How to Save Money at The Boston Children's Museum

Are you looking for ways to save at the Boston Children’s Museum? The museum is one of the city’s best family attractions and one of the top things to do in Boston on the weekend with kids, boasting a ton of great exhibits and activities kids are sure to love, like Peep’s World, the bubble room, and more. Ticket prices can add up fast (regularly $18 per person), but fortunately, there are ways you can save with Boston Children’s Museum coupons and discount tickets.

If you are looking to save money at the Children’s Museum in Boston, here are a few ways to do so:

Ways to Save with Boston Children’s Museum Discount Tickets

Kids 1 and under are free
Planning on seeing multiple attractions across the city? The Go Boston Pass includes access to the Boston Children’s Museum and 40+ other attractions at a discounted rate. Read our Go Boston Pass review for more info.
Admission is $1 on Friday nights from 5-9pm
Admission is half-price ($9) when you visit during the last hour (at 4 pm) from Saturday-Thursday
Members are admitted free and basic membership is $170 for a year and admits 4 people per visit as well as other perks including free and half-price admission to other museums. You can get a major discount on membership with this limited-time Groupon deal! Membership may be a good option for you if you frequent the museum often, especially for a family of four.
Request a museum pass from your local library and get half-price admission ($9) with Boston Children’s Museum discount tickets, up to 4 guests
Mass EBT cardholders can receive admission for $2 per person when they pay in cash, up to 4 people with valid EBT card and photo ID
New England K-8 Teachers receive free admission with valid work ID, union card or paycheck AND photo ID
Active Military Personnel or dependent will receive complimentary admission with valid ID
WGBH members receive $1 off admission for up to 4 people with current membership card and photo ID
Children who are Red Sox Kid Nation members can receive $2 off admission with membership card

Getting to the Boston Children’s Museum (on a budget)

The Boston Children’s Museum is located at 308 Congress Street in Boston.

There are a lot of different ways to get to the Boston Children’s Museum.

South Station is located less than half mile walk to the Boston Children’s Museum and is a great budget-friendly option, especially if you don’t want to drive to the museum.

Take the red line, silver line, bus, or commuter rail to South Station and walk over the Congress Street Bridge. Price varies depending on travel method, but children 11 and under ride free on the subway and commuter rail.

If you’d rather drive directly to the Boston Children’s Museum, there are some parking lots close by. Weekend and Friday night parking is going to be cheaper because you don’t have to compete with commuters for parking spots.

Here are the parking lots recommended by the Children’s Museum:

Stilling Street Garage: $23 weekdays (must get parking validated at museum info desk), $14 weekends (no validation required)
Atlantic Wharf Parking Garage: $20 parking when you enter after 10am and leave before 6pm, must get parking validated at museum info desk), $9 on weekends and weeknights after 5pm, when you get a discount parking stub at the museum info desk
Farnsworth Street Garage: $24 on weekdays and $14 on weekends, need validation at museum info desk for price (NOTE: This is the garage we parked at and noticed the $14 sign for parking out front, so I don’t think you’d need the validation sticker if the sign is there. We used SpotHero to reserve a spot at the garage and it was $10 through the app).

There is also an open parking lot right across the street from the Children’s Museum (321 Congress Street) and it looks like parking is $15 on the weekends and $25 max on the weekdays, but I would probably double-check that before you pull in.

If you are looking for more parking options and/or the cheapest parking lot, I highly recommend downloading a parking app on your phone. You can see the real-time parking rates for the day/hours of your visit and the current availability. Sometimes you can reserve in advance and get a discount.

Here are some parking apps to consider:

ParkWhiz: Find and book a parking spot with ParkWhiz and get $5 off your first spot with my referral code
ParkingPanda: Find a book a parking spot with ParkingPanda and get $5 off your first spot with my referral code
SpotHero: Find and book a parking spot with SpotHero and get $7 off your first reservation over $8 with my referral code

Depending on the garage and parking app, you may need to follow a special direction to get the ticket validated. For the Farnsworth Garage, I needed to bring my ticket with me, and then go to the main office (right by the elevator) to show my parking app to get the ticket validated by a staff member and then I slipped the ticket into the machine on my way out.

Overall, parking apps are a great way to find the cheapest parking garages in real-time without spending extra gas. An extra bonus if you have any free credit with them to apply to your parking costs!

Cheap Eats Near the Boston Children’s Museum

The closest dining option is at the Children’s Museum, which is Au Bon Pain. There is an entrance on Congress Street, but you can actually access the bakery through the Museum too as there’s an entrance on the first floor.

There’s a lunch area on the first floor, and this is the only area where food is allowed in the museum. You can also bring food as well and eat it there, if you’d rather.

In the summer, you can eat on the patio outside and you can also purchase food from the Hood Milk Bottle if you want. It was cold and closed when we went, so I’m unsure of the prices.

Here are some other options for cheap eats in Boston near the museum:

South Station Food Court: If you’re looking to keep it casual and quick and took the train or bus to/from the museum, you may want to eat at South Station. There’s a lot of different options and most are too expensive either.
Food Trucks: Also, super casual and near South Station, head to Dewey Square for some t0-go eats from a food truck. Here’s the Greenway Food Truck schedule.
Pastoral: Pastoral is a great option for Pizza and sit-down service located a quick walk from the museum, on the other side of the street if you are looking for a sit-down option. Even better, show your museum admission receipt for 10% off!
Flour: Flour is a bakery + café across the street from the Farnsworth Garage and a great spot for casual counter service and delicious treats.
Boloco: There is a Boloco at 284 Congress Street if you are looking for counter service and burritos. Even better, download the Boloco Passport App for $5 off for new users. You can even order and pay ahead of time through the app. (Note: You’ll want the Atlantic Wharf location on Congress St., not the Children’s location which is Children’s Hospital on Longwood. It just sounds like something I’d do when I’m sleep deprived and in a hurry, so figured I’d make a note).
Shake Shack: Shake Shack is located at 77 Seaport Blvd and is about a 5-minute walk from the Museum. Shake Shack is counter service with burgers, shakes, and more, and you order your meal ahead of time with the Shack App available on iOS.