MFA Boston: Vacation Week Adventures

Museum of Fine Arts Children's Vacation Activities during Spring Break!

Discover the wide range of colors found in art! All are invited to April Vacation Week to enjoy interactive family tours and drop-in art-making activities exploring color! All ages and abilities welcome; children must be accompanied by an adult. No registration required. See Visiting with Kids and Family for more information.

  • Drop-In Art Making: Sun Catchers

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Shapiro Family Courtyard
    • See how light changes color by taking a closer look at beautiful examples of stained glass on view in galleries 218, 221, 222, 223, and 228. Then head to the Shapiro Family Courtyard to create your own hanging artwork that glows with help from the sun.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Felt Art Whimsy

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Druker Studios, 159, Linde Family Wing
    • Learn how to transform natural wool fibers into a beautiful felt work of art with artist Alexandra Adamo from Alex Makes Art.
    • Please note: Felting needles are sharp! This activity is only for visitors ten years old and up.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Ukrainian Easter Eggs

    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Druker Studios, 160, Linde Family Wing
    • Welcome spring by learning about pysanky, traditional Ukrainian painted eggs. Then create your very own pysanka by adding bright colors and intricate patterns to a wooden egg using watercolor-based dye, tape, and masking fluid.
  • Drop-In Art Making: Paper Flowers

    • Occurs every day but Saturday, April 22
    • 10 am–4 pm
    • Koch Gallery, 250
    • Take a look at Dutch and Flemish paintings depicting flowers in galleries 243 and 244. Then stop by gallery 250 to create realistic-looking flowers using paper, wire, tape, and scissors.
  • Story Hour

    • 10:30 am and 1:30 pm
    • Gallery LG36
    • Stop by to hear children’s stories about color. Leave after one story or stay for the whole hour.
  • Family Tour: Colors All Around Us

    • Occurs every day but Saturday, April 22
    • 10:30 am, 11:15 am, 1 pm, 1:45 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet at Sharf Visitor Center
    • Join a family-friendly tour in search of the most bold and vibrant colors in the Museum! What’s your favorite? Tours are 30 minutes.
  • Conservation Up Close: Gilding Frames

    • Wednesday, April 19
    • 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet in Gallery 168
    • Join Christine Storti, head of Furniture and Frame Conservation; and Gregory Porter, assistant frame conservator; to explore the materials and tools used to gild frames. See up close the delicate nature of gold leaf, and learn how gilders used squirrel hair brushes to transfer the leaf and agate gemstones to burnish the gold for shine.
    • Space is limited. Free tickets available for pickup in Gallery 168 on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes prior to the start of each session.
  • Conservation Up Close: Making Traditional Egg Tempera Paint

    • Saturday, April 22
    • 10:30 am, 11:30 am, 1:30 pm, and 2:30 pm
    • Meet in Gallery 168
    • Join Sarah Mastrangelo, Cunningham Associate Conservator of Paintings, for a brief history of the use of egg tempera in Italian panel painting and a demonstration of how traditional egg tempera paint is made. Take part in a discussion on the manufacture and processing of pigments, and get a feel for the difference between egg tempera and a contemporary paint medium like gouache.
    • Space is limited. Free tickets available for pickup in Gallery 168 on a first-come, first-served basis 30 minutes prior to the start of each session.
When: 
Wednesday, April 19 – Saturday, April 22, 2023 10am–4pm
Phone: 
617.267.9300
Summerquest Camp for kids aed 5-14 at the Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

Pingree School in Hmailton Massachusetts hosts their annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture exhibit each Fall. Sculpture: Phoenix by Robin Tost.
Pingree School hosts the 16th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, Massachusetts .
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a self guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Marblehead Farmers' Market

Find fresh local produce and other foods at the Marblehead Farmer's Market!
The Marblehead Farmer's Market boasts 15+ local farms, and booths with an educational spin nutrition, vendors and farms selling homemade prepared goods and craft vendors that are switched up in a rotation basis week to week. Additionally there are entertainers and exhibits by environmentally...
9:00 am to 12:00 pm

Family Open House: Nature's Gifts

Use what nature has to offer tomake toys at the Joppa Flats Education Center!
Nature provides special gifts year round from beautiful butterlies to emerging snowdrops in early spring. In this drop-in family program, visitors will meet some "treasures from the ocean" including live beach creatures, seashells from around the world and more.
10:00 am to 3:00 pm

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

A holiday themed tour of Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its...
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury | Saturdays

Browse our maze of festively decorated trees and enjoy a little holiday sparkleat the SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury Massachusetts
The Seacoast’s most magical holiday tradition is back! The 13th Annual SeaFestival of Trees opens Saturday, November 22 at the Blue Ocean Event Center in Salisbury, transforming the oceanfront venue into a sparkling winter wonderland of more than 145 themed trees, a giant sand sculpture, Santa’s...
11:00 am to 8:00 pm

SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury

Browse our maze of festively decorated trees and enjoy a little holiday sparkleat the SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury Massachusetts
The Seacoast’s most magical holiday tradition is back! The 13th Annual SeaFestival of Trees opens Saturday, November 22 at the Blue Ocean Event Center in Salisbury, transforming the oceanfront venue into a sparkling winter wonderland of more than 145 themed trees, a giant sand sculpture, Santa’s...
11:00 am to 8:00 pm

Essex Firemen's Spaghetti Supper

Come to the Essex Massachusetts Fire Deaprtment for the annual spaghetti fundraiser!
The Annual Essex Fire Department Company Spaghetti Supper is A great night to enjoy a home-cooked meal with neighbors and friends while supporting a great cause!
4:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Sunday, November 23

Saugus Iron Works Park Grounds & Estuary Walk

Take a hike along the Saugus River Estuary ande explore the Saugus Iron Works Park grounds in Massachusetts
Learn about the natural world in Saugus while ecploring the park ground ast the Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site in Massachusetts.
7:00 am to 7:00 pm

Babson Farm Quarry Self-guided Walking Tour at Halibut Point

Kids will enjoy this tour of the Halibut Point State Park and Quarry with a focus on its stone-cutting history!
Take a self guided tour at one of Massachusetts most beautiful locations!
7:00 am to 6:00 pm

Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit at Pingree School

Pingree School in Hmailton Massachusetts hosts their annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture exhibit each Fall. Sculpture: Phoenix by Robin Tost.
Pingree School hosts the 16th annual Flying Horse Outdoor Sculpture Exhibit on their campus in South Hamilton, Massachusetts .
8:00 am to 6:00 pm

Salem Witch Hunt Walking Tour

Learn about the true reality of the Salem Massachusetts Witch Trials Salem Massachusetts on a self guided walking tour with Essex Heritage
This self-guided walking tour is designed to help explain the true history behind the Salem Witch Trials. After more than three centuries of storytelling through countless books, movies, and television shows, the line between historical fact and dramatic fiction has become increasingly blurred....
9:00 am to 5:00 pm

Turkey Trot at Breakheart Reservation

Come to Breakheart Reservation for a pre-Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in Saugus Massachusetts!
Breakheart Reservation invites you to a Thanksgiving run/walk! Join us for the annual Breakheart Turkey Trot, a fun-filled event for runners and walkers of all ages! Lace up your sneakers and get ready to hit the scenic trails of Breakheart Reservation in Saugus, Massachusetts. Whether you're a...
9:30 am to 12:00 pm

Family & Friends CPR Course

Learn about infant and child cpr and choke saving skills at Beath Israel Lahey Health's Beverly Hospital in Massachusetts!
It is only a matter of a few short minutes before it is too late to save a life … learning what to do provides you precious minutes and gives someone a chance to survive.  The Family & Friends CPR Course teaches the lifesaving skills of child CPR with breaths, child AED use, infant CPR, and m
10:00 am to 12:00 pm

Essex Turkey Trot 5K Race & Fun Walk

The Essex Massachusetts Lions host their annual 5k Turkey Trot!
The Essex Lion's Club hosts the annual turkey trot in beautiful Essex Massachusetts!
10:00 am to 1:00 pm

Deck The Halls: Hammond Castle

A holiday themed tour of Hammond Castle Museum in Gloucester Massachusetts
Travel back in time to a castle filled with lush, opulent textures inspired by the great medieval and Renaissance castles of Europe. Wander through rooms adorned with White Birch and Christmas trees, sparkling fairy lights, hydrangea-lace garlands, and elegant bows, each space transformed with its...
10:00 am to 8:00 pm

Swampscott Thanksgiving Farmer's Market

The Swampscott Farmers Market hosts a special Thanksgiving market in Massachusetts
The outdoor markets are done for the season but we will have one last indoor Thanksgiving Market on Sunday, November 19th at Swampscott High School Cafe. Stock up with fresh produce for your Thanksgiving table and get your Christmas shopping started early with our crafters!
10:00 am to 1:00 pm

SeaFestival of Trees | Sundays

Browse our maze of festively decorated trees and enjoy a little holiday sparkleat the SeaFestival of Trees in Salisbury Massachusetts
The Seacoast’s most magical holiday tradition is back! The 13th Annual SeaFestival of Trees opens Saturday, November 22 at the Blue Ocean Event Center in Salisbury, transforming the oceanfront venue into a sparkling winter wonderland of more than 145 themed trees, a giant sand sculpture, Santa’s...
11:00 am to 5:00 pm