Hitting the road with a big family is costly, but there are ways to get more bang for your buck! Todays adventure is all about the Boston Museum of Science!
Packing up the mini van is always interesting to say the least, but now that I am pumping for a four month it old it makes it even more fun. A few weeks ago I got bit by the impulsivity bug. Last sumer when it hit I packed us up and drove 5 hours to Sesame Place in PA. Unfortunately, I cannot be that impulsive this summer. I had to explain to myself that it is not possible to drive several hours with a new baby and the rest of the brood. So I settled on Boston. It is only an hour away from us and we have never taken the kids to the science museum. I have always waited for Og to be older. We have made countless pilgrimages to the children’s museum, which we adore, but the Science museum just seemed like too much information for a toddler to really grasp. Now that we have an almost first grader and a middle schooler I thought it would be a great time to go.
With that being said We are not balling yet so we have to make our dollars stretch. The two best ways I have found to that when it comes to going places is:
Become a Member:
The Science museum is not cheap. It was going to cost us with parking $130 bucks. This is when becoming a member is the best way to go. I spent $160.00 dollars to become a member. We did the premiere level 5, which gives us 5 free admissions every time we go, and a very very discounted parking rate. The membership is good for an entire year. So basically the second time we visit our membership will have more then paid for itself.
Pack a Lunch:
With a membership you also get a discount at on one the cafes, but 10% off is not as good as packing a lunch. I can easily throw together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a lot less. I packed us lots of snacks too. We left our lunch bags in the car, because I would need to pump anyway, which saved us cash on lockers.
How to survive the museum logistically with a brood? Have a Plan. The Museum offers various shows, which all sound amazing, but with a toddler in tow I tried to keep it little kid friendly. We stuck with one show, which was in the observatory and had Big Bird as the main character. We got those passes for free with our membership. The show has a specific start time so while we waited we let the little kids play in the Discovery Center. It is a section of the museum built with kids under 8 in mind.
Uncle Jassy is heading into grade 7 so we fed the baby and explored the solar system while we waited.
The show was sweet and very toddler oriented. The baby loved it. He had fallen asleep and woke up to a room filled with stars and Elmo. OG didn’t mind it even though he had some snarky comments about being to old for Elmo..
We did not get to do the entire museum. We still run on baby time in this family. We knew we needed to get driving by 12:30pm to avoid any sleep deprivation meltdowns. We accomplished the right side of the museum, which houses the butterfly garden, dinosaurs, models, science in the park, and math exhibits.
Trip Tips:
Get there EARLY. By the Afternoon it is jammin, and being anywhere that you have to weave a mini coopers sized stroller through a million kids and a zillion people gets tiresome.
If you are like me and think you will get into an elevator and plummet to your death avoid the exhibit elevators. I thought I would die every time I got the baby in his stroller in one! Next time I am parking the stroller on the first floor and wearing him everywhere.
If you live in Rhode Island and often venture to Roger Williams zoo skip the MOS butterfly room. It is 6 dollars extra and not as cool as the one in Roger Williams.
The lightening show was still too scary for the little kids.
The Science in the Park was very very fun!
There is a nursing/pumping room for Moms!! Just ask for the key at the service desk
I can”t wait to go back baby free. We will split up and take the older boys and hit up all the cool shows including the Pixar one that is opening soon. The Museum offers an overnight experience that OG and the Hubbs will be doing at the end of the month. Overall, not the worst place to go with a brood full of mixed ages.
