Boston, Fall River and Cape Cod
 

We will be arriving in Boston for
Easter Week end...while there we would like to go to Fall River (Portuguese Heritage) and to Cape Cod...any suggestions on itinerary. Where to stay and what to do at that time of the year? Is there a ferry in April to Cape Cod? Suggestions would be really appreciated! thanks.

As an alternative to the Cape consider going to Newport. You go thru Fall River to get there. Cape may not be so pretty in April. Plenty to do in Newport and no Ferrys to worry with. (You drive on to the Cape and take ferries to Nantucket or Marthas Vineyard.)

Although I live on Nantucket and love to see visitors coming to support our local economy, I agree with John: the weather is not so nice on the Cape and Islands in April.

If you are planning a day trip, drive down I-93 to I-95 to MA 24 to Fall River. After a quick look aroung, you can then drive down MA 138 to the very tip of Rhode Island, (not the Newport peninsula) which is rural and very beautiful. Cross back into MA at Adamsville and visit the village of Westport Point, which looks more like Maine than Maine does. You can then return to Fall River and Boston OR go on to New Bedford, probably more interesting than Fall River and also VERY Portugese.

While you are in the area, explore the AM radio dial. There are MANY stations that broadcast in Portugese. There is also good Portugese food. Many of the residents in the area are descended from Azoreans and Cape Verdeans as well as Portugese from the mainland, and many Brazilians have moved into the general area as well. Thus Portugese comes in a wonderful variety of flavors and colors!

Thank you so much...are Newport and the Rhode Island trips doable from Boston? Or are we best to stay in a closer area the 2 and 3 nights?

It is about a 1.5 to 2 hour drive from Boston to Newport. If you are going to be there a couple days, sure, get a room.

Do you just have a weekend, or all of Easter week?

I would stay in Newport and do Fall River as a day trip. That is, unless you have your heart set on staying at the Lizzie Borden house B&B. (www.lizzie-borden.com) :)

In Fall River:
For Portuguese heritage, head to Columbia Street. Sagres Restaurant is a must, as is Chaves Market for Portuguese specialties.

In Newport:
www.newportmansions.org
www.oceandrivenewport.com
www.cliffwalk.com

If you have time, a side trip to Sakonnet Point on Route 77 would also be very nice. You will pass Tiverton Four Corners www.tivertonfourcorners.com, and the Sakonnet Vineyards, www.sakonnetwine.com, where you can stop in for a tasting.

Wine tasting is also available in nearby Westport at www.westportrivers.com

Have a great time!

Thank you for your advise, I will be there for only the long weekend, hence the problem of wanting to see the most in so little time! We will probably stay 1 night in Boston and then maybe one in Newport? Does that sound good?

I don't know the exact web sites, but you may want to 'google' festivals and fairs, portuguese fairs, festivals in fall river, new bedford, etc and/or churches to seee if anything special is ahppening for Easter wkdn that you might want to attend - I know Fall River has several Portuguese festivals, races, events in the summer months, so you never know.

Also perhaps 'google' those local newspapers or most towns have a web site (fall river, new bedford, etc) or when you get there, grab the local newspapers or go to the local community ctr or town hall if not an info ctr and see what might be up.

lodging in newport can be expensive - and it is Easter wknd, so you might want to look just outside Newport if cost is a consideration, at say a town like Middletown which is still a good location but not as pricey. gonewport.com is a good site to start with.

The local newspaper is http://www.s-t.com/

One night in each place is not enough, IMO, but if that's all you have.....

Portsmouth and Middletown are located between Newport and Fall River, and might work for your stay.

If you are only spending one night in Boston and one night in Newport, then Fall River should be done as a quick stop between the two. I'm not sure what you are hoping to see there, but I wouldn't allocate more than a few hours to Fall River.

Thank you so much to all of you, who have left information. Since all of the great advice, I have decided to stay in Boston and do day trips. I will do a tour the first day, go to fall river/new bedford and then I am stuck on other day trips? Any advice?