raise their ducklings on a lagoon in Boston Public Gardens.

Now, you can find the famous duckling statues by Nancy Schön in the northeast corner of the Public Gardens. (Make your way from the lake toward the corner of Beacon and Charles Streets, and you should pass them.)

Boston Public Gardens is a large park situated in the heart of Boston, next to Boston Commons. Free and open to the public, the park is dog-friendly and has restrooms, a splash pad, a Victorian-style garden, and more. Find a playground in the adjacent Boston Commons.

Kid-friendly stop #2: Swan Boats in Boston Public Gardens

Book: The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White
Ages: Second to Fourth Grade

We loved this classic chapter book about Louis, the swan, who lacks a voice, but overcomes his disability and succeeds with the help of a trumpet. In one chapter of the book, Louis gets a job playing the trumpet in Boston while swimming along with the swan boats.

You can still take a swan boat ride in the Public Gardens, and it is still quite affordable, at less than $5 a ticket. Of course, we had to try this and enjoyed our boat ride in these iconic little vessels in the lagoon (near Arlington and Boylston Streets). The boats are in operation from mid-April to Labor Day, starting around 10AM every day. The family-run business was founded in 1877, making them a historic icon of Boston.

Stop #3: Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum

Book: Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
Ages: Middle and High School Readers

I still love this Newberry-winning book written in 1943 by Esther Forbes. It is a coming-of-age story about a silversmith apprentice who takes part in the revolution (including involvement in the Boston Tea Party and carrying messages relevant to the earliest battles of the Revolutionary War) after an injury to his hand.

A great way to help this book (and this moment in history) come alive, is to visit the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. It was a bit over the head of our Kindergartner, but the other kids enjoyed it. It was also a bit of a splurge, at around $35 a ticket ($26 for kids). We felt it was worth it – the museum staff are talented, providing performances that educate and entertain, and engaging the audience in rebellion against the British (Huzzah!) – even in throwing some tea off of the ships after touring them.

The museum is open daily in summer from 10 to 4, with longer hours for the gift shop and tea room. Check the website for availability due to private group tours and purchase tickets in advance.

Stop #4 – The Freedom Trail

Book (Actually a poem): “The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere,” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Ages: All Ages

I remember reading this poem as a child, and shared it with my own children prior to visiting Boston. It tells the story of Paul Revere’s daring ride to warn and rally the farmers of Boston that the British were on the attack.

If you walk Boston’s Freedom Trail, you can see Paul Revere’s final resting place as well as his home, and the Old North Church where the lantern was hung to signal to him that the British were coming by sea.

We did not walk the entire trail, but got to see several of the 17 historic sites along the trail, including Park Street Church, a still-active 1809 historic church which stood up for abolition and other important social reforms; the Massachusetts State House, with its brilliant golden dome; the Granary Burying Ground, where you can find not only Paul Revere’s headstone, but also John Hancock’s and Samuel Adams’; the site of Boston’s first public school (from 1635!); and the site of the Boston Massacre that fueled the rebellion against Great Britain.

The trail begins at Boston Commons Visitor Center, goes for about 2.5 miles, and ends at the USS Constitution in Charlestown.

All in all, we used this kid-friendly Boston itinerary for a great trip exploring this very historic destination. The best part was spending time with a friend, with her knowledge as the icing on the cake. Reading about our destinations always enriches them, and it was fun to pair these beloved, classic children’s book with a kid-friendly itinerary in Boston.

Find other destinations easily accessible from the Mid-Atlantic on this page.