19 Most Fun Indoor Activities in Boston to Experience in 2024
Jump into indoor activities in Boston! What can you do in Boston on a rainy day? As stated in this article from The Journal of Sport and Health Science, “Outdoor exercise is an enjoyable way for individuals to improve fitness, but it is dependent on weather conditions,” which means that finding indoor activities in Boston to keep fit and healthy during the winter and wet months is more than simply a cure for boredom.
There are so many more than 19 ways to spend time hiding from the weather in Boston, especially since it's set in the heart of notoriously cold, wet and snow-bound New England. This is just a list to get you started on your Boston adventure.
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- Best Indoor Activities in Boston for Adults
- Creative Indoor Activities in Boston
- Winter Indoor Activities in Boston for Families
- Free Indoor Activities in Boston
Best Indoor Activities in Boston for Adults
1. Cooking Classes
Fire up your taste buds for a supremely satisfying rainy day in Boston spent learning to cook or improving your kitchen skills. With cooking classes in Boston, you'll discover a passion for a variety of styles of cuisine and hone the ability to source fresh, local produce. Start your indoor activities in Boston with these supremely satisfying culinary experiences.
2. Escape Rooms and Arcades
Delight in an exciting event when you participate in an escape room with your friends or colleagues. The same could be said for playing air hockey or skeeball with your loved ones or coworkers in an arcade. Games are the best indoor way to cure boredom. These also make for superior team building activities in Boston.
3. Museum of Fine Arts
Some of the best indoor date ideas involve art. Whether you're painting together or visiting the works of the masters at the Boston MFA, you'll enjoy your time together. Discover whether your senses of humor or tastes in art – and art critiquing – are the same or contrasting. Boston art galleries are a fun way to spend the day indoors!
4. Boston Museum of Science
Family-friendly fun is the name of the game at this favorite among Boston museums. The Boston Museum of Science has ever-changing featured exhibits and some that never change, but even those are always interactive and entertaining! This is the perfect place to learn that science can be used for fun, not only evil, and to bring the play back to your life.
5. Visit The Pub
Beantown Pub is a classic Boston bar – and a must-see if you're in town. The food and drinks are wonderful and they're served from mid-morning through to the wee small hours. This is a great stop for before or after any of the other stops on this list. Feel free to take in a show after a lovely dinner or stop in at the arcade or a museum, then finish your evening drinking at the pub.
Creative Indoor Activities in Boston
6. Paint and Sip
Dip your toes – or your brush – into artistic waters when you enjoy an exhilarating evening out. Drink and be merry as you learn to paint from world-class instructors who know how to turn a stunning painting into a simple feat. If you're wondering about Indoor activities in Boston for adults, try your hand at paint and sip in Boston. Who can remember to have rainy day doldrums when you're painting a gorgeous sunset or a mystifying landscape?
7. Art Classes
Dive into fantastic art classes in Boston, led by superb instructors in step-by-step fashion. You'll love finding your inner artist or mastering your experienced art skills. Learn DIY home crafting with friends or take a classic sculpture course for your own entertainment and relaxation.
8. Pottery Classes
Discover your passion for hand-crafting your own pots, cups and more. Brilliant instructors will lead you on a step-by-step journey through the basics and masterful skills involved in creating pottery that will amaze your friends and impress your guests. The most fun activities in Boston for adults includes pottery classes in Boston.
9. Skating
While it's no Rockefeller Center, ice and roller arenas are still superb options for fantastic date ideas in Boston. Besides, who doesn't love careening around in circles feeling like you're floating, rather than standing on your own two feet? Many of these locations are even free to skate, but the rentals cost a small fee. Indoor activities in Boston have never been so appealing!
10. Boston Grown-Ups Museum
Something scarce is always an adventure during bad weather – try visiting the Boston Children's Museum during these special event nights where they have an adults-only evening. One of the best Boston gifts is an unexpected and charming event like these! You'll have a luscious, splendid evening of play.
Winter Indoor Activities in Boston for Families
11. Dine at Cheers!
Always a preference among things to do in Boston is visiting the famed location of Cheers! - a bar that, under a different name, inspired the beloved television show “Cheers!”. You'll find a mini museum dedicated to the show, as well as both the original dive bar at one level and a working restaurant set up to look like the TV show set of the bar on another level. You won't want to miss your chance to take a photo with a cut-out of some of the main characters of the now “classic” show. Or take some photography classes in Boston so that you can expertly recreate some scenes on your visit.
12. Boston Opera House
Taking in a show at the Boston Opera House is a treat! Of all the indoor winter activities in Massachusetts, you'll always enjoy a musical, play or concert at this superior architectural marvel. Few other indoor activities in Boston can rival this one, let alone the historical significance of this location.
13. Boston Aquarium
One of the best Boston museums is this one filled with water – situated on the edge of the ocean. Take a tour of the aquatic and aquatic-adjacent animals that make this building their home. Delight in a bit of shelter from the weather as you let the creatures you find here send amazement coursing through you.
14. Mapparium
Whether you're taking your children out to break their case of cabin fever or looking for winter date ideas, this unique option from the list of Boston museums is always a hit. Learn about the history of the world and how the globe itself has changed over time by taking a guided tour through this massive glass reconstruction of a globe, managed and operated by the Christian Science Church.
15. Faneuil Hall
Any list of indoor family activities in Boston would be incomplete without this historic home of a variety of Boston foods. While this building includes a family-friendly museum, it also houses a food marketplace rarely rivaled by other cities, if at all.
Free Indoor Activities in Boston
16. Boston Public Library
Certainly a reader's favorite way to escape the doldrums of gray days in the city, The Boston Public Library is a gem (and while the Boston Public Library is massive, there are many smaller versions scattered throughout the city that are equally worthy of a visit).
17. Volunteering
Join one of the many fantastic charitable foundations and groups around the city in giving back to the community. You and your children will love learning more about the Boston community, whether you live there or are merely passing through. There are smaller options like soup kitchens or various events year-round that help to raise money or help others. See where you can make the most impact with the time you have to offer!
18. Children's Library at the Boston Athenaeum
Aside from weekly storytime sessions and an extensive collection of picture books, this section of the Athenaeum also hosts several game groups throughout the week. No matter what activities your children enjoy, you can find something to keep them entertained on a rainy day in Boston and the Athenaeum itself is the oldest library in Boston.
19. Free Concerts
Find information about lots of local activities, including musical and theatrical events that you can attend for free by visiting the website for the Boston Cultural Council. Enjoy the beautiful arts that the city offers free of charge!
Is Boston fun in the winter? Try some of these magnificent opportunities and find out! You'll love romping around the Children's Library at the Boston Athenaeum with your children or sharing a drink as you paint and sip with your best friend.
Indoor activities in Boston are diverse and filled with adventures – which is perfect for the city that claims to be the home of the American Revolution.
For even more fun things to do in Boston, check out other experiences happening on Classpop!
