Boston Tea Party Museum: tickets, prices, tours, etc.

Among the many things to see and do in Boston, the Tea Party Museum is the most important patriotic attraction in the United States. Located on the Fort Point Channel, very close to the harbor where the Tea Party Mutiny that started the country's War of Independence took place, it is one of the most interesting museums in the city, with a wide range of offerings including live performances, interactive experiences and real replicas of 18th century ships.

Since its opening in 2012, it is also one of the most visited museums by tourists who come to Boston, so it is common to have sold-out tickets or long lines to get in. For you to have a better experience, I tell you how to avoid them.

At the box office tickets cost approximately 32 euros for adults and 24 euros for children up to 12 years old, while children under five years old enter for free.

These tickets include admission to the museum, navigation and on-deck exploration of the maritime replicas, the visit to the Robinson tea chest room and the excursion to throw tea into the sea.

However, not all include the guided tours and can often sell out, which can be a problem if your stay in the city is going to be short, such as a 2-day trip to Boston.

Given the massive attendance at the museum and its proximity to the docks where the Boston sightseeing cruises depart from, which generates more crowds of tourists in the area, it is advisable to buy tickets in advance.

• Price... They start at 32 euros for adults and 25 for children up to 12 years old. Children under five years old are free.
• Remember... Each ticket is only valid for a specific day. It is not possible to enter any other day.
• Please note... Guided tours have specific schedules, so I advise you to check in advance so as not to miss the assistance of a local guide.

Tickets can be purchased at the best price on the Internet, through the official website of the museum or at the box office, although the latter option is the least recommended, since they may sell out or have higher costs.

You should keep in mind that the museum may be closed on special holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas or for private events, so it is common that some dates are not available to be chosen for your visit.

In any case, to avoid inconveniences and avoidable delays, I always recommend that you buy them in advance without long lines that will take away energy for your tour inside the museum.

While the available sightseeing passes include several of Boston's best museums, the Tea Party Museum is not included.

Boston City Passes are mostly focused on guided tours, outdoor excursions and discounts for a large number of restaurants in the city, some of which are included in the best food tours in Boston

If in addition to the Tea Party Museum you plan to visit other attractions in the city, such as the Museum of Science, the Aquarium or the Museum of Fine Arts, I suggest you check out the Boston City Passes, one of which will simplify your visit to the city and save you a lot of money!

It's not news that Boston is a city with plenty of activities to do with kids, so the Tea Party Museum is no exception to the rule.

In addition to the special rate for children up to age 12 to pay approximately €25 and children under five can get in free, the tour includes interactive videos for the kids and an expert local guide dressed as a colonist.

For the end of the tour, the Abigail Saloon offers among its options a children's menu and the experience of walking the deck of the replica 18th century sailing ships is highly recommended for children.

The Tea Party Museum is also very close to the New England Aquarium, another of Boston's favorite places for children.

The answer to these questions is yes. The Tea Party Museum was designed as an interactive experience for the whole family, so that visitors can travel back in time during the tour and feel like they are in the 18th century for a few hours.

The period atmosphere is provided by the museum with its setting and location near the original site of the Tea Party Mutiny, but also by the expert local guides who lead the tours, dressed as colonists as they tell the story of the American Revolution and the Revolutionary War.

To get the most out of the tour, I recommend the accompaniment of a guide, who will be indispensable in answering your questions.

• The guided tour is available in... English, Arabic, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish through translated brochures.

The Tea Party Museum is located at 306 Congress Street, in the heart of the Fort Point Channel, very close to Boston's founding harbor and a few blocks from the Museum of Science. It is centrally located and accessible by public transportation.

To get there by bus, you can take bus lines 354, 4, 426, 504, 7 and 93, as well as the museum is one of the stops on Boston's tour buses.

By train you can get off at Fitchburg, Framingham, Kingston or Lowell stations. If you wish to arrive by subway you must take the Red Line.

As the museum receives many school and family visits, it also has discounted parking at Fansworth Street and Stillings Street.

• I recommend... Like all populous cities, transit tends to be a bit cumbersome in Boston, so I advise you to opt for the Metro as the most effective option to get to the museum at the right time.

While the Tea Party Museum is primarily intended as a visual, sensory and interactive experience, it also has some priceless objects in its collection that will turn your visit into a journey back in time.

The most important of the museum's treasures is the only surviving Robinson tea chest from the night of the Tea Mutiny, December 16, 1773.

On that day, in protest of a tax imposed by England, local tea growers decided to revolt and dump the ships' cargoes into the river, setting off the start of the Revolutionary War.

There are also two very well done replicas of two sailing ships of the period that have some original objects of the time and that seen from the deck are a very interesting spectacle.

• Don't miss... The gift store, which offers a variety of museum souvenirs and gifts themed around the Tea Mutiny and the Revolution.

• Remember... Photos and videos are allowed only in the outdoor areas of the museum, but not inside.

If you want to do a complete tour, the museum visit can take up to three hours, as it consists of several stages.

The suggested tour starts at The Meeting House, where Samuel Adams will be your host in the 18th century. Then it continues through the sailing ships, Griffin Wharf and a recreation in the Tea Party Museum theater that recalls the discussions of the days before the Tea Party Riot, ending in the Abigail Room.

If you plan to visit Boston for just one day and don't have that much time, you can opt for a shorter tour, going from the Meeting House to Griffin Wharf and from there directly to the Robinson Tea Chest room, which takes no more than an hour and a half.

• I recommend... If you are going to be short on time to tour the museum and can't stop by the gift store but want to buy a souvenir, you can visit the official website in advance and buy products from there. In the end you will only have to pick up your products at the exit.

The museum is open Thursday through Monday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while it is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It is also closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

Some guided tours of the city overlap their tours with the Tea Party Museum's opening and closing times, and many start from the harbor area.

The Abigail Room also remains open for lunch between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm. Outside of those hours, only the beverage and infusion menu will be available.

While the museum is closed for tours on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, both the gift store and the Abigail Room are open between 9:30 am and 4:00 pm.

• Museum hours... Thursday to Monday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are closed.
• Abigail Hall opening hours... Thursday to Monday from 9:30 am to 6:00 pm. Tuesday and Wednesday open from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.
• Gift store opening hours... Thursday to Monday from 9.30 am to 6 pm. Tuesday and Wednesday open from 9.30 am to 4 pm.

Due to the large volume of visitors, the museum is very strict about schedules. Guided tours last one hour and visitors are called fifteen minutes before the reserved time. I recommend that you show up early to avoid missing the start of the tour.

Photos and videos are allowed in the outdoor areas of the museum, but not inside. You are also not allowed to take pictures with the costumed actors who are part of the plays in the Tea Party Museum theater.

A good way to end the tour of the museum is to have tea in the Abigail Room. There you will be offered five types of tea and a variety of food. It is also possible to have lunch between 11:00 and 16:00.

Like the entire museum, the store is also set in the 18th century. There you can find everything from tea ware and children's games to books and miniatures of ships or clothing.

The museum is Boston's main attraction and therefore one of the best excursions the city has to offer, so some items tend to sell out. If you are interested in a particular gift you can purchase it in advance through the official website and pick it up at the exit on the day of your visit.

The museum store is also known for its Christmas gifts, so during the holidays it is common that both locals and visitors, in addition to enjoying the attractions that Boston offers in December, opt for gifts for the Christmas tree.

If after the tour you get hungry, one option to consider is to visit the pizzerias in the North End that are a few blocks away from the museum. It is a very busy area that you can walk around and is characterized by Italian cuisine.

In the streets near the Tea Party Museum you can also find Mediterranean and fast food restaurants, as well as many breweries and whiskey distilleries.

During the morning and afternoon the museum area also offers a wide variety of cafes and bars.