Boston's Best Indoor Winter Outings For Families

Winters in Boston can be, well, brutal. But luckily, there's no shortage of inclement weather activities to explore. Here's a roundup of fun indoor winter outings that are sure to make cabin fever a thing of the past.

Museums

Boston is a fantastic museum city, and many museums smartly ramp up their family friendly programming during the winter months. In addition to popular spots such as the Museum of Science, Boston Children's Museum, and New England Aquarium, consider cultural and education gems such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Institute of Contemporary Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, USS Constitution Museum, Old State House Museum, and Harvard Museum of Natural History. And a bit beyond the city there's also the Peabody Essex Museum, Discovery Museums in Acton, and Children's Museum in Easton.

Live Shows

My daughter and I adore live shows, and ArtsBoston offers a handy dedicated section to peruse family friendly live shows. And tickets need not be exorbitant; check out BosTix for half price show tickets, enjoy classic holiday performances at a discount via the Mayor's Holiday Special, or consider smaller performance venues such as the Regent Theatre or Puppet Showplace Theatre.

Get Moving

When it's too cold to move around outdoors, get moving indoors. Consider rocking a mommy and me or family dance class at Springstep or lace up your skates at a Massachusetts ice skating rink near you.

Get Literary

I'm a huge fan of the public library system. Whether you go for formal programming (e.g., storytime, crafts) or simply to pick out some books together, cuddling up and reading is one of the best things you can do with your kids.

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 @bostonmamas.