Taking family to Celtics game

[luigi.d.g37]

Hi all... newbie here looking for some advice from fellow Celtics fans.
My family and I will be attending the Celtics game at the TD Garden on April 9th against the Wizards. I will be going with my wife and two kids (8 and 6 yrs old). We will be way up in section 325. It will be our first time there.

Anyways, I am looking for general advice on how early should we get there considering it will be a Friday night game, things to do at TD Garden before the game, drive or take commuter rail from Lawrence, etc.. We are all very excited and can't wait 

[Bahku]

Hi all... newbie here looking for some advice from fellow Celtics fans.
My family and I will be attending the Celtics game at the TD Garden on April 9th against the Wizards. I will be going with my wife and two kids (8 and 6 yrs old). We will be way up in section 325. It will be our first time there.

Anyways, I am looking for general advice on how early should we get there considering it will be a Friday night game, things to do at TD Garden before the game, drive or take commuter rail from Lawrence, etc.. We are all very excited and can't wait 

I go with my daughter (21) two or three times a year, and it's now tradition with us. We usually get there 3 hours ahead of time, park in one of the nearby lots, ($25), and go to dinner at one of our favorite local restaurants ... that way we can take our time and just walk over about 20 minutes before the game. You are going to have a BLAST! It's really an awesome experience to share with your family ... hope you have the best of times! (And here's your first Tommy Point)

[Chris]

Unless you are well versed in driving and more importantly, parking, in Boston, I would highly recommend the commuter rail.  If you drive in, and park in one of the bigger garages, you can expect to wait a long time to get out, because they really get packed, and are not well set-up.  That might be kind of tough with young kids in the car (although maybe they would just fall asleep, leaving the frustration just to you).

I agree with Bahku though, that it is worth getting there early. Maybe walk around fanieul hall, or the North End a bit, if its a nice day.

[2short]

make sure your kids are far enough away from kg's language 

[Bahku]

make sure your kids are far enough away from kg's language 

Yeah, really ... no worries in section 325, though.

[liam]

Have fun.

[cdif911]

only caveat to taking the commuter rail is check the train coming home - I have this problem if I take the Newburyport line home, the trains leave at something like 9:30 and then 10:40 and then 12:10, so I really need to make that 10:40 or I get home super late - and with little kids bed time is a priority I'd imagine

[luigi.d.g37]

thanks for the comments so far

Anything to check out at TD Garden prior to the game? I anticipate we will be getting there around 4pm or so (after kids get out of school) and the game starts at 7:30.

It will be the 3rd to last game of the season, and I hope the starters dont get too much rest...

[Bahku]

thanks for the comments so far

Anything to check out at TD Garden prior to the game? I anticipate we will be getting there around 4pm or so (after kids get out of school) and the game starts at 7:30.

It will be the 3rd to last game of the season, and I hope the starters dont get too much rest...

Lots of great shops and food, Faneuil Hall nearby, the waterfront ... great area to walk around in.

[CDawg834]

Hi all... newbie here looking for some advice from fellow Celtics fans.
My family and I will be attending the Celtics game at the TD Garden on April 9th against the Wizards. I will be going with my wife and two kids (8 and 6 yrs old). We will be way up in section 325. It will be our first time there.

Anyways, I am looking for general advice on how early should we get there considering it will be a Friday night game, things to do at TD Garden before the game, drive or take commuter rail from Lawrence, etc.. We are all very excited and can't wait 

If you take the commuter rail, make sure you double check the times on the MBTA website.  They don't coordinate commuter rail times with game endings, so there could be an issue there.  There were a couple times where I had to leave a game a little early to catch the train to Waltham.  If you can time it properly, then that's your best bet, as it's probably the easiest way out of there.

[Bahku]

Despite the horror stories about traffic jams if you park nearby, that's what I always do, and it never takes that long to get out of the garage. I always kind of enjoy that 15-or-so minutes, and we don't try to get out right away, but take our time getting to the car, going for a cup of coffee, or sitting in the car for a few minutes and winding down, talking about the game. The "T" is kind of fun for kids if they've never been on a train before, but for someone who lived in Boston for many years and had to ride it all the time, I'd rather drive in ... and take my time leaving. Never understood what all the rush was about anyway ... I mean, you pay that much for a ticket, why rush to leave?

[bballdog384]

I just drove down from New Hampshire for a game. I went to a T station on the orange line, Oak Grove in Malden. It was fairly easy to get to (especially if you have a GPS), only costs 5.50 for parking, and is 2 bucks for the train ticket. It was definitely easier than just driving into Boston, and its a lot better than the commuter rails because it is a lot cheaper and trains come and leave about every 10 minutes. Have fun!

[guava_wrench]

thanks for the comments so far

Anything to check out at TD Garden prior to the game? I anticipate we will be getting there around 4pm or so (after kids get out of school) and the game starts at 7:30.

It will be the 3rd to last game of the season, and I hope the starters dont get too much rest...

Lots of great shops and food, Faneuil Hall nearby, the waterfront ... great area to walk around in.

If you go to Faneuil Hall, get a picture with the Red Auerbach statue.

[luigi.d.g37]

Ok... so far I'm thinking of just winging-it as far as what to do before the game. Assuming no rain, there should be plenty to do around the area - Faneuil hall most likely. will pay Red a visit 

thanks bballdog384 on that recommendation. It sounds like the least painful. I will look into this further.

heading out to get new Celtics gear for the fam this weekend... woot!

thanks everyone for your great suggestions so far. keep them comming

[FatKidsDad]

Since you were thinking about commuter rail from Lawrence, I'll assume that you have good access to I93.  If so, I would suggest taking I93 to Rte 16 in Medford.  From there, you are less than 5 minutes to Wellington Station on the T Orange line.  Its 3 stops to North Station and the Garden, 4 stops to Haymarket and the North End.  Fare is purchased at a vending machine using cash or credit/debit.  It's a good idea to buy your round trip on the way in, because there can be quite a line at the fare machines after the game.

Once you get there, bear in mind that the gates don't open until an hour prior to game time. In addition to the local stuff others have already noted, there is a very large shop at the North Station level with plenty of Celtics and Bruins stuff for sale.  Don't buy more than you can carry in a small bag.  No backpacks, packages etc allowed in the Garden. Also, once you get in to the Garden upstairs, they have more shops, plus displays of the original parquet and some other stuff.  They frequently have a table where they hand out green and white balloons for the kids, and you may see Lucky signing autographs and visiting with the kids.

The balcony is a lot of fun.  Lots of serious fans and characters to watch.  And your kids may learn a few new words.

Don't be surprised if the long day and excitement takes a toll on the kids.  It was never an issue for the Fat Kid, who always stays til the bitter end, but some kids get restless/cranky/tired and you might have to make an early exit.  If so, the Orange Line trains run every 10-12 minutes, and you are back at the car at Wellington in no time.

You and your family are in for a great time.  Enjoy!