Winter Activities In Boston

Winter in Boston is easily one of the most beautiful sights to see. Lights are strung on the trees that line Newbury Street, Faneuil Hall Market Place is the host of a giant Christmas tree, and the trellis in Christopher Columbus Park is lit up by vivid blue lights. But with all this beauty of the winter season comes cold air and falling snow; leaving shopping on Newbury Street, summer movie nights on the Esplanade, and rides on the Swan Boats off of your itinerary. So what is there to do when the temperature drops? Here is a list of fun activities you can do to get you through the cold winter months!

For those of you who are willing to brace the cold:

• Skating on Frog Pond – http://www.bostonfrogpond.com/winter-programs/pricing-season-passes/ Frog Pond is open during  daily during the winter (Mon:10AM-4PM, Tue-Thu: 10AM-9PM, Fri-Sat: 10AM-10PM, and Sun: 10AM-9PM). They offer skate and locker rentals ($10 for adult skates, $2 for lockers), skate sharpening, and admission is $5! They also host College Nights every Tuesday from 6-9 PM. Admission is only $2 when you show your college ID. Better start practicing your laybacks and axels! 
• Faneuil Hall Marketplace annual Blink! Light & Sound Extravaganza – http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/blink Although the annual tree lighting ceremony happened on November 22nd, featuring performances from The Boston Ballet and Mayor Walsh reading “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” the Blink! Extravaganza is happening every night until January 4th. The seven minute light show has over 350,000 LED lights that go to the Holiday Boston Pops music, and the show runs continuously every half hour starting at 4:30 pm.  
• Christmas shopping on Newbury Street – Shopping on Newbury Street is a year round event, it’s prettiest (and coldest) time being winter. The trees that line either side of the street are lit up with white twinkly lights and when snow is falling it makes for the perfect Instagram moment. It’s a great place to get all your Christmas shopping done and when the cold becomes unbearable you can stop for coffee or tea and a bite to eat at one of the various restaurants. 

For those of you who aren’t as fond of the freezing cold temps:

• The Museum of Fine Arts- http://www.mfa.org/visit The MFA is open weekly and free for all Lasell students when you show your ID! 
• Museum of Science – http://www.mos.org/visit-us The MOS is open Saturday – Thursday 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and on Friday 9:00 am – 9:00 pm. A ticket to the exhibit halls is $23, and for the Mugar Omni Theater and Charles Hayden Planetarium tickets are $10. If you want to purchase both exhibit halls and theater tickets, it is $30. The MOS is a great place to go with friends to escape the cold! 

• The New England Aquarium – http://www.neaq.org/index.php The Aquarium has a student discount ticket rate of $22.95 or $27.95 when you purchase a ticket for both the Aquarium and the Simons IMAX Theater! What better way is there than to spend your day looking at the cute penguins and seals all day long? 

• Brattle Theatre, Harvard Square – http://www.brattlefilm.org The Brattle Theatre is known for their showings of newly restored classics, indie, and foreign movies. From December 19th to the 21st they’re showing It’s a Wonderful Life, and from December 25th to the 31st they’re hosting Not Just a Nut: The Essential Bill Murray where they’re screening some of Bill Murray’s best movie moments such as Ghostbusters and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. 
• Prudential Center Skywalk Observatory – http://skywalkboston.com The Skywalk Observatory is the perfect place to go right after the snow has fallen because you can see the whole city covered in the pristine snow, and drink hot chocolate from the Top of the Hub while snapping pictures! Tickets for the observatory are $13 with your student ID! 
• The Boston Ballet Nutcracker – http://www.bostonballet.org/nutcracker/  A classic tradition for the Christmas season, the Nutcracker is running from now until December 31st! They offer day-of student rush tickets for $20. The Nutcracker features music by Tchaikovsky and is a beautiful and exciting experience for all.