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20 Things to Do with Kids at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum

5/31/14 - By Tara D

Mass Audubon's Blue Hills Trailside Museum is such a gem. Nature exploration and low-key adventures, perfect for little ones, are plentiful both inside and outside the museum. Plus, if your kids are old enough to manage the hike and climb the stairs to the observation tower, I highly recommend going for it - the view of Boston is fabulous. Here are 20 things to do with your kids in the Blue Hills Trailside Museum and on the universally accessible trail (equipped with a rope guide and educational materials in a variety of formats, including braille). 

20 Things to Do with Kids at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum

  1. Begin by mapping out your adventures on the topography map inside the museum entrance.
  2. Go on a visual scavenger hunt of local plants, insects and animals inside an exhibit. You might be surprised at how much your kids know!
  3. Climb the stairs to the top of the tower and use binoculars to spot and identify birds, taxidermy ones inside the museum and live ones outside.
  4. Watch your little one slide down the inside of a “wooden” log. Again and again. And again.
  5. Find the live barn owl.
  6. Check out the rodents and say “aw” or “ew”, depending on your orientation.
  7. Listen to and try to identify recorded bird calls.
  8. Observe the fish swishing around in the tanks.
  9. Learn all about the Snowy Owl Project and its surprising connection to Logan airport.
  10. Find out fun facts about peregrines.
  11. Check out the view of the pond and the super cool cut out art framing the windows.
  12. Stroll along the boardwalk and dip for pond creatures off of the dock.
  13. Follow the fully accessible, interactive Red Dot Trail up to the Eliot Observation Tower and back. For more adventure, hike up the rocky terrain to the tower instead.
  14. Pack a lunch and take a break at the picnic area next to the museum or when you get up to the observation tower area.
  15. Soak in the view of Boston from the observation tower.
  16. Visit during a weekend morning to hear a story and meet a live animal.
  17. Meet one of Trailside’s residents during a weekend afternoon live animal presentation.
  18. Explore Blue Hills after dark and sleep in a dormitory at the top of Chickatawbut Hill during an Overnight Program.
  19. Become a birding family - this is a great place to start!
  20. Sign your child up for summer camp at the Trailside Museum.

If your family has a favorite activity at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum to to add to the list, please tell us about it in the comments section.

Mass Audubon's Blue Hills Trailside Museum at DCR's Blue Hills Reservation |1904 Canton Ave, Milton, MA 02186 | 617-333-0690 | bluehills@massaudubon.org

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