bring the family
Hiking with children on Mt. Willard
If you live in these parts and have children, there will come a time for that first true hike (and, no disrespect, but Great Blue Hill isn’t that hike). (Boston Globe, 9/10/10)
Setting up camp
For all you camping purists out there, a family campground isn’t a bad thing. When your toddler is in diapers and your 6-year-old refuses to wear shoes, camping in a place with a washing machine and showers isn’t a moral shortcoming. It’s pragmatic. (Boston Globe, 9/3/10)
Get your hands wet at Mystic Aquarium
Boston has a world-class aquarium, but sometimes it’s worth checking out the alternatives, if only to see what else is out there. The aquarium in Mystic, Conn., has come a long way over the past several years — renovating, expanding, and adding exhibits — and is well worth the 90-minute trip down Interstate 95. (Boston Globe, 8/27/10)
A walk in the Bark
At 7:30 on a beautiful weekday morning, Kaiya and Lucy don’t run into a lot of two- or four-legged walkers at Breakheart Reservation. The girls don’t care; they’re busy ignoring each other, sniffing trail smells, and leaving a few of their own. (Boston Globe, 8/20/10)
Taking them for a spin
What is with this human desire to be spun around and jerked about? Why do we pay good money (in this case $30 for anyone 4 feet or taller) to be encased in a metal container and twisted and twirled until our heads ache and stomachs churn? I don’t have an answer for you. I do have a recommended outlet for such irrational needs, however: Canobie Lake Park. (Boston Globe, 8/13/10)
Shopping a bargain
Until this weekend, I didn’t realize how useful a yard sale could be for a parent trying to survive in this consumerist-driven culture, where kids won’t blink at begging for another $14.99 Littlest Pet Shop set. (Boston Globe, 8/6/10)
Old-fashioned amusement at Kimball Farm
Kimball Farm is a family-friendly entertainment destination, with a little something for everyone of any age.
Prices for activities vary, from $2 per token at the batting cages to $5 for a pony ride to $11 for a round of mini-golf. (Boston Globe, 7/30/10)
Flocking to a budgie safari at Franklin Park Zoo
The Franklin Park Zoo’s new Aussie Aviary is a permanent exhibit in the Australian Outback section. It’s essentially a giant, rounded cage filled with 325 budgies - parakeets, in our parlance. And it’s about as up-close-and-personal as a zoo experience can get. (Boston Globe, 7/23/10)
A step back in time in the North End
When I want to step back in time, I take Julia and Beck for a stroll through the North End, which combines the best of the old and new worlds. (Boston Globe, 7/16/10)
A whale of a great time with the kids
Globe editor Steve Greenlee's 8-year-old daughter, Amelia, asked if they could go on a whale watch. She'd been studying whales in school and wanted to see the real thing. The majesty of what they witnessed was stunning. (Boston Globe, 7/9/10)
Checking out the library
Not a week goes by without a visit to the bookstore, since that's the one place I feel OK about spending money. Then my first-grader-to-be brought home his summer reading list, and the sheer volume of titles knocked some sense into me. Why buy any of these books when we have a lovely town library a mile away? (Boston Globe, 7/2/10)
Out for tacos with a tot
When we heard a new Mexican restaurant had opened up in our neighborhood, we decided it was time to try dining with the baby. One tip: Go on a weekday and head in before 6 o'clock. (Boston Globe, 6/25/10)
Ice cream at Kimball Farm
Ice cream is the main attraction at Kimball Farm in Carlisle, but this place is also a farm with goats, geese, and roosters. (Boston Globe, 6/18/10)
Hitting the Freeman Rail Trail
Now that the weather is (mostly) wonderful, it's time to head outside to play - all of you, together. A walk in the woods or a gentle bike ride are great ways to ease into summer, and on the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, you can do either easily. (Boston Globe, 6/11/10)
Exploring World's End
The 251 pristine acres that jut out into Hingham Harbor and the Weir River constitute one of the Boston area's finest natural jewels - and one of my family's favorite spots to spend an afternoon. (Boston Globe, 6/5/10)
Walking at the Garden in the Woods
Garden in the Woods in Framingham makes you feel like you're roaming a grand estate; its impeccably clean and manicured paths are lined with blooming flowers and abundant bushes. (Boston Globe, 5/28/10)
Battleship Cove is a playground for kids and dads
Battleship Cove, which sits beneath the Braga Bridge in Fall River, is a playground for middle school boys - and, in this case, their elementary school sisters.
A trip to Blue Hills Meteorological Observatory
Every morning, without fail, my son will ask me for a weather update. We needed to take him to the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory to indulge his interest - and my husband's - in the science of weather. (Boston Globe, 5/14/10)
A walk at the Arnold Arboretum
You can wander around more than 265 acres from dawn to dusk 365 days a year, thanks to benefactor James Arnold and a creation by landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted and the Arboretum's first director, Charles Sprague Sargent. (Boston Globe, 5/7/10)
Trunk show at the zoo
The Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence is huge, has an impressive array of species, and constantly evolves. (Boston Globe, 4/16/10)
Finding spring . . . indoors at Wellesley College
The first day of spring came and went, and all we had to show for it was a pile of boots by the front door and a puddle in the basement. April showers arrived early this year, and it seemed like May flowers might just be a fantasy. Until we visited the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens, that is. (Boston Globe, 4/9/10)
An old lesson: the slide rules
We walked over to the playground at Ava’s elementary school as a full family of four, and rediscovered the simple wonders of the slide. This sounds basic, and it is. (Boston Globe, 4/2/10)
A short trip to historic Moswetuset Hummock in Quincy
Moswetuset Hummock is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it park overlooking Quincy Bay. For something that's little more than a rocky outcrop, Moswetuset Hummock boasts a rather lofty place in local history. (Boston Globe, 3/26/10)
A trip to see the art of the library
There's so much art and architecture to take in during this one-hour Boston Public Library tour that you almost forget you're in a library. (Boston Globe, 3/19/10)
Overnight trip to Haverhill
I know what you're thinking. A family getaway in Haverhill?
Bear with me.
The idea is basic on a few simple truths. It's winter. The kid likes to swim. We don't have a pool. Wouldn't it be nice to take her somewhere chlorinated and just chill out? The other requirement: It's got to be cheap. (Boston Globe, 3/12/10)
One Stop Fun in Westford
A three-story maze of tubes and tunnels dominates the playground side of the complex, which also houses a gym stocked with Olympic-worthy gymnastics equipment, a 1,500-square-foot dance studio, karate and yoga classes, an outdoor pool plaza, a snack bar, and several private rooms for parties. (Boston Globe, 3/5/10)
Maple sugaring with the kids
Plenty of maple sugar farms around New England offer tours this time of year, when the sap runs. We took a trip to Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary in Sharon, which bottles and sells its own maple syrup. (Boston Globe, 2/26/10)
Taking kids to bluegrass fest
Taking little kids to see live music - live music that isn't cloying kids' music - is a challenge, at best. But over the course of some trial and error, we've found our best success on the festival circuit. (Boston Globe, 2/19/10)
Scavenger hunt for little fashionistas
What to do with a 9-year-old girl who's not content just to play dress-up? I took her to the Garment District, the self-described ''alternative department store'' in Cambridge. (Boston Globe, 2/12/10)
Skiing at the Blue Hills with the kids
The scene at the Blue Hills Ski Area in Canton was fairly adorable. In one cordoned-off space, a couple of dozen kids, ages 4 to 6, lined up for lessons, which more or less amounted to learning how to get back up when they'd toppled over. (Boston Globe, 2/5/10)
Skywalk Observatory offers great views of Boston
After an ear-popping ride to the 50th floor of the Prudential Center, there's an eye-popping experience that will take your breath away (Boston Globe, 1/29/10)
Bring the Family: Farming it out
My wife has always wanted a goat. Of course, you need at least two. (They're pack animals and feel lonely without a pal.) And we live in a city, where there's a term we use to describe the act of keeping goats in the backyard: zoning violation.
The goat issue might be part of why we joined the 4-H club. (Boston Globe, 1/22/10)
Summer in the wintertime at Coco Key
It was way below freezing when I got up that morning, but at Coco Key Water Resort in Danvers it was a balmy 84 degrees, a welcome respite from the brutal cold. (Boston Globe, 1/15/10)
Butterfly Garden at Museum of Science
Tucked in the back of the Museum of Science up on the top floor is a place where you will enjoy some of the most magical experiences in the building. And they have nothing to do with Harry Potter, dinosaurs, or man-made lightning. It's all about the butterflies. (Boston Globe, 1/8/10)
MIT Museum makes science cool
In matters involving math and the hard sciences, my wife and I are limited. But that doesn’t mean we’re disinterested or content to let our kids be blank slates. (Boston Globe, 12/25/09)
Stone Zoo’s holiday festival is fun for the whole family
When the sun goes down and thousands of twinkling lights come up, the living-and-breathing residents of the Stone Zoo take a back seat to the mechanical, stuffed, revolving animals and lighted trees. (Boston Globe, 12/18/09)
‘Nutcracker’ without the glitz
In these budget-busting times, the Mateo ''Nutcracker'' will certainly save you money. A family of four can attend the production for as little as $60. Those savings do come at a cost. (Boston Globe, 12/11/09)
Nothing humbug about it
This year's ''A Christmas Carol'' is Trinity Repertory Company's finest in recent memory, with a stunning but efficient set, crafty use of lighting, wonderful musicians, and top-notch acting from a cast of two dozen. (Boston Globe, 12/4/09)
An enchanted visit to the Enchanted Village
I remember as a child being taken to see what then was called the Enchanted Village of St. Nicholas, at the Jordan Marsh store downtown. It was a roomful of colorful moving figures of children - indoors and out - in a Victorian winter street scene. (Boston Globe, 11/27/09)
Visiting Japanese House at Children’s Museum
My son’s obsessed with Bakugan action figures, and now it seems his interest has broadened to all things related to Japan. Recently, Nate came home from school and announced he wants to learn Japanese. Later that night, we located Tokyo on the globe and marveled at how far it is from Boston. (Boston Globe, 11/20/09)
Bring the family: Small hands, mini-cupcakes
When Ava was roughly 3, her Nana, who lives out of town, started a ritual of grandmother-granddaughter baking whenever she came to visit. (Boston Globe, 11/13/09)
Kids enjoy a fall hike in the Fells
We're not big backpackers or campers, but my wife and I do try, as much as weather, busy weekend schedules, and our exceedingly suburban lifestyle will allow, to get the kids out for an occasional walk in the woods. (Boston Globe, 11/6/09)
A kids’-eye view of mummies
The opening of “The Secrets of Tomb 10A’’ was the perfect time to introduce our 10-year-old twin boys and 7-year-old daughter to the Museum of Fine Arts. (Boston Globe, 10/30/09)
‘Castle of Fear’ offers plenty of scares
Your kids will get a kick out of ''Castle of Fear'' in Haverhill, especially teens who will make fun of you for being scared. (Boston Globe, 10/23/09)
North Shore field trip to Hammond Castle
Boy, when did I get old enough to become a chaperone? Last week, that's when, for my daughter's trip to Cape Ann. We started at the 120-year-old Eastern Point lighthouse sitting at the entrance of Gloucester Harbor. (Boston Globe, 10/16/09)
The science of fun at the Discovery Museums
You're driving along Route 27 in Acton, about 30 miles northwest of Boston, admiring the fall foliage, when you notice the big green dinosaur poking its head over a cream-colored picket fence. Welcome to the Discovery Museums. (Boston Globe, 10/9/09)
Adventure in the city
When my son, Nate, asked glumly why I'd never chaperoned one of his preschool field trips, I couldn't answer for a minute. The rote response was, well, I work full-time. But I had to think: Was it true? (10/2/09)
Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary in Norton
You can only sing ''Old McDonald Had a Farm'' to your infant so many times before you feel an obligation to show him the real thing. At 10 months, Jesse is old enough to point at stuffed cows and shout out his all-purpose noun - ''duh'' - so last weekend, I took him to Winslow Farm in Norton. (9/25/09)
Get lost in a corn maze
Many of the farms in New England have opened their corn mazes for the season (is it me or are more farms carving grand designs into the maize fields every year?). We drove to Sauchuk Farm in Plympton, paid the fee ($8 for adults, $6 for kids 4-11), and headed into the stalks. (9/18/09)
Catching the last days at the beach
You don't wear white after Labor Day, and you definitely don't go to the beach, right? Wrong. My family likes the beach even better in the fall because it's peaceful. (9/11/09)
Taking a trip down memory's lanes
It's been years since Dad commuted to Boston, where he worked for an insurance company. It was pre-Zakim Bridge and Big Dig, and Dad has often said that he would never recognize the city because it's so different. I suggested a road trip to show my parents some of the changes. (9/4/09)
Roughing it on Bumpkin Island
Every year, for just one day and one night, Lila and I head to Bumpkin Island. It might be Boston's greatest outdoor secret, a prime camping spot on the water’s edge for less than we’d pay to go to a movie together. (8/28/09)
A nice walk in the woods at the Middlesex Fells Reservation
I am not much of an outdoorswoman. I might not be one for a hike up a mountain, but I do love a long ramble through the woods, and the Middlesex Fells are simply gorgeous. (8/21/09)
A berry good time at Ward's Farm in Sharon
Ward’s Berry Farm doesn’t look like much from the street, just an oversized farmstand next to a sprawling dirt parking lot. But wander a bit further onto this farm and its bounty becomes clear. (8/14/09)
Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs
When it comes to carousels, 5-year-old Ava generally isn't picky. But she now has a special appreciation for the nation's oldest operating platform carousel, the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs. (8/7/09)
Taking the family to the Stone Zoo
We live just a few miles from Stone Zoo, the smaller of Zoo New England's two wildlife parks. (The Franklin Park Zoo is the other.) We hadn't been in a while, so we wanted to check out Iggy, the 3-year-old white-cheeked gibbon that's taken up residence there. (7/31/09)
Barnyard facts and fun at Shelburne Farms
Just south of Burlington, Vermont's biggest city, lie the 1,400 gorgeous acres - sprawling fields, woods, and working farmland - of Shelburne Farms. The nonprofit environmental and agricultural education center attracts visitors of all ages. (7/24/09)
Headstones and history at Mount Auburn Cemetery
Heading to the Mount Auburn Cemetery for a family outing sounds like an activity for the Addams Family, but it’s a lovely nature excursion and history lesson. (7/17/09)
Family camping in Rindge, N.H.
Wildwood Family Camp, run by the Mass. Audubon Society in Rindge, N.H., offers three days of activities, meals, and that singalong spirit for roughly $200 a person. It's all ages. (7/10/09)
Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle
In the winter, Great Brook Farm State Park is a web of cross-country ski trails and snow-covered woods. When the warm weather comes, the park offers 60 flavors of incredibly rich homemade ice cream, sorbet, sherbet, and frozen yogurt. (7/3/09)
Golfing with kids in Quincy
The sun made a rare appearance last Saturday, and we took advantage of it with a trip to the driving range. If you haven't been to the golf course at Quarry Hills, do yourself a favor and go. (6/26/09)
Faneuil Hall
A few weeks ago, our family lingered on the edge of a large crowd at Faneuil Hall, watching a fast-talking street performer. Between juggling tricks, he posed a question: “Who here is from Boston?’’ (6/19/09)
The trail to Purgatory Chasm
Purgatory Chasm is one of the region's most stunning natural landmarks - and it's surprisingly accessible. The chasm is a quarter-mile-long crack in the earth made by glacial movements during the Ice Age, and conveniently it was created right off the highway. (6/12/09)
Fine dining, family-style, at Aura Restaurant
Interested as my wife and I are in adult food and atmosphere, it can be a daunting proposition when your children are little.
Well, new mom Rachel Klein (below), the chef at Aura Restaurant at the Seaport Hotel, feels your pain. (6/5/09)
Mini-golfing at The Village Green in Natick
Under the wrong conditions, miniature golf can be a nightmare. Never mind the mosquitoes. My pet peeve is the crowd. Who wants to wait for mammoth families and flirty teens to finish up at each phony windmill? (5/30/09)
Community service at a food pantry
We introduced our children to community service years before the college application process (you know, when some kids get to describe that irrigation system they designed and installed in a developing country). (5/23/09)
In Newport, R.I., fun for free
You may have to have a lot of money to live well in Newport, but you don't have to have any money at all to enjoy yourself there. Here's one way to spend an entire day there without spending any cash. (5/15/09)
Taking the kids for Chinese food
When I was a kid, my family didn't go out to eat very often. But when we did, it was usually to a Chinese restaurant. (5/8/09)
Perpetual Motion indoor playground in Lowell
The outdoor playgrounds where I live are pretty great, as long as the weather is, too. On rainy days or hot-and-humid days, though, a mom with a car full of energetic, stir-crazy kids can run into problems. (5/1/09)
A visit to Allandale Farm in Brookline
Farms are optimistic places, especially now, when the scent of soil and new grass makes even the crustiest grown-up feel hopeful. As for kids, well, get them near a tractor and they lose their minds. . . . in a good way. (4/24/09)
The Hayden Planetarium at Boston's Museum of Science
The thing I miss most about living in Maine is being able to see the stars. Not the 100 to 200 stars we can see on a clear night in the Boston area but the thousands that are visible from a place where there isn't much light pollution. (4/17/09)
Sacco's candlepin bowling alley, Davis Square, Somerville
As a kid in the '70s, I occasionally watched the Pro Bowlers Tour on ABC. It was appealing in an old-fashioned sort of way. I dug the players' double-knit pants, the special shoes, and, of course, announcer Chris Schenkel's even-keel call of the games. (4/10/09)
The Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester
The three galleries in this Winchester gem are a Goldilocks bonanza. When the kids need space to scurry around, the Main Gallery is just right. (3/27/09)
Applause for Portsmouth's Music Hall
I'd been wanting to get the gang up to Portsmouth, N.H., to visit the Music Hall for months; a recent one-day staging of "Sweeney Todd" by the Broadway revival's national touring company provided the excuse for the hour drive up from Boston. (3/20/09)
Nashoba Valley Ski Area Tubing Park in Westford
Standing at the top of the hill, tubes at the ready, my older kids were too psyched to complain about who had been bothering whom just minutes earlier. (3/13/09)
Boston Lyric Opera's children's productions
The performing arts are tricky for the preschool set. Productions tend to start right around naptime and last just a little too long. The fidgeting can be deadly. (3/6/09)
A view of Thoreau at the Concord Museum
My children are big fans of the Henry picture books by D.B. Johnson. In the enchanting series, Henry is a bear whose life mirrors that of Henry David Thoreau, naturalist, simple-living advocate, and author of "Walden," among other works. (2/27/09)
Keeping the kids busy at the ICA
When you're home with an infant during the long winter months, you find yourself yearning for culture. You look for a place that's not too big or loud, and quenches your appetite for culture. (2/20/09)
Downhill skiing at Bradford Mountain in Haverhill
As outdoor adventure goes, not much beats barreling down a mountain on a pair of skis. Just ask my 4-year-old son. (2/6/09)
Jeanette Neill Dance Studio in Boston
When Elise was 3, she introduced herself to her first ballet teacher as Amanda Salad Dressing. At 22, Elise is still dancing, but now uses her given name. During her recent college break we took a jazz class at the studio where I spend every Saturday morning. (1/30/09)
Providence Bruins minor league hockey game
If you're like me, it's been a while since you flipped on a Bruins game. You long for the days of Schmautzie and Rick Middleton, of Cam Neely and Ray Bourque. (1/24/09)
A day at the Harvard Museum of Natural History
This was a nostalgia tour in more ways than one. The Harvard Museum of Natural History was one of the first local institutions I took the girls to upon moving to Boston six years ago.
Plaster Fun Time in Chelmsford
On a recent stormy afternoon, I left our 2-year-old at home with my husband and packed our other four kids into the car for a little artistic fun. Artistic fun that I didn't have to clean up myself which, as any parent knows, is the best kind. (1/10/09)
Hot chocolate at the Bristol Lounge, Four Seasons Hotel, Boston
Hanukkah was almost over, and after several days of giving trinkets to the kids, I wanted to do something special, something memorable. So everybody got dressed up and we headed to the Bristol Lounge. (1/3/09)
Family Filmgoer
What to Expect When You're Expecting (PG-13): High-schoolers, prepped by reality TV, may find the travails of the five couples in the movie of passing interest, despite the sparse laughs and forced-seeming emotions.
