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Most of Boston's main sights are open on a Monday: the Museum of Fine Arts, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Museum of Science, the New England Aquarium and the Boston Public Library all open their doors, and the Freedom Trail and Boston Common are free and always accessible. The exceptions are the Institute of Contemporary Art, which closes on Mondays, the ship USS Constitution, which welcomes visitors Tuesday to Sunday, and the Paul Revere House, which closes on Mondays from January through March.
So a Monday in Boston works well if you build it around the open museums and the free outdoor sights, then finish with free standup comedy in Fort Point or late jazz in the South End. Here is what is open, what is not, and a plan for the day.
What's open in Boston on a Monday
| Place | Monday | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Museum of Fine Arts | Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Closed Tuesdays instead |
| Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Closed Tuesdays instead |
| Museum of Science | Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Open daily |
| New England Aquarium | Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Until 6 p.m. on weekends |
| Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum | Open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | Open daily |
| Boston Public Library, Central Library | Open 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. | Free |
| Boston Children's Museum | Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Closed Tuesdays instead |
| USS Constitution Museum | Open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. | The ship itself is closed Mondays |
| Faneuil Hall Marketplace | Open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. | Ranger talks in the Great Hall run Wednesday to Sunday |
| Institute of Contemporary Art | Closed | Open Tuesday to Sunday |
| Paul Revere House | Open April to December | Closed Mondays in January, February and March |
Morning: the Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile red line through 16 historic sites, free to follow, and most people start at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center at 139 Tremont Street. Some of the sites along it charge admission, and a Monday changes a few of them. The Massachusetts State House and Old North Church are on the route; the Paul Revere House is open on Mondays except in January, February and March. At the Charlestown end, the USS Constitution Museum is open, but the ship is not, so save the ship for another day.
Break for lunch at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, where the Quincy Market food hall is open from 10 a.m. on Mondays, or at Union Oyster House, which has served chowder and oysters on Union Street since 1826.
Afternoon: museums that open on Mondays
The Fenway pairs the two big art museums that stay open on Monday and close on Tuesday. The MFA is at 465 Huntington Avenue, by the Museum of Fine Arts stop on the Green Line E branch; adult tickets are $30, youths 7 to 17 pay $14, and children 6 and under are free. The Gardner is a few blocks away on Evans Way; adults pay $25 and children 17 and under are always free. If you prefer the waterfront, the Aquarium on Central Wharf and the Tea Party Ships on Fort Point Channel are both open, and the Central Library in Copley Square stays open until 8 p.m.
Evening: where to go out on a Monday night
Two places give a Monday night a reason of its own. Lucky's Lounge, the underground bar at 355 Congress Street in Fort Point, runs free standup comedy on Mondays from 7:30 p.m. Wally's Café Jazz Club on Massachusetts Avenue in the South End has live music every night of the year; on Sundays and Mondays the doors open at 9 p.m., the music runs until midnight, and there are no reservations.
For dinner beforehand, the North End's Regina Pizzeria on Thacher Street is open daily, and Neptune Oyster on Salem Street takes walk-ins only.The T stops running around 1 a.m., so plan the ride home.
Monday holidays
Several holidays fall on a Monday and change the plan. On Patriots' Day in April, the day of the Boston Marathon, both the MFA and the Gardner close. On Martin Luther King Jr. Day the Gardner is free for everyone and the MFA is free for Massachusetts residents, as it is on Indigenous Peoples' Day and Memorial Day. The Central Library closes on public holidays.
For more ideas by time of day, see what to do in Boston tonight and things to do in Boston at night.
Sources: MFA hours and admission; MFA free days; Gardner Museum; Museum of Science; New England Aquarium; Boston Tea Party Ships; Boston Public Library; Boston Children's Museum; USS Constitution Museum; ICA; Paul Revere House; Wally's. Checked September 30, 2026.