Teams
Forum List
Toggle sidebar

Upcoming Boston Trip

intrepid27

intrepid27

Well-Known Member
Oct 9, 2006
5,631
4,400
113
Marion, IA
Hey gang, I'm in a small group of 60 somethings are taking a 10 day trip to the Boston /Salem area in late Oct. Looking for any suggestions on activities, sites, food, beer ,etc. Already seen Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyards area but are wide open after that. We do have a rental car so day trips are not out of the question.
 
  • Like
Reactions: isufbcurt
Don't need a car tolley will take you everywhere you want go see Red Soxs field
 
intrepid27 said:
Hey gang, I'm in a small group of 60 somethings are taking a 10 day trip to the Boston /Salem area in late Oct. Looking for any suggestions on activities, sites, food, beer ,etc. Already seen Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyards area but are wide open after that. We do have a rental car so day trips are not out of the question.
Click to expand...

Been there a few times between personal and work trips. Far from an expert but the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is interesting. Art museum that used to be a weird rich ladies house IIRC with pieces from famous artists. Netflix had a doc about the art heist that happened there, which is really part of the tour now.

Obviously do the freedom trail, but my advice is to make a day out of it and stop at bars to grab a beer and food as you go. My favorite was the printing press that is now a Chipotle. You should also get a Canoli at Mike's Pastry, it's not far off the path.

Fenway is cool, but if you don't want to watch a baseball game that area is still cool to walk around and see.

JFK's library/museum was worth a visit.

Dont's:
Cheers
Harvard/Cambridge/MIT area
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: ISU3PtLand
intrepid27 said:
Hey gang, I'm in a small group of 60 somethings are taking a 10 day trip to the Boston /Salem area in late Oct. Looking for any suggestions on activities, sites, food, beer ,etc. Already seen Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyards area but are wide open after that. We do have a rental car so day trips are not out of the question.
Click to expand...

Nice. I wish we would have had time to venture over to Boston, Plymouth, Salem when we were out that way last weekend.
 
We just got back from there. We bought a 7 day go city pass that got us into a lot places. Our favorites included Freedom Trail guided tour, Sam Adams, Fenway, USS Constitution, Prudential observation deck, and harbor tour. We bought a Charlie pass which got us 'free' rides on the subway and buses. You won't want to drive in Boston. I found walking around a challenge even with Google maps.
A couple of things you may want to skip. Cheers - the outside is being remodeled and that's the part that looks familiar from the show. Paul Revere house - Its old and its small. Do it if you don't have to pay extra but I wouldn't pay the admission price to go in.
In the area, go down to Providence RI, and see the gilded age summer cottages. You can tour the Breakers which is pretty cool.
 
  • Like
Reactions: StClone and isufbcurt
Bigman38 said:
Been there a few times between personal and work trips. Far from an expert but the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is interesting. Art museum that used to be a weird rich ladies house IIRC with pieces from famous artists. Netflix had a doc about the art heist that happened there, which is really part of the tour now.

Obviously do the freedom trail, but my advice is to make a day out of it and stop at bars to grab a beer and food as you go. My favorite was the printing press that is now a Chipotle. You should also get a Canoli at Mike's Pastry, it's not far off the path.

Fenway is cool, but if you don't want to watch a baseball game that area is still cool to walk around and see.

JFK's library/museum was worth a visit.

Dont's:
Cheers
Harvard/Cambridge/MIT area
Click to expand...

If I remember correctly from when my wife was living out there, Mike's is overrated. She found several places in the North end that had great canolis with no wait.
 
isufrEEk said:
We just got back from there. We bought a 7 day go city pass that got us into a lot places. Our favorites included Freedom Trail guided tour, Sam Adams, Fenway, USS Constitution, Prudential observation deck, and harbor tour. We bought a Charlie pass which got us 'free' rides on the subway and buses. You won't want to drive in Boston. I found walking around a challenge even with Google maps.
A couple of things you may want to skip. Cheers - the outside is being remodeled and that's the part that looks familiar from the show. Paul Revere house - Its old and its small. Do it if you don't have to pay extra but I wouldn't pay the admission price to go in.
In the area, go down to Providence RI, and see the gilded age summer cottages. You can tour the Breakers which is pretty cool.
Click to expand...

Don't drive a four cylinder to Providence. Those hills will eat it alive.
 
Freedom Trail is interesting.

JFK library wasn't as good as I remembered but it can be interesting if you're into that

But my main recommendation is

DO
NOT
*******
DRIVE

Third world bull **** on the roads there.
 
  • Agree
  • Like
Reactions: CloneFanInKC and Bigman38
CtownCyclone said:
If I remember correctly from when my wife was living out there, Mike's is overrated. She found several places in the North end that had great canolis with no wait.
Click to expand...

I don't doubt that. Mike's was more about just seeing it, when we were there it was lot of people but not much of a wait because they were flipping those orders out at a ridiculous pace. And if you're doing the freedom trail you're within a block or two of it.
 
KnappShack said:
Freedom Trail is interesting.

JFK library wasn't as good as I remembered but it can be interesting if you're into that

But my main recommendation is

DO
NOT
*******
DRIVE

Third world bull **** on the roads there.
Click to expand...

Worse than LA?
 
Be sure to visit the USS Constitution. Lexington and Concord are nearby and are worth the trip for historic purposes. Drop by a couple of taverns in the area to get a sense of what it must have been like at the time of revolution. Cambridge is a busy, jammed up place, but one must visit the Harvard campus. It occurs to me that the Head of the Charles regatta might be around that time. It's something to see.

Salem is interesting, but don't spend a lot of time there. The memorial to those men and women who died during the Salem witch trials is a small spot, but worth seeing. There is an art museum in Salem that is quite well known.

The best North End restaurants are the little ones right on Hanover street, if you can get in. They are jammed with people, we particularly like Carmelitas (sp?), it's small with fast service and great food.

It's worth a walk around Boston Commons. Be sure to find the sculptures by August St. Gaudens. They are near the capital building. St. Gaudens designed America's coinage just after the turn of the last century.

If I think of more stuff, I'll let you know.
 
  • Like
Reactions: StClone
KnappShack said:
Freedom Trail is interesting.

JFK library wasn't as good as I remembered but it can be interesting if you're into that

But my main recommendation is

DO
NOT
*******
DRIVE

Third world bull **** on the roads there.
Click to expand...

This for sure, there's lot of places where it looks like they're still just using the same roads from the 1800's that they've just dropped some bricks on.
 
  • Like
  • Love
Reactions: isufbcurt and KnappShack
You must log in or register to reply here.

Help Support Us

Become a patron
Top Bottom
Back