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What to Do In Boston - for Free!

Best free things to do in Boston

 

Wondering what to do in Boston for free? 

Great news - many of the best Boston attractions and things to do are free or almost free.  In fact, the huge number of free Boston activities available every day mean you get a 100% discount on the best of Boston. 

Here's my own long list of Boston things to do for free or for just a few dollars.

Best of all, you won't sacrifice any fun or miss any important sights by focusing on free things to do in Boston! 

 

 What to Do in Boston for Free - Tour the Freedom Trail

Touring Boston's 2.5 mile (4 km) Freedom Trail, marked by a red line, is one of the top things to do in Boston  - and it's free.

Want to see where the Sons of Liberty gave the secret signal for the Boston Tea Party?  Where the Redcoats massacred 5 colonists? Where the Battle of Bunker Hill raged? 

As you follow the Freedom Trail's red path, you'll see these plus 13 more historic sites in historic Downtown Boston, the Italian North End, and picturesque Charlestown. 

Boston's Freedom Trail is designed so that you can guide yourself through Boston's most historic areas. 

In fact, if your "what to do in Boston" list also includes learning a bit about American Colonial history and Boston's role in the American Revolution, you can easily do this as you take a walk through history.

Only 3 Freedom Trail sites - Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Paul Revere's House - charge nominal admission fees if you want to go inside the on-site museums.  If this is not part of what you want to do in Boston, you'll find plenty of other free places to see near the Trail. 

For example, near the Faneuil Hall site, you can also visit the Boston Holocaust Memorial and Boston's colorful Haymarket.  When you visit the USS Constitution and free museum in Charlestown, you can also explore the rest of the Charlestown Navy Yard. 

You can pick up free maps in the Information booth in Boston Common (on Tremont Street side, near intersection with West Street) - and also join a free 90 minute tour provided by the National Park Service, weather permitting.   (Just be sure to ignore the maps for sale and fee-based tours promoted here if you want to stay within your $0 budget.) 

The Park Service also provides free tours of the USS Constitution in Charlestown, and entrance to the small (but interesting) museum at the Bunker Hill Monument is also free.

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  What to Do in Boston for Free - Museums

Boston boasts over 30 fabulous museums, and visiting one or more is among the most popular things to do in Boston.  Although most of them charge admission fees, you can visit several of the best Boston museums free or almost free at certain times. 

Check out Boston's museums offering free admission:

• Museum of Fine Arts- World-class art - Children and teens from 7-17 free after 3pm on weekdays, plus all day on weekends and Boston public school holidays.  Children 6 and under free at all times.  Also free if you have a Boston discount card.
  Details:  465 Huntington Ave, Fenway, Boston; 617-267-9300
• MIT Museum - Super technology and science exhibits - Free admission on Sundays 10am - noon, and second Friday of each month, 5pm - 8pm.  If you're wondering what to do in Boston with teens, you'll love this museum. 
  Details:  265 Mass Ave, Cambridge, MA; 617-253-5927; www.mit.edu/museum 
• Boston Children's Museum - Top favorite among Boston things to do with the 10 and under crowd - $1 admission every Friday night from 5-9pm (thank you, Target!).
• New England Aquarium - Watch seals play in their year-round outdoor habitat. You'll find two families of them in their outdoor "tank" - really a large habitat area that simulates their native New England coastal homes - to the left of the Aquarium's entrance.  Free.  More about New England Aquarium
• ICA Boston - Boston's contemporary art museum - Free admission for all from 5pm - 9pm every Thursday, free for families (up to 2 adults accompanied by children 12 and under) on the last Saturday of each month except for December), and free for kids 17 and under at all times
• Stargazing at Gilliland Observatory, Charles Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Science - Free every Friday night from 8:30 - 10pm, weather permitting (thank you, Lowell Institute).   Features a computer-controlled Celestron CGE 1100 Schmidt Cassegrain telescope; call 617-589-0267 to confirm the schedule (if weather conditions seem iffy) and to find out what's on view.
  Details:  Roof of the parking garage; Museum of Science, www.mos.org - click on Planetarium link.
• Boston Public Library - Not a museum, but filled with magnificent paintings, sculpture, and architectural details.  BPL also hosts frequent concerts, interesting lectures, and kids activities.  Free at all times, plus it's right in Copley Square, across from Trinity Church and the John Hancock Tower.  More about Boston Public Library
• Make Way for Ducklings statues - Also not a musuem . . . but this popular outdoor sculpture pleases children and adults alike.  More about Make Way for Ducklings
• Freedom Trail museums and sites:  Free admission to the Massachusetts State House, Bunker Hill Museum in Charlestown (across the street from the monument), free USS Constitution tours 

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Boston discount passes for museums and other attractions

Keep in mind that if the free museum days don't work for you, you can get a Boston discount card and get free admission to many museums as well as other Boston attractions.

GoBoston Card 70+ attractions, tours, cruises Save up to 55%	CityPASS 5 top attractions in 9 days Almost 50% savings	Go Select YOU choose the tours, attractions, cruises - Save BIG!

Use these discount passes for admission to lots of other attractions, museums, tours, and cruises - compare the savings!

 

What to Do in Boston for Free - Music

Home to several world-class music and performing arts colleges and plenty of musicians, Boston hosts numerous free concerts and performances - often on a daily basis.  Here's a quick guide to where to find them:

Music schools and conservatories

To see what's offered on a particular day, check out events calendars for the following schools. 

• Berklee College of Music - Premier center for jazz and contemporary music
  Go to www.berklee.edu - click on "What's happening at Berklee" to bring up the events calendar
• New England Conservatory of Music - Specializes in musical performance; Website:  www.necmusic.edu
  Click on "Today's Concerts"
  Most concerts take place in Jordan Hall - incredible acoustics!
• Longy School of Music - Classical to modern musical training; located in Harvard Square, Cambridge
  Longy website: www.longy.edu - click on "Concerts + Events"

Historic churches

Many of Boston's historic churches provide free and almost free ($3-$5) concerts, in some cases on a weekly basis. 

• King's Chapel (corner of Tremont and School Streets, Historic Downtown on the Freedom Trail) - Tuesday Recitals feature musicians of every genre you can imagine, sometimes playing King's Chapel's own world-famous organ.  Performances begin at about 12:15 (be there at 12 for seating) and last 35-45 minutes.  $3 donation, which goes to the musicians.  More information
• Church of St. John Evangelist (35 Bowdoin Street, Beacon Hill) - Free classical concerts each Wednesday, 5:30pm, 30-45 minutes.  www.stjev.org

Free outdoor Boston concerts

• Free Boston Pops concerts on July 3rd and 4th - Hatch shell on the Esplanade.  Concert on July 4th is followed by the followed by spectacular fireworks over the Charles River.
• Free Landmarks Orchestra concerts at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade.  Every Wednesday from mid-July through August at 7pm.  More information on the July Boston Events Calendar
• Berklee BeanTown Jazz Festival - This wildly popular festival starts in mid-September and features many free and ticketed events.  Some of my favorites are the small groups of musicians who play at various spots on Boylston Street and in the Public Garden - to find these performances, just follow the sound of the music.

Cheap and discount tickets - BSO and Pops 

• The Boston Pops and Boston Symphony Orchestra normally perform at acoustically-perfect Symphony Hall in Boston's Fenway neighborhood.  Performances usually aren't free - but very low-cost or discount tickets may be available, especially if you're a student, under 40, or 65+.  Check for availability:  www.bso.org.  To explore backstage and get fascinating glimpses into the history of the orchestras, go on a free tour of Symphony Hall.  

Park and subway musicians

With so many music colleges in Boston, we have lots of musicians looking for venues.  Look for wonderful impromptu perfermances by talented musicians in the Public Garden, Christopher Columbus Park, other spots near the Boston Harbor waterfront, Downtown Crossing, and even popular subway stations such as Harvard Square. 

While these performances are free, you'll usually see a hat or instrument case with a few dollars in it.  If you enjoy the music, contribute a dollar or two.

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What to Do in Boston for Free - Theater

• Shakespeare on the Common - free performances under the stars on Boston Common each summer.
• Goldstar Events occasionally offers free tickets to theater and comedy club performances, along with many half-price tickets.  To find out about them, sign up with Goldstar to be a "member" (sign-up is free).
• Quincy Market Street Performers - Not quite theater - but usually very theatrical - mimes, magicians, comics, stilt-walkers, jugglers, musicians, actors . . . look for these talented "street performers" around Faneuil Hall Marketplace almost every weekend and holiday. 
• Historical re-enactments take place throughout the year at various Freedom Trail sites, especially in the vicinity of the Old State House and Faneuil Hall Marketplace.  One of the biggest events is the annual re-enactment of the Boston Massacre during March.
• Patriots Day - Boston's biggest re-enactment event takes place in April each year to commemorate the beginning of the American Revolution.

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  What to Do in Boston for Free - Sports

Here in Boston, we're fanatics about sports - doing sports, watching sports, talking about sports, dreaming about sports.  We hope you feel the same way because sports fans will find a lot to enjoy here for free.

If you're wondering what to do in Boston related to sports while you're here, try these suggestions for free and almost-free experiences, ranging from active to spectator: 

• If you're going to be here when the weather is good, tuck a frisbee into your suitcase.  Once you arrive, head to Boston Common or the Rose Kennedy Greenway for a little exercise and fun with your frisbee.  Or, in winter, go ice skating on Frog Pond (you'll pay a small fee if you're over 13).
• Go for a run or bike ride along the Boston Esplanade, the strip of park land bordering the Charles River.  Or plan your own Boston bike tour (didn't bring a bike? You can rent one cheaply - check out our new Hubway system).
• If you're here on the third Monday in April, watch the Boston Marathon from a spot along the route.  You'd rather participate?  Check out the Boston Marathon qualifying times, and start training!
• In April, walk over to the Charles River to watch Run of the Charles, the biggest canoe and kayaking race in New England.
• In October, head back to the Charles River to cheer at the Head of the Charles Regatta, a huge rowing event attracting athletes from all over the world.
• Watch a Red Sox game (or any other game) for the cost of a beer by joining other fans in the Boston bars near Fenway, where you'll find plenty of plenty of large definition screens and non-stop sports.  A Fenway Park tour offers an affordable way to see the ballpark up close. 

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Get around for free (or almost free)

Boston's compact size means that you can walk just about everywhere.  This is fortunate, because driving in Boston is a nightmare if you're not used to it and parking can cost a small fortune. 

Follow these tips to get around the city for free, or almost free:

• Pick up a free Boston map at the Information Center on Boston Common, near the area where West Street intersects with Tremont Street (which runs along the east side of the Common).  These maps also show the Freedom Trail sites, as well as the Harvard Square area of Cambridge.
• Enjoy Boston parks while you're walking.  Stroll along the Rose Kennedy Greenway from Chinatown to the North End.  Explore HarborWalk along Boston Harbor.  Walk (or jog) along the Esplanade next to the Charles River.  Cut across Boston Common and the Public Garden when walking from Downtown to Back Bay, Beacon Hill to the South End. 
• Too hot?  Too cold?  Not sure what to do in Boston in the rain?  Explore parts of Back Bay from the inside.  Starting in the Copley Place shopping area, you can walk through the sky tunnels to Prudential Center - and enjoy some great views at the same time - and continue on to Hynes Convention Center, all without going outside.  Just follow the signs for directions.   
• Really bad weather?  Take Boston's subway (locally called the "T").  You can get a 7-day pass for $15.  Once you buy the pass, you ride the T for free (so to speak) for 7 days . . . but that's not all.  You can also use your pass for unlimited free rides on city buses, part of the commuter rail, and Inner Harbor ferries. 

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What to Do in Boston for Free (well, almost) - Shop

OK, so this isn't exactly a free thing to do in Boston . . . but if you're going to shop for a souvenir anyway, you might as well get something unique at an affordable price.   

Here are some suggestions:

• From mid-May to late October, some of the area's best artisans and artists can be found on Sunday afternoons selling their creations beneath the white tents in SoWa Open Market in Boston's hip and trendy South End neighborhood.  You'll find a wide range of mostly affordable prices.  Want an edgy created-in-Boston t-shirt?  This is the place to find wearable art, very cool jewelry, and loads of other have-to-have things.
• Buy something delicious to consume later or give as a gift.  You'll find lots of delectable goodies in the small specialty food shops along Hanover and Salem Streets in Boston's Italian North End, as well as in the gourmet South End markets.
• Explore Boston's many city (and suburban) shopping malls.  Wrentham Village specializes in discount designer wear.  Others usually have some great bargains.  And remember, you'll pay no sales tax on each clothing item under $175, and Massachusetts sales tax on other items is only 6.25% - so if you normally shop in a high-tax area, you can save money by shopping here.

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More free things to do in Boston

Here are a few more suggestions about what to do in Boston for free - or almost free: 

• Take a Swan Boat ride on the Lagoon in the Public Garden.  From mid-April through much of September, this is most relaxing 15 minute ride in town, plus you'll see beautiful scenery from the water.  Not free, but a small latte at Starbucks will cost you more.
• Enjoy sweeping views of Boston Harbor and beyond from the free 14th floor Independence Wharf Observation Deck next to the Intercontinental Hotel on the waterfront - an interesting alternative to the better-known non-free Prudential Skywalk.  Alternately, if you want the higher view from the top of the Prudential Tower (and it is spectacular), take the elevator to the top floor where the Top of the Hub lounge is located, order a drink, and gaze around the city.  You'll have to pay, of course, for your drink - but the view is free.
• Enjoy the splendor of gorgeous golden and crimson leaves from about mid-September into November at these top city locations to see Boston fall foliage.  My Fall Foliage Report gives you weekly updates and photos.

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More things to do in Boston . . .

 

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