The 15 Boston Museum Tickets Worth Booking Ahead

1.Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum Admission

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,512 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $35Our pick

At Boston’s Tea Party Ships and Museum, a live guide leads you through a period-style meeting, aboard replica ships, and into exhibits about the protest that helped set the Revolution in motion. You can toss tea into the harbor, see the Robinson Tea Chest, and finish at Abigail’s Tea Room. The tour lasts about an hour and is in English.

“It was such a fun experience and we learned a lot! The crew was great!! Perfect for adults and kids.”

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2.Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum Interactive Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 1,926 reviews · 1 hour · from $35

At Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum on the Congress Street Bridge, an English-speaking guide leads you through a live-character retelling of the December 16, 1773 protest. Take a colonist’s handbill, wear a mohawk disguise, toss a tea crate from a replica ship, then see 3D holograms and a wraparound film. The guided visit lasts about an hour.

“Worth every penny and then some! The actors and guides were terrific! They never broke character and the interactive aspect was so cool! Perfect balance of technology and storytelling in the museum was just wonderful. Our only constructive criticism is that we didn't have time to fully discover the artifacts and information in the museum. We had a quite large group, so maybe that had something to do with it, but it was so incredible that we would still do it again! And to have the opportunity to try the types of tea that were thrown overboard (for an additional cost) just added to the coolness!”

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3.New England Aquarium Entry + Optional Simons Theatre

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 746 reviews · 1 day · from $39

Visit Boston’s New England Aquarium with skip-the-line admission and see penguins, harbor seals, sea lions, reef fish, turtles, and more. Add a Simons Theatre film, then choose a showtime and film at the will-call window on the day of your visit. Plan for a few hours, or longer if you want to take your time.

“Great! had a great day looking at all the tanks! amazing staff but very busy even for a Thursday!”

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4.New England Aquarium Admission Ticket in Boston

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 446 reviews · 2 hours (approx.)

Book timed admission to Boston’s New England Aquarium and spend about two hours among penguins, harbor seals, sea turtles, rays, and hundreds of other marine animals. The four-story Giant Ocean Tank is the centerpiece, while daily animal presentations and a touch tank add variety. Films at Simons Theatre cost extra.

“It was a great aquarium. The set up was easy to follow and the exhibits were well done. The outside area was very nice.”

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5.Salem Witch Museum Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 417 reviews · from $18

At the Salem Witch Museum on Washington Square, a 30-minute narration brings 13 life-size scenes from the 1692 trials to light around a seated auditorium. Staff then guide you through a shorter exhibit on how ideas about witches changed over time. Plan about 75 minutes, including time for the gift shop.

“The guides were all very friendly and knowledgeable. The museum is well set up and gives lots of interesting information.”

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6.Real Pirates Salem Museum General Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 263 reviews · 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $21Top rated

At Real Pirates Salem, follow Black Sam Bellamy and the Whydah Gally from pirate ship to 1717 shipwreck. See and touch recovered artifacts, explore a discovery lab, and take the self-guided route at your own pace. Allow about an hour to 90 minutes. Staff members, including Captain Johnny, may add context along the way.

“Great museum! Informative and layout was good for timelines. Great exhibits. There is a photo op at the end with limited time to take your pic, so move fast and jot down the code because I didn’t do that and I can’t access our pictures. If you mess up you can try again.”

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7.Museum of Fine Arts Boston General Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 106 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $30

Enter Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts with a mobile general-admission ticket and explore its galleries at your own pace. Your ticket includes a free audio guide for your device, coat check, shops, and cafés. See art from many cultures and eras, but note that special exhibitions, including some Van Gogh shows, require separate admission.

“Great experience especially to see the transition of time between the history of where things come from and who are the pioneers behind it.”

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8.Pirate Museum with Authentic Treasures Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 88 reviews · 1 day · from $21

At Real Pirates Salem, trace Black Sam Bellamy’s rise and the Whydah Gally’s wreck through recovered coins, jewelry, weapons, a short film, and a Discovery Lab. The $21 ticket includes an audio tour and digital photo experience. A Director’s Tour adds a personal guide; past guides have included Captain Carl and Stephanie.

“Captain Carl was our guide & was very knowledgeable, patient, kind, & very personable. It was amazing to learn about recovered objects of a shipwreck located in the northeast US during my lifetime. This was my first time back to Salem in 20 yrs & I’m really glad I booked this tour for our trip. This experience definitely left a lasting impression. We really enjoyed it.”

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9.Lexington & Concord 250th Birthday Tour with Concord Museum Entry

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 83 reviews · 8 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $159

Spend 8 to 9 hours tracing the April 19, 1775 events in Lexington and Concord, with a local guide, air-conditioned transportation, and admission to the Concord Museum. The route also passes MIT, Harvard, historic homes, and Battle Road sites. Guide Coach is often named, but expect a van rather than a full-size coach, and check Monday museum hours before booking.

“You will not find a better tour of the area than this one. Our guide, Coach, was incredibly knowledgeable and inciteful about the area both historically and contemporarilly. Highly recommended!!”

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10.Real Pirates Salem Museum with Guided Directors Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 47 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $30

At Real Pirates Salem, a docent leads you through the story of Sam Bellamy and his ship, the Whydah, with close access to artifacts tied to the wreck. The roughly 90-minute Director’s Tour includes a take-home audio tour, a free digital photo experience, and a $5 gift-shop gold coin. Guides named Bill, Victor, and Captain Johnny have been praised for their engaging storytelling.

“Our tour guide was amazing. Victor was the best . Had a great time would recommend this tour to everybody a 5 star tour great job.☠️💀☠️💀”

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11.Museum of Ice Cream Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 45 reviews · 1h 30m · from $34

Spend about 90 minutes at Boston’s Museum of Ice Cream, moving at your own pace through nine interactive spaces, including the Sprinkle Pool and Hall of Freezers. Unlimited ice cream and #TeamMOIC guides are included. Plan for a playful, photo-friendly visit rather than a traditional museum with a detailed, room-by-room story.

“It didn’t really have any story attached to it. The ice cream was very sweet and sickly. Would recommend for toddlers but nothing older”

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12.Salem Witch Tour from Boston by Train with Museum Tickets

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 42 reviews · from $85

Ride the commuter train from Boston’s North Station to Salem, then walk with a local English-speaking guide past the Witch House, the witch trials memorial, Ropes Mansion, and other landmarks. The group is capped at 14. Your included museum changes by day: Salem Witch Museum Sunday through Thursday, Real Pirates Museum Friday and Saturday.

“Elizabeth was nice and knowledgeable. She made the tour interesting. The only negative is you never enter anywhere. This isn’t her fault she is following what she is told to do”

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13.Old State House/Old South Meeting House Museum Combo

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 35 reviews · 1 day · from $15Best value

Visit the Old State House and Old South Meeting House on one flexible, one-day ticket. See where royal government operated and where Boston’s largest colonial meeting hall hosted debates leading to the Tea Party. Explore exhibits and gallery talks at both sites, just a three-minute walk apart. No guide is named, and you can start at either museum.

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14.USS Constitution Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 29 reviews · from $15

At Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard, explore the USS Constitution Museum through hands-on sailor activities, historical displays, Navy crew videos and a LEGO shipbuilding area. The museum ticket does not include admission to USS Constitution itself, which is operated separately by the US Navy. Check the ship’s access and the LEGO Brickyard hours before you go.

“When the patrons are lining up for the experience, they need to be told that each group can only accommodate 40 people. There needs to be better coordination of getting people in line. When we went today, there was a tour group of 50 elderly people in the waiting area eating their bag lunch. They were there before us. We would have liked to have been told that we would will have to wait extra time, instead of finding it out after waiting for 30 minutes. Just better coordination of getting people lined up needs to happen. Otherwise, great tour.Read more”

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15.Truro Cape Cod Lighthouse and Highland House Museum Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 21 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $85

From Provincetown, ride in an air-conditioned vehicle through the Cape Cod National Seashore to Highland Light and Highland House Museum. Expect local commentary, lighthouse history, a climb to the tower top for eligible participants, and a look at Thoreau and the Hoppers’ Cape connections. Guides have included Ginny and Alicia. The museum is unavailable on the Saturday 1:00 tour.

“Lighthouse was a fun time, and Ginny was a great guide with lots of interesting fun facts about the area.”

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