New England Trip

[finnski1]

Here are some ideas, I live right by Salem Ma and while lovely, if your not into witch stuff I wouldn’t devote a whole day.

Depending on flight times I might try this.

Arrive on Tuesday and drive to Newport. Eat dinner in town
Wednesday see mansions, tennis hall of fame walk some of the cliff walk. Stay in Newport
Thursday, head to Boston. (~1.5 hours after rush hour). Some of freedom trail, dinner in North End or at legal seafood in the Seaport

Friday, take the high speed ferry to Provincetown at the end of cape cod. (~1.5 hours each way). Used to be town shuttle you could take out to Race point beach, assume still running. Town is interesting, lots of restaurants and art galleries. Head back to Boston on afternoon or evening ferry. As an alternative, if you are big history buffs, skip beach head to Lexington and Concord

Saturday, more Boston

Sunday head north ending up in Ogunquit (depending on weather beach traffic might be issue). It’s about 1.5 drive time, but you could make a day of it hitting a few of these (Salem, Rockport, Gloucester, Newburyport, Portsmouth)

Monday Oqunquit

Tuesday - back to airport

This way you are heading mostly in one direction

Have a wonderful trip

Grew up in MA and now live in SNH. I think you make some great and sensible suggestions. I agree on Salem as well. No big deal unless you are a witch aficionado
Walking the Marginal way in Ogunquit is nice and get some sea food somewhere. Maybe fit in Kennebunkport around Walkers point as well.
The ferry to P'town is a good idea also.
Also a big fan of Legal Seafood or an Italian dinner in the North End.

 

[CardsFan]

That's why I like to have plenty of 'free time' built into my schedule.

I have only been in Boston once and all I remember is the streets downtown looked like they were built for two guys - one on his horse and the other walking next to the horse.

Well, that is pretty much how the city was laid out. And, if you think you can make 4 right turns and get back where you started you are out of luck.

 

[meleana]

Wife and i and another couple are taking a week trip to New England last week of September. Flying into Boston. Most have never been there. I have only a couple of times briefly. Any suggestions of what to see, what not to, where to stay where to eat etc would be helpful. Generally hope to see an area most haven’t been to, visit Boston, maybe see New England coast, eat lots of lobster, see leaves change etc. A week is not enough but that’s what we have.

Thanks in advance.

Walk the Freedom Trail in Boston. Go to Little Italy. The Aquarium. Boston Harbor. So much to see. Not enough time to see New England in a week.



Head to the southern Maine coast. Portland, York, Wells, Ogunguit, Kennebunkport, Boothbay Harbor.



I live in NH and vacationed in Vermont for 22 years. Hit northern NH and Vermont for the foliage which is normally spectacular that week in the north.



I could go on and on.



You need at least month plus to appreciate all New England has to offer.

 

[BarbH29]

I would check out Lexington and Concord MA if you like history. Old North Bridge, Battle Road, Museums old cemeteries and trolley tours would be great. So many beachy towns, Newburyport, Rockport and others that people have mentioned. You can get great seafood at any of those places but you will find good seafood away from coast as well. Weather can be anywhere from cold and rainy to hot to perfect fall! Enjoy!

 

[GoBears]

Op - make sure you get the guided freedom trail walk. Well worth it.

+1.

Also, you might consider reducing the number of days you have the rental car and spend the savings on a centrally located hotel in Boston. Walk or use taxis/ride sharing when in the city. I wouldn’t want to spend time “commuting” given the limited duration of your stay in Boston.

 

[2tswhite]

Live in Boston area now - Check out FB for Boston groups as there is a lot of info to be found. I've enjoyed the Mansions in Newport (nice walking path too) ,tons of stuff to do in the Seaport area- Faneuil Hall, Freedom Trail, can take the ferry over to PTown on the Cape. Museums are fantastic, strolling along the Charles watching the crew teams, walking the Emerald Necklace. Mount Auburn Cemetery is absolutely beautiful too! I could go on and on...

I hope you enjoy your visit!

 

[Maidensong]

Getting Around Boston

Used to live in Medford--a Boston suburb. There are tons of things to do and see, but getting around by car is a pain. Even driving up to Salem and Maine you'll find awful traffic. Use the T to get around town whenever you can. It's part of the Beantown experience.

If you like art at all, let me recommend the Isabella Gardner Museum. https://www.gardnermuseum.org/ It's a little jewel, the private collection of an heiress who cherry picked her way through the great masters and spent a few million scooping up Rembrandts, Titians, John Singer Sargeants and a host of other works. A delightful way to spend a day!

And oh, yes to the Little Italy meal you have planned! A gastronomic event not to be missed!

Have fun!

 

[pletal]

Wife and i and another couple are taking a week trip to New England last week of September. Flying into Boston. Most have never been there. I have only a couple of times briefly. Any suggestions of what to see, what not to, where to stay where to eat etc would be helpful. Generally hope to see an area most haven’t been to, visit Boston, maybe see New England coast, eat lots of lobster, see leaves change etc. A week is not enough but that’s what we have.

Thanks in advance.

Check out Hampton Beach in NH and Old Orchard Beach in Maine. You can do a lot in a week in New England, everything is rather close, let’s say, compared to Texas. Have fun

 

[ImThinkin2019]

I grew up in NH and my wife grew up in RI.

We agree on the Kancamagus, Maine coast, Newport Mansions, and the Whaling Museum in New Bedford. There are many other suggestions here that are great.

If you are going to be in Maine I suggest you google "Bert and I records" in You Tube. That is Maine humor. And Maine accent.

You might remember the proper pronunciation of Bah Hahbah.

Also if you like Portuguese food, you can get chourizo and peppers somewhere. Very delicious. And steamahs in Maine.

Have a lot of fun!

 

[zekeboz]

Ogunquit looks interesting. Thanks.

Ditto to this list. A nice break from busy Boston and you get a better feel for the New England Coast. Plus the ocean water will still be warm.. of course not as warm where you are coming from but it is still retaining summer heat. Even in Sept. there can be some 90 degree days!

 

[Midpack]

+1 on Newport Mansions

There were a few that offered a guided tour. We just picked one. It was the Marble House owned by the Vanderbilt.

If you want to limit your mansion tours, The Breakers and Marble House should be first on your list. The others are impressive, but not as much...we've been to all of them several times.

As an aside the largest Vanderbilt mansion isn't in Newport, it's the Biltmore near Asheville NC. Still the largest private residence in the USA at 178,926 sq ft and 250 rooms, and the third largest in the world. The Breakers is only 125,000 sq ft.

 

[vaxcat]

Wife and i and another couple are taking a week trip to New England last week of September. Flying into Boston. Most have never been there. I have only a couple of times briefly. Any suggestions of what to see, what not to, where to stay where to eat etc would be helpful. Generally hope to see an area most haven’t been to, visit Boston, maybe see New England coast, eat lots of lobster, see leaves change etc. A week is not enough but that’s what we have.

Thanks in advance.

Just got back a few weeks ago. If you are in Boston proper walking the freedom trail, get a one-day subway "T" pass. You can take the harbor ferry to/from the USS Constitution with the "T" pass and you don't have to walk over on the bridge, plus the pass is a good way to get places around town. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is good to see. Legal Sea Foods at the harbor and Union Oyster House are good places to eat. Concord, Mass for Revolutionary War stuff. Expect it to be busy and watch out for Boston drivers (if you make eye-contact, you've lost). Fenway Park if you are a baseball fan, being in that 100-year old baseball park will you imagine that Babe Ruth is just an arm-length handshake away.

Enjoy!

 

[Helen]

the Whaling Museum in New Bedford.

Has anyone done the Whaling Museum in Nantucket and the Whaling Museum in New Bedford? I'm wondering if one is better than the other.

To the OP. When taking the T (train) in Boston, inbound is heading toward Park Street station and outbound is heading away from it. That tripped me up for a bit when I first moved there.

 

[pb4uski]

...watch out for Boston drivers (if you make eye-contact, you've lost). ...

It depends... if you are driving a beater and the opposition is driving a nice shiny expensive car then the odds shift in your favor regardless of eye-contact.

 

[Chuckanut]

Weather-wise, what is New England like in August?

 

[ImThinkin2019]

Has anyone done the Whaling Museum in Nantucket and the Whaling Museum in New Bedford? I'm wondering if one is better than the other.

To the OP. When taking the T (train) in Boston, inbound is heading toward Park Street station and outbound is heading away from it. That tripped me up for a bit when I first moved there.

My DW is from the Fall River area, so we've been to the New Bedford Whaling Museum a number of times. It's been expanded and improved over the years and it's quite good now. She thinks she's been to the Nantucket one in the past and she does not remember it as really good.

If you visit New Bedford there are a couple other stops we'd recommend. Brick is a wood fired pizza place and you can't go wrong there. Margaret's in Fairhaven, close by, is excellent seafood and not expensive. The Glass Museum in New Bedford is much better than we expected. All about cut glass manufacturing that was centered in that area for many decades.

Funny story - New Bedford has many Portuguese people since it's been a fishing town for so long. When I downloaded the parking app to pay for parking near Brick, it defaulted to Portuguese. I can't read Portuguese so it was a bit of a problem. Don't recall how I got it resolved, but great pizza though!

 

[meleana]

Weather-wise, what is New England like in August?

I live in New Hampshire and I would say August is one of the best months in my state and in Vermont. Of course, it varies from North to South. The more northern regions can get slightly “chilly” at times- like in the low 60’s or up into the 80’s. Warmer as you move south. But in the mountains the weather can change several times during the day. Clouds are constantly moving. Might rain and then the sun comes out.

 

[Chuckanut]

I live in New Hampshire and I would say August is one of the best months in my state and in Vermont. Of course, it varies from North to South. The more northern regions can get slightly “chilly” at times- like in the low 60’s or up into the 80’s. Warmer as you move south. But in the mountains the weather can change several times during the day. Clouds are constantly moving. Might rain and then the sun comes out.

Thanks. My plans to visit were killed off twice. Covid did it once, and another family issue caused the 2nd cancellation.

Of all the major sections of the USA New England is the only one that I have never hit other than a 3 day work related visit to Boston in my 20's. FWIW, I liked Boston a lot back then. I found the residents to be friendly and the historical aspects of it just fascinated me.

Other than Boston what would be a good city to fly in and out of?

 

[meleana]

Thanks. My plans to visit were killed off twice. Covid did it once, and another family issue caused the 2nd cancellation.

Of all the major sections of the USA New England is the only one that I have never hit other than a 3 day work related visit to Boston in my 20's. FWIW, I liked Boston a lot back then. I found the residents to be friendly and the historical aspects of it just fascinated me.

Other than Boston what would be a good city to fly in and out of?

Well it depends where you are basing yourself. There’s a small regional airport in Manchester, NH and also in Portland, Maine. Boston is the main airport- the biggest with the most flights. People who travel to Connecticut will sometimes use the NY airports. But there’s Bradley in Hartford.

 

[Chuckanut]

I figure a few days in Boston to see the historical sites and then rent a car and not return until the day before I fly home.

But, it also occurred to me that there might be another major airport in the area I can use. I have no problem flying 'open jaws' if it saves me money are gives me more flexibility in my travels.

 

[Accidental Retiree]

I really like TF Green in Warwick, RI. It’s PVD. It’s small and pretty user friendly. I fly in, stay overnight at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn, have dinner at the attached Iron Works restaurant, get breakfast the next morning, and then walk across the street to get my rental car at the terminal.

This Hilton is surprisingly quiet, has been recently updated, and has a pretty good breakfast.

The train station is also right there nearby in case you want to take that to Boston.

 

[meleana]

I figure a few days in Boston to see the historical sites and then rent a car and not return until the day before I fly home.

But, it also occurred to me that there might be another major airport in the area I can use. I have no problem flying 'open jaws' if it saves me money are gives me more flexibility in my travels.

Oh ok. Well then Boston is the most central and most likely the best fares and I’d stick with that if I were you.

 

[Morgan22]

If you are able to, you should skip the summer months for visiting Boston. Go in September when all the kids are back in school. Right after Labor Day may be a good time to visit since there is usually less tourists. (I grew up in the suburbs outside of Boston and commuted in every day for 17 years for a j*b via bus and subway. But I haven't been in Boston for the last 5 years though, so things could have changed.)

 

[Chuckanut]

If you are able to, you should skip the summer months for visiting Boston. Go in September when all the kids are back in school. Right after Labor Day may be a good time to visit since there is usually less tourists. (I grew up in the suburbs outside of Boston and commuted in every day for 17 years for a j*b via bus and subway. But I haven't been in Boston for the last 5 years though, so things could have changed.)

It's an idea. But, visiting Boston will be a small part of the trip perhaps two days out of a two-three week trip. Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, perhaps upstate New York sound far more interesting.

 

[Teacher Terry]

We spent 6 days in Boston because there’s so much to see and do. Upstate New York is beautiful. Letchworth state park is called the Grand Canyon of the East. It’s gorgeous and really great for hiking. Years ago they had a fancy restaurant on the grounds and the food was amazing. If you were hiking you could come in those clothes. Others would come for dinner all dressed up.