Summer Preschool Programs at the Waterworks

Calling all toddlers and preschoolers!&nbsp;Grab your favorite adult and join us at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum this summer for stories, crafts, and activities about water and the waterworks. Participation is FREE! Suggested Donation: $5 per child. Thursdays from 10am to 11am July: July 3–&nbsp;Summer Sunshine:&nbsp;Make a suncatcher July 10–&nbsp;Glacier Animals:&nbsp;Free animals from the ice July 17 -&nbsp;Bubbles Everywhere!: Play and paint with bubbles July 24–&nbsp;Be an Engineer:&nbsp;Make a cardboard car July 31&nbsp;-&nbsp;Egg Carton Creatures: Create with recyclables August: Aug. 7&nbsp;–&nbsp;Microbe Magic: Germs are everywhere! Aug. 14&nbsp;–&nbsp;Ice Painting: Explore the 3 states of matter Aug. 21&nbsp;–&nbsp;Sink or Float?:&nbsp;Make a boat that floats Help us plan by reserving your free tickets in advance.

Metropolitan Waterworks Museum

Second Saturday Speaker Series

Join us at the Waterworks Museum every second Saturday of the month to learn more about area and industrial history, engineering, archeology, water access and more from experts in a variety of fields. Our inaugural summer season will include: July 12th - Sex, Crime, &amp; Trophy Taking at the Gilded Age Metropolitan Waterworks with Museum Executive Director, Eric Peterson August 9th - History of Chestnut Hill Reservoir, with Senior Program Manager, Reservoir Operations for the MWRA, John Gregoire September 13, 2025 - Concrete in Boston: Revolution and Evolution, with Senior Transportation Analyst for Suffolk County, and President of the Board of Directors at the Shirley-Eustis House Bill Kuttner All events are upstairs in the Overlook Gallery starting at 1:00pm. The presentations are free and open to everyone, including walk-in visitors, space permitting. To learn more (or to reserve your FREE) tickets visit our website: <a href="https://waterworksmuseum.org/events/">https://waterworksmuseum.org/events/</a>.

Waterfest

The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum is partnering with local water, STEM, and history organizations for a celebration of all things water! Join us on June 21st from 11am to 3pm to learn more about local and global water issues, while enjoying some family-friendly games, crafts, and activities. Make a fuzzy microbe friend to take home! Blow some GIANT bubbles! Play our bean bag toss game and go on an ocean animal scavenger hunt! Get your face painted between 12 and 2! Enjoy a science magic show! Visit the basement to see the gigantic Allis pumps chambers! And much, much more! The event is FREE and will take place rain or shine. Suggested Donation, $5. Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your tickets today!

PRIDE at the Waterworks

Join us Sunday, June 15th from 11am to 3pm at the Waterworks Museum as we celebrate PRIDE Month with some fun (and colorful) activities! Make a tie-dye bandana or hair-tie to take home! Activities are FREE of charge. Suggested Donation, $5. Help us monitor capacity by observing your tickets today. We hope to see you there!

Waterworks Museum

Hidden Water: April Vacation Week Activities at the Waterworks

Looking for something fun to do over April Vacation Week? Join us at the Waterworks Museum on&nbsp;April 24th from 11am to 3pm&nbsp;to enjoy some family-friendly, hands-on activities and learn more about the “hidden water” in everyday things like food and clothes. Find out how much water it takes to create your favorite meal! Make an egg carton creature to take home! Tickets are only $5 per participant and parents, guardians, and chaperones (as well as babies in arms) are free! As part of our commitment to the Mass Cultural Council's Card to Culture program, this fee will be waived for EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders. Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your tickets today. We hope to see you there!

World Water Day at the Waterworks: Save Our Glaciers

Join us at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum on Saturday, March 22nd from 11am to 3pm to help us celebrate World Water Day with some special hands-on activities inspired by this year's theme: Glacier Preservation. Help excavate sea creatures from a block of ice! Learn more about our world’s glaciers and how to protect and preserve our icy world! Participation is FREE, Suggested Donation $5. Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your tickets today!

Microbe Madness at the Waterworks

Calling all mad scientists and microbiologists! Looking for something fun to do over February Vacation Week? Join us at the Waterworks Museum on February 20th from 11am to 3pm for Microbe Madness, where we'll explore the invisible world all around us through hands-on crafts and activities. View live microbes at the Microscope Discovery Station, design your own microscopic creatures, make candy microbes, and even help us to defeat harmful bacteria! Tickets are only $5 per participant and parents, guardians, and chaperones (as well as babies in arms) are free! As part of our commitment to the Mass Cultural Council's Card to Culture program, this fee will be waived for EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders. Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your tickets today. We hope to see you there!&nbsp;

Candy Engineering

Calling all candy engineers! Come build a gumdrop structure, make a licorice maze, or fly a balloon rocket sleigh! Join us for family-friendly drop-in activities at the Waterworks Museum on Thursday 12/26 or Friday 12/27 between 11am and 3pm. Reserve your tickets now on Eventbrite for $5.00&nbsp;per group. As part of our commitment to the Mass Cultural Council's Card to Culture program, we offer free admission to EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare cardholders. We hope to see you there!

Tricks and Treats

Calling all werewolves, zombies, and mad scientists! Join us at the Waterworks Museum for a ghoulishly good time at our Tricks and Treats event on Saturday, October 26th from 11am – 3pm! Decorate your very own treat bag and then collect candy while exploring some spooky science and trying your hand (or claws) at special crafts and activities, including making spooky skeletons, balloon rocket bats, and microbe monsters. You can also play fun Halloween-themed games and even win some prizes! We will also be offering special access to the Allis Pumps in the basement, which is not usually open to visitors. Just make sure to watch out for ghosts (and vampires)! Participation is FREE (suggested donation $5.00). Please help us monitor capacity by reserving your tickets in advance today!

Hot & Heavy: A Tour of Vintage Cast Iron Stoves

Join us at the Waterworks Museum this Saturday, August 17th and next Saturday, August 24th from 1pm to 2pm for a tour of our Hot &amp; Heavy: Vintage Cast Iron Stove Exhibit. Metal worker and restoration expert, David Erickson will be on hand to answer questions about the pieces in this temporary exhibition, which are just a few examples of his technical mastery. For more than forty years, he has honed his metal-working skills and acquired a deep understanding of the intricacies and magnificence of vintage cast iron stoves. In addition to becoming an expert in down drafting systems, baseburners, indirect flues, smoke doors, baffles, and warming ovens, Erickson has developed a connoisseur’s eye. Based in Littleton, Mass., Erickson’s Antique Stoves is now a repository of cast-iron masterpieces that, much like the machines in this room, beautifully integrate form and function. The event is free and open to the public, no special ticket or registration required.

Calling all toddlers and preschoolers! Grab your favorite adult and join us at the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum this summer for our FREE Preschool Programs! The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum Summer Preschool Program Series is back! From July 11th to August 29th, join us every Thursday morning from 10am to 11am for stories, crafts and activities about water and the waterworks. Every week is a little different, so check out our schedule below to see what we'll be doing! July 11– Sink or Float: Learn about flotation and make your own boat July 18– Keeping Water Clean: Clean up a "pond" and make a foam fish July 25– 3 States of Matter: Move like a molecule and paint with ice cubes Aug. 1 – Raindrop’s Journey: Try a raindrop jungle gym and make a suncatcher Aug. 8 – Giant Bubbles: Learn about surface tension and make giant bubbles Aug. 15 – Animals at the Reservoir: Identify water birds and make animal masks Aug. 22 – Be an Engineer: Learn about pulleys and make a cardboard car Aug 29 – Bringing Water Home: Decorate a reusable mug to take home Participation is FREE! (Suggested donation: $3 per child) Please help us plan by reserving your spot today!

The Metropolitan Waterworks Museum is partnering with local organizations to celebrate water and “Water Champions” -- the people and organizations who work to protect water quality, watersheds, aquatic life, and water access around the world every day. Join us on Saturday, June 15th from 11am to 3pm for water related activities, crafts, and games with prizes! Enjoy a live-animal demonstration and a bicycle percussion performance and learn about local and global water issues, as well as potential solutions, in a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. The event is FREE and will take place rain or shine. Suggested Donation, $5. Help us monitor capacity by reserving your free tickets today!

Celebrate Pride at the Waterworks

﻿Join us at the Waterworks Museum on Sunday, June 9th as we celebrate PRIDE Month with some fun (and colorful) activities! Explore the science behind rainbows with GIANT Bubbles and make a rainbow suncatcher to take home. This event will run from 11am to 3pm and is FREE of charge. Suggested Donation, $5. We hope to see you there!

April Architecture!

April Vacation week is just around the corner! Join us on Thursday, April 18th from 11am-3pm for some special hands-on activities with an architectural twist. Explore the unique architecture of the Chestnut Hill Pumping Station, which today houses the Waterworks Museum, then put your skills and creativity to the test by helping us to build a cardboard city out of recycled boxes, making a "robot hand" from paper cups, and discovering what kind of structures you can make from Kapla blocks. All activities are free of charge, with a $5 suggested donation. Help us monitor capacity by reserving your free tickets today. We hope to see you there!

Snowflake Symmetry

Join the Metropolitan Waterworks Museum over February Break to explore the fascinating science and symmetry of snowflakes! Create a candy-cane snowflake, illustrate the life cycle of a snowman, and try your hand at making a snowflake with pattern blocks. All activities are free of charge, with a $5 suggested donation. Help us monitor capacity by reserving your ticket in advance: https://www.ubmeevents.com/event/3f558522-e309-406e-803e-bdffa4365f31

S22: conversations

Wondering what to do in Boston? Places to eat? Free activities? Good for a group? Date night spot? Girls night out? The best things to do? Ask Joyraft!

Best places to go in Boston? Things to do? Places to eat?

Questions & answers about things to do in Boston

Recs 💬

Community recs 💬

S4: top picks

The most fun, cool and unique things to do in Boston. Can’t miss events, shows and experiences. Concerts, restaurants, bars, free things in Boston and beyond.

The most fun and cool events happening around Boston

Hot and new things to do in Boston

Hot & new

Hot & new 🔥

S11: happening this weekend

What to do in Boston this weekend? From festivals, concerts, performances, free events, screenings and more, Joyraft has the best things to do in Boston.

25+ things to do in Boston/Cambridge/Somerville this weekend

Things to do in Boston this weekend

This wknd

This weekend for you

S21: roundups

Our top picks: outdoor dining, free events, spring festivals, best bars, upcoming concerts, museum parties - the latest in and around Boston.  Slug: joyraft-top-picks-best-things-to-do-boston-ma

Top picks of the best things to do in and around Boston

Joyraft picks: Boston’s best things to do

Roundups ⭐️

Curated by Joyraft ⭐️

S28: calendar experiences

This week in Boston

This week in Boston 📆

This week 📆

S20: c+d experiences

Discover new, unique events and experiences happening in and around Boston. Perfect for date night, good for a group or with a friend. Be the first to know.

The newest events happening in and around Boston

The newest events on Joyraft

Just added

Just added to Joyraft

S16: editor picks

The most unique and can’t miss things coming up in Boston / Cambridge / Somerville and beyond. Festivals, food, drinks, fairs, concerts, art and free activities.

Unique and Can’t Miss Things to Do in Boston

Can’t-miss things to do in Boston 🚨

Can't-miss things to do 🚨

S2 (A): top experiences

The most popular things to do on Joyraft. Concerts, restaurants, bars, events, parties, openings, kid friendly, date ideas, free things in Boston and beyond.

Top 20 things to do in Boston

Top 20: Joyraft’s most popular

Top 20

Top 20 on Joyraft

S3 (A): trending experiences

Discover can’t miss events and things to do in Boston. The most fun, unique and cool events coming to the Boston area this spring and summer.

The hottest events happening in Boston

Trending events on Joyraft

Trending 📈

S17: interest based

Your guide to everything free in and around Boston. From events, to fairs, to festivals, to outdoors. Joyraft has all the free events happening near you.

100+ free things to do in Boston and beyond

Free things to do in Boston

Free things to do

S19: interest based

Kid-friendly events in Boston

S18: interest based

Where to eat and drink in Boston? Joyraft has Boston’s newest bars, restaurants and specials. Drinks and pre fixe dinner menus. Cambridge & Somerville too.

waterworksmuseum

Experiences

Summer Preschool Programs at the Waterworks

Second Saturday Speaker Series

Waterfest

PRIDE at the Waterworks

Hidden Water: April Vacation Week Activities at the Waterworks

World Water Day at the Waterworks: Save Our Glaciers

Microbe Madness at the Waterworks

Candy Engineering

Tricks and Treats

Hot & Heavy: A Tour of Vintage Cast Iron Stoves

Summer Preschool Programs at the Waterworks

Waterfest

Celebrate Pride at the Waterworks

April Architecture!

Snowflake Symmetry