Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Boston

One of my favorite museums we visited in Boston. The beginning was a lot of fun as you join in the “re-enactment” of the Boston Tea Party. The guides/actors were really fantastic and knowledgeable. However, once they bring you into the formal museum it becomes very ‘Disney-died’. Lots of movies and holograms and stuff. I would much rather see them display an actual museum instead of just one box and a lot of videos. Still, the beginning is lots of fun.

This is an outstanding place, full of history and personal stories. The cast is talented, funny and friendly, but with a great sense of the story their telling. The ships are very cool to explore, and the museum is really worth going to. I would spoil the surprises but it's pretty cool what they've done here. My kids loved this stop. Abigail's Tea Room is really neat with historical baked goods and tea, as well as modern offerings. You can actually taste the same kind of tea that would have been thrown in Boston Harbour! It's really well done. There are historical games to play, like checkers and chess. The gift shop is one of the nicest and most complete in Boston. Of course there is tea, loose, bagged and blocks. But there's also books, reproduction documents, swords, tea sets, kids toys etc. It's lovely. This is a great place to start your exploration of revolutionary Boston, to get a good overview of places, people and timing. It's a 15 min walk to Boston Common or Faneuil Hall.

One of our favorite historical museums!! Our children are ages 1, 8, 12, and 16 and all of them enjoyed the experience. There was something for each of them even at their different ages.(The one year old was in a hiking backpack so he was contained which made it much easier.) The actors and actresses did a wonderful job and made it so much fun! We were a little disappointed in the upstairs “Tea Room”, otherwise I would give 5 stars. Worth the time and money to visit!

We thought this place would be cool to check out but wow, did we underestimate this place! We had such an awesome time through the tour. The staff/cast was well knowledgeable and so pleasant. The boats were beautiful, the few hands-on activities were fun, the inside museum was beautiful, and the short film made both of us tear up a little. Tea Shop had a really good selection of snacks/pastries, drinks (alcoholic too), and food. It was the favorite part of our day exploring Boston.

The museum tour is interactive and fun for the whole family. You learn not only about the events of that day, but the long term effects on the evolution of the country. My 11 year old son really enjoyed pretending to throw tea into the harbor and interacting with the museum tour guides who were great at staying in character. This cost is a bit pricey for 1 hour, but given the effort invested in making the experience fun, it's worth it.