Fun To Go

One of the highlights of Boston’s Fourth of July festivities is the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade.

Keith Lockhart will conduct the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra for their famous free Fourth of July show.  This year,  the big-name act will be singer Neil Diamond. Since this is Red Sox  Nation, you can be sure that he will be singing “Sweet Caroline”! And this will be the third consecutive year that Craig Ferguson will host.

As many as half a million people come to the Esplanade to see the Boston Pops and the fireworks show that begins at 8:30 on July 4^th.  But attending the dress rehearsal concert on July 3rd on the Esplanade is a lot less crowded and a wonderful way to start your family’s Independence Day celebration. The rehearsal  is the same show as the Fourth of July concert - just without the fireworks.

For the rehearsal concert, the gates to the Hatch Shell will open at 4 PM for the 8:30 PM show. Take the T into town and arrive early so you can get a spot on the grassy oval in front of the stage. Bring a picnic dinner along with a blanket, water, sunscreen, and plenty of quiet games and activities to entertain the kids.   Tip: The finale will be “Stars and Stripes Forever” – try to make your way towards the T before the canons blow paper confetti into the crowd!

Now that the kids are out of school, it is officially summer. After a couple of weeks of  lazy, hazy days; school vacation  looms long and  keeping the kids entertained  can be a challenge. Fun-To-Go has you covered with family-friendly places to go all summer!

The Mary Baker Eddy Library (200 Massachusetts Ave., Boston, 617-450-7330) is hosting a free children’s  summer program . The “One World” program takes place very Tuesday morning from 10AM-noon from July 7th-August 11th and features craft projects, multi-cultural guest performers and give-aways. The program is geared towards kids ages 4-10 and reservations are required. Afterwards, kids can walk through the Mapparium, the Christian Science Center’s three-story stained glass globe that shows the world as it was in 1935 .Very cool.

Check out this month’s P+K for Twenty Places To Go With Dad for Father’s Day. For the Dad’s in my life- my Dad and  my husband - an afternoon spent strawberry picking with the family and a backyard barbecue makes for a perfect Father’s Day Sunday.

Need another idea for Father’s Day Fun? The Museum of Fine Arts  in Boston will be offering free admission this Father’s Day, June 21st from 10 AM-4:45 PM. Check out the  MFA’s drop-in activities  at the Family Art Cart or the Artist’s Toolbox.

This week’s Fun-To-Go activity is just too easy! The 27th annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl starts tomorrow, Tuesday  June 9 and runs through Thursday June 11 at Boston’s City Hall Plaza from 12PM- 8PM each day. Tickets are just $8 for adults, $4 for kids ages 3-9, and free for kids under age 3. Proceeds benefit the Dana Faber Cancer Institute.  

This year 9 ice cream companies will be scooping out their best treats-40+ flavors in all  ranging from Spasso’s raspberry gelato to Hagen Dazs’ Vanilla Honey Bee to Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Macadamia.

Some rain is forecast each day of this year’s Scooper Bowl,  but the event is held rain or shine- which is a good thing because it means there will be more ice cream for me!

Image Credit the Jimmy Fund

This week-end , June 6 th and 7 th Bank of America customers can get  free museum admission to some of Massachusetts best museums.

I have written about the Bank of America “Museums On Us” program before, but  now the  program is year-round, and you can even sign up for a monthly reminder from Bank of America so that you will always be “in the know.”

If you are a Bank of America customer,   show your Bank of America credit, check or ATM card on the first full week-end of every month, at participating museums throughout the country- and you’re in! The Massachusetts museums that participate in the program are  family favorites and include the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, the Harvard Museum of Natural History in Cambridge, the Danforth Museum in Framingham, the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln and the Ecotarium in Worcester.

This Saturday, May 30th  from 12PM-6PM is the 16th annual  Earthfest 2009 on the Esplanade in Boston, sponsored by radio station 92.9 and presented by Whole Foods Markets. The even is free and open to the public. The big draw for many is the  concert at the Hatch Shell - this year’s acts include Soul Asylum, Lemonheads, and Shawn Mullins.

The festival showcases  green and sustainable living as well as non-profit organizations.Families will want to head over to the “Kid’s Planet ” area where there will be family programming throughout the day including musical performances by Zumix. I went last year with my daughter and we had a blast.There were lots of freebies -and I love freebies! Best way to get to the concert? Practice green living and take the T !

It is plant-buying time!  And while the  plants and flowers beckon you (I am a sucker for perennials!)   a trip to your local  garden center and nursery  makes a terrific any-day outing  with kids in tow.

Local nurseries are lovely places-especially in the spring.   Let the kids pick some flowers and vegetables to grow in the garden.  

Lots of  garden centers  have retail farms stands where you can buy fresh, locally grown produce and  pick up all the ingredients for dinner. Very convenient!  And some garden centers have koi ponds and animal barns that can keep the kids entertained as well. 

It is early for the  u-pick season,  but the area’s  pick-your-own farms are another good destination for spring family farm  activities .  

The  Boston Habor Express ferries are running again to Georges Island, part of the Boston Harbor Islands National Park. Located just seven miles from Boston,  Georges Island makes a wonderful  family spring outing destination.

From Boston’s Long Wharf, a  Harbor Express ferry will take you  and your family to Georges  Island in just 30 minutes.

 There is a snack stand on the island but a better idea is to  bring along a picnic lunch.  Georges Island features great picnic facilities with  lots of tables under tree -shaded grounds.  Afterwards, take the kids to explore Fort Warren,  a Civil War -era stronghold. Park rangers lead free tours and will regale the kids with tales of the “Lady in Black”,  or you can explore the fort on your own.

Have the kids bring their own flash flights for added fun exploring the Fort’s dark basement tunnels.

Swimming is not allowed on Georges Island, but the beach is perfect for flying a kite, walking, skipping stones or just taking in the terrific views of the Boston skyline.

The boats have inside seating as well as deck seating, but even on a warm day,  don’t forget to bring a jacket-it can be cold on the water!

Mother’s Day should definitely be more than one day a year! Kick off your Mother’s Day weekend at the Family Play Day on the Greenway at the Wharf District Park in Boston this Saturday, May 9^th from 10 a.m. -3 p.m.

In the morning, there will be the unveiling of the Mother’s Walk Wall. After the dedication, the real fun begins. Bring a picnic lunch to eat on the grass and sty awhile! There will be free activities and entertainment for families all day - storytelling, dance performances, clowns and live music.

The Rose Kennedy Greenway is the lovely ribbon of parks that follows the path of the old Central Artery highway. The Wharf District Park is along the waterfront and really is a lovely space with lots of plantings and park benches .It’s close to both the New England Aquarium and the Children’s Museum – two favorite Fun-To-Go destinations.

Flowers,chocolate,and homemade cards are nice. But what  many Moms -and certainly this Mom- want for Mother’s Day is to go out for brunch.

Mother's Day -3 Generations

Mother’s Day brunches I have known- and I have been a Mom for 20 years -so I have known many. Favorite brunch for foodie Moms?  Hands down, Henrietta’s Table at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge. Favorite brunch  for when the kids are little? It’s a toss-up between the Hyatt in Cambridge and the Marriott at Long Wharf. Both brunches are totally family friendly and also offer  entertainment  just for kids. Brunch I would rather forget? The Parker House Mother’s Day brunch when my boys were  ages 6,4 and 3 and they made chocolate smears on the fancy banquette. We haven’t been back since! 

One great option for finding area Mother’s Day brunch and dinner offerings is to visit Open Table where you can sort restaurants by area and  available reservation time.  Finally,here  are two newer local hotel restaurants that are good bets for Mother’s  Day Brunch 

606 Congress (606 Congress St., Boston, 617-476-5527, www.606congress.com  Breakfast Buffet  7 AM- 11 AM , $19 for adults,  $9 for children ages 5-12, Brunch buffet  12 PM-3 PM,  $39 for adults, $19 for children ages 5-12).

606 Congress is located in the Renaissance Hotel  in the Seaport District and is a good choice if you want to combine Mother’s Day brunch with the Children’s Museum. 606 Congress is offering both a  Mother’s Day breakfast buffet which may appeal to thrifty early-rising families as well as a more tradtional Mother’s Day buffet.

Bokx 109 American Prime (399 Grove St., Newton, 617-454-3399, www.bokx109.com,  11 AM-3 PM ,$45 per adult, $15 per child ages 5-12)

Bokx 109 American Prime is located in the Hotel Indigo in Newton and is a good choice if you want to the big-city brunch experience without having to go into town.