Where to have a family reunion in Boston

If you're deciding where to have a family reunion in Boston, book one room near a T station for the meal and add one daytime place that both kids and grandparents enjoy. The Seaport and Back Bay each have both, a few minutes on foot from an accessible station. Your aunt is flying into Logan, your cousins are driving in from Worcester, and your grandparents need a short walk from the train.

This post lists seven places, then covers where relatives should stay, how they get in from the airport and the highways, and how to plan a day for every age. It's part of our guide to Boston.

Where to have a family reunion in Boston?

Pick a private event room or a hotel for the meal, then a park, museum or view for the afternoon. The seven below sit within about a 10-minute walk of a station.

Our picks in Boston

Chosen by the Where2Meet team. Photos, ratings and addresses load live from Google Maps.

• the Lawn on D

  Kids have room to run on this open lawn in the Seaport while the adults sit and talk. It takes reservations, so book an area for a big family. It opens at noon on weekends and closes at 11 p.m. World Trade Center on the Silver Line is about a 9-minute walk.

• Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

  Grandparents and grandchildren can tour this museum and its replica ships on Fort Point Channel together before the reunion meal. It's open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, so plan it for the morning. South Station is about a 7-minute walk.

• View Boston

  Families with every age in the group can see the whole city from this observation deck on the 52nd floor at 800 Boylston Street. It's open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, so it also works after dinner. Copley is about a 7-minute walk.

• Hampshire House

  Plan a sit-down reunion dinner at this wedding and event venue on Beacon Street, facing the Public Garden, then walk the garden as a family afterward. Book a date with the venue well ahead. Arlington on the Green Line is about an 8-minute walk.

• Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston

  Out-of-town relatives can sleep, eat and gather in one building at this hotel on Copley Square, which has event space. Copley station is about a 2-minute walk, and Back Bay station, with the Orange Line and commuter rail, is about 3 minutes.

• The Saunders Castle at Park Plaza

  Big families who want one room for everyone can book this event venue in a castle-style former armory on Columbus Avenue. It has no public hours, so contact it for a date. Arlington on the Green Line is about a 5-minute walk.

• State Room: A Longwood Venue

  Relatives who ride the Orange or Blue Line reach this event space on the 33rd floor of 60 State Street in about 2 minutes on foot from State station. It holds private events only, so reserve a date before you send invitations.

Google Maps

The hours, reservations and walk times on these cards come from Google Maps as of October 2026. Walk times start at the MBTA station named in each note, and the MBTA lists every one of those stations as accessible.

Where should out-of-town relatives stay?

Put relatives in a hotel within a short walk of the reunion, so nobody drives after dinner. Back Bay makes this easy.

Commuter rail trains from the south and west stop at Back Bay station, close to the Copley Plaza hotel. The Saunders Castle is about an 8-minute walk from the hotel, and View Boston about 9 minutes. That puts a hotel, a dinner room and an evening view in one walkable area.

How do relatives get there from Logan and the highways?

Fliers ride the Silver Line or the Blue Line from the airport. Drivers park once and take the T in.

• The Silver Line. The SL1 bus runs from the Logan terminals to World Trade Center and South Station. The Lawn on D and the Tea Party ships are each a short walk from those stops.
• The Blue Line. A shuttle bus links the terminals to Airport station. The Blue Line runs from there to State, about a 2-minute walk from the State Room.
• Driving. Ask relatives to park at an outer station and ride in, rather than drive downtown. The MBTA lists its lots on its parking page.

The MBTA's Logan Airport guide has the current routes. Check its subway alerts the day before, since weekend track work can replace trains with buses.

How do you plan a day that works for every age?

Pair one daytime place with the meal, and keep the walk between them short. Finish while the youngest and oldest still have energy.

Here are two example days, with walk times from Google Maps:

1. Seaport. Tour the Tea Party ships at 10 a.m., then walk about 20 minutes to the Lawn on D for an afternoon on the grass. Grandparents can take a short taxi ride for that leg instead.
2. Back Bay and the Public Garden. Go up View Boston in the afternoon, then have dinner at Hampshire House. The walk between them is about 23 minutes, so ride the Green Line one stop from Copley to Arlington instead.

The Lawn on D is outdoors, so name an indoor backup before the day, such as View Boston. Planning just the dinner? See our restaurant for a big group in Boston. For the cousins who want to stay out later, see where to hang out with friends in Boston.

How to do it in Where2Meet

Send one Where2Meet link to every branch of the family, since nobody needs an account to open it. One person in each household adds the starting points for relatives who won't use it, including a Logan terminal for anyone landing that morning. Compare driving and transit times to the State Room and the Copley Plaza hotel, and the organizer books the one where the longest trip is shortest.

Common questions

What is a good family reunion venue in Boston for a big group?

The State Room, the Saunders Castle and Hampshire House all host private events. Contact each one for its capacity and open dates. The Copley Plaza hotel adds rooms in the same building.

Where can a family reunion with young kids go in Boston?

The Lawn on D gives kids room to play, and the Tea Party ships and View Boston work for every age. All three are open on weekends.

What should you book first?

Book the event room first, because its free dates set the reunion date. Then send the date to relatives so they can book flights and hotel rooms.