Boston Area Itinerary Help
 

Our family of 4 are travelling from Toronto to Boston in July to cruise to Bermuda. We want to tour the Boston / Cape Cod area before and after the cruise.

We could really use some help on interesting things to see, and finding inexpensive accommodation.

Here is our tentative plan.

Thurs: Leave Toronto, tour Watkin's Glen (Finger lakes), and head to eastern NY.
Fri: Tentative, something in the mountains before Boston.
Sat: Arrive Boston, tour the interesting parts of the city
Sun-Sun: Cruise to Bermuda
Sun: Tour Boston further.
Mon: Fast ferry to Province Town
Tues: Drive up coast to Rockport.
Wed/Thurs: Return to Toronto.

Looks OK to me, though the fast ferry day trip to P'town isn't going to give you much of a tour of Cape Cod.

Thanks for the input. Any ideas of inexpensiveplaces to stay, especially in Boston and Rockport?

it seems to me like you are covering a lot of ground, and aren't leaving much time to actually see anything. Personally, I don't like an itinerary that has driving and re-packing every day. I mean, you drive from Watkins Glen to say, the Berkshires, leaving you at best 4 hours to see something. You drive to Boston, have an afternoon...maybe lunchtime on. Arrive after your cruise, disembark, check into a Boston hotel, and then see what exactly?

I would either skip Watkins Glen, or skip the mountains Spend 2 nights in one of those places before driving to boston. Then skip either PTown or Rockport, so you spend an entire day in Boston.

They are driving directly from Toronto to Boston and back. How they chose to split up the 8-hour drive doesn't affect the total drive time much. Some of us would prefer to spend two days in one place and others would prefer not to spend an entire day on the road, and see different things instead.

Likewise, visitors from Toronto might find Rockport and P'town more interesting than another full day in Boston. It's all a matter of personal preference.

We are a very active outdoor type family,with boys 13 and 11. Cities don't usually make it on our itinerary, but I personally really want to see Boston. Because we don't often stay in cities I am experiencing sticker shock over the price of Boston hotels. Any suggestions for there and Rockport would be great. As for the drive the stops aren't really a priority. My husband wants to show the boys Watkins Glen, but we are just looking to break up the drive with some activity. The itinerary is tenative so we could change it or possibly add one more day.
Thanks for the input so far.

What's your hotel budget for Boston?

If you have not tried Priceline, coming to Boston is a great time to learn how to use it. Bidding will cut your hotel costs by 33%-60%.

I don't think there is a lot to gain by going to both P'town and Rockport on a short visit. Rockport has the better waterfront, P'town has the better seashore (facing the Atlantic) and the more liberated lifestyle.

An alternative to the north is Salem, which has a waterfront, the incredible Peabody-Essex museum (cultural objects like furniture etc more than art) and interesting archictecture, and you could do Marblehead the same day. To the south on the Cape, see Sandwich and then drive out Route 6a (not US 6), with some random detours down interesting side roads. You will see the Old Cape, lots of quaint houses, shopping and galleries galore. The other side of the Cape (Hyannis, Yarmouth, etc) has the miniature golf courses and fried fish stands. Nowhere in Massachusetts is it easy for non-residents to get to a beach, since many require resident stickers for parking, but the water is usually unpleasantly cold anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

wyatt92
Even in Vancouver we have never spent more than $150.00 a night and we got a really nice room for that. Don't know if I am dreaming in that price range.
Ackislander, I don't really know how to do priceline, it seems like you have to have a really excellent grasp of the area to do it properly.
Another question, can non residents access the beach in Rockport? I think I would find it annoying to have a beach right there that I couldn't get at. I was looking at P'town and Rockport because they seemed like good areas to walk/hike. While I love shops etc my family has no (read 0) tolerance. We have to get out of the car and move. I will look into the areas you suggested though.

Priceline might not be a good choice in this case, since a family of 4 would have to bid for 2 rooms and might end up spending as much as if they had booked a room with 2 beds, at more-accessible rates.

There will be no hotels in Boston for that price on your dates.

An alternative might be to stay in Rockport, or in an economy hotel in between Boston and Rockport, both nights. The guys can head out there upon your cruise's arrival in Boston on Sunday, leaving mom to enjoy Boston (including its shops) on her own; she can take the train out to Rockport from North Station later in the day.

I disagree that Rockport has a better waterfront. It doesn't get much better than Provincetown. I go to both many times a year. I would go to P-Town over Rockport. Do a full day. Rent bikes. Pedal to the Provincelands bike trail. Stop at Race Point Beach and Herring Cove Beach. Shop and people watch afterwards.Climb the Pilgram tower Eat and catch the ferry back.

raineday you are describing a perfect summer day for us. That is exactly how we like to spend our time.
Anonymous and anyone else, would it be possible to stay outside Boston as you suggested ,and still do the ferry to Provincetown?
I thought that even though my family is allergic to shopping that they still would enjoy walking around the freedom trail or fanuiel hall? Are those kid friendly activities? They are very good walkers/bikers. I must confess museums for us tend to be bad weather activities. (I am getting of easier than last summer where most of my vacation was spent in a tent, some of the campsites being ones that required portaging).
Thanks for everyones continued help.

$150/night will be very difficult in Boston. I just checked some random dates in July and the Longwood Inn was showing up at $139/night, which would be a good choice.

I'm sure your kids would love the Freedom Trail and Faneuil Hall. There's just so much history and so many things to see that's it's much better to stay in town if you can.

an alternative for hotels 'in boston' if you're willing to use the T is to look in the medford/sommerville area or somewhere outside of the north end, back bay area. Or, try a B/B. You might be able to find a quad room in that range but it will depend on the exact dates.

Boston hotels are expensive. Last fall when we visited Tufts with our son we stayed at the Medford Hyatt Place which is right off the highway north of Boston. It shows Saturday night rates in July as $116/night with AAA/CAA if you have that.
Nice rooms.

I love Boston. Two suggestions...1) The tour of Fenway Park is great. Our tour guide told stories the whole tour from throughout the Red Sox history, including how during a Red Sox/Yankees game, a fan got hit in the head with a home run ball, then during an interview in which a reporter asked if he thought it was a sign he should become a Red Sox fan, he agreed and switched! 2) The All Star Sandwich shop in Cambridge is amazing. My husband and I are young and don't have kids yet, but it would be a great place for a family too. Have a great time! We are going back there in September and actually got Red Sox tickets! For cheap hotels, visit my blog (below), where I posted some sites we use to get good deals.
Brittany (http://bartravels.blogspot.com)

Where are you going to Park in Boston $$$$$$.

Raineday,
I don't know, I haven't even thought about parking yet. I was hoping there would be reasonable parking at the ferry terminal, while we are on the cruise, and I assumed hotels would have parking, for a nominal fee. I guess if parking is really outrageous it might be cheaper to rent a car, leave it and pick anoother one up when we leave Boston.

Sorry I mean't cruise terminal

I can see that you don't travel to cities very often! Any hotel parking in Boston will be a minimum of $25/day, I can't imagine the cruise terminal would be any cheaper.

Ticketed cruise passengers who are using the Black Falcon pier could park for $14 per day last year:

http://www.massport.com/ports/cruis_parki.html

But as wyatt advised, Boston parking is never "nominal".

I would rethink the itinerary.
Spend Friday and Sat. in or near Boston. Stay at a place near a MBTA stop. Cruise Sun to Sun. Park at the cruise terminal.
Spend Sun - Tues on Cape Cod. Provincetown is only 2.5 hours from Boston. I would look at a motel in Wellfleet. The Even Tide is very family orientated. I like the Outer Reach Resort in Truro.
Drive back to Toronto with a stop in the mountains.

4trip,
Just so you know, the ferry to P-town last I heard does not allow cars. Not sure if you were planning on driving to Rockport from there.

At any rate, P-town is extremely walk friendly. Lots to do - biking, beaching, great sunsets, ex. people watching,kayak rentals, whale watching and fishing trips and a beach dune tour (Arty's)

Although not luxurious, The Cape Inn in P-town should be fairly inexpensive - don't know if they'll book one night only, though, most won't.
It's across from a beach and on the trolley run to other beaches, the center of P-town and other towns on the cape, as well as being within walking distance of the center of P-town.
They have a restaurant.

raineday,
Thanks I think your plan makes a lot of sense. I have been banging my head against the wall looking for suitable accomodation in Boston ,when in the end I think we would be much happier on the Cape anyway.
Thanks for the hotel suggestions for the cape everyone, I will look into them and probably book something soon. I haven't done much research but I am assuming that Provincetown is still our best location given that the national seashore is there, and there seems to be a lot of activities. Not that it matters too much ,but what temperature can we expect the water to be? We swam off Cape Breton so I am assuming it will be at least a little warmer.
I think we will bite the bullet and book something near the cruise terminal on the Sat. night before the cruise so that we can maximize our little time in Boston . We were looking at the Park Plaza which is around $200.00. Does anyone know if this is a good choice?
Thanks so much everyone for your help, trip planning is fun but difficult.

Check out Orleans and Wellfleet also for lodging options - also close to the National Seashore.

For the hotel near the cruise, check out the Westin Waterfront- usually available on weekends for a very reasonable price as it is not as convenient to tourist areas of Boston as many other hotels. Also the Seaport Hotel. Both are very nice hotels.

Well, the Park Plaza is not near the cruise terminal, but otherwise it's a great choice and that's a very good price. On a Sunday morning you'll have no trouble with traffic.

The National Seashore is huge and is not just is Provincetown. Check their web page for maps. And we just want to make sure that you know that Provincetown is a renowned gay-friendly arts colony.

Water temps on Cape Cod will be similar to, or cooler than, Cape Breton. The bay side temps will be warmer than the ocean side.

Anonymous,
Not to worry, they are pretty upfront about it on the website. I have a lot of gay colleagues, and actually think it will be a good cultural experience for my children.
Cybor and raineday
I booked the Cape Inn as suggested. They had a special early booking deal and booking for only 2 nights was not a problem, as it was with some other places. It also has really good reviews on trip advisor.
We ended up booking the Boston Hilton Financial District for $216 plus $38 parking (yikes). The deal at the plaza fell through as it was a multi night deal.
I will now have to look into what is not to miss in Boston and Provincetown.
I am leaning toward the Freedom trail and Faneuiel Hall. Anything else we shouldn't miss? Any interesting eateries that kids and adults would enjoy. (again budget minded).
In Provincetown I am sure it will be biking , hiking , hopefully some seafood and maybe a little shopping if i wear them down enough. Any recommendations for stops on the drive up to Provincetown (or maybe the drive home)?
Thanks for your help everyone.

Is there some reason that your husband can't take the boys for an hour or two so you can shop either in Boston or P'town? I don't even like to shop but I'm starting to feel sorry for you!

I'm sure it will happen. I am not actually a huge shopper myself but a little is nice, so i'm sure I can lose them for awhile. It is the family joke though, so I have to complain about it.

Both P'town and downtown Boston provide a nice human-scale mix of sightseeing, small museums, options for touristy hiking around just gawking, and shopping opportunities.

Everybody will enjoy the "Geoclassics" store at Faneuil Hall Marketplace (eastern end of the northern building): Fossils, crystals, AND jewelry! If they get bored, send them across the way for ice creams.

Yes feeding them is always good. They will get one for me too , and then eat it. Sounds like a great shop, they also enjoy any kind of back country outfitter stores. I can usually send them into those and go off on my own.

They might want to check out Hilton's Tent City, which is in between Quincy Marketplace and North Station. An old Boston institution. The staff are very well-informed and down-to-earth; no foofy REI climbing rocks for them!

http://www.hiltonstentcity.com/store.htm

Welll, you could shop while they ride bicycles in Boston - they might enjoy that - there are some great bike tours available that would occupy them for 1/2 day or more if they like - I think most of them start around 8:30 and are about 4 hours long....you could all still meet up for lunch and the rest of the day !

Google Esplanade Concerts and see if something is going on while you are here - the whole family would enjoy that - walking thru Boston Common and the Public Garden down Charles Street and over to the Charles River for a great evening concert -

also, see if they are still doing the night time family movies outside on the wharf behind the Rose Wharf hotel -

here is a sight that might offer some ideas:

http://preview.tinyurl.com/3bw9ox

There is also a short historical presentation and a great view from the Skywalk Observatory at the Prudential Ctr the boys might enjoy ( and you could shop in the Pru Shops/Copley Place.....) if you don't care about views....

The tour of Fenway Park is a great idea - check out the day/time on their website b/c it varies if htey are playing in town or not - but we always take visitors on that (or my husband does while I shop with their wives :)

I guess it is my own fault I don't get to shop. The bike tour is very intriguing, and no way would I pass that up. We are a big cycling family.
I imagine it would be a good way to cover alot of ground, I checked briefly on a website and it said 10 to 12 miles. I need to look into it further though because I think I would like to feel free to stop where we wished. There was a freedom trail one and a Boston Neighbourhood one. I am assuming that the Freedom Trail would be the one to go with.
I like the other ideas too, and will investigate further.
There are too many things to do, we could stay for a month.
Continued Thanks for everyone's help. Much appreciated.

4Tripping:
many of the bicycle tours also do private tours for you specific group - and most of them make stops - so perhaps you can get exactly what you might want !

the Emerald Necklace would be a beautiful one too !

My husband now just wants to rent bicycles and go around on our own. Would this be a good way to see the city, or would we be better on foot?
A private tour is not out of the question , but we don't think we would enjoy a group tour. We would have to bring locks for stops obviously.

Just to clarify my previous question, can you ride on the trails? Are there cycling lanes? Do the paths get so congested that cycling is unrealistic?
Thanks again

If your family are all good cyclists, then yes, you can rent and ride on your own - having some city cycling experience of course, is always helpful - but yes, there re those who do - my son bikes all around the city, from the South End to Cambridge and Harvard Square - the Emerald Necklace, etc - my husband and I are not as adventurous as my son in the heavier traffic areas, but we enjoy

there are some excellent bike guides, I would suggest you get them beforehand so your husband can plot your course and familiarize yourself with the area, where you might want to go, etc.
The link below lists all the bike paths, miles, locations, etc

It also has links to a great bike map, guides etc of the city - including the car free Boston guide -

www.massbike.org/resources/

And here is a tiny url link to great link for cycling in Cambridge -

http://preview.tinyurl.com/36jgdm

And you are LUCKY ! You are here on a Sunday - might be a good day to cycle - since they close section of Memorial Drive for cyclists, skaters, etc - which is great fun - (more my idea of cycling in the city) - you can access that through either the Cambridge link -
or just google - Memorial Drive closed for bikes, I'm sure it will come up with a map, etc to help your husband plan :)

Biking is a great way to see the city and feel like a resident and not a tourist ! You can also stop whenever you want - for breaks, lunch, etc -

and there is nothing
Also, I would suggest walking a portion of the Freedom Trail that is so close together it would be more of a hassle (to me anyway) to have my bike -
the Boston Public Garden/Boston Common/ Granary Burial Ground, the sections that are extremely close toegether and in high traffic areas both on the streets and the sidewalks -

you can , I think, probably figure this out by using the Freedom Trail guide along with the biking guides -

thefreedomtrail.org

You will need a lock, but I am sure they will provide with the rental - and some rentals will drop off/pick up also

so.......I see your shopping hours dwindling :)