The Shark and Ray Touch Tank (Trust Family Foundation)
Free with aquarium admission: Adults $22.95; Children $15.95

New England Aquarium
1 Central Wharf
Boston, MA

Close encounters. Kids can get up close to sharks and rays swimming in a mangrove-themed tank surrounded by shallow edges and viewing windows. They can even reach out and stroke cownose rays, bonnethead sharks, Atlantic rays and epaulette sharks as they swim through the crystal clear water. Ages 4+

In the Bag
Opens September 17
Free with museum admission: $12

Boston Children’s Museum
308 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210

Bag it. A visit to the traveling exhibit In the Bag may just help families kick the plastic shopping bag habit. Kids not only learn about how plastic bags contaminate the soil and waterways, but also find out about communities around the world who have banned plastic bags and how they do it. They also see examples of juice boxes, rice bags, and discarded plastic transformed into a selection of colorful, reusable bags by co-ops in India, the Phillippines, and Indonesia as well as works by contemporary artists who use plastic bags as their medium. Ages 3-12

Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art
Opens September 18
Free with museum admission: Adults $22; Children (17 & under) free

Museum of Fine Arts Boston
465 Huntington Avenue
Boston MA 02115

More than a single exhibit! The MFA’s new Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art includes seven galleries that will use innovative approaches to displaying contemporary art, as well as offer a space for displaying contemporary culture through music, art, performances, and special demonstrations. Ages 6+

In Her Voice: Jacqueline Kennedy on the White House Years
Opens September 14
Free with museum admission: Adults $12; Children 13-17 $9, 12 & under free

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Columbia Point
Boston, MA 02125

History as it unfolds. Coinciding with the release of the publication of Jacqueline Kennedy’s 1964 oral history interview, the exhibit highlights excerpts from her conversations along with photographs that chronicle the events she discusses. Ages 12+

Building Brainstorm Exhibit
Opens September 24
Free with museum admission: $12

Boston Children’s Museum
308 Congress Street
Boston, MA 02210

Calling all budding architects, engineers and builders. Through hands-on activities, children investigate aspects of city planning, architecture, engineering and landscape architecture in a building design and construction studio that presents special building challenges for children to research and solve. Kids experiment with building materials and engineering problems and learn about color, light, patterns and texture in the process. Ages 3-12

In the Dark
Opens October 1
Free with museum admission: Adults $22; Children $19

Museum of Science
1 Science Park
Boston, MA 02114

Who’s afraid of the dark? Museum-goers explore and solve some of the mysteries of the dark and discover how light-loving species like humans adapt to darkness as they walk through a forest at night, test their survival skills in a fragile cave ecosystem, and plunge deep beneath the waves to explore the deepest ocean chasms. Ages 6+