nohogal

I'll be traveling from either LAX or Burbank, CA, to Bedford, MA, early March for business. I was wondering the best places to stay in Bedford. Also, any recommendations for places to eat and vist during my downtime? I plan to rent a car at Logan Intl and was wondering how long the drive to Bedford will take at this time of year. Looking forward to everyone's thoughts. Thanks!

gail

There is not much going on in Bedford - it is primarily a suburb of Boston with some high-tech companies and Hanscom AFB - an ever-shrinking military facility.

Drive from Boston will take 30 minutes without traffic and an eternity during rush hour. If you have a choice of arrival time, pick non-rush hour.

I did not even know there were any hotels in Bedford, but upon checking Expedia there seem to be a few lower-end chains. I might consider staying in Burlington - about 2 towns over. There are some nicer restaurants there, a big shopping mall. I actually cannot think of a thing other than that to suggest you do. Hopefully you will have a long enough stretch of downtime that you can head back into Boston.

As far as this time of year - we have had a horrible winter in the Boston area - with record amounts of snow. Coming from southern CA, this is something you might not be familiar with. There can be huge amounts of snow even in March (and April!).

charli

Depending on the weather and your interest in history, Lexington & Concord are not far away - can't get much more history than that. Exploring Boston which is a lovely city as well as historical is also worth some time. I would suggest taking public transport into the city as it is not an easy city to drive or park in especially with all the snow on the ground. The Doubletree is probably the best hotel in Bedford. Your company should be able to help with other hotels in nearby towns.

Cranachin

Lexington and Bedford are adjacent. You can take Routes 4/225 from Bedford into Lexington (Great Road in Bedford turns into Bedford Street in Lexington, which dead-ends into Massachusetts Avenue).

There are quite a number of places to eat along Mass Ave. in the center of Lexington.

yk

Lexington would be a good town to stay in. There are a couple of hotels at the Rt 128/Rt 2A junction, one of them is Elements and I think aLoft is around there too. Just East on Rt 2A you get into the historic Lexington center and there are a number of restaurants.

The Minuteman National Park in Concord/Lexington should be open all year round. There's also the National Heritage Museum in Lexington.

A bit south in the town of Lincoln, there's DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, plus Gropius House.

gail

Burlington Marriott is another option. Some reasonable outdoor sightseeing suggestions above - but poster is from southern California and visiting in early March - we still have about 2 feet of snow on the ground.

bachslunch

Agree with charli that if you decide to come into Boston or Cambridge to do some sightseeing, you definitely shouldn't drive in. Parking is terrible (much more so when there's snow piled up) and the city is a confusing place to drive. Definitely take public transportation or stay in-town.

clarkgriswold

Burbank to Manchester NH is the best way to go. Avoids Logan and traffic and though the drive to Bedford is probably the same distance as from Logan, it takes half the time and stress, rental car return is much quicker,security lines half as long, etc.

Go to Verrill Farm for your eats/supplies. www.verrillfarm.com

clarkgriswold

The Doubletree or the Hampton Inn, both on Middlesex, are nice places....also the Staybridge Suites in Burlington if you are staying for a few days and would like a fridge etc.

Kealalani

small plates can be fun in the bar area here - and the hotel seems rather popular

http://www.summerwinterrestaurant.com/index.cfm

sharona

Burlington is probably your best bet of a place to stay. It's right next to Bedford and you'll have a lot more dining choices. A really good, upscale restaurant is L'Andana:

http://www.landanagrill.com/

I'm not sure why you were given the recommendation for Verrill Farms. It's a wonderful farm stand but it sells mostly just fresh produce and it's about 25 minutes from Bedford.

nohogal

All, thanks for all the great advice so far, and expect to visit many of the restaurants and sites listed above. I plan to book flights and hotel today, since I confirmed my travel dates for next week. I'm leaning toward the Colonial Inn in Concord. Will check back later to see what other advice might be posted. Thanks again!

socialworker

The Colonial Inn in Concord is a great place to experience a traditional old-time New England inn. I think (hope) you will like it a lot! DH and I had a super delicious breakfast there a couple years back, as I think I may have already mentioned above.

Kealalani

At first I was thinking, Concord Inn - really? But I was thinking like a business traveler and not a traveller. It's a great town with some really lovely shops. Love the cheese shop! And while the inn may feel for us newenglanders to be a bit tired, for a traveller it will make up for the amemnities of a highway hotel in character history and charm.

Verrill Farm is having some pancakes bfasts that might fit your schedule - could be a nice hit if you are up the road.
http://www.verrillfarm.com/farm-history.html