Happy Presidents’ Day!
With many schools closed for February vacation, The Freedom Trail Foundation has created a line up of programs to entertain the whole family! Use the list below to fill your agenda for February 18 – 24.
Winter Camp at the Boston Common Frog Pond
Free ice skating for children and families February 18 to February 22, daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Admission includes skate rentals, skating aids, and free hot chocolate and donuts. Tickets will be given away daily on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 10 a.m. Sponsored by Highland Street Foundation.
Children’s Winter Festival
This annual tradition returns to Boston Common February 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Children and families are invited to enjoy a day of outdoor fun with free games and activities, including a 45-foot-long Toboggan Tunnel mountainous adventure with twin roller lanes, 30-foot-high inflatable Everest Climb N’ Slide, a Ski Lift photo op, and much more.
“Happy Birthday, Mr. Longfellow!”
Celebrate Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s birthday month at the Old South Meeting House. Explore an illustrated timeline of fun facts about Longfellow in Boston history, and design your own Longfellow-inspired birthday card. All activities are included with museum admission, and free for Boston residents aged 18 and under, and accompanying adult with identification. Visitors can collect a “Happy Birthday, Mr. Longfellow!” passport and stamp at the Meeting House, and then visit the Paul Revere House to learn more and complete their passport. All activities are included with museum admission.
Faneuil Hall
Crack British codes and solve mysteries to aid the revolutionary patriots at Faneuil Hall, daily from Saturday, February 16 to Sunday, February 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This free activity will be held in the Find Your Park space on the lower level.
King’s Chapel
Visitors and families are invited to “ring in” February school vacation week by celebrating the church bell’s birthday. After being recast by Paul Revere’s bell foundry Revere & Sons, the King’s Chapel bell was installed on February 23, 1816. Visitors are invited to tour the bell tower to visit the historic bell, learn about Revere family members who worshiped at King’s Chapel, create their own bell at a craft station, and hear bell-ringing throughout the vacation week during regular hours at no cost. Bell & Bones tours and Art & Architecture tours will also be offered daily, as well as additional tours to the bell tower.
Old State House
The Old State House is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily with free admission for kids. Take one of more than a dozen daily tours with friendly and knowledgeable guides, enter meticulously-restored period rooms, and see rare treasures of the past. Visitors can sit in the seat of the British Empire’s colonial power and stand on the site of the Boston Massacre. The Hands-on History rooms invite children and adults alike to explore the building’s long history and pivotal role in American Independence through interactive exhibits.
Exploring Home at the Paul Revere House
Visitors can design their own piece of block-printed wallpaper and explore materials, techniques, and designs used in three centuries of construction in Boston on February 19 and February 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. This activity is free with admission to the site.
The Old North Church and Historic Site
Old North will hold regular hours during February vacation week in which visitors can join guided Behind the Scenes tours to climb the steps into the bell-ringing chamber, then descend down into the historic crypt, play the Prince’s Prowl e-adventure, and sample 18th-century treats at Captain Jackson’s Historic Chocolate.
USS Constitution Museum
Visitors can to build your own ship with LEGO and DUPLO Bricks at the LEGO Maritime Festival. The nautical fun continues with a “Float Your Boat” LEGO Challenge, “Picture Yourself” LEGO Selfie Masks, a scavenger hunt through our Masters of Miniature exhibit, and much more. These free activities are offered daily from Saturday, February 16 to Sunday, February 24.
Charlestown Navy Yard Visitor Center
Visitors are invited to try their hand at tying four basic knots at the “Knot Challenge” from Saturday, February 16 to Sunday, February 24 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additionally, the Center offers a hands-on drop-in activity on Saturday, February 16 and Saturday, February 23 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. where students can explore translating Morse Code, building circuits, riveting a ribbon bracelet, and more tasks done by the shipbuilding women of the U.S. Navy.
Bunker Hill Museum
Guests are invited to be the builders of their own Bunker Hill Monument out of paper. This creative activity is offered daily from Saturday, February 16 to Sunday, February 24 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
