Boston on Budget

The Harvard Art Museums are offering free admission to all visitors every Wednesday from 1PM to 5PM now until January 2, 2019.

The free admission is thanks to the generous grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities in support of The Harvard Art Museums current special exhibition, Animal-Shaped Vessels from the Ancient World: Feasting with Gods, Heroes, and Kings.

Just a reminder that admission to The Harvard Art Museums is always free for all students, youth under 18, and Cambridge residents as well as all Massachusetts residents before noon every Saturday.

For more information about free admission on Wednesday afternoons, please head here.

Smithsonian Magazine’s Annual Museum Day Live provides free admission for two people at participating museums all across the country on Saturday, September 22, 2018!

How does Free Museum Day work?

• STEP 1: Find a participating museum here
• STEP 2: Download your ticket here
• STEP 3: Head to the museum on Saturday, 9/22,18!

You do need to request tickets in advance for the museum of your choice, and there are many different museums in the Boston area participating.

For more information or to find a participating museum, please head here.

Will you be heading to a museum for free on Saturday? 

There’s so many fun things to do in Boston this weekend that won’t break the bank! Here’s some cheap weekend fun for this weekend in Boston:

Boston Local Food Festival: Sunday, September 16, 2018 on the Greenway. Enjoy this free outdoor food festival featuring farmers, local restaurants, food trucks, and many more organizations focusing on healthy foods and healthy living.

Boston Social Fitness Festival: Saturday, September 15, 2018 at City Hall Plaza. Enjoy this day-long fitness festival to help Boston get moving with a lot of free fitness opportunities.

South Boston Street Festival: Saturday, September 15, 2018 in South Boston from 11-4PM. Enjoy live entertainment, great food, local merchants, children activities, and much more!

South Street Diner Customer Appreciation Day: Sunday, September 16, 2018 from 2-6PM at the South Street Diner. Head to the South Street Diner for their annual Customer Appreciation Day with free pony rides, music, free burgers and hot dogs, and more.

Roslindale Porch Fest: Saturday, September 15, 2018 from 1:30-5:30PM in Roslindale. Head to the porches of musicians in Roslindale for a day full of music and fun.

Greek Fest 2018: September 14-16, 2018. Head to Brookline to share in the tastes and sounds of Greece.

South End Open Studios: September 15-16, 2017 from 11-6PM. Over 200 local artists will be sharing their artwork in the South End for this once a year, back-stage opportunity open to the public.

SoWa Open Market: Every Sunday May to October from 10-4pm. Enjoy this award-winning open market with local artisans, farmers, musicians, food trucks, and more!

Greenway Open Market: Every Saturday (and 1st and 3rd Sunday of each month) from 11-6pm until October. Enjoy handmade local arts and crafts, food trucks, and more!

Harvard Art Museum: Massachusetts residents are admitted free every Saturday morning from 10am to Noon year-round with proof of residency

Harvard Museum of Natural History: Massachusetts residents are admitted free every Sunday morning from 9am to Noon year-round with proof of residency

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology: Massachusetts residents are admitted free every Sunday morning from 9am to Noon year-round with proof of residency

Hope you have a great weekend!

You May Also Like:

• Apple & Pumpkin Picking in the Greater Boston Area
• Enter the Lottery for $10 Hamilton Tickets
• King Richard’s Faire Discounts
• Ways to Save at Davis Farmland
• Discount Tickets for Edaville Railroad
• Discount Tickets to Story Land
• Red Sox Games on a Budget
• Discount Boston Duck Tour Tickets
• Half-Price Event Tickets in Boston

I know, I know. We haven’t even officially hit fall yet and here is a Christmas-y post, BUT it’s a great deal and I love planning ahead to save money.

This week, Boston Ballet is cracking ticket prices to The Nutcracker in half! Save 50% on premium seats with promo code FALLARTS by September 16, 2018 for select performances.

Boston Ballet’s The Nutcracker will be at the Boston Opera House November 29, 2018 to December 30, 2018 and is such a holiday classic. I went with my mom a few years ago for the first time and we loved it!

You can also score tickets to remaining performances of Genius at Play for $50.

For more information or to purchase tickets, please head here.

Hamilton will be in Boston from September 18 to November 18, 2018 at the Boston Opera House and there will be a lottery for a chance to win tickets for $10. There will be forty $10 tickets available for each performance.

To enter the lottery, you can download the app or enter online.

The lottery opens at 11AM two days before each Hamilton performance and closes at 9AM the day before. Notifications will be sent at roughly 11AM and the purchase window is 11:01-4pm the day before the performance.

You are limited to two tickets, can’t transfer the tickets, and must purchase the tickets online via credit card during the specified window.

For more information or for your chance to win, please head here. Good luck!!

Are you planning to see Hamilton this fall in Boston?

Are you going to a Patriots game at Gillette Stadium this year? Are you looking for a cheap and easy way to get to the game from Boston?

If you’ve ever been to a Patriots game at Gillette, you know there’s not many budget-friendly transportation options for game days.

You can:

• Drive down, sit in traffic, and pay $40+ to park
• Take the commuter rail from Boston, pay $20, and limit tailgating options
• Take a taxi, lyft, uber or bus, which can get pricey fast and limit tailgating options

However, Skedaddle is now offering rides for $10 roundtrip to Gillette Stadium on Patriots home games. All you need to do is request a seat in advance and show up at the designated pick up spot in Boston on game day!

Skedaddle also leaves some time for tailgating (leaves Boston at 10:30am for a 1pm game) and you can bring coolers on the bus. This is a great alternative if you don’t have a car or don’t want to drive to Foxborough for Pats games!

Even better, you can use promo code d1aafd (my referral code) to receive free Skedaddle credit for new users!

For more information or to request a ride to Gillette Stadium, please head here.

Now all you need is Patriots tickets!

*This post contains affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy if you have any questions. 

Apple picking and pumpkin picking is such a fall activity to do in New England and there’s so many great farms to choose from!

Here’s some great apple & pumpkin picking and fall activities at local farms within an hour or so from Boston:

Originally written September, 2016 and Updated for 2017 and 2018 Apple Picking season. 

Belkin Family Lookout Farm, South Natick

• Train rides, farm animals, hay pyramid, farm maze, children caterpillar rides, weekend hayrides, apple & pumpkin picking, and more!
• Open daily from 10-5pm
• Weekend/holiday rate: $18 for adults, $15 for children under 12; Weekday admission is $15 for adults, $12 for children under 12, children under 2 are free
• Fruit bags are $14 small, $22 medium, and $36 large

Dowse Orchards, Sherborn

• Apple picking: $16 for a half peck bag {2017 pricing)
• Open 10-5pm on weekends (weekend only)

Highland Farm, Holliston

• Apple picking available on weekends 10-4:30pm
• Fruit bags are $10 for 1/2 peck, $20 for a peck, and $35 for 1/2 bushel

Nashoba Valley Winery, Bolton

• Restaurant, orchards, wine tastings every weekend, and more
• Apple picking: $20 for a 10lb peck bag + admits 4 people into orchard, $30 for 20lb 1/2 bushel bag + admits 8 people into orchard
• Open daily 11-4:30pm, must buy picking bag before 4pm

Carlson Orchards, Harvard

• Apple picking daily from 9-4pm
• Apple picking prices: $19 for a peck bag and $29 for 1/2 bushel {2017 pricing}

Tougas Family Farm, Northborough

• Pick your own, wagon rides, playground, farm animals, pumpkin patch, and more!
• Apple picking: $30 for 10/lb peck bag, admits max of 4 people, $40 for 20/lb 1/2 bushel bag, admits 6 people
• Pumpkin picking: .75 per pound, minimum $2.75 per pumpkin
• Open Tuesday-Sunday 10-5pm, open on holiday Mondays

Shelburne Farm, Stow

• Pick your own apples and pumpkins, hayrides, tractor playground, barnyard animals, and more!
• Apple picking: $20 for 10/lb peck bag, $33 for 20/lb 1/2 bushel bag
• Pumpkin picking: .60 per pound
• Open daily 9-5pm, rain or shine
• $10 for all-day unlimited admission for child play area (adults are free with child), weekends only
• Hayrides are $2 per person

Honey Pot Hill Orchards, Stow

• Barnyard animals, corn maze, hayrides, pick your own, and more
• Apple picking & pear picking: $18 for 10/lb medium bag (gets 2 adults and 1 child into orchard), $28 for 20/lb large bag (gets 2 adults & 3 children into orchard), $6 per extra person, cash or check only {2017 pricing}
• Open daily 9:30-5pm for pick your own
• Corn maze prices vary, hayride $2 per person and under 2 are free (no strollers or wagons allowed on hayride, strollers only allowed to and from Lot E)

Carver Hill Orchard, Stow

• Unconfirmed prices for 2018 picking season
• Open daily 10-5pm

Pickard Farm, Littleton

• Tractor drawn hayride (weekends only) and pumpkin patch
• Pumpkin picking: pumpkin prices vary, over 15 acres of pumpkins (no admission charge or parking charge)
• Weekends 10-6pm, weekdays 1-6pm

Parlee Farms, Tyngsboro

• Pick your own, hayrides, farm animals, pumpkin patch, hay play area, and more!
• Apple picking: $25 for 1 peck bag and includes admission for max of 4 people + hayride, $35 for 1/2 bushel bag and includes admission for max of 6 people + hayride, $5 for each additional person, infants are free (save 10% for weekday visits)
• Over 40,000 pumpkins in the field: pumpkins are .75/lb, minimum $2.75
• Pick your own hours vary based on weather/conditions, get updated information here.

Cider Hill Farm, Amesbury

• Apple picking: $20 for one peck, up tp 4 people, $35 for 1/2 bushel, up to 6 people
• Open daily from 8-5PM

Smolak Farms, North Andover

• Corn Maze, pumpkin patch, amusement area, hayrides, farm animals and more every weekend in September & October
• Apple picking: $20 or a 10lb peck bag, $40 for 1/2 bushel bag 24/lb bag, and $45 for 1/2 bushel basket {2017 pricing}
• Apple picking is open daily from 8-5PM, last admission is at 4:15PM
• Children Festival: Weekends 10-4pm, $12 for children and free for children under 2 and adults
• Hop on Hayrides are $5 per person, children under 2 free
• Corn Maze: $5 per person

Boston Hill Farm, North Andover

• Apple picking: $20 for a 10/lb peck bag, $38 for 20/lb 1/2 bushel bag {2016 pricing}
• Apple orchard open 10am to 5:15pm daily, farm stand open 9-6pm daily

Brooksby Farm, Peabody

• Pick your own apples, farm store goods, pumpkin yard, and fall activities
• Apple picking: $17 for a 10lb peck bag, $30 for 20/lb half bushel bag, cash only {2016 pricing}
• Open 9-6pm daily from September 8-October 14, closes at 5pm otherwise

Connors Farm, Danvers

• Corn maze, barnyard animals, hayrides, grain train, live entertainment, haunted farm, pick your own, and much more!
• General admission tickets: $14.95 for 3 and up, free for kids 2 and under
• Apple picking: $17.95 for 10/lb peck bag, $29.95 for 20/lb 1/2 bushel bag {2016 pricing}
• Open daily 8-6pm
• Check Groupon for daily deals and discount tickets for Connors Farm

Russell Orchards, Ipswich

• Hayrides, farm animals, pick your own, and more
• Apple picking: $20 for peck size bag on weekends and holidays, weekday pricing is per pound
• Open 9-6pm daily, cash only

C.N. Smith Farm, East Bridgewater

• Farm animals, train displays, pick your own fruit, hayrides to the pumpkin patch, and more!
• Hayrides & Pumpkin Picking: $3.50 per person + pumpkin priced per pound, Pick-your-own pumpkins on weekends only from 10-4pm
• Apple Picking: $28 for Peck Apple Bag for 3 Adults/4 people total and 1/2 bushel is $45 for max 6 people. Wednesday-Friday 10-4pm and Weekends 9-4pm

The Big Apple, Wrentham

• Hayrides, pumpkin house, pick your own, bakery, and more
• Apple picking: $25 for 10/lb peck bag, $35 for 20/lb 1/2 bushel bag, cash or check only {2016 pricing}
• $3 per person for hayride into the orchard or drive into the orchard for free
• Open on select days for Apple Picking for 2018: September 8, 9, 5 & 16

Ward’s Berry Farm, Sharon

• Hayrides, pumpkin picking, barnyard animals, and more
• Pumpkin picking: prices vary depending on size
• Pumpkin patch open daily 9-4pm (not yet)
• Hayrides: $3 per person for ages 3+, weather permitting

Nihtila Farm, Holbrook

• Pick your own pumpkins, hayride, farm animals, and more
• Open Friday, Saturday, and Sundays from 11-6pm
• Call for pricing, cash only

The only organic apple farm I could find in the Greater Boston area is Old Frog Pond Farm in Harvard, MA but they are not doing Apple Picking this year due to poor crop.

Please let me know in the comments below if I missed your favorite spot or if your favorite is on the list.

Where is your favorite place in the Greater Boston area for apple picking and fall fun?!?