To select a museum, click “Details/Reserve”, then select which Pass to reserve.
Boston Children’s Museum
308 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210
617-426-6500 http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Founded in 1913 by the Science Teachers’ Bureau, the Boston Children’s Museum is the second oldest children’s museum in the world and one of the few that maintain a collection. Designed for both children and families, the Museum exhibits focus on science, culture, environmental awareness, health & fitness, and the arts, emphasizing hands-on engagement and learning through experience, and employing play as a tool to spark the inherent creativity, curiosity, and imagination of children.
Categories: Children, Crafts, Family, Technology
Pass Benefits
This pass admits 4 people at half price admission. Children under age 1 are admitted free.
Harvard Museums of Science and Culture
11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138
617-496-1638 https://hmsc.harvard.edu/
[Details/Reserve]
The Harvard Museums of Science & Culture is a partnership of museums on the Harvard University Cambridge campus dedicated to the natural world, science, and human cultures. They include the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, the Harvard Museum of Natural History (comprised of the Harvard University Herbaria, Mineralogical and Geological Museum, and Museum of Comparative Zoology), the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East, and the Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, all located between Oxford St./Divinity Ave area. Of particular note are the famous glass flowers, models commissioned by Harvard in 1886 to aid in the teaching of botany (and made in Germany over the course of more than eight decades), on display in the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
Categories: Children, Family, History, Nature, Science
Pass Benefits
Single coupon provides FREE admission for up to four visitors.
Does not provide access to Harvard Art Museums
Heritage Museums & Gardens
67 Grove Street, Sandwich, MA 02563
508-888-3300 https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Heritage Museums & Gardens is located on 100 acres on the banks of Shawme Pond in Sandwich, MA. The gardens feature internationally important collections of rhododendrons, a comprehensive collection of hydrangeas, a collection of over 1,000 varieties of daylilies, hostas, herb, heather gardens, and more than a thousand varieties of trees, shrubs and flowers along paths. An outdoor “Nature Explore Classroom” facilitates encounters with nature and STEM concepts for children ages 2 through 10. In addition, three gallery buildings house permanent exhibits of world-class automobiles, a working vintage carousel, American folk art, and special exhibitions. There is a café and gift shop on the premises.
Categories: Children, Family, History, Nature
Pass Benefits
Half-price admission for up to 6 individuals.
Cannot be combined with a group tour plan. Not valid for special events.
Historic New England
141 Cambridge Street, Administrative Offices: Otis House, Boston, MA 02114
https://www.historicnewengland.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Historic New England is a historic preservation organization which owns and operates historic house museums and properties open to the public throughout most of New England. The majority of the 36 properties are in Massachusetts, but locations exist in all NE states but Vermont. These include Castle Tucker (Wiscasset, ME), the Jackson House (Portsmouth, NH), the Spencer-Pierce-Little Farm, which (Newbury, MA), Roseland Cottage (Woodstock, CT), the Otis House (Boston, MA), the Lyman Estate (Waltham, MA), Gropius House (Lincoln, MA), and the Arnold House (Lincoln, RI). Styles represented include Federal, Colonial Revival, Victorian, Queen Anne, Arts & Crafts, and Modern, among many others. The website provides much detail, including directions, contact information, and history of each property.
Categories: Architecture, Family, History, Nature, Recreation
Pass Benefits
With the Historic New England Pass you can enjoy free tours of thirty-eight historic sites. Visit HistoricNewEngland.org to discover more!
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115
617-566-1401 http://www.gardnermuseum.org/home/
[Details/Reserve]
The Gardner Museum houses the collection of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a local patron of the arts who died in 1924, in a building she commissioned to look like a 15th century Venetian palazzo. The center of the original building showcases courtyard plantings that reflect the seasons as they evolve throughout the year. In addition to her collection, which remains displayed exactly she arranged it per her will, there are changing exhibitions, concerts, lectures, family events, and an artist-in-residence program. In 2012, the museum opened an addition designed by Renzo Piano that houses a space for their concert series.
Categories: Art, Family, Music
Pass Benefits
This pass admits 4 people at $5 per person. Children under the age of 18 are always admitted free.
Larz Anderson Auto Museum
15 Newton Street, Brookline, MA 02445
617-522-6547 https://www.larzanderson.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The museum is located in an imposing carriage house built in 1888 (listed on the National Register of Historic Places) on the grounds of beautiful Larz Anderson Park. In addition to 14 autos from “America's Oldest Car Collection,” originally assembled by the Andersons, the museum features revolving annual exhibits, horse-drawn carriages and sleighs, a vintage bicycle collection, and changing lawn exhibits of show cars that typically include Italian, German, British, American, Custom, Tuner, Alternative Fuels, Trucks, Hot Rods and European Motorcycles from May to October. (Check the website for the schedule.)
Categories: Architecture, Family, History, Technology
Pass Benefits
The Larz Anderson Auto Museum Pass grants a single library patron with free admission to the Museum during normal business hours. The pass benefits also includes:
• Free spectator admission to Museum Lawn Events*
• Discounts to lectures, movies, and other Museum events
• A 10% discount on select items in the Museum gift Shop
• Access to our Joseph S. Freeman Automotive Research Library
*Museum Members still must pay the car registration fees.
Mary Baker Eddy Library & Mapparium
210 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
617-450-7224 https://www.christianscience.com/howdoyouseetheworld
[Details/Reserve]
Located in the Mary Baker Eddy Library at the Christian Science Publishing Society building in Boston, the Mapparium is a three-story, stained-glass globe representing the world as configured in 1935. A bridge traverses the interior, allowing visitors to view the world from within. A presentation combines words, music, and LED lights to illustrate the transformation of the world over time and geography. The Library also features the exhibit “The Mapparium: An Inside View,” which provides some background on the construction and history of the globe.
Categories: Children, Family, History
Pass Benefits
With this pass, we welcome up to four adults free of charge to the Mapparium™ globe in the How Do You See the World? experience (value $6/Adult). Youth 17 and younger are always free. Just print out the pass and bring it with you or display it on your phone or device. All other exhibits in the How Do You See the World? experience are always free, as are weekend church tours, and neither require a ticket. We look forward to seeing you at the How Do You See the World? experience!
Hours
Monday–Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Mapparium showtimes run every 20 minutes until 4:40 p.m.
Hours of operation are subject to change. Please see our website for holiday hours.
Location
210 Massachusetts Ave, Boston, MA 02115
Validated parking is available at a discount rate in the Christian Science Plaza parking garage (after 19 hours, standard rates apply).
Massachusetts State Parks (Department of Conservation and Recreation)
251 Causeway Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114-2104
617-626-1250 http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/
[Details/Reserve]
The Massachusetts State Parks have locations in all regions of the Commonwealth, from Pittsfield to Boston, and from Gloucester to Provincetown. They include beaches, wooded parks, parkways, and reservoirs, each with its own unique activities and amenities like hiking, biking, swimming and boating, camping, and more.
Categories: Children, Family, Nature, Recreation
Pass Benefits
Pass entitles bearer to free parking for one vehicle (excluding buses or vans).
Museum of Fine Arts
465 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
617-267-9300 http://www.mfa.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, in existence since July 4, 1876, is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world, with a collection of almost 500,000 works of art, ranging from ancient Egyptian artifacts to contemporary painting, sculpture and video. In addition, there are always special exhibitions on view, opportunities to take advantage of educational programs—some right in the galleries—and a contemplative Japanese garden.
Categories: Art, Family, History
Pass Benefits
Each pass admits 2 adults at $10 each (general admission and special exhibition) and up to 4 children ages 7–17 at $10 each (special exhibition only). There is no discount for children 7–17 for general admission, currently $10. Children 6 and under are admitted free.
This is a self-print pass. You can either print it out or display it on your device at the museum. Valid only for the date listed on this pass.
The Museum of Science in Boston is located on a piece of land that extends the width of the Charles River, connecting Boston and Cambridge. Dedicated to promoting and educating visitors about science and technology, the museum includes a planetarium, the world’s largest open-air Van de Graaff generator, an IMAX theatre, a butterfly garden, and permanent and changing exhibits on birds, insects and animals; space; dinosaurs; engineering; nanotechnology; math; biology; and more.
Categories: Children, Family, History, Nature, Science, Technology, Sky
Pass Benefits
This pass will admit up to 4 people at a 50% discount on tickets to the Museum’s Exhibit Halls. Children under 3 are not included in the count of 4 and are always admitted for free.
• Your Library pass can only be used on the date printed on the pass.
• Please bring your library pass confirmation (printed or displayed on a phone) when you visit.
• When you arrive at the Museum, stop at the Box Office to exchange your library pass and purchase your Exhibit Halls tickets at the discounted rate.
If you have any questions or would like to reserve your Exhibit Halls passes in advance to avoid waiting in line the day of your visit, please call 617-723-2500 (9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily).
• If you are unable to show your Library confirmation on a phone, you may print out a copy using the link in the confirmation email or request a paper copy from the library.
Visit http://www.mos.org/ for up to date visitor information including safety protocols and procedures.
New Bedford Whaling Museum
18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford, MA 02740
508-997-0046 https://www.whalingmuseum.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Opened in 1907, the New Bedford Whaling Museum is focused on the history and culture of the whaling industry as practiced internationally and in the “Old Dartmouth” region of Massachusetts. Over the years, the museum has grown as it absorbed other institutions with similar mandates. The collections boast over 750,000 items which fall into a broad range of categories—fine and decorative art, folk art, photography, domestic artifacts, artifacts that represent the history of technology and industry, books, manuscripts, maps and charts, ethnographic materials, clothing and textiles, and extensive personal, business, and financial records. Highlights include half-scale models of the whaling ship Lagoda and an Azorean whaleboat; five skeletons of various types of whales, including that of a pregnant mother; and art by major American artists such as Albert Bierstadt and Albert Pinkham Ryder. The museum's holdings also include the world's largest collections of scrimshaw and whaling ship logbooks. The Whaling Museum entrance and galleries are accessible to people using wheelchairs and walking aids. Wheelchair accessible restrooms are located on the first floor.
Categories: Art, Children, Family, History, Nature, Ocean
Pass Benefits
There are two types of NBWM Passes:
Coupon Pass - Provides free admission for 1 person
Circulating Pass - Admits up to 4 people at 50% off the cost of admission
New England Aquarium
1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
617-973-5200 http://www.neaq.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The New England Aquarium is home to thousands of aquatic animals, from the giant Pacific octopus to Northern fur seals to little blue penguins. They offer a wide range of exhibits, including a shark and ray touch tank and the Giant Ocean Tank, a four-story coral reef featuring hundreds of Caribbean animals. In addition, they have an IMAX theatre and run whale watch boat excursions in partnership with Boston Harbor Cruises from April through November.
Categories: Children, Family, Nature, Science, Ocean
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to 4 people at 50% off the cost of admission.
Peabody Essex Museum
161 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970-3783
978-745-9500 http://www.pem.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The Peabody Essex Museum grew out of the collection of East India Marine Society, an organization of Salem captains whose charter called for acquisition of “natural and artificial curiosities.” Its permanent collection contains art and artifacts of Africa, Asia, India, China (with a Qing Dynasty house brought from the Huizhou region), Japan, Korea, Pacific Islands, and features objects of maritime art and history that include paintings, drawings, ship models, marine decorative arts, tools, weapons, navigational instruments, and ship and yacht plans. It also has a thriving changing exhibition schedule that sometimes includes important traveling shows.
Categories: Art, Family, History, Ocean
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to 2 people at $12 each.
This is a self-print pass. You can either print it out or display it on your device at the museum. Reservations must be made in advance by visiting the Peabody Essex Museum website and using the promo code shown below the barcode on your pass. Valid only for the date listed on this pass.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums
137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, MA 02360
508-746-1622 http://www.plimoth.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Plimoth Patuxet Museums offers a living history that tells the story of the English colonists who became known as “Pilgrims” and the Native Americans with whom they interacted. A big draw is the re-creation of the original settlement, populated with interpreters in period dress with whom one may interact that are based on actual historical figures. Native People from various nations in historically accurate dress provide information about the Wampanoag—the first tribe the Pilgrims encountered—at a home site based on how the group would have lived in the 17th century. In addition to the two settlements, the museum includes a visitor center, the Craft Center, barns that contain rare and heritage animal breeds, and a grist mill that manufactures cornmeal. Plymouth Patuxet Museums is also responsible for the replica of the Mayflower, the ship that brought the Pilgrims to the New World.
Categories: Children, Crafts, Family, History
Pass Benefits
This coupon must be presented to Plimoth Patuxet Museums guest services staff upon arrival at the Museum for Thomas Crane Public Library patrons to purchase a Heritage Pass, Combination Pass, or Plimoth Patuxet Only pass for up to six individuals at the reduced rate of $16 per adult; $10 per child ages 5-17.
This coupon is for one time use only by the patron.
Roger Williams Park Zoo
1000 Elmwood Avenue, Providence, RI 02907
401-785-3510 http://www.rwpzoo.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Founded in 1872, the 40-acre zoo is one of the nation’s oldest. It’s home to over 100 species of rare and interesting animals from all over the world presented in naturalistic settings, including many endangered species. Themed programs and events are offered throughout the year, some of them focused on hands-on conservation. Nearby, within the park, is an operational Victorian-style carousel.
Categories: Children, Family, Zoo
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to four individuals at $3.00 off each.
This is a self-print pass. You can either print it out or display it on your device at the museum. Reservations must be made in advance by visiting the Roger Williams Park Zoo website and using the promo code shown below the barcode on your pass. Valid only for the date listed on this pass.
Trustees of Reservations (with deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum)
The Trustees of Reservations preserve and protect more than 100 special properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value—nearly 25,000 acres—all around Massachusetts. From Crane's Beach in Ipswich and World's End in Hingham to The Old Manse in Concord and Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, visitors to Trustees sites enjoy local history and nature in its various forms: beaches, meadows, forests, swamps and more.
In the summer of 2019, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the largest park of its kind in New England, became part of the Trustees. The museum, located in Lincoln, MA, encompasses nearly 30 conserved acres and presents contemporary art from New England—and beyond—with sculptures in the landscape and museum exhibitions. For a full list of locations, please visit their web site.
Categories: Art, Family, History, Nature, Recreation
Pass Benefits
Pass admits 2 adults & children under 18 free or at a reduced rate (depending on property)
USS Constitution Museum
Charlestown Navy Yard, Building 22, Charlestown, MA 02129
617-426-1812 https://ussconstitutionmuseum.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The museum, a part of the Boston National Historical Park, is located in the Charlestown Navy Yard near the ship USS Constitution (“Old Ironsides”) at the end of Boston’s Freedom Trail. The museum provides a detailed look at the history of the ship, information about the war of 1812, and the battle between the ship and HMS Java. Stories are told through interactive exhibits, unique artifacts, archival records, and artwork. The museum also includes a research library which houses a strong collection of manuscripts, books, artifacts, and microfilm of primary source material. The ship itself is maintained by the US Navy, and may be visited free of charge on certain days.
Categories: Art, Family, History, Ocean
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to 9 people for free.
This is a self-print pass. You can either print it out or display it on your device at the museum. Valid only for the date listed on this pass.
Zoo New England
1 Franklin Park Road, Boston, MA 02121
617-541-5466 http://www.zoonewengland.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Zoo New England operates Franklin Park Zoo, a 72-acre site nestled in Boston’s historic Franklin Park, and the Stone Zoo, located on a 26-acre site near Spot Pond reservoir in Stoneham, MA. In addition to animals, both zoos are engaged in wildlife and conservation programs, research, and education.
Pass Benefits
Coupon admits up to six guests at $9.00 per adult and $6.00 per child. Children under two years old are free.