MFA Boston: Vacation Week Adventures

Museum of Fine Arts Children's Vacation Activities during Spring Break!

Discover the wide range of colors found in art! All are invited to April Vacation Week to enjoy interactive family tours and drop-in art-making activities exploring color! All ages and abilities welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. See Visiting with Kids and Family for more information.

  • Drop-In Art Making: Sun Catchers

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Shapiro Family Courtyard
    • See how light changes color by taking a closer look at beautiful examples of stained glass on view in galleries 218, 221, 222, 223, and 228. Then head to the Shapiro Family Courtyard to create your own hanging artwork that glows with help from the sun.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Felt Art Whimsy

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Druker Studios, 159, Linde Family Wing
    • Learn how to transform natural wool fibers into a beautiful felt work of art with artist Alexandra Adamo from Alex Makes Art.
    • Please note: Felting needles are sharp! This activity is only for visitors ten years old and up.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Ukrainian Easter Eggs

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Druker Studios, 160, Linde Family Wing
    • Welcome spring by learning about pysanky, traditional Ukrainian painted eggs. Then create your very own pysanka by adding bright colors and intricate patterns to a wooden egg using watercolor-based dye, tape, and masking fluid.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Paper Flowers

    • Occurs every day but Saturday, April 22
    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Koch Gallery, 250
    • Take a look at Dutch and Flemish paintings depicting flowers in galleries 243 and 244. Then stop by gallery 250 to create realistic-looking flowers using paper, wire, tape, and scissors.
  • Story Hour

    • 10:30 am and 1:30 pm
    • Gallery LG36
    • Stop by to hear children’s stories about color. Leave after one story or stay for the whole hour.
  • Family Tour: Colors All Around Us

    • Occurs every day but Saturday, April 22
    • 10:30 am, 11:15 am, 1 pm, 1:45 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet at Sharf Visitor Center
    • Join a family-friendly tour in search of the most bold and vibrant colors in the Museum! What’s your favorite? Tours are 30 minutes.
  • Conservation Up Close: Gilding Frames

    • Wednesday, April 19
    • 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet in Gallery 168
    • Join Christine Storti, head of Furniture and Frame Conservation; and Gregory Porter, assistant frame conservator; to explore the materials and tools used to gild frames. See up close the delicate nature of gold leaf, and learn how gilders used squirrel hair brushes to transfer the leaf and agate gemstones to burnish the gold for shine.
    • Space is limited. Free tickets available for pickup in Gallery 168 on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes prior to the start of each session.
  • Conservation Up Close: Making Traditional Egg Tempera Paint

    • Saturday, April 22
    • 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet in Gallery 168
    • Join Sarah Mastrangelo, Cunningham Associate Conservator of Paintings, for a brief history of the use of egg tempera in Italian panel painting and a demonstration of how traditional egg tempera paint is made. Take part in a discussion on the manufacture and processing of pigments, and get a feel for the difference between egg tempera and a contemporary paint medium like gouache.
    • Space is limited. Free tickets available for pickup in Gallery 168 on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes prior to the start of each session.
When: 
Wednesday, April 19 – Saturday, April 22, 2023 10am–4pm
Phone: 
617.267.9300

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Maudslay in Bloom Self-Guided Walk

 Maudslay in Bloom self guided walk at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport Massachusetts.
Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, Massachusetts, offers a delightful self-guided walk that is perfect for families with children. The park's 480-acre expanse, once the Moseley Estate, is rich with historical charm and natural beauty. Families can embark on a self-guided tour through lush...
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Music Together - Wednesday

Marblehead, Beverly Farms, Hamilton, Salem, Peabody Music Together
Music Together® is a research-based music & movement program for infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and the grown-ups who love them. Music Together® classes make it easy for parents/primary caregivers to play a crucial role in activating their child's music development. Classes are 45 minutes...
9:30 am to 11:15 am

Sing & Dance with the Music Man

Sing & Dance with the Music Man Brian Doser in Hamilton visit Massachusetts
Come join the fun at Community House Of Hamilton & Wenham Monday, Thursday and Saturday mornings at 10am for 30 - 45 minutes of great music with Brian Doser! Sing and dance with the Music Man during a family concert, featuring familiar and original tunes, performed by local dad and musician,...
10:00 am to 10:45 am

Mini Movers at North Shore Children's Museum

Things to do for children in Peabody MA
Mini Movers is an engaging dance and movement class for young children at the North Shore Children's Museum. Led by experienced instructors, the program introduces young children to the world of dance in a safe and nurturing environment.
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Swan Boat Rides in Boston Public Garden

Swan Boat Boston North Shore Parent, North Shore Parents Summer Activities Guide
The Public Garden may be one of the most ideal picnicking locations in Boston. Well-groomed and overflowing with tulips, cherry-trees, with willows cascading over the duck pond, the Boston Public Garden is a great place to relax during Boston's most beautiful season.
10:00 am to 4:00 pm

Stargazing at Mendel Observatory

Mendel Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night
The Observatory, with the support of volunteers from the North Shore Amateur Astronomy Club, hosts public stargazing every Wednesday night (weather permitting) starting at dusk or 7:30 pm, whichever is later.  When special astronomical events of interest occur (total lunar eclipses, etc.) the Obs
7:00 pm

Saturday, June 7

Music and Movement at North Shore Children's Museum

North Shore, North Shore Childrens Museum in Peabody MA
Music and Movement with Marybeth Maes is an engaging music and movement class for young children at the North Shore Children's Museum. Marybeth brings her guitar and instruments for the children to use while they sing, dance, and play.
10:00 am to 11:00 am

Guided Tour | When Granite Was King!

Find out the story behind the history of granite quarrying at Halibut Point State Park in Rockport, Massachusetts!
Halibut Point State Park is also a granite quarry with a history that goes back billions of years! Over one hundred years ago, the Rockport Granite Company quarried granite stone here.
11:00 am to 12:30 pm

Long Hill Garden Tours

Tour the Gardens at the Trustees of Reservations Long Hill Gardens in Beverly, Massachusetts!
The Trustees of Reservations invite you to join our expert guides for a tour around Long Hill’s stunning Sedgwick Gardens and learn more about the special plants. Visit Long Hill’s breathtaking gardens and stately historic house for a guided tour. Enjoy the rich history of this grand country estate...
11:00 am to 12:00 pm

CraneOutdoors: Choate Island Kayak and Hiking Adventure

Take a guided kayak paddle and hike to Choate Island with the Trustees of Reservations!
Join The Trustees of Reservations for a paddle and a hike – what better way to spend an afternoon? Kayaking the pristine, sheltered waters of the Essex River Basin offers one of the top on-the-water experiences to be had in Northeast. Add to that a hike on the area’s largest island and you have the...
1:00 pm to 4:30 pm

Sunday, June 8

Todd Farm Market

Come to Todd Farm on Sunday - A classic New England Fleas Market in Rowley Massachusetts!
From early Spring to late Fall, Todd Farm is a great Sunday destination for families!  Head to the farm and explore the outdoor award-winning Market featuring up to 240 vendors from all over New England and New York!
5:00 am to 3:00 pm

Maudslay in Bloom Self-Guided Walk

 Maudslay in Bloom self guided walk at Maudslay State Park in Newburyport Massachusetts.
Maudslay State Park in Newburyport, Massachusetts, offers a delightful self-guided walk that is perfect for families with children. The park's 480-acre expanse, once the Moseley Estate, is rich with historical charm and natural beauty. Families can embark on a self-guided tour through lush...
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Run for the Beach 5K

Runners, walkers and kids are invited to particitpate in the Coastal 5k Run/Walk for the Beach in Beverly Massachusetts
Every summer, community members come together at Dane Street Beach in Beverly for a fun, family-friendly 5K race to support Salem Sound Coastwatch.
8:00 am to 12:00 pm

Newburyport Farmers' Market

Newburyport Farmers find organic locally grown produce, meat, dairy Newburyport
The Newburyport Farmers Summer Market celebrates local fresh produce every Sunday morning rain or shine!  Start your Sunday browsing fresh North Shore local produce, meats, cheeses, and seafood in an open air market atmosphere! Food and beverage vendors offer fresh hot coffee, breakfast treats and...
9:00 am to 1:00 pm

Salem Arts Festival 2025

The Salem Arts Festival is a joint project of Salem Main Streets and Creative Collective in Salem Massachusetts
For three days, this annual family friendly art festival transforms downtown Salem into an opportunity for the arts community to showcase their talents. The popular free event will feature many artists and performers, and includes a variety of art, music, dance, and theatre performances. The family...
9:00 am to 5:00 pm