25 things to do around Boston for under $25

By Legacy User

September 14, 2012

9 minutes to read

In Boston it can sometimes seem prices reach heights as high as the Prudential tower, making finding activities on a budget any time of the year a challenge. But from apple picking to the halls of the ICA, here are 25 things you can do this fall for under $25.
When the city lights hide the galaxy stars, space observation is difficult for city dwellers, but two Boston observatories offer free stargazing on clear nights through late November. The public can use the Museum of Science’s Gilliland Observatory on Friday nights from 8:30-10 p.m. Call the observatory hotline, 617-589-0267, for information about that night’s session. The Coit Observatory at Boston University, pictured, hosts a public open night every Wednesday beginning at 7:30 or 8:30 depending on the season. 
 
Wednesday and Friday nights; Free
After this year’s Queen’s Jubilee and the Olympic fanfare of watching the Duke & Duchess of Cambridge cheer for Team GB and others, it is clear Americans love the British royal family. The Museum of Fine Art will have a photography exhibit showcasing Mario Testino’s many photos of the royal family. Other fall MFA exhibits include “Kings, Queens and Courtiers: Royalty on Paper,’’
“The Postcard Age,’’ and “Divine Depictions.’’
 
 
Oct. 21, 2012-June 16, 2013; price of admission: adults $25, seniors and students $23, college students with valid ID are free, mfa.org
The SoWa Open Market in Boston’s South End is a bustling scene on Sundays with street vendors, a farmers market and food trucks. On Oct. 7 from 12-4 p.m. there will be a “Manswap,’’ where men can bring gently used clothes, accessories, and shoes. For each item they bring, guys will recieve a ticket to exchange for something else. SoWa will be open through Oct. 28 for visitors to enjoy the harvest season and the nice fall weather 
 
Sundays; 460 Harrison Ave.; 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
It wouldn’t be fall in Boston without the annual Head of the Charles Regatta, now in its 48th year. Rowers, individuals and teams, gather from all over the world on the shores and waters of the Charles River to compete in the world’s largest two-day regatta. With a 3.2-miles course along the river, there are plenty of locations to watch the rowers and soak in a Boston tradition. 
 
Oct. 20-21; some viewing areas ticketed.
Apple cider, pie, and cider donuts are staples of the fall food season. In order to make your own or get some farm-fresh fall goodies, apple picking at local farms is the activity of the season. Two farms are within 20 miles of Boston. Lookout Farm in South Natick offers pears, pumpkins, and 11 varieties of apples through the end of October. At Brooksby Farms in Peabody, attendees can enjoy the farm store, barnyard animals, and apples. Check out our Apple Picking guide for more options around the Boston area. 
 
Various locations; prices range from $8-$25
The Arnold Arborteum is a fixture Bostonians should see at every season, but fall is truly spectacular with the changing foliage and colorful environment. 
 
Sunrise to sunset; 125 Arborway, Boston; free
Goblins, ghouls, and the supernatural find a home in the fall and at Halloween. Many locals and visitors to Boston enjoy the spooky season by taking a ghost tour. Haunted Boston Ghost Tours guides visitors on a 90 minute walking tour that includes history and tales of famous ghosts rumored to haunt the city. The tour starts at Boston Common at 8 p.m. nightly through November. 
 
$18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $13 for children under 16.
The floating Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum reopened this past summer. The experience allows visitors to learn about the history of the infamous event, interact with exhibits, explore the ships and even throw some tea into the harbor just as the patriots did in 1773. 
 
306 Congress St.; $22.50 for adults, $13.50 for children; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.
When bars start switching out their taps from Sam Adams Summer Ale to Octoberfest, you know it’s fall. Learn more about how such beer is brewed at the Samuel Adams Brewery in Jamaica Plain, which holds free tours ($2 suggested donation, proceeds benefit local charities) Monday through Saturday. Not a Sam fan? Harpoon Brewery on Northern Avenue offers weekend tours and weekday beer tastings. Tours are $5 and tastings are free. And for brew lovers who can’t make it to Germany this fall, check out Harpoon’s 23d annual Octoberfest celebration Sept. 28 and 29, with beer, food, and music. Admission is $20.
The Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival will take place on Sept. 29 this year. The 12th annual festival, a huge musical block party showcasing big-name jazz musicians as well as Berklee professors and alumni, will feature performances by singer Terri Lyne Carrington, saxophonist Hailey Niswanger, drummer Ralph Peterson, and more. 
 
Free admission, Columbus Avenue between Burke Street. and Mass. Ave.
As the temperature drops this fall, warm up with a cup of hot cocoa. Whether it is plain, nutty, or even mint-flavored, it can be a refreshing treat on a chilly day. Check out our guide to hot chocolate in Boston. 
 
Pictured: Hot chocolate at L.A. Burdick Chocolate Shop & Café, $3.50 (demi, 3-4 oz.); $4.50 (small); $5.75 (large).
You can also warm up in a cozy neighborhood cafe. Skip the chains and support independent coffee shops and cafes like Cafe Luna in Cambridge or Ula Cafe in Jamaica Plain. Grab a hot coffee, a pastry or sandwich, and enjoy free Wi-Fi at both locations. 
 
Cafe Luna, 403 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, 617-576-3400, cafeluna-centralsq.com; Ula Cafe, 284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain, 617-524-7890, ulacafe.com
On those rainy fall days that are just to dreary to enjoy the outdoors, bowling can be just as fun as any fall activity. Boston has many bowling alleys in the area that offer both ten pin and candlepin games at low costs. Check out our bowling guide for locations, rates and deals. 
 
Pictured: Sacco’s Bowl Haven; 45 Day St., Somerville; bowling 9 p.m.-midnight Monday thorugh Saturday, 9-10:30 p.m. Sunday.
Didn’t get to the Franklin Park Zoo this summer? The fall is an excellent time of year to see animals from all over the world. Admission is $17 for adults, $14 for seniors and $11 for children. During the fall season, the zoo offers good admission price deals. Through the end of September, seniors will only be charged the price of a children’s ticket. Between 10 a.m. and noon on the first Saturday of every month, admission is $11 for everyone. And the Friday after Thanksgiving is half price. 
 
10 a.m.- 5 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on weekends until Sept. 30. Beginning Oct. 1, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.
While the Museum of Science is an informative and fun learning experience year-round, the museum will have two temporary exhibits this fall to add to the fun. “SHIPWRECK! Pirates & Treasure’’ is a journey through maritime history and the mysteries and treasures it has uncovered. It opens Sunday, Sept. 23. “Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age’’ will include full-scale replicas of Ice Age mammals. It opens Sunday, Oct. 7. Both exhibits are included in price of admission. 
 
$22 for adults, $20 for senior and $19 for children.
The worlds of classic cartoons and classical music will collide at the 14th annual Classical New England Cartoon Festival presented by WGBH. On Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Warner Brothers cartoons will be played on a big screen with live classical music accompaniment at Symphony Hall. 
 
Tickets are $15 for non members, $10 for members and $35 for a family of four with two adults and two children under 9.
The Boston Book Festival on Saturday, Oct. 27, in Copley Square is not just about the reading or buying of books. The fair will also have 125 presenters, sessions for kids and adults including keynote speakers Lemony Snicket and Richard Ford, a street fair, workshops and live music from Berklee College of Music students. The best part is that New England’s largest literary event is free. The festival’s most ambitious event is called “One City One Story.’’ The citywide distribution of a short story culminates in discussion around the city’s libraries and a writing prompt. Copies are available online, at all branches of Boston Public Library and at certain city events.
Stop in one of Boston’s many delicious bakeries, such as Flour Bakery and Cafe in the South End, to grab a warm pastry, cookie, muffin, or other treat. Check out Flour’s infamous sticky buns. 
 
1595 Washington St., Boston, 02118, 617-267-4300, www.flourbakery.com
After 100 years of baseball, Fenway Park has many stories to tell. To hear those stories, both famous and unknown, tours of the historic venue are available from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily beginning on the hour, every hour. Tours will conclude three hours before a game on gamedays. No tours on Saturday, Sept. 15 and 29 and after 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 30. 
 
Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for seniors and $12 for children, students and military.
The Institute of Comtemporary Art offers views of the harbor during fall and a new season of exhibits and programs. Currently on show are various paintings, sculptures and a public mural outside the museum of Brazilian artists known as Os Gemeos. Beginning Nov. 15, a new exhibit called “This Will Have Been: Art, Love & Politics in the 1980s’’ will explore diversity, complexity and a historical overview of the decade in art. 
 
100 Northern Ave., Boston; $15 for general admission, $13 for seniors, $10 for students; www.icaboston.org
After the spray pool closes and before the ice rink opens, the Boston Common Frog Pond is still a great stop in the Common. The Frog Pond carousel is open until the end of October. The old-fashioned thrill provides a cheap and fun activity to do in the crisp fall air. The ice rink will open sometime later in the season. 
 
The Boston Common; $3 per ride; Weekdays: 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday: 9 a.m.-8 p.m., Sunday: 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; www.bostonfrogpond.com
Check out a few food festivals in Boston this fall. The annual “What the Fluff?’’ festival in Union Square on Sept. 29 celebrates marshmallow fluff, which was invented in Union Square in 1917. For those more health-conscious, Boston’s Vegetarian Food Festival is Oct. 27-28, and features 120 exhibitors, food sampling, and cooking demonstrations by well-known chefs. 
 
Free admission at both events
Farmers’ markets are cheaper, greener, and more fun than your supermarket produce section. Boston Public Market has two locations in the city, but there are also plenty of options all around the area that are open nearly every day of the week. 
 
Various locations, free to attend.
The North End’s Improv Asylum offers 8 p.m. shows every night but Mondays with an added “Raunch’’ show Saturdays at midnight. Voted ‘Boston’s Best Comedy’ by Improper Bostonian, this house of laughs is different every night. 
 
Prices vary by show; see site for details. 216 Hanover St., Boston, 617-263-6887, www.improvasylum.com
Get up close and personal with some of your favorite authors at Brookline Booksmith’s Writers and Readers series. This fall, the series includes readings from Junot Diaz (Sept. 19), Dennis Lehane (Oct. 2), and Chris Elliot (Oct. 18). Most readings are free unless otherwise noted on the bookstore’s website. New signings are added all the time, so keep up to date on Twitter or Facebook. 
 
Brookline Booksmith, 279 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-566-6660, www.brooklinebooksmith.com