Boston with Kids in August- tips, ideas, hotel suggestions welcome!
 

So we're heading to Boston... Fodorites have always been so helpful with trip planning, and I'd love your collective thoughts on this journey.
For background: "We" is me, my husband, and our two boys, ages 8 and 6. The kids have never been to Boston, and my husband and I have been separately for short "afternoon only" types of trips. My kids are into aquariums, so that's a must-see for us. I'm also hoping we can do a whale tour, walk the Freedom Trail, and see the Children's Museum. We know we want to be in the city for at least four days, and will be flying and and out of Boston. We can stay in the city the whole time or go elsewhere for a few nights.
We are not planning on renting a car for the whole week, so a centrally-located hotel or one near transportation will be important. We'd prefer a "junior suite" with one bedroom and a pull out sofa, but could also be happy in two adjoining rooms. I haven't started searching yet, but we usually go with Marriott properties as my husband has points.
We are flexible on dates, so if there are certain times in August that would be better than others, please let m know.
Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

I think the Residence Inn @ Tudor Wharf would be your best bet. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel...n-tudor-wharf/ They have studios and 1BR suites. Plus, I believe all rooms have kitchenette, so that will be handy esp with younger children.

It is in Charlestown, very close to USS Constitution. And it's just across the bridge from North End (very short walk), where you get access to the historic sites.

Or, you can look into the Custom House, which is a Marriott timeshare. The location is better, so I'm sure rates are higher. I know they rent rooms out if the timeshares aren't fully booked. http://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel...-custom-house/

Other must-sees with kids will be Swan Boats at Public Gardens
http://www.swanboats.com/ and maybe even the Duck Tours?

The MassVacation website usually offers summer deals. Their current deal expires June 27. Check their website after June 27 and see what other discounts there are.

I believe the Childrens Museum offers a discount on Friday afternoons.

I wonder if your boys would enjoy a boat trip? There are the Harbor Islands which can be reached by ferry from Long Wharf. http://www.islandalliance.org/

August will be HOT. You don't say where you are coming from; but August can be hot and humid. Obviously, no big deal if you live in the South; but I find August can be miserable at times. Fortunately, the heat usually lasts just a few days and we get a break. Towards end of August, hotel rates may start to go up (I'm not 100% sure on this, just a hunch), because freshmen students are arriving early for orientation and their parents are in town as well.

Thanks, yk. We're coming from Raleigh, and yep, it's hot and humid, here, too, so I'm hoping we'll be ok. I find that the heat and humidity don't keep us from much as long as the kids stay well-hydrated and ice-creamed ;)
I'll check out the links, esp. the Residence Inn. Sounds perfect for us!

Regarding the Freedom Trail:

Obviously, the cheapest way is to walk it yourselves. http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

But there are other alternatives. The Freedom Trail Foundation offers costume-guided walks. There are also SEgway tours, bike tours; but I don't know if there's a minimum age for those. Don't forget to check the NPS website for a few of the places along the Freedom Trail. Many of the NPS properties offer free tours and activities geared for children. http://www.nps.gov/bost/index.htm

Do they like baseball? You can tour Fenway Park daily:
http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/tour.jsp

They may also enjoy the Museum of Science http://www.mos.org/
as well as the Harvard Museum of Natural History http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/

There is no lack of ice-cream in Boston. We eat them even when it's 20F in the middle of winter. :)

We took the whale watch tour offered by the aquarium. It was very nice, and we saw several whales. I think we were also there in late summer.

I'd bet the Residence Inn is perfect for you, but I just wanted to say we "toured" a room at the Custom House last time we were in Boston (we own Marriott timeshare, so wanted to see this one), and the rooms are beautiful, and the location is fantastic. So if the Residence Inn doesn't work out for some reason, do check this out.

When we went to Boston we took the Old Town Trolley tour-hop on and off at the different stops-it was a great way to see the city and get an overview of the places you want to go back to. We loved walking around and seeing all the sights.
Look for the cemetery that has Paul Revere's grave-it is a really neat place. You will love the sense of history you get just walking the streets of Boston. We can't wait to go back again.