Hi! We are doing 2 and a half days in boston next week! Nobody seems to recommend the Kennedy museum. Is there a reason for this? We are staying on Newbury street. Plan to do duck tour, freedom trail and cambridge. Would anyone recommend sheermadness over the comedy assylum? Also, any other "must dos"? Salem or Concord/Lexington? St. George Island? Thanks for the comments and suggestions!

So, I'd recommend Kennedy- but I really, really like museums......

Most teens don't- so maybe not. Girls or boys?Interests? If you specify, that may get you more likely responses.....

19 and 15 are girls. 13 is boy. girls like shopping and boy loves computers. they don't hate history but dad and i certainly more into it than they are..... we move on to maine after this so i think they will like that a lot.... thanks

Eh- skip Kennedy then....Might not be worth the hassle Something everyone might like- one of the campuses, if you hadn't already planned on it, Harvard's neat! So much to see in Boston....and you'll probably spend at least one day shopping, LOL. I grew up in a family of three girls (so yes, I am a girl) but next to oldest sis and mother are the shoppers. I remember bargaining "ok, I'll be patient at Nordie's/Banana Republic if you take me to this museum or that historic site afterwards!"

And Maine- cool. Please post a trip report...

HAVE A GREAT TIME!

The Kennedy libray is interesting but unless your teens really like history or JFK they probably would have more fun elsewhere. If the girls like shopping then you need to take a half day or so and do Newbury St. Charles St in Beacon Hill is also good for shopping and can be combined with a trip to the Common or Faneuil Hall. MIT might have a museum that would interest your son. Of course, a tour of Fenway Park should be on anyone's list, even if you're not big baseball fans.

Your son would probably like the Museum of Science.

http://mos.org/

My family liked the acquarium. Also the Museum of Fine Arts is lovely, and not too big or overwhelming. My 17 y.o. daughter loved it (especially the exhibit with the 60's posters).

The poster exhibit is "Light My Fire: Rock Posters from the Summer of Love", which runs through Sunday, August 13, 2006. Your teens may like that as well.

Thanks everyone! How about night time activities? We saw Blue Man group in Chicago and they loved it. any thoughts? Thanks again!

check out this page for a list of what is showing and discount tickets.
http://www.artsboston.org/bostix.cfm

also look at improv at improvasylum.com
I find teens really enjoy this.

My 16 year old daughter, who loves to travel, likes history and even museums, really, really hates the Kennedy Museum. I am not sure why, but she has threatened to run away (she is kidding) if she ever has to go there again. We live in Boston area and so she has been several times with school groups and us.

Freedom Trail, with stops at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market for food and shopping. North End for Italian food (just off Freedom Trail). Duck Tour, Museum of Science, Harbor Cruise.

Harbor Islands are nice and you can combine with water taxi/harbor cruise.

Unless you are into hokey witch stuff, I would skip Salem, although others loved it. You could always stop there on way north to Maine, although it is a little off-route. Peabody Essex Museum in Salem is about all I would recommend there.

Check out boston.com and thebostonchannel.com and Boston Globe websites for listings of any interesting or free stuff going on.

Hey, gail- schooltrips are enough to kill anyone's interest in an "educational" site.

last year at college, I was in the cafeteria talking museums with a girl from my dorm- she asked where I was from- then said "oh, there's such a cool museum there" I stared, puzzled, as she chattered excitedly on about the "wonderful" exhibits, and then it finally dawned on me that she was talking about ft. walla walla- a place that every teacher I had in gradeschool deemed "worthwhile"- also a place I never rec to visitors and that I will never, ever return to- LOL