Millennium Park (Boston) facts for kids

Millennium Park is a large, green space in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. This urban park covers 100 acres, which is a huge area for outdoor fun and relaxation.

How the Park Was Made

Millennium Park wasn't always a beautiful park. It used to be a place where the city of Boston put its trash, called the Gardner Street Landfill. Work began in 1994 to change this area into a park. They used a lot of dirt and soil that was dug up from another big project in Boston called the Big Dig. The Big Dig was a huge construction job that moved major highways underground. On December 7, 2000, the park officially opened. The Mayor at the time, Tom Menino, helped open it for everyone to enjoy.

Fun Things to Do

Millennium Park is a great place for many activities and is connected to other nearby green areas.

• It is right next to the Brook Farm Historical site, which is a place with a lot of history.
• The park is also close to the Upper Charles River Reservation, a protected area along the Charles River.
• You can find 25 acres of sports fields here, perfect for soccer or other games.
• There are special play areas just for kids.
• You can even launch a canoe into the Charles River from the park!
• A lot of the park is also conservation land, which means it's protected to keep nature safe.

Images for kids

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  Canoe launch

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  Soccer field

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  Great Blue Heron in a marsh

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  Flowers on the side of the hill formed by the capped landfill