Best Early Entertainment in Boston

The Hard Rock Cafe is part of the popular world-wide chain that combines music, food, and drinks into one great location where you can sit back relax and enjoy the memorabilia that dons the interior and reflects music history. Located in historic Faneuil Hall, The Hard Rock Cafe Boston makes for a perfect end to your day of exploration. Enjoy their signature pressed cocktails alongside their inventive American cuisine in a casual atmosphere that allows you to chill out in jeans while listening to live music before getting yourself home for the night. If visiting with little ones enjoy the Hard Rock Cafe's children's menu which features kid friendly favorites.

Chill out at Frost Ice Bar. The world's largest permanent ice bar makes its home in Boston's Faneuil Hall marketplace where guests purchase tickets to enjoy a 45 minute stay inside the ice carved walls of Frost. Donning specially made capes and gloves, visitors purchase tickets for entry and drinks separately. Welcoming kids older than 6, and serving drinks other than alcohol, Frost is a fun family activity for a portion of an afternoon exploring, especially since mom and dad can enjoy a drink in a place where the decor will entertain the kids. After 4:15 the ambiance changes and children are no longer welcome, making Frost the ideal nightspot for those seeking something a bit different. Drink from the ice glasses, sit on the ice seats or simply gander at the sculptures, paintings and carvings that make Frost at home in Boston.

The Paint Bar is the perfect place to release the artist within. Here you'll find a selection of choices that change daily for you to recreate. With two locations-one in Newton and one on Newbury Street, you can find a Paint Bar venue that suits your needs. At Pain Bar you can enjoy a drink while you enjoy guided instruction to help you to paint the art of the day. Relax and find this alternative to your typical bar an appealing escape from the everyday. Great for groups, a date night or to meet up with a few friends, you'll be sure to get a good laugh at what you do or don't replicate.

Sketch Comedy at its finest. The Improv Asylum in Boston's North End is home to a resident cast that performs nightly shows with audience participation. Enjoy their bucket-o-beers, ideal for sharing and find your seat, because once the show start you will not want to miss a moment (especially since you will find yourself the butt of the joke upon reentry). Actors here train together and prepare general "sketches" of each performance; you provide the twists and turns that make each show unique. Allowing you to visit the Improv Asylum more than once and enjoy a different show each and every time.

Roam the galleries or watch a show in a waterfront building that is as beautiful as what is housed inside. The modern art is an eclectic mix of what may sometimes seem to be mayhem. Funky fun displays rule the roost at this cutting edge art museum. Kids will marvel at the art inside because unlike traditional museums some of the stuff at the ICA looks more like stuff that's familiar. The ICA offers playdates every month that maximize your time inside. These days are designed to bring fun to art and the free family admission on these days includes hands-on art-making, performance, family gallery tours, and films. The ICA also has a fourth floor area designed for further exploration, ideal for non-playdate days.

Check out the Boston Center for Adult Education and sign yourself up for something special. Take a one day or multi-day course in something that interests you. At the BCAE you can drift into your own world behind a camera lens learning how to take those photos you thought only the pros could execute, express yourself through dance, learn the nuances of mixing a creative cocktail, learn a language, or find yourself side by side with popular Boston area chefs learning to cook like the pros. At the BCAE learning is made possible no matter your age, and without the stress of a grade.

Laugh Boston is a 300 seat, state-of-the-art spot for comedy. Featuring both national and local acts wednesday-Saturday, you'll find the comedians you want to see on the stage at Laugh Boston. Offering a full bar and a quick serve menu consisting of simple food like sandwiches, appetizers and salads you can eat, drink and catch a show all under one roof. Laugh Boston can be booked for group and private events. Laugh Boston's medium sized theater allows comics who sell out small clubs, but can't fill large theaters the chance to get on a stage that's just the right size.

Popular Jazz acts frequent Scullers making it the destination in Boston to enjoy live Jazz at night. A reputation for offering excellence in the performers picked to don their stage, Scullers has been welcoming guests for quite some time. Enjoy a drink and an appetizer while watching one of the two nightly shows. Scullers is a good place for an evening date as the relaxed atmosphere provides the option for romance. A full menu is filled with tasty cuisine, and the dining room offers great view of the Charles River, giving you the chance to sample more than just music.

The Wilbur is where the best of the best come to be seen for the short spans while they are completing the Boston leg of their national tours. You'll be lucky to score a ticket to stars like Kathy Griffin, and Jimmy Fallon. Plus, the Wilbur itself is a a venue to be seen; one of the most historic and elegant theaters in Boston, the Wilbur, built in 1914 has been updated with a state of the art sound system. Not only host to comics, but also other live performances, planning is key to seeing any show at the Wilbur Theater.