Bringing the kids to Boston? Put these top destinations on your list.

Back Bay Boston is a virtual playground for kids of all ages and interests, and one of the best choices for parents who want to spend time exploring, learning, goofing off and generally having a fantastic time right along with them. Boston’s Newbury Guest House in Back Bay’s historic brownstone district is a fun history lesson in itself, and a great home base near the city’s top family-friendly attractions.

Start on the Boston’s famous waterfront.

The New England Aquarium houses 200,000 gallons of mesmerizing moray eels, sea turtles, coral reefs, barracuda, penguins, and sea lions, and has touch tanks that let kids get up close and personal with residential rays and sharks. They can also watch short ocean-themed films in the Aquarium’s IMAX theater.

If you’re in town from May to October, step right outside of the Aquarium and onto a Boston City Cruises whale-watching expedition to spot finback, humpback, right and minke whales. Or downsize your ride and take an amphibious Boston Duck Tour – also right at the Aquarium – for uncommon views of the city from both the water and the land. Kids might need periodic reminders to lay off the duck-calling kazoos so they don’t miss the historic landmarks they’ll pass along the way.

Visit Boston’s best museums for kids.

Boston’s Museum of Science is three levels of fascinating physics, astronomy, zoology, and more, where live shows teach kids the basics of engineering and the spectacular attributes of electricity. The museum’s theater and planetarium offer a solar system of fun for aspiring astronomers, but let’s face it, the star of the show for most kids is its life-size T-Rex.

Fun fact: The Boston Children’s Museum is the second-oldest institution of its kind in the country, and without a doubt one of the best places in town for curious kids. Very hands-on exhibits are designed to help kids build, perform, play, and learn – and the animatronic dinosaur and three-story climbing structure aren’t bad either.

Yes, the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum is a colonial history lesson but one that comes with the chance to fling bales of tea into Fort Point channel. The museum brings the famous party to life with guides in period costume, colonial-era ship replicas and reenactments of the famous rebellion. What kid could resist?

The Museum of Fine Arts Boston is a must for aspiring artists. Introduce them to masterworks by some of the world’s most renowned painters and sculptors and inspire them with stunning relics from ancient civilizations. MFA’s Art Connections offers regular art-making workshops and supplies young visitors with themed cards to help them hunt common elements in works from different eras and cultures.

Take the colonial history lesson to where it happened.

Even the most classroom-adverse tend to get interested when lessons are brought to life. Boston’s major role in the fight for independence is woven throughout the city, from the site of the Boston Massacre and Paul Revere’s midnight ride at the Old North Church to the scene of revolutionary plotting at Faneuil Hall. The best way to take them in is a walk along Boston’s famous Freedom Trail – costumed guide optional.

The Granary Burying Ground is one of Boston’s oldest cemeteries. Kids can use a map to locate graves of renowned Boston residents including Paul Revere, Samuel Adams, and John Hancock. For kids who love spooky stuff, opt for the Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour to see 400-year-old burial grounds, hear their haunted histories and if they’re lucky (?) experience a ghostly encounter.

When your kids just need to blow off extra steam, do it at these Boston favorites.

Visit Castle Island to explore Fort Independence and then enjoy a picnic, the beach, and the island’s bike and hiking trails.

Boston Common and Public Gardens, the oldest botanical garden in the nation, offers acre after acre of beautiful parks, athletic fields, statues (the youngest visitors will love the Make Way for Ducklings sculpture), playgrounds, and fountains. Be sure to take a Swan Boat ride on the pond while you’re there.

Traveling with young sports fans? Catch a ballgame at Fenway Park, the U.S.’s oldest and most revered ballpark, if you visit from April through September. Not there on a game day? Special family tours offer an inside look at parts of the park that are normally off-limits.

The Legoland Discovery Center is just a 30-minute T ride from Newbury Guest House and one of the best places for young brickheads in Boston, complete with ‘4D’ movies, a one-million-piece model of the city, rides, and an indoor play space.

At Boston’s 111-year-old Franklin Park Zoo, kids can roam 72 acres of lions, tigers, giraffes, zebras, tropical birds, butterflies, an interactive farmyard, and a Tropical Forest full of gorillas. The Zoo offers loads of educational activities for kids, as well as train rides, a new play area and a carousel.

The Underground Donut Tour is an all-ages crowd-pleaser embarking from Kane’s Donuts. Sample five flavors as you also get a taste of iconic downtown locations. Tip: Ya gotta try the Boston Cream Pie donut.

And because kids are almost always hungry, you’ll want to add a few kid-friendly Boston restaurants to your list:

If you’re on the waterfront, you can’t go wrong with Boston’s iconic Legal Sea Foods, where kids can watch the harbor’s boat traffic and even fish in a pond inside the restaurant. Kid-friendly menu pick: Legal’s incredible fresh fish and chips.

At Fire+Ice in Back Bay, kids can help make their own meals, picking out their favorite ingredients and watching a chef turn them into lunch or dinner at the restaurant’s giant grill.

Spending the day at Fenway? Stock up on quarters and head to Sweet Cheeks for barbecue. Kids can play the restaurant’s egg-laying chicken game and then enjoy their meal with a side of prize-filled eggs. Kid-friendly menu picks: mac and cheese and chicken tenders.

At Newbury Guest House you’ll find family-friendly rates and 35 safe, comfortable rooms in walking distance of most of Boston’s best kids’ destinations – and a welcoming staff ready to suggest even more fun ideas for young visitors in town.

Photo by Beyond My Ken - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77367151