Boston February School Vacation Ideas

The holidays are a distant memory. Spring is weeks – maybe months away. And your kids have nine days off from school, in the middle of winter. If you haven’t made your February vacation plans yet, don’t panic. Boston is a wonderful  destination for big city family fun-even when it is snowy . We are, after all, hearty New Englanders!

Boston’s cold makes hotel location especially key in winter- it is best to be near the T and within walking distance to family-friendly restaurants. The lovely Hotel Commonwealth (500 Commonwealth Ave., 617-933-5000)(Map) located in bustling Kenmore Square is offering the “Hotel For Kids” package for a rate of $219(for 2 adults and 2 kids) for the second Friday of the vacation, February 19. The rate includes  free parking and lots of fun amenities for kids – cookies and milk on arrival and a backpack filled with L.L. Bean slippers,a flashlight and a bedtime story. On  Saturday morning, February 20th, kids can participate in a pancake-making class with Eastern Standard Executive Chef Jeremy Sewall-  and the best thing is the floury mess stays in his kitchen! Additional nights can be booked at $169 per night.

The Hotel Commonwealth’s “Hotel For Kid’s” package is offered in conjunction with its “Bedtime Stories” Pajama Party on Friday, February 19  from 7 PM-8:30 PM to benefit ReadBoston. For  a suggested donation of $10 per family, kids can listen to some of Boston’s best professional storytellers read and perform. There will be a “make your own hot cocoa bar” and a library of children’s books to purchase . Note also, that the Bedtime Stories Pajama Party  event is open to the public, RSVP at 617-532-5017.

Depending on your kids ages and interests your family’s list of “must-see” Boston attractions  and “must-do” experiences for your mid-winter escape will probably include a mix of some of the following . When all is said and done, you know your kids best!

This month, Boston hosts lots of entertainment events  geared towards families. Just in time for February vacation, Disney on Ice presents “Let’s Celebrate” at the TD Garden ( 1 Legends Way, Boston, 800-745-3000, ongoing February 12-21, ticket prices vary)(Map)  .Another Disney production just arrived in town,Broadway’s  the Lion King is playing at the Opera House (539 Washington St., Boston, 617-259-3400, February 16-March 21, ticket prices vary)(Map)  . Preschoolers to pre-teens will enjoy  “Honk!” based on Hans Christian Anderson’s charming tale the “Ugly Duckling” . It’s  for anyone who has ever felt that they “honk” when everyone else “quacks”!  It’s at the Wheelock Family  Theater (The Riverway, Boston, 617-879-2300, ongoing January 29-February 28, ticket prices vary) (Map).  Or relive your childhood with your kids and yuck it up together at the 15th annual Bugs Bunny Film Festival at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square (40 Brattle St., Cambridge, $9.75 adults, $6.75 children)(Map). Good luck explaining to your darlings those falling anvils and exploding sticks of dynamite!

Calling all Muggles and Wizards. This month is your last chance to see Harry Potter: The Exhibition at the Museum of Science (Science Park, Boston, 617-723-2500, $20 adults, $17 children for MOS admission, attractions additional)(Map) before it heads to Toronto. Or bring your little monkeys to see “Let’s Get Curious” which features Curious  George , the newest exhibit at The Boston Children’s Museum (300 Congress St., Boston, 617-426-6500)(Map). Finally, you will feel like you are underwater as soon as you enter the New England Aquarium ( Central Wharf, Boston, 617-973-5200)(Map) and view the Giant Ocean Tank which holds a man-made Caribbean coral reef that is home to sharks and schools of exotic fish- a little summer in the middle of winter!

Let the kids unleash their inner artist at the Museum of Fine Arts( 465 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-267-9300, $20 adult, free for children)(Map) which will have  free art-making activities , Monday-Friday from 10 AM- 4PM around the theme “Fantastic Creatures”. The very cool Institute of Contemporary Art (100 Northern Ave., Boston, 617-478-3100, $15 for adults, free for children)(Map) will have free art-making activities each day as well, check the ICA’s website for exact times.

Image Credits: The Hotel Commonwealth and Museum of Science, with permission