To select a museum, click “Details/Reserve”, then select which Pass to reserve.
Boston Children’s Museum
308 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210
617-426-6500 http://www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Founded in 1913 by the Science Teachers’ Bureau, the Boston Children’s Museum is the second oldest children’s museum in the world and one of the few that maintain a collection. Designed for both children and families, the Museum exhibits focus on science, culture, environmental awareness, health & fitness, and the arts, emphasizing hands-on engagement and learning through experience, and employing play as a tool to spark the inherent creativity, curiosity, and imagination of children.
Categories: Children, Crafts, Family, Technology
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to 4 people at half price.
Things to know before you reserve:
- The Museum's operating hours are Wednesday – Sunday, 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- Library Coupons are not valid for Sunday afternoons (Admission is $1 per person on Sundays from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
- The morning slot on the first Saturday of each month is from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.
- Holidays - We typically close early on Thanksgiving Eve and Christmas Eve so there is only a morning timeslot, and we open late on New Year’s Day so there is only an afternoon timeslot.
- The Museum will be open some Mondays and Tuesdays in 2023 – those dates have been made available in Assabet
- Please note that Museum open dates and times are subject to change — please check the website for all updates — www.bostonchildrensmuseum.org
Funded by We're One Wilmington (WOW)
The Butterfly Place
120 Tyngsboro Road, Westford, MA 01886
978-392-0955 https://www.butterflyplace-ma.com/
[Details/Reserve]
A winding pathway through an atrium filled with flowers, koi fish, and quail allows visitors to walk among butterflies from all over the world. Staff members are available for questions and “show and tell” demonstrations. A continuously running video explains the butterfly life cycle, and exhibits enable visitors to observe eggs, caterpillars, cocoons and chrysalides with information about each species. A gift shop is on the premises. There is a public picnic area and free parking is available.
Categories: Children, Family, Nature, Science
Pass Benefits
Hours of Operation: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM, from Valentine’s Day through Columbus Day.
Ticket sales end at 3:30 PM, and no new customers will be admitted into the exhibits after 3:30 PM. We suggest you arrive no later than 3:00 PM.
Check our Facebook page for last-minute updates.
To really enjoy our butterflies, plan to spend at least an hour.
Admission Prices:
Adults: $14.00
Seniors (65+): $12.00
Children (3-12 years): $10.00
Children (2 and under): Free
Prices are subject to change. See our Special Offers page for discounts that may be available to you.
Discovery Museum
177 Main Street, Acton, MA 01720
978-264-4200 http://www.discoveryacton.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Acton's Discovery Museum, located on a 4-acre campus, is aimed at providing an environment in which play becomes a conduit for learning about science, technology, and nature. The museum’s building contains a number of galleries dedicated to teaching scientific concepts in a fun, hands-on environment, as well as themed play spaces for younger visitors. Outdoors, Discovery Woods includes a nature playscape with a cargo net climb, nest swing and beaver lodges, as well as a treehouse with an observation deck and a bouncy bridge. There are opportunities to practice orienteering with provided maps and instructions on trails on the property. A museum shop is on the premises. The museum building is fully ADA compliant, with exhibits based on Universal Design principles.
Categories: Children, Family, Science
Pass Benefits
Pass admits 3 people at half price. ($8.50 instead of $17.00) No payment will be collected online, you will pay when you arrive.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 Evans Way, Boston, MA 02115
617-566-1401 http://www.gardnermuseum.org/home/
[Details/Reserve]
The Gardner Museum houses the collection of Isabella Stewart Gardner, a local patron of the arts who died in 1924, in a building she commissioned to look like a 15th century Venetian palazzo. The center of the original building showcases courtyard plantings that reflect the seasons as they evolve throughout the year. In addition to her collection, which remains displayed exactly she arranged it per her will, there are changing exhibitions, concerts, lectures, family events, and an artist-in-residence program. In 2012, the museum opened an addition designed by Renzo Piano that houses a space for their concert series.
Categories: Art, Family, Music
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to 4 people for $5 per person .
Museum entry is timed and capacity highly restricted. All tickets are for a specific entry time. You will get two emails, one from the museum with the tickets and one from Assabet with the library pass. There’s nothing to pick up at the library but you will need both emails.
This program is supported in part by a grant from the Wilmington Council for the Arts, a local agency which is supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency
Mass Audubon (Drumlin Farm)
208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773
781-259-2200 http://www.massaudubon.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Mass Audubon maintains about 100 wildlife sanctuaries in Massachusetts, more than half of which may be visited for walks on trails and visits to nature centers and museums. Among these is Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, a working farm with animals and crops, plus exhibits that include native wildlife, such as owls, foxes and deer. A shop on the premises sells items related to nature, such as bird feeders and binoculars.
Categories: Children, Family, Nature
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to 4 people at $2 per person (children under two are admitted free) Hours of operation vary by sanctuary.
Visitors must reserve their parking spot at Drumlin Farm to ensure access on weekends when they reach capacity.
Check the their website for guidelines and updates before reserving this pass.
Funded by the Community Fund
Massachusetts State Parks (Department of Conservation and Recreation)
251 Causeway Street, Suite 900, Boston, MA 02114-2104
617-626-1250 http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/
[Details/Reserve]
The Massachusetts State Parks have locations in all regions of the Commonwealth, from Pittsfield to Boston, and from Gloucester to Provincetown. They include beaches, wooded parks, parkways, and reservoirs, each with its own unique activities and amenities like hiking, biking, swimming and boating, camping, and more.
Categories: Children, Family, Nature, Recreation
Pass Benefits
Pass allows free parking at state parks (except Nahant and Nantasket beaches).
Full listing of parks: http://www.massparks.org
The Museum of Science in Boston is located on a piece of land that extends the width of the Charles River, connecting Boston and Cambridge. Dedicated to promoting and educating visitors about science and technology, the museum includes a planetarium, the world’s largest open-air Van de Graaff generator, an IMAX theatre, a butterfly garden, and permanent and changing exhibits on birds, insects and animals; space; dinosaurs; engineering; nanotechnology; math; biology; and more.
Categories: Children, Family, History, Nature, Science, Technology, Sky
Pass Benefits
Pass does not include Planetarium, Omni, or special exhibits.
• This pass will admit up to 4 people at a 50% discount on tickets to the Museum’s Exhibit Halls. Children under 3 are not included in the count of 4 and are always admitted for free.
• Your Library pass can only be used on the date printed on the pass.
• Please bring your library pass confirmation (printed or displayed on a phone) when you visit.
• When you arrive at the Museum, stop at the Box Office to exchange your library pass and purchase your Exhibit Halls tickets at the discounted rate. If you have any questions or would like to reserve your Exhibit Halls passes in advance to avoid waiting in line the day of your visit, please call 617-723-2500 (9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. daily).
• If you are unable to show your Library confirmation on a phone, you may print out a copy using the link in the confirmation email or request a paper copy from the library.
Funded by the Wilmington Community Fund
New England Aquarium
1 Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
617-973-5200 http://www.neaq.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The New England Aquarium is home to thousands of aquatic animals, from the giant Pacific octopus to Northern fur seals to little blue penguins. They offer a wide range of exhibits, including a shark and ray touch tank and the Giant Ocean Tank, a four-story coral reef featuring hundreds of Caribbean animals. In addition, they have an IMAX theatre and run whale watch boat excursions in partnership with Boston Harbor Cruises from April through November.
Categories: Children, Family, Nature, Science, Ocean
Pass Benefits
• Visiting the Aquarium: Advanced reservations are no longer required. Library patrons should present their coupons on-site at the Aquarium ticket booth. Once tickets are issued, library patrons will be admitted to the Aquarium. Please note that coupons to the Aquarium are valid only on the date printed on the coupon.
• Safety is a Top Priority: We continue to follow public health guidelines from the City of Boston, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the CDC. At this time, proof of COVID-19 vaccination and face coverings are no longer required to enter the Aquarium.
• Masks Encouraged: While masks are no longer required on Aquarium property, we do encourage guests to wear them.
For additional questions, please contact the Membership Department at members@neaq.org or 617-226-2184 (weekdays, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
This pass admits up to 4 people at 50% off.
North Shore Children's Museum
10 Main Street, Peabody, MA 01960
978-538-5765 https://www.nschildrensmuseum.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Located in downtown Peabody, MA, the North Shore Children's Museum offers 15 hands-on exhibits geared towards explorative and imaginative play for children ages 2 to 8. A child may become a superhero in the Comic Room, a builder in the Gross Motor Room, an artist in the Makerspace, and more. All exhibits are in ADA-accessible spaces.
Categories: Children, Family, Science
Pass Benefits
Library passes for North Shore Children's Museum admit up to 5 people (adults and children over 12 months) at 50% off admission price. This is an ePass that can either be presented on a mobile device or as a print-out to receive the discounted admission rate in-person. Advanced ticket purchase is strongly recommended but not required. The discounted admission rate can be accessed on our website by selecting Library Museum Pass on the ticketing page. Your library pass will only be honored on the date you reserved. If the museum reaches capacity, visitors will be let in on a one in, one out basis.
Peabody Essex Museum
161 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970-3783
978-745-9500 http://www.pem.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The Peabody Essex Museum grew out of the collection of East India Marine Society, an organization of Salem captains whose charter called for acquisition of “natural and artificial curiosities.” Its permanent collection contains art and artifacts of Africa, Asia, India, China (with a Qing Dynasty house brought from the Huizhou region), Japan, Korea, Pacific Islands, and features objects of maritime art and history that include paintings, drawings, ship models, marine decorative arts, tools, weapons, navigational instruments, and ship and yacht plans. It also has a thriving changing exhibition schedule that sometimes includes important traveling shows.
Categories: Art, Family, History, Ocean
Pass Benefits
This pass admits 2 adults @ $12 per person for general admission.
PLEASE NOTE: Masks are encouraged.
To see a list of Frequently Asked Questions go here: https://www.pem.org/your-health-safety
The Sports Museum (at TD Garden)
100 Legends Way, Boston, MA 02114
617-624-1234 http://www.sportsmuseum.org/
[Details/Reserve]
The Sports Museum is focused on Boston sports and the teams that represent the city. It is located in the TD Garden, where a number of the teams it celebrates play. View sports memorabilia, life-size sculptures of local sports heroes, and exhibits dedicated to the history of various sports as played in the area.
Pass Benefits
This pass admits up to four (4) people for free.
Please Note: The museum is closed on days there are games or concerts in the Garden. The event schedule may have changed from what we have marked as close. Be sure to double-check the closed days on their site before going.
Trustees of Reservations (with deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum)
The Trustees of Reservations preserve and protect more than 100 special properties of exceptional scenic, historic, and ecological value—nearly 25,000 acres—all around Massachusetts. From Crane's Beach in Ipswich and World's End in Hingham to The Old Manse in Concord and Fruitlands Museum in Harvard, visitors to Trustees sites enjoy local history and nature in its various forms: beaches, meadows, forests, swamps and more.
In the summer of 2019, the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, the largest park of its kind in New England, became part of the Trustees. The museum, located in Lincoln, MA, encompasses nearly 30 conserved acres and presents contemporary art from New England—and beyond—with sculptures in the landscape and museum exhibitions. For a full list of locations, please visit their web site.
Categories: Art, Family, History, Nature, Recreation
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to 2 adults and children under 18 (some sites are free, some are discounted).
Hours of operation vary by place. Check on your choice before reserving this pass. There are over 100 special places including Crane's Beach, Lyman Reserve, Naumkeag, and Halibut Point. Ask for the guide book at the information desk (in house only) or visit the Trustees of the Reservation website for more information.
Please note the following:
Passes are valid for admission only; not valid for discounts at parking kiosks, stores, cafes, inns, campgrounds, at special events or programs, on equipment rentals, or in place of any permits of passes.
To use the pass at Fruitlands, deCordova, or Castle Hill, please enter the promo code GOPASS when securing a timed ticket. Passes are available at https://thetrustees.org/places/.
Zoo New England
1 Franklin Park Road, Boston, MA 02121
617-541-5466 http://www.zoonewengland.org/
[Details/Reserve]
Zoo New England operates Franklin Park Zoo, a 72-acre site nestled in Boston’s historic Franklin Park, and the Stone Zoo, located on a 26-acre site near Spot Pond reservoir in Stoneham, MA. In addition to animals, both zoos are engaged in wildlife and conservation programs, research, and education.
Pass Benefits
Pass admits up to 6 people at $9 per adult and $6 per child. Payment is collected at the zoo. Please check the zoo website for special closings.
Please remember to come in and pick up the coupon pass from the library before you go. The confirmation email isn't the pass.
Funded by the Friends of the Library.