Best of 2022 - Boston Opennings

1. CAMP comes to Greater Boston - Burlington

CAMP, the chain of innovative playspace and retail hybrid set up shop just outside of Boston, in the Burlington Mall,. Part toystore and part hands-on activity space, CAMP provides kids with a memorable experience while offering parents a great activity regardless of the weaher. The Burlington location debuted with a Paw Patrol extravaganza where kids had the chance to save Adventure Bay with the help of the trusty puppies. CAMP kept the fun coming with a slate of crafting classes and fun activities, with ceramics, slime, and more.

 
The Best of Boston 2022 included hands-on, engaging activities. Photo courtesy of Art of the Brick

2. The Art of the Brick - Back Bay

We can never get enough LEGOs in our life, whether frolicking at the (soon to re-open) Somerville location or taking a road trip to NYC to visit the park. We'll even get robotic with our LEGOs. The Art of the Brick gave us a convenient way to get our brick fix while doing some Christmas shopping in Boston's Back Bay. Just a couple blocks from the Prudential Center, this exhibit featured amazing LEGO creations as well as a play space on the top floor where the little ones could make their own works of art.

 
Take kids (virtually) swimming with sharks! Photo courtesy of Harvard's Natural History Museum

3. Swimming with Sharks - Cambridge

Harvard's Natural History Museum has wonderful programs, like meeting a real-life Indiana Jones on International Archaeology Day. One exhibit, Birds and Blooms, showed the incredible ecological connection between New England and Latin America. But it's hard to top sharks for engaging the imagination of Boston kids. Well, maybe dinosaurs will get some kids fired up a bit more. And the more imaginative kids might be drawn to mythical creatures. The Natural History Museum at Harvard University manages to pack a full slate of exhibits and special attractions every year, and a shark-tastic 2022 was no exception!

4. Immersive Experiences in Art and History - Boston

All year long, Boston hosted immersive exhibits. Some of these kid-friendly exhibits created an atmosphere of wonder through oversized reproductions of art. From Van Gogh to Monet, masterpieces took on gigantic proportions that magnified the tiniest brushstrokes and made vibrant colors take new life. Our faorite immersive experience was Beyond King Tut, which combined the artwork of ancient Egypt with the majesty of the New Kingdom.

Beacon Hill Books & Cafe quickly became a local favorite in 2022. Photo courtesy of Catherine Aillon.

5. Beacon Hill Books - Boston

This new kid-friendly (and parent-friendly) bookstore opened its doors in 2022, immediately becoming a new local favorite. The charming children's room is particularly inviting, with a great selection of kids books and an irresistible (if fictional) squirrel mascot. Of course, they weren't the only book store that grabbed our attention, as Barefoot Books in Concord kept us engaged all year long during their 30th anniversary.

Best of 2022 - Boston Happenings

6. The Museum of Science: 4D Polar Express and more

Only the Museum of Science could present the Polar Express in such a unique way. the 4D experience brought the classic to life, with multi-sensory effects. Boston's Museum of Science kicked off 2022 with Big Bird's Adventure, a tour of the planetarium's simulated night sky with the help of a familiar feathered friend. The MoS had a great 2022, and already looks to fill 2023 with more engaging fun!

7. The Franklin Park Zoo brought kids back for 2022

Princess Day came to the Stone Zoo, and so did supersized creatures. Southwick's Zoo had a Festival of Illumination and a Winter Wonderland. Roger Williams Zoo in Providence had a stunning Jack-O'-Lantern Festival that was one of our favorite New England pumpkin displays of 2022. But Boston's Franklin Park Zoo provided some of the best openings and hapenings of the entire year, with exhibits and activities that delighted families. The zoo's lion brothers turned 13, and the park held a birthday celebration for twins Dinari and Kamaia. From Father's Day to Halloween's Zoo Howl, Boston's Franklin Park Zoo kept visitors smiling and returning throughout 2022.

8. Live Shows came to town

From Dinosaur World to Peppa Pig, Boston kids were thrilled by the shows that took the stage in 2022. Sesame Street came to Boston and Blue Man Group delighted with matinnees. While Kidz Bop Live 2022 had the little ones, well, bopping, Blues Clues let the kids get up out of their thinking chairs to sing and dance. Greater Boston filled 2022's summer nights with live music and free, family-friendly concerts. The holidays were marked by festive productions and Christmas musicals, like Cirque du Soleil and the Boston Ballet Nutcracker.

 
Old Ironsides celebrated throughout 2022 in Boston. Women in the Navy event photo courtesy of the USS Constitution

9. The U.S.S. Contitution had a banner year.

Of all the pieces of living history in Boston, kids might love the tall ship in Charlestown most of all. Old Ironsides turned 225 this year, filling the last twelve months with an extra-special series of events. From President's Day challenges to December's Holiday Break, kids and families explored the navy's oldest vessel and its museum. We loved the Women in the Navy event, which showed children the remarkable contribution of women to the safekeeping of the United States.

Best of 2022 - Back in Boston

10. St. Patrick's Day Celebrations returned

After a 2-year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the South Boston St. Patrick's Day Parade returned, along with other Irish Festivals around New England. The more-than-a-century-old tradition of Boston's St. Patrick's Day Parade has been part of Boston's culture for generation, drawing tourists from around the country and across the pond. The parade returned with more emerald costumes, more marching bands, and enough Irish-American fun to last throughout 2022. The related South Boston Road Race also returned again to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club.

11. The 4th of July Concert returned to the esplanade

The pandemic put a halt to many of Boston's spectacular 4th of July traditions too. But in 2022, the Boston Pops concert at the hatch shell came home after a multi-year hiatus. The concert was canceled in 2020 and moved to the Berkshires' Tanglewood for 2021 (while the fireworks were launched from Boston Common with no music). 2022 marked the return of the fireworks and concert to the riverfront. The show-stopping "1812 Overture" never sounded so triumphant!

Coolest Kid-Friendly Openings in 2022 Around the Rest of the Country

12. Mommy Poppins Launched in San Francisco and Miami

Our little family grew this year as we added San Francisco and Miami to the world of Mommy Poppins. Our two new sites join NYC, Long Island, New Jersey, Westchester, Connecticut, DC, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Houston, Orlando, and Atlanta. Also expanding: the cool things you can do on our site. We recently redesigned our search pages with a cleaner, easier-to-use design and new functionality. You can now find camps and classes on your local calendar of events and even buy tickets directly from our website — if an event has a red "Book It" tag, you can purchase tickets immediately, with no added fees. Oh yeah, in our spare time, we also created a new Earth Kids Guide and newsletter. Since the environment is one of the most critical issues facing our children’s futures, we wanted to think and talk about new meaningful and fun activities to engage children and families with sustainability each month.

13. Sloomoo Institute  — NYC, Atlanta, and Chicago

The Sloomoo Institute is a slime lover's paradise and an over-the-top sensory experience. After starting life as a pop-up in NYC, it’s now a permanent 8,000-square-foot space your kids will want to visit again and again. No worries if you can’t make it to New York, as Sloomoo opened in Atlanta and Chicago before the year ended. With the massive popularity of the idea (we’ve had editors visit in all three locations, and all their kids agree this is fun to the 9th degree), we suspect there will soon be outposts everywhere.

 
Rise NY gave families incredible vantages of New York City in 2022. Photo courtesy of Rise NY

14. Rise NY — NYC

A brand new experience has opened close to Times Square that takes visitors on a breathtaking simulated aerial tour of New York City. With your feet dangling from the full-motion seats, you soar and swoop through the city, its landmarks, and all its seasons in RiseNY’s awe-inspiring love letter to the Big Apple. Hit all the tourist destinations at once…

15. Retro Roller Skating Rink at Rockefeller Center — NYC

Think you can only strap on skates at Rockefeller Center at Christmas? That's no longer the case, and we got the scoop on summer skating at Rockefeller Center. (Also, here are the best restaurants near Rockefeller Center, so your family won't wander into a tourist trap and can get some actually tasty eats.)

16. There's a Brand New Sesame Place — San Diego

One of our LA writers visited the park before it opened and got the inside story on what kids love about the country's newest theme park. There's a water park element to the place, too, which is open year-round, and it's definitely one of the best amusement parks in the US for kids under 5.

17. Dig World TX — Houston

This construction-themed adventure park opened this year near Houston. Here kids can operate the equipment instead of just watching: drive skid steers, dig dirt with excavators, and more. (Now Diggerland in NJ isn't the only construction-themed theme park!)

18. Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex — Kennedy Space Center, Merritt Island, FL

This new, 50,000-square-foot, multi-level attraction at Kennedy Space Center opened in March. It gives space fanatics of all ages first-hand views of modern-day spacecrafts such as a SpaceX Falcon 9 booster and Orion Crew vehicle. The main concourse features a 4D motion theater offering four different journeys. It's as close to outer space as you can get without paying for a ride on a tech billionaire's rocket.

 
The Stranger Things exhibit really does go to Eleven! Photo by Meghan Rose

19. Stranger Things Experience — Atlanta and Los Angeles

Any teen parent will tell you that finding the outings that they will not only agree to go on (with parents, not friends), but will rave about afterward, are few and far between. Well, this is one outing tweens and teens love. It consists of a walking adventure with an interactive storyline told by the cast of the TV show, a 3D VR adventure that just might make you scream, and a trip to the Starcourt Mall, where you can enjoy Scoops Ahoy ice cream and very cool photo ops.

20. Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience — Westchester and DC

Harry Potter fans, rejoice! Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience is a magical walk-through that takes guests along a nighttime woodland trail filled with creatures, characters, and scenes from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts films. Spectacular lighting and sound effects, mist, and interactive elements make visitors feel like they've truly stepped into the Wizarding World.

21. Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser Experience  — Walt Disney World Resort, Orlando

At this one-of-a-kind hotel experience, guests stay aboard a starship for a two-night adventure. The journey begins on a launchpad with a simulated blast off into space. The launch paddocks at the Halcyon starcruiser, where guests have their own passenger cabin complete with bunk beds and a galactic view. Young Jedis can get a sneak peek of the inner workings of the ship, encounter stormtroopers in the ship's atrium, wield a lightsaber, and navigate the ship with the crew's help. Cheap? No. An incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience? Yep.

22. The Dr. Seuss Experience — Traveling show

This traveling show is one our Houston editor caught when it was there, and she said it’s as if the books have come to life. The show moved to Colorado and will continue touring the US from there. The experience gives kids a chance to see, hear, feel, and experience their favorite settings from nine of Dr. Seuss’ stories as they go from room to room to interact with each installation.

Did we miss any of your favorite new openings? Let us know on Facebook!