Massachusetts has a lot to offer for a budget-friendly vacation. From city life to brewery tour, from museums to seafood festivals, from natural adventure to navy cruises all can form part of your pocket-friendly trip. So, check out our sample of cheap things to do in Massachusetts and let us know how they made your vacation more fun.
Glide through the below slides to find out the most inexpensive things to do in Massachusetts:
Budget Vacation in Massachusetts: Fun & Inexpensive Things to do… from Rental Trader Inc
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City Life, Seafood, Markets: Cheap Things to Do in Massachusetts
Boston is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Massachusetts and with best nightlife experiences. There is so much to do here that you will never be able to experience it all. Although it is not a cheap place it still features on our list of cheap things to do in Massachusetts because there are ways of reducing cost through passes and tours.
Boston attractions: Passes to Cut Costs & Increase Fun
Boston is the most famous city in Massachusetts and is one of the top destinations for most travel plans. People even enjoy the local food delicacies here, one of those being the lobster or chowder. Also, there are a lot of markets to visit, such as the Quincy market. Massachusetts is also famous for some of the best nightlife attractions in Boston. However, a trip to Boston is not inexpensive, so you’ll want to discover some unique ways to cut costs.
There are various kinds of passes that can be purchased for many attractions in the Boston city. These passes typically last for a few days and cost somewhere around $50 to $110 for a week per person. They can include up to 40 attractions around the city. It is a very budget-friendly technique to visit all places at a low cost. Some passes also allow customization.
These passes include all the primary attractions such as museums, aquariums, observatories, Boston Harbor cruise, and much more! So, do find out which pass suits you the best. It is the cheapest way to do things in Massachusetts.
Family travelers love going to the Boston public park to catch a swan boat ride and click pictures with the ducklings’ statues. Boat rides are just $3.50 per person.
Brewery Tour or Pub Crawl: Suit your Beer Buds
Boston has a lot of microbreweries and distilleries. Beer lovers can take a guided tour of several breweries for less than $100. You might think it is steep, but it includes transportation, pretzel snacks, a guide, and 12 beer samples and a few more amenities. Compared to a meal of lobster and chowder for $50, this is not much for such a great time. This also includes VIP access to some breweries.
However, if you don’t want all these amenities, you can even tour the Samuel Adams Brewery for free 5 days a week. The tour also includes Harpoon breweries in addition. There are even pricier tours available with more amenities.
Another favorite activity is the Fenway Pub Crawl Guided Tour. This takes place at the Fenway Park and includes a baseball history tour along with 4 pints of beer of your choice. The cost is about $45.
I Bet You Can’t Eat Just One: Chip Factory Visit
Who doesn’t love potato chips? Aren’t you even a little bit curious about how they are made? Well, today is your lucky day. Cape Cod Potato Chip Factory located in Hyannis, Massachusetts proudly offers a factory tour. Check out their website for any information you need.
You can see how potatoes are processed to chip from start to end. You can get a free bag of samples and also buy some if you like. And do you want to know how this tour costs? It is absolutely free! Take your kids to see how their favorite bag of chips is made. Strollers however are not allowed. They are closed on a few holidays, so do check their website.
Free Movie under Night Sky: Charles River
Pack a blanket or a few lawn chairs, grab some popcorn, and mark your spot! Every Friday, Hatch Shell in Boston offers free movies. The shows go on throughout the summer. They have a really amazing selection of movies from Frozen 2 to Aladdin.
The movies start after 8 PM in July and half an hour early in August. So, it is a unique experience enjoying the movie under the stars with your loved ones.
I hope you enjoyed our sampling of free and cheap things to do in Massachusetts. There is so much more in Boston and other cities that the list can go on and on, but as trips have limited time, check these out and if you have more time, you can try other things as well.
History, Museums, Events: Massachusetts Unique Places
Massachusetts has a long history in the American Revolution and has a lot of historic attractions sprinkled here and there. Some of the cheap things to do in Massachusetts will always feature such historic sites. Also, there are some roadside attractions. To enjoy that you can take some Massachusetts road trips.
Boston Freedom Trail: Historic Spots
This is the topmost historic attraction in Massachusetts. It is a tour of 16 historic sites, some of which were built in the late 1600s. These include chapels, museums, meeting places, graveyards, and a lot more. All these have great significance in telling American history, its freedom movement, and the American revolution.
Planning one day around this trail is called for, for anyone who is on her first visit to Boston. There are several guided tours provided here. The tickets range from $8 for children to $14 for adult admission. Admission is free for children under 6 years of age. It is a 90-minute tour and it involves guides impersonating historic figures to make the tour more interesting.
Woods Hole Science Aquarium: Seals and More
This is a lovely place to watch the marine life. There are 140 species including seals, dolphins, sea turtle whales & corals. They even offer several programs on turtle and seal conservation and collecting walks in local marshes. It is an enriching experience for children and adults. You can even do an internship with them.
The admission is free, donations are accepted, so visit the aquarium and enjoy marine life.
Annual Lowell Winterfest: Lowell’s Winter Paradise
This is one of the most happening festivals in Massachusetts. It is a lovely family affair with fun, food, and music. There are carousels, live music, food trucks, ice skating, soup competition, all you can eat chocolate festival, games and activities and so much more. If you are visiting in the month of February, you’ll definitely want to check it out.
Most of the events allow free admission to the public, only very few events might have a ticket ranging from between $2 and $6 so, even with the ticket it is one of the best cheap things to do in Massachusetts.
Christmas All Year Round: Yankee Candle Village
You must have heard about Frankenmuth Christmas; well you can experience the Bavarian Christmas in Massachusetts as well and that too throughout the year. In South Deerfield, Yankee Candle Village is the perfect family destination. You can make candles, check out the lit-up Christmas trees, and a lot more.
The best part is that it is all free! You can buy a few candles if you like and choose from over 200 different fragrances.
U.S.S. Constitution Tour
This tour takes you on a cruise literally to see the Charlestown Navy Yard. The cruise boat is known as the “Old Ironsides” and it was among the first ships of the US Navy. The tour includes naval museums, bunker hill monument, where the famous Boston Tea Party was held.
The tour costs $26 for adults and $22 for children.
These were some of the free and cheap things to do in Massachusetts for history lovers. You might find a lot more low-cost activities if you have a longer vacation.
Mother Nature: Massachusetts’ Diverse Experiences
Finally, you can even enjoy nature’s beauty at various sites in Massachusetts. Let’s see some of the cheap things to do in Massachusetts for nature lovers.
Great Falls Discovery Center: Flora, Fauna & Topography
This is a complete experience in itself. You can wander the green gardens, check out the butterflies, know about the industrial history, and a lot more. You may even spend some time at the coffee house or enjoy a few live music performances. There are biking and walking trails as well.
Admission is completely free all throughout the year.
Polly Hill Arboretum, Martha’s Vineyard
You can check out the 935 species of plants in the Arboretum, a horticultural marvel. It is a lovely place to take nature walks or strolls. Admission is completely free but donations of $5 are requested by every group.
The Arboretum is situated in Martha’s Vineyard, an island of six towns, with several interesting attractions such as the gingerbread cottages.
This place is also one of the best east coast honeymoon destinations in the US. If you want to find out more such destinations, check out our dedicated sampling. Further, Massachusetts is also home to Nantucket, which is wonderful for late night boat rides for couples and therefore features on our list of top beach honeymoon destinations in US.
Mt. Greylock: Best Spot For Outdoor Adventures
This is the highest point in Massachusetts approximately 3700 ft. high. Here you can do a lot of seasonal activities such as mountain climbing, skiing, biking, camping and a lot more. Most of the activities are free
Campsites charge somewhere around $50 per night for 2 adults and 3 children, any additional member up to a total of 8 people is chargeable. If you have your own tent, then you will not need to pay for a tent rental.
Beach, Sunset, Stroll
Most beaches charge only in the peak season between June and September so, any beach trip before these months is absolutely free.
Cape Cod National Seashore offers great beach fun activities and a lovely golden sunset. It is a treat for the eyes. You can go there with your family, children or your romantic partner and have a wonderful vacation.
Wrapping Up Best Inexpensive Tours in Massacusetts
So, these were some of the cheap things to do in Massachusetts. You can explore more if you have more time on your hands and with our tips, you won’t need to worry about the expenses-just start exploring Massachusetts!
I hope you enjoyed our sampling of the most unique and cheap things to do in Massachusetts. Do check out the RentalTrader.com to book your best vacation rental.
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