What to expect:
This 200-acre outdoor history museum, about an hour west of Boston, re-creates life in a rural New England community of the 1830s. You'll find more than 40 historic buildings, including homes, craft shops, and mills, as well a working farm sprouting vegetables, herbs, and flowers, and rolling fields of corn, rye, and hay. The gentle river is perfect for a family boat ride.

In this setting, costumed actors entertain and inform as they go about the work and play that made up the villagers' daily lives. You'll see farmers plowing fields, shoemakers stitching leather, coopers crafting barrels, schoolteachers disciplining their pupils, and even children playing a game of rounders (an English game of the era, similar to baseball). You'll also find seasonal activities, such as making cider in the fall, ice skating in the winter, and shearing sheep in the spring. Old Sturbridge Village places a premium on helping families understand what they're seeing and explaining how life in an 1830s village relates to America today.

While some 5- to 8-year-olds may not yet be interested in history, most should enjoy at least some of the activities here. Simply watching people in old-time costumes (straw hats and homespun shirts for men, bonnets and calico dresses for women) perform early American-era activities offers them a window into another time and place. And while the subject of New England waterways isn't likely to capture their attention, they'll certainly enjoy a summer boat ride on the Quinebaug River or a winter horse-drawn sleigh ride.

And they're bound to be fascinated by the village's one-room schoolhouse, where a stern taskmaster of a teacher keeps her students in line. If your children are 7 or younger, don't miss the children's museum, where they can try on period costumes, play school, do puzzles, and pretend to cook over a fireplace. If possible, time your visit to coincide with the museum's special Family Fun Days, when you and your children can ride sleighs or wagons, play games, listen to music and stories, make tin cookie cutters, and watch 1830s-style puppet shows. Check the Old Sturbridge Village website for a schedule.

Three eating options (a snack bar, a cafeteria, and The Bullard Tavern), general store, bake shop, lodges, picnic groves, gift shop, bookstore. There's also a scenic patio cafe near the visitor's center.


  • Plan on spending at least three or four hours at the park. Admission tickets are good for two consecutive days, so you can limit each day's visit to a couple of hours if you wish. If you spend the night, local lodges offer package rates.
  • Pack a lunch to eat in a picnic area. This provides a nice break for young kids and saves you money.
When to go:
The park is open year round (except for Christmas Day), with varying hours.

Getting there:
Old Sturbridge is in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, on Route 20 at the intersection of I-84 and I-90 (the Massachusetts Turnpike). From Boston, take I-90 west to Exit 9; follow Route 20 to Sturbridge Village.

For rates, hours, and other information visit the Old Sturbridge Village website or call (800) 733-1830 or (508) 347-3362.