Free or Cheap Things to Do in Boston

Many of us will be heading to Boston more often now that the train is connecting New Bedford and Fall River to the Hub. We found some free activities you can do when you get there.

For the first few weekends, the MBTA is offering free rides on the commuter rail up to Boston from the New Bedford and Fall River depots and while we absolutely love this, it got me wondering: what will we do when we get there?

What else is free that most of us don't use or even realize is free?

The first thing that popped into mind was our library. After some digging, I found that there are more benefits to having a library card then just taking out books.

READ MORE: 5 Things That Surprised Us About South Coast Rail

We reached out to both the Fall River and New Bedford libraries to see what free passes they offer, and boy was I pleasantly surprised by all the offerings.

Kayla King, Assistant Library Administrator in Fall River, said they are currently revamping their museum pass system and by the end of April will have passes to the following Boston attractions:

• New England Aquarium
• Boston Children's Museum
• Museum of Fine Arts
• Museum of Science

These are on top of the over half a dozen local passes they have to museums and zoos on the SouthCoast as well as Rhode Island.

Museum passes offer either free or reduced-price admissions. You can borrow passes just by presenting your library card. Some are e-passes that provide a discount code; others are physical passes that must be returned to the library.

You can visit the Fall River Public Library website to get a full list of passes an discounts you can get with your library card.

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New Bedford Public Library Director Olivia Melo said there are great deals available for library card holders.

"The Library Pass program is mostly a discounted pass to visit the museums and have certain date stipulations," she said. "Unfortunately, none of them are free but do offer a substantial discount for library card holders." 

There is an online portal you can go to and see all the different discounted admissions you can get and even reserve your tickets right online using your library card.

Once you do put your information in, the deals are very cheap.

READ MORE: New Bedford's Official South Coast Rail Schedule

So whether your MBTA ride is free or a few bucks, these sweet deals are also available to save you money. This new gateway to the big city opens up a world of fun activities and learning for everyone, all thanks to your library card.