Science and Nature
Explore wonderful nature & science centers with your kids in Boston & Cambridge
You and your family can stay close to Boston’s magnificent natural habitats on a family vacation to see Boston’s fine nature museums. There’s wildlife from around the world in two fabulous zoos, and wildlife refuges with self-guided nature walks, a trailside museum, programs and more. A forest lies hidden in a rich ecosystem with rare species of flora, while a renowned arboretum serves as the center of New England’s plant science. Browse a native plant botanical museum, and enjoy a park that offers fishing, public swimming, and picnic areas.
Follow these links for : Outdoor Adventures - Zoos & Aquariums - Urban Parks
10 listings
Framingham, MA
Garden in the Woods
180 Hemenway Road 508-877-7630This enchanting "hidden" forest is full of a rich ecosystem, including many rare species of flora. You can even purchase some of the plants to root your own magic garden at home.
Natick, MA
Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary - Mass. Audubon Society
280 Eliot Street 508-655-2296At this sanctuary, visitors can enjoy nine miles of hiking trails, in addition to lectures and other programs in a renovated horse barn. - Trail Info & Map
Milton, MA
Blue Hills Trailside Museum
1904 Canton Avenue 617-333-0690Museum offers hiking trails, live animals and regularly scheduled programs. There is an admission charge.
Hyde Park, MA
Stony Brook Reservation
Turtle Pond Parkway 617-333-7404A 475-acre park and wildlife refuge, featuring fishing areas, biking and hiking trails, public swimming, and picnic areas. Programs are scheduled there throughout the year.
Boston, MA
Franklin Park Zoo
One Franklin Park Road 617-541-5466Learn about nature while having a the time of your life at this Boston zoo
At the Franklin Park Zoo, 72 acres in the “crown jewel” of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace park system, visitors can learn about the natural world and its immense variety of inhabitants while having a great time. Creatures featured range from the delicate butterflies of Butterfly Hollow to colorful budgies in the Aussie Aviary (you can feed them from seed sticks), African lions in the Kalahari Kingdom, zebras and wildebeests at Serengeti Crossing, gorillas and hippos in the Tropical Forest and kangaroos along the Outback Trail. Zookeeper chats and behind-the-scenes tours and other programs are educational and fascinating, as are strolls through the zoo’s organic garden, where food is sustainably grown for zoo inhabitants, and a visit to the Franklin Farm’s petting zoo.
Cambridge, MA
Harvard Museum of Natural History
26 Oxford Street 617-495-3045Don’t leave Boston without exploring the 16 galleries in this family-friendly museum displaying 500 taxidermy animals -- elephant, rhino, hippo, tiger, bison, even a 15-foot giraffe -- not to mention huge whale skeletons. Dinosaurs include the skull of one of the first Triceratops ever discovered. Don’t miss the Pteranodon and the world’s only mounted skeleton of the 42 ft.-long Kronosaurus. Explore a timeline of Earth’s history, and admire 3,000 rare minerals, meteorites, and gemstones. New and changing multi-media exhibitions showcase cutting-edge research. Harvard’s most-visited museum is an easy 8-minute walk across the historic campus from Harvard Square’s shops, restaurants and T stop. The museum is connected to Harvard’s Peabody Museum, and one admission fee covers both museums.
Norfolk, MA
Stony Brook Nature Center
108 North Street 508-528-3140This nature center includes a self-guided hiking trail. An extensive boardwalk system lets you walk along the edge of Teal Marsh. The Nature Center is currently closed for construction, but nature trails are still open to the public. Currently taking registrations for Summer Nature Camp.
Jamaica Plain, MA
Arnold Arboretum
125 Arborway 617-524-1718Research plant biology in the arboretum's library or listen to scientists talk about Asian flora; if you're looking for New England's center of plant science, you've found it.
Framingham, MA
Native Plant Trust
180 Hemenway Road 508-877-7630This organization operates six native plant sanctuaries in New England: the Annie Sturgis Sanctuary, Harvey Butler Rhododendron Sanctuary, and Robert P. Tristram Coffin Wild Flower Reservation, all in Maine; the Hobbs Fern Sanctuary and Plainfield Sanctuary, both in New Hampshire; and the Eshqua Bog in Vermont.
Sharon, MA
Moose Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
293 Moose Hill Street 781-784-5691The Massachusetts Audubon Society operates this nature center, the oldest in the state founded in 1916.
Hours: Trails open daily, sunrise to sunset. Nature Center is open Weds-Sun, 9am - 4pm. Admission: Adults $4, Seniors 65+ $3, Children $3. Members & Sharon residents Free.