Experience the Boston Tea Party!

This summer brought a lot of changes to our usual travel adventures-10 is a hard age for traveling and keeping  everyone happy! We decided now was a perfect time to bring history to life and take a trip to New England, our first stop-Boston, Massachusetts. I was really excited about Massachusetts in general because there is so much to see and do from Plymouth Rock to exploring the city. If you only have a short amount of time to explore I would highly recommend the Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum. It is an interactive floating museum that does a great job recreating the Boston Tea Party and keeping everyone engaged.  Upon entering the museum you are escorted to "town hall" to learn about the events leading up to the revolution. Everyone receives a character card and the employees do such a great job making it feel like you have been taken back in time.

After a short town hall meeting it is time to board the ship! This was by far one of my daughters favorite parts of the museum because you get to partake in throwing "tea" overboard. I really enjoyed that the characters from the beginning led you through the ship and made you feel immersed in their lives and experiences. 

After participating on the ship you are led to an amazing interactive display that tells the events after the tea party. The holographic characters come to life right before your lives and tell their stories on how the events are changing the world rapidly. Looking around the room everyone was engaged and eager to see what happened to the characters as we progressed through the museum.

The absolute highlight for me was being able to see the last known surviving tea chest from the Boston Tea Party and a vial of tea (currently on loan for 10 years from the Old North Foundation of Boston). Both are displayed in the museum for all to see as you progress through each room-I do not want to spoil anything but the history of the tea chest is one you do not want to miss!  Our children learned so much on the tour and I loved that it was presented in an interactive format that they will remember for years to come!

As an added bonus when the tour is over you can head upstairs to the tea room to purchase lunch or snack. I highly recommend a visit to Abigail's Tea Room to  try five of the tea blends that were thrown overboard during the Boston Tea Party. There are two options for the tea sampling one of which comes with the limited edition ceramic mug shown below. The tea room also serves delicious scones and sandwiches along with other great snacks.

Tickets can be purchased for the museum both in person at the street box office in front of the museum or online (online pricing does provide a discount).  I would recommend visiting the museum early in the day as it is a very popular attraction that has received many awards including the Best Historical Experience and the #1 Best Patriotic Attraction. As always if you have any questions or would like travel tips do not hesitate to reach out!

*All thoughts and opinions of the museum are my own, I was provided one admission ticket in exchange for my honest and fair review*