Things to Do with Kids

🎄🎄 Step into a sparkling winter wonderland and stroll along tree-lined paths aglow with thousands of twinkling lights. Discover festive displays throughout the Zoo and look for animal residents, including flamingos, black bears and reindeer, adding to the holiday magic!

*Some nights, even catch Santa and get some photos!

Get member and non-member tickets here! 4-pack discounts available (online only): save when you purchase four tickets together—perfect for families and friends!

Stone Zoo

149 Pond Street

Stoneham, MA 02180

Get Directions

Lightscape is coming to the SF Botanical Gardens this year!

This one-of-a-kind, immersive light and music experience will transform the Garden into a mesmerizing world of wonder, food and beverages, and more than one million twinkling lights. Stroll through a mile-long trail of dazzling lights, dramatic colors, otherworldly lighted sculptures, and water features – right in the heart of San Francisco.

Get your tickets here!

San Francisco Botanical Garden

1199 9th Avenue

San Francisco, CA 94122

‍Directions

Join the Waterdrinker Farm this season to experience thousands of twinkling lights, a vintage Airstream village, Christmas tree farm, s'mores fire pit stations, and magical holiday photo opps! Ice skating is even included!

Tickets are $20 per person, kids 2 and under are free! Animals (on leash) welcome.

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664 Wading River Rd.

Manorville, NY 11949

Join the Countdown to Kindergarten's Playgroup, hosted by the Boston Public Library on Mondays and Wednesdays!

From October 2025 to June 2026, every week, you and your child can practice school readiness, make new friends, and get connected to community resources. Kids will experience free play, circle time, and Story Time, and grownups will learn about early childhood development!

Please fill out an interest form and a playgroup leader will reach out to you to join a group. If you have any questions, call Antonio Mendez at (617) 821-3959 or Laura Mejia at (617) 308-1098.

Mattapan Library

1350 Blue Hill Ave

Mattapan MA 02126

Get Directions

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Catch this local vendor market at Waterdrinker Farms this season to get in the spirit!

Activities include:

• U-PICK Christmas Trees (Free to enter)
• Holiday Light Display
• Barnyard Animals
• Fire Pits & S'mores
• JUMP PAD (Weather Permitting)
• Mini Golf
• Obstacle Course
• Pedal Cars
• Wooden Playland
• Gingerbread Village
• Giant Santa Sleigh & Reindeer
• Giant Photo Wreath!
• Tons of Family Photo Opportunities!

Tickets are $20 per person, kids 2 and under are free! Animals (on leash) welcome.

664 Wading River Rd.

Manorville, NY 11949

Experience the history of Christmas festivities at Old Sturbridge Village! Relish old traditions and create new ones as you watch demonstrations of classic Christmas projects, stroll through the decorated Village and Christmas Tree Trail, listen to stories and live music, sample sweet treats, and more.

Plus, embark on a musical journey through the 19th century with Upon a Midnight Clear: An Acoustic New England Christmas presented by ClockJack Productions.

Hosted every Friday, Saturday and Sunday from November 28 to December 30. If you're a superfan and decide to go multiple times during the holiday season, check out their Candlelight Club pass!

Old Sturbridge Village

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road

Sturbridge, MA 01566

Join Good Pickin' Farm every Saturday from November 28 to December 21 for their Farm Festival of Lights! 🎄

Events include:

• Holiday lights & displays
• Hayrides
• A petting zoo
• Christmas Tree sales
• Breweries & food
• Live music
• Pony rides
• Storytime
• And more!

Good Pickin' Farm

5 Gould Rd

Westford MA 01886

Check out this free event! Step into a world where imagination knows no bounds as the Wargo Center storyteller takes you on nature adventures through stories, songs, and crafts!

Appropriate for ages 2 and up.

Wargo Nature Center

The Birch Room

7701 Main St.

Lino Lakes, MN, 55038

Start off December with some warm winter traditions from all around the world including the Dominican Republic, Scandinavia, and Japan! Events throughout the week include:

• ‍Muñecas Limé Doll Sculptures
  Tuesday – Friday, December 2 – 5 | Saturday & Sunday, December 6 - 7 | Ages 5 & up
  Design your own toy figure, inspired by the beloved Dominican craft.‍
• The Mitten by Jan Brett inspired Sensory Bin
  Tuesday – Friday, December 2 – 5 | Saturday & Sunday, December 6 – 7 | Ages 4 & youngerExplore a small winter forest with your hands! Find the different animals in the snow while you learn about camouflage and how these animals stay warm in the winter. Keep an eye out for a special white “mitten” in this Jan Brett inspired sensory bin.‍
• Cozy Time with Ida’s Tunes
  Saturday, December 6 | All ages
  Get into the cozy and hygge spirit with singer Ida Metsberg! Hygge is a Scandinavian term encompassing a feeling of coziness, contentment, and well-being found through cherishing the little things. She’ll present interactive musical sessions of beloved songs for children performed in English, Finnish, and Swedish that will leave you feeling comfy and connected.‍
• Workshop: Tsutsumu (Japanese Gift Wrapping)
  Sunday, December 7 | Ages 5 & up | Sign-up required!
  Learn techniques of Japanese gift wrapping with paper artist Keiko Ota and practice wrapping your own gift box. Take home a flat box and wrapping paper to use the techniques that you learned and beautifully wrap a present for a loved one.

Included with museum admission. Get tickets here!

The Tisch Building

212 West 83rd Street

New York, NY 10024

Join Good Pickin' Farms for their Yule Wands events, a magical evening of crafting your own personalized wands to bring some enchantment to your holiday season!

You’ll learn how to make your own yule wand — a fun and meaningful holiday craft using natural materials, herbs, and ribbon. These handmade wands can be used for decoration, ritual, or simply to bring a little extra sparkle into your home for the season.

Tickets about $40/person, get them here.

Good Pickin' Farm

5 Gould Road

Westford, MA 01886

Embark on a creative journey through eco-art! Let your imagination run wild as you craft, create, and connect with nature in new and exciting ways through the Anoka county Park system.

Appropriate for ages 5 and up.

Registration required, with a fee of $7 (add to "selection list" to purchase).

Wargo Nature Center

The Birch Room

7701 Main St.

Lino Lakes, MN, 55038

Kick off the winter holiday season with a visit from Santa! Join Little Lovage for a festive day filled with quality time reading, caroling, and family photos!

🎟 1 Ticket per Family (up to 2 kids + 2 adults). Sign up here!

485 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118

‍Parking: Limited 2-hour street parking is available on Harrison Ave and Randolph Street. A paid lot is also located across the street at the SoWa Open Market (460–500 Harrison Ave) — $10 for the first hour, $5 for each additional hour.

On Super Early Release Day for Wayland Public Schools (December 10th), Isabel Zhang is holding a special workshop for kids ages 8-11 years old to explore life lessons through art!

Life is messy. So is art, paint spills, paper torn, plans that don’t go as expected. Does your child know that messy can still be magical? In this hands-on workshop, they’ll explore how to create beauty from whatever life brings, on the canvas and beyond it. What it means to create, not complain and to find gold in the cracks.

Rooted in neuroscience and social-emotional learning, this workshop helps children strengthen the brain pathways for resilience, confidence, and creativity. Through guided art challenges, storytelling, and reflection, they discover that mistakes and messes are not failures. They are opportunities for creativity and possibilities.

The cost is $85, plus a $10 supply fee. Register here.

35 Andrew Ave

Wayland, MA 01778

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Mrs. Claus is coming to Lovage Club!

Grab the family and join her in singing holiday songs, reading festive stories, and spreading cheer with all of the guests. Plus, plenty of opportunities for photos with the lady in charge herself!

🎟 1 Ticket per Family (up to 2 kids + 2 adults). Get your tickets here!

485 Harrison Avenue
Boston, MA 02118

‍Parking: Limited 2-hour street parking is available on Harrison Ave and Randolph Street. A paid lot is also located across the street at the SoWa Open Market (460–500 Harrison Ave) — $10 for the first hour, $5 for each additional hour.

Night in the Museum is an overnight experience at Old Sturbridge Village designed for scouts, schools and other youth groups.

With only a map and a tattered journal at their side, young historians will travel back in time and take part in a mysterious, candlelit adventure through the 1830s. The quest will exercise their detective skills as they hunt for clues, conduct experiments, and investigate the past. Back at the hands-on learning laboratory, they will experiment with historic crafts to learn more about 19th-century life.

While these programs fill up fast and are almost sold out through the rest of 2025, grab your spot now for January 2026 HERE!!!

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road

Sturbridge, MA 01566