Watch CBS News

Out Of The Box Birthday Parties In Boston

Boston is replete with entertainment and education, whether you're directly in the city or 20-30 minutes out in a more rustic environment. This translates well for parents looking for cool birthday party options beyond the typical home party or play gym party. Here are some out of the box birthday party ideas to consider when you're next celebrating your little one:
Museum of Fine Arts Boston external facade
(credit: mfa.org)

Museum of Fine Arts

465 Huntington Avenue

Boston, MA 02115
(617) 267-9300

www.mfa.org

For budding artists, consider a party at the Museum of Fine Arts. Choose from a variety of themes (e.g., animals, Egyptian art, royalty) and teachers will lead the kids in an artistic scavenger hunt through the museum as well as an art project and story time. Parties include free admission so you can immerse yourself further in the museums offerings after the party.

New England Aquarium external facade
(credit: neaq.org)

New England Aquarium at Home

1 Central Wharf

Boston, MA 02110-3309

(617) 973-5200

www.neaq.org

If your child digs sea creatures and you'd like an educational party to come to you, check out the New England Aquarium's traveling birthday parties. Aquarium staffers will come to your home and teach kids about tide pool critters and engage the kids with questions and sea creature role play. Then they let the kids loose to explore starfish, mussels, crabs, snails, and other underwater friends in observation trays.

Boston Rock Gym Climbing Wall
(credit: bostonrockgym.com)

Boston Rock Gym

78G Olympia Ave

Woburn, MA 01801

(781) 935-7325

www.bostonrockgym.com

For the sporty child, Boston Rock Gym is a cool and unusual option. BRG offers party packages that include 2 hours of climbing for kids ages 5 and up, professional instructors, all the necessary climbing accoutrements, and a private party room. It will make the neighborhood play structure pale in comparison and no doubt burn off the birthday cake sugar rush.

Verrill Farms Birthdays and Seasonal Events
(credit: verrillfarm.com)

Local Farms

One cool thing about Boston is that you don't need to travel very far to find nature. There are a number of farms in the area and many of them, such as Drumlin Farm, Smolak Farms, and Verrill Farm offer birthday party services that will allow your group to simply enjoy nature or engage in educational activities related to farm life.

Christine Koh is a music and brain scientist turned freelance writer, editor, and designer. She is the founder and editor of Boston Mamas, the designer behind Posh Peacock, writes a personal blog at Pop Discourse, and pens the column Minimalist Mama. She resides in the Boston area with her husband and 6-year-old daughter and is expecting her second child in March 2011. She tweets about it all at twitter.com/bostonmamas
View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.