If your family is looking for a hands-on way to celebrate Black History month in Boston, why not head out in search of important landmarks, monuments and museums. From the early days of slavery to exhibits that showcase the contributions of Black Americans, kids will learn lots while exploring and playing.
Boston Black: A City Connects
Because kids learn through play, bring your curious cuties to the Boston Children’s Museum to experience the rich and diverse Black communities that call Boston home. The concepts of race, ethnicity, identity and community are the backdrop of this hands-on exhibit where kids can help decorate a float for an Afro-Caribbean celebration or dance like no one’s watching at Café Sodade. What a great way for kids to learn about the neighborhoods and cultures that surround them everyday.
Hours: Wed.-Sun., 9 a.m.-noon & 1:30-4:30 p.m.
Boston Children’s Museum
308 Congress St.
Boston, MA
Online: bostonchildrensmuseum.org
Boston African American National Historic Site
Linked by the 1.5 mile Black Heritage Trail, you’ll find about two dozen sites on the north face of Beacon Hill that encompass the most pre-Civil War Black-owned historic buildings (think: homes, businesses, schools and churches) in the U.S. Families can take a self-guided tour of the area any time of year or wait for ranger-led group tours to return this spring. Remember to pull out the scavenger hunt and work to earn a junior ranger badge when you walk it with the kids.
Good to know: One of the most recognizable monuments here is the 54th Regiment & Robert Gould Shaw Memorial on the northeast corner of Boston Common that honors one of the first African American regiments of the Civil War.
Beacon Hill
Boston, MA
Online: nps.gov/boaf
Museum of African American History
Another important building you’ll see along the Black Heritage Trail is the Museum of African American History. It’s hard to miss its “African Meeting House” sign hung out front. Walk through its doors to see authentic representations of 18th and 19th century life for African Americans in its exhibits, programs and educational activities. Tickets are required.
Good to know: The next time you’re on Nantucket, visit the museum’s campus there to learn about a thriving 19th century African American community on the island.
Hours: Sun. & Tue.-Sat., 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Closed Mondays
46 Joy St.
Boston, MA
Online: www.maah.org
Boston Common
While it’s the oldest public park in the country, Boston Common is also the end point of Dr. Martin Luther King’s 1965 Civil Rights March (the first in the Northeast) that started in Roxbury. More than 20,000 people marched down Columbus Avenue on that day.
139 Tremont St.
Boston, MA
Online: boston.gov/parks/boston-common
Boston Women’s Memorial
A tribute to three phenomenal women who called Boston home, this memorial is located on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall. Take time to read about literary prodigy Phillis Wheatley. Wheatley was born in West Africa and sold into slavery, and her book, Poems on Various Subjects, Religious and Moral, was the first to be published by an African in America.
Commonwealth Avenue Mall
484 Commonwealth Ave.
Boston, MA
Online: boston.gov
Local Parks & Playgrounds
Because our kids always need room to roam and swings to swing on, a couple of city playgrounds have made our list. Add a history lesson to your next park playdate when you visit Malcolm X Park, named after the prominent human rights leader and activist. Or bring your tots to climb and slide on the equipment at James H Roberts Memorial Playground. Roberts was a community leader and WWII veteran who spent nearly 30 years at the State Treasury Department.
Malcolm X Park
150 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Boston, MA
James H. Roberts Memorial Playground
112 Hooker St.
Boston, MA
Breathe Life 1 & 3
Because we love all things kids, we’re crushing hard on these colorful murals by local muralist and dad, Rob “ProBlak” Gibbs. This visual artist and organizer sees his graffiti art as a way to “document and pay homage to underserved communities.” We’re looking forward to his next big public installation—it’ll be coming to The Greenway mural at Dewey Square in May of this year.
Breathe Life 1
328 Blue Hill Ave.
Boston, MA
Breathe Life 3
808 Tremont St.
Boston, MA
Online: www.problak.com
Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Black history is all around you at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, whether you’re wandering the Africa collection, marveling at the Robert Owen Lehman Collection of art from West Africa in the Benin Kingdom Gallery or admiring the contemporary art of Lauren Halsey’s The Banner Project. Parent bonus? Kids 6 and under are always free.
Hours: Thu.-Mon., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Avenue of the Arts
465 Huntington Ave.
Boston, MA
Online: www.mfa.org
National Center for Afro American Artists
Another great spot for art is the National Center for Afro American Artists in Roxbury. Explore artists of the African diaspora at its galleries housed in the historic Abbotsford Estate. The NCAAA is also home to the Black Nativity (written by Langston Hughes), a cherished seasonal tradition.
Hours: currently closed due to Covid.
300 Walnut St.
Roxbury, MA
Online: ncaaa.org
Royall House & Slave Quarters
Take a walk through time at the historic Royall House and Slave Quarters in Medford. Once home to the largest slave-owning family and the enslaved Africans who lived there, families can tour both buildings. The Colonial mansion hosted many famous historical figures like George Washington, while the slave quarters are believed to be "the only surviving freestanding slave quarters in the Northeast." There is a fee to tour the mansion, but visitors can explore the slave quarters for free, where they'll see exhibits that include materials unearthed on-site in the early 2000s.
Hours: weekends, May-Oct.
15 George St.
Medford, MA
Online: royallhouse.org
—Allison Sutcliffe
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