Our 10th anniversary is coming up very soon, and I would really like to surprise my husband with a weekend trip, but I can't come up with a good destination. I'm looking for a place...

* ...that is reasonably close to Boston (preferably no more than 5-hour drive)...

and

* ...where there's something TO DO (i.e. I don't want a place where you just stay in bed all day).

We are not interested in shopping or antiques, and I don't ski (although he does), and there doesn't seem to be much else to do in New England in the winter. Too cold for hiking, it seems.

(There is always NYC, but we just moved from there recently, and paying a fortune for a hotel to visit the city we both know so well seems downright silly.)

Is there anything to do on Martha's Vineyard (or on Cape Cod, for that matter) in the winter? Is there cultural life (museums, theaters, festivals, etc.) in New England, outside of Massachusetts? I do not mean it as an insult; I'd really like to know. Is there one place in Vermont (New Hampshire, Maine, Connecticut, Rhode Island, etc.), that would keep you busy for a weekend? Any and all ideas will be appreciated.

Maybe Newport?

Next time, get married in June!

Why not fly to Puerto Rico?

Portland, Maine, and Montreal come to mind...you'll find lots of info on this site.

Check into Portland ME or Portsmouth NH. Both have excellent restaurants and theater events. If you went to Portland you could make a day trip to the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland (featuring the Wyeths). Your choice of destination might depend on events. Portsmouth has Strawbery Banke historical area. Towns between Portsmouth and Portland have holiday events to attract weekend visitors. Some of the events should be listed on Yankee Magazine's website www.newengland.com. I think Portsmouth may have more choices as far as music and theater. Another idea might be the Woodstock VT/Hanover NH area. (Billings Farm Museum, Dartmouth College, Norwich). Unfortunately, some interesting events don't get much publicity. Check event listings on local newspaper websites but sometimes you just luck out once you are there. We attended a wonderful wild mushroom festival in CT a few weeks ago that we didn't know about until we read the local paper. Happy anniversary!

You might check the website for Yankee Magazine which has lots of info on what's going on in New England. yankeemagazine.com

Hanover, NH and Burlington, Vt. come to mind.

Check out Quebec City. Look at the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac for a hotel.

Hello,
I second Portland, Maine. I think it's a wonderful city for walking around; the old port area is quaint and fun. You could go to the Portland Museum of Art. Portland has great restaurants and an indoor farmers market that would be fun for lunch. From Portland you could also visit lighthouses, take a drive around Casco Bay, which is beautiful, visit the Bowdoin College Art Museum and Arctic Museum. We stayed at the Pomegranate Inn in Portland. We had a beautiful room and price included a delicious breakfast. It's in a nice residential district but close to everything.

Montreal and Quebec City are also great choices but further away.

Toronto???? Great dining and entertainment options.

How about Nabtucket?
JoeG

NANTUCKET!!!!

Montreal, as has been suggested, is full of history, culture, restaurants and shopping. You can drive or take the train. Toronto is a 10 hour drive but only an hour plus flight. Another great city.

If you are now living in the suburbs of Boston and not in the city itself why not try out one of the hotels in Boston and be a tourist in your own town. Try Excelsior, the hot new Lydia Shire restaurant or in the North End, go to the Fogg Museum or the Gardner, see a show or walk the Freedom Trail. I lived in the Boston area all my life and we did this last month. It was one of the best weekends we've ever had.

Bennnie, the Excelsior"is NOT in the north end, It is on Boylston Street across from the public garden at her original restauranr BIBA's" location.

cigelchanta - Thank you. I was attempting to say try that restuarant or any in the North End.

Wow, the site was down before; I just connected, and so many replies! Thank you all; I'll go take a look at that yankee magazine for ideas.

I considered Montreal and Quebec, but we traveled to both places, on more than one occasion, and know both cities pretty well. (Same for Toronto, plus it's a bit too far for a weekend car trip; we usually fly there.) I'm looking for something JUST LIKE Montreal and Quebec--but a little closer and just a bit warmer Portland sounds like it might just fit the bill. Is there one particular area of the city to stay in?

I also thought of Nantucket, but don't know much about it. What's there to do? Is it dead in the winter?

I do want to get out of Boston, though, because if we stay here, we'll end up cleaning the backyard or something. I just know it.

Flying, unfortunately, is out of the question. We covered many many many thousands of miles by air this year (several transatlantic trips), and my husband made me promise no more flying until next year. (I'd fly by myself but that sort of defeats the whole purpose of the event...)

sans and Bennnie, if you haven't tried "Troquet" (on Boylston st also), dine there it's wonderful.

Hello,
I think staying right in downtown is your best choice. You could walk to many places. As I said in my previous post, we stayed at the Pomegranate Inn, in a nice residential district but close to downtown. Another time we stayed at the Marriott, which is very nice (they served complimentary hot cider and cookies) but it is not located in downtown. You would not be able to walk to anything if you stayed there.

Might as well stay right in the middle of the Old Port if you can afford it. The Harbor Hotel, Regency or Hilton Garden on Commercial St. will all fit the bill. The Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth is lovely but there's not much around except a few lighthouses and some beautiful views.

I think Portland is the right choice. Stay at the Regency which is in the Old Port; get dinner reservations at either Street & Company or Fore Street. Go to the Portland Museum of Art; if weather permits, visit one or more of the islands in Casco Bay; shop in Freeport as well as the Old Port; visit Portland Head Light, just over the bridge in Cape Elizabeth.