What to do in these last hot weeks of summer? Here’s a suggestion: Visit these cool Massachusetts museums and famous places for FREE in August!  The Highland Street Foundation has you covered with plenty of adventures for the month.

Highland Street Foundation is a non-profit committed to addressing the needs of kids and families in the state. They shared their August Adventures program.  The program offers a month of places to go, see and learn from. There’s a full schedule of things to take part in at museums. And it’s FREE, if you go on the dates listed below.

With a slightly crisper morning air starting our mornings, you can almost feel the summer slipping away. Before it does, be sure to visit these cool Massachusetts museums and and famous places for FREE in August. August Adventures 2023 gives everyone access and opportunities to “new and old partners highlighting the geographical and cultural diversity of the Massachusetts arts and culture community. Please note some organizations are requiring advanced registration,” according to their website.

Following along with the calendar HERE, and below, in more detail to take full advantage of all these awesome cultural opportunities. I’ve listed quite a few of the dates and places offering free admission here, but there are quite a few more which you can see on the full calendar.

There are so many places to see and adventures to have. From zoos to the Freedom Trail, sharks to farms, admission is free on these specific days. There’s even a visit to the Patriots Hall of Fame included in Highland Street Foundation’s August Adventures! Don’t miss this opportunity to explore and help keep your kids engaged in history and adventure!

• August 10- Willard Clock Museum

  11 Willard St. South Grafton

  At the Clock Museum you will find the center of early clock making. 80 Willard clocks are on display here in the original workshop of the Willard clockmakers. You’ll see Willard family portraits, their furniture and other heirlooms. The Willards were in the clock making business for 3 generations.

  Here’s the  program of events for the day:

  OPEN: 10:30 to 4:00. Come any time during the day. Walk-ons are welcome.

  10:30 – 11:00: Story Time the Grafton Public Library

  1:30 – 2:00: Theater Games with Appletree Arts

  1:00 – 3:00: “Time For Art” with artist Emily Van Nort

  3:00 – 4:00: A very special and fun pop to classical concert, “Time For Time” with the Blackstone Valley Quartet

  Willard House & Clock Museum

  Historic house museum located in Central Massachusetts. Home of Willard clock makers

• August 12 - Drumlin Farm

  208 South Great Rd, Lincoln

  Hours: 9am-5pm

  The Massachusetts Audubon’s Drumlin Farm offers free admission on this day. Here you can experience what life on a working farm is like. Explore their wildlife sanctuary. Plus,  you can see pigs, goats, chickens, sheep, cows and more on their farm. Learn how crops grow,  hike the trails and see their wildlife exhibit.

  Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary

  Experience life on a working farm and explore a wildlife sanctuary at the same time. At Drumlin Farm in Lincoln, watch the pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and cows in the farmyard; see how crops are sustainably grown; walk the trails to explore field, forest, and wetland habitat; and observe resident owls, hawks, and foxes in the native wildlife exhibit.

• August 13- Otis House

  141 Cambridge St. Boston

  Hours: 11am-4pm

  Learn where Beacon Hill began at this historic home on the hill. Otis House is last surviving mansion in Bowdoin Square in Boston’s West End neighborhood. The grand Federal style home showcases the family’s furnishings and style.

  Otis House

  Where Beacon Hill Began Welcome to Otis House, the only surviving mansion in Bowdoin Square, once Boston's most fashionable residential neighborhood. The stately brick house was built in 1796 for Harrison and Sally Otis, a wealthy couple with four young children, and it was designed by their friend and renowned architect Charles Bulfinch.

   

• August 14-Easton Children's Museum

  9 Sullivan Ave. North Easton

  Hours: 9am-4pm

  Best for ages: 1-7

  Visit the Space Station, STEM lab, and Maker Space. There is much to discover and play here.

  * NOTE from CME:  There is a capacity limitation and although we will NOT require advance registration, admission will be distributed on a first come, first-served basis with restricted time for play so we can allow as many visitors as possible that day to explore and play! Please plan accordingly as you might have to wait in line with your young visitor

  The Children's Museum In Easton - Come play and learn with us!

  At the Children's Museum art, science, math, music, literacy and more are offered through open-ended, informal play as a tool for life long learning.

   

• August 15- Larz Anderson Auto Museum

  15 Newton St. Brookline

  Hours: 10am-3pm

  At the Larz Anderson Auto Museum you can see “America’s Oldest Car Collection”. The Auto Museum has been supporting the community through a variety of educational programs, exhibits, and lectures for over 85 years. Current exhibits include the “Street Rally Race” and the Larz Anderson Collection of the oldest cars.

  Larz Anderson Auto Museum | America's Oldest Car Collection

  The Larz Anderson Auto Museum is home to "America's Oldest Car Collection". For more than eighty-five years the Larz Anderson Auto Museum has been supporting the community through a variety of educational programs, exhibits, and lectures.

• August 19- Samuel Slater Experience

  31 Ray St. Webster

  Hours: 10am-4pm

  This museum focuses on textile manufacturing in New England and the life and work of Samuel Slater (1768 – 1835). Slater was called the “Father of the American Industrial Revolution.” There are exhibits and immersive multimedia presentations that kids can feel like they are a part of through art and performance. 

  Home

  Make a Donation Your gift matters! It shapes the future of the museum.The Samuel Slater Experience tells Slater's Oxford, Dudley and Webster story. We bring Samuel Slater and this rich industrial history of the area back to life. Why Samuel Slater; Why in Webster?

• August 23-Atlantic White Shark Conservancy Chatham

  235 Orleans Rd. North Chatham

  Hours: 10am-4pm

  This is a very popular event. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Shark Center Chatham facility will host free admission on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, as part of the August Adventures program. You can see different exhibits, “designed to engage families and teach them about white shark research, conservation, and natural history,” according to their website. The AWSC gives you a deeper look at “one of the ocean’s most magnificent and misunderstood species: the Great White Shark!” The exhibits are interactive with videos and displays. It’s for shark enthusiast of all ages.
  

  August Adventures at Shark Center Chatham - AWSC

  August Adventures, modeled after Highland Street's long-standing Free Fun Fridays program, will provide enriching opportunities for individuals, children, and families across the Commonwealth. From children's museums, to art, to history, there is something for everyone. The Atlantic White Shark Con

   

   

• August 24-Buttonwood Park Zoo

  425 Hawthorne St. New Bedford

  Hours: 9am-5pm

  Asian elephants, red pandas, cougars, eagles, seals, otters, South American primates.. it’s all here and many more! In fact there are 240 species here at the Buttonwood Park Zoo! This Zoo was established in 1894, and is the 12th oldest zoo in the the country. Buttonwood Park Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and is recognized as “one of the finest small zoos in the United States”. 

  The Buttonwood Park Zoo | Named one of the finest small zoos in America!

  Dedicated to preserving the future of wildlife by creating experiences that connect the community to the natural world. New Bedford, MA | 508.991.4556

• August 29- The Freedom Trail

  Freedom Trail Foundation –44 School St Boston

  Hours: vary depending on tour times

  For a walk through Boston’s exciting and rich history, you will need to go into their ticket site as if you were purchasing tickets and use the promo code: AugustAdventures

  This 2.5 mile trail has you following a red line that brings you to 16 historically significant sites. You will explore museums and meetinghouses, churches, burying grounds and more. You can learn all about those who shaped our country. It’s over 250 years of history on this path through Boston. See where the American Revolution began.

  Freedom Trail Foundation

  Freedom Trail Foundation 44 School Street, Suite 250 Boston, MA 02108 Phone: (617) 357-8300 [email protected] Administrative Office Hours: Monday - Friday, 9:00 am - 5:00 pm (excluding Foundation holidays) Fridays, prior to holidays, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Fridays, between Memorial Day and Labor Day, 9:00 am - 3:00 pm Closed December 24-31, 2022

• August 31- Patriots Hall of Fame

  2 Patriot Place, Foxboro 

  Hours: 10am-5pm

  Free admission for the family at the Patriots Hall of Fame on August 31! You will find exciting, innovative and interactive experience for all ages in a modern museum. Here, the Kraft family honors the greatest Patriots of all-time.  Wait until you see their Super Bowl Experience exhibit, whic includes the sparkling Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophies and championship rings. Plus there is an interactive “that allows guests to virtually make Malcolm Butler’s Super Bowl XLIX-clinching interception, and the Anatomy of a Comeback area that breaks down the Super Bowl LI win.” 

   

  The Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX- Exhibits - Players - Education | The Patriots Hall of Fame

  The Patriots Hall of Fame presented by RTX is an exciting, innovative and interactive, modern museum experience for all ages.

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