albaelena

We arrive to Boston airpot July 1st at 11:30 am and depart to NYC July 3rd at 3:00 pm from South Station.

We are staying at Club Quarters (161 Devonshire St). Our group consists of 3 kids (16, 13 and 11), 4 adults and grandpa (active 78 yr old)

I need your input and suggestions on what we are considering doing:

Day 1: We just have the afternoon and evening.
Explore Faneuil Hall and Harvard Square. What else should we do????

Day 2: Freedom Trail. Should we do the Trolley Tour? Is it worth it?

Day 3: We only have the morning so we will be at JFK Library at opening time and explore it for 3 hours. TAke a cab back to our hotel and head for the train station.

Should we try to do a Harvard Tour? or visit some neighborhood?
Where should we eat?

We are VERY excited to visit Boston for the first time!!!

Alba

djkbooks

Have a look at http://www.bostonharborfest.com/index.html to see what's going on during your visit.

For Day 2, I'd recommend the Duck Tour and the Freedom Trail. If you plan to go on a Duck Tour, it is essential to book ahead online.

Be sure to find out when you check in about checking out and luggage storage. This place does not have the typical front desk staff - in fact, often there is no one. We were told that our room keys were electronically programmed to "expire" and that we should be sure to return to our room to remove our bags before check-out time.

gplusg

Agree with the the prior post.

The Duck Tour for sure.

When you leave Fanuil Hall why not get over to see The USS Constitution---" Old Ironsides " and Bunker Hill Monument.

missypie

So your family is doing our trip, only in reverse! Our family (kids ages 16, 14 and 11-alas, no grandpa) arrives in NYC, then we are taking the train to Boston, then finishing up with a few days in southern Maine.

albaelena

Missypie, how funny!!!!
Yeah, we fly to Boston July 1st and ride the tray to NYC the 3rd staying there until the 6th.
I'm exhausted and overwhelmed with the planning and can't read much more....everything is staring to run together as I've spent 2 days researching and planning!
Can you share your itineraries with me?
Alba

missypie

I would share my itineraries if I had any! (We DO leave 6 days after you do.)

In Boston, we'd like to do the Duck Tour on our day of arrival. The frustrating thing is that you can reserve tickets on line only 5 days in advance....so I'll have to try to remember to reserve them when we're in NYC.

The next day we'll do the Freedom Walk. The next day is open ... we'll finish the Freedom walk if we didn't the day before and then visit Cambridge. (Big fear: My kids deciding they want to go to Harvard or MIT...don't know that they could get in and certainly couldn't pay!) After that, we'll pick up a rental car (we're staying at the Eliot and they include free parking in the deal we got). Out of Boston we'd like to see Lexington and Concord, possibly Plimouth Plantation and Quincy. From there we'll drive to Ogunquit, Maine. I hope that our days there will be much less structured.

This approach worked well for us last year...last year we went to Rome first...frenzy of activity in a busy city...then Florence...a lot of activity in a smaller city...then Venice....not a lot planned, just took it in. I think that our NYC, Boston, Maine trip could be similar.

gail

Day 2 - click on "missypie" and see my response to that post about perfect one-day in Boston (Freedom Trail, North End, etc.)

Day 3 - you have decided on Kennedy Library, so that answers that day.

Day 1 - Faneuil Hall is part of Freedom Trail, so skip that. Pick something else you want to see - a Duck Tour is a great idea. You could also do a bit of Cambridge/Harvard Square on that day. I would not bother with tour of Harvard - kids will not be impressed as they will likely think of it as a bunch of old buildings. Go to Summer Shack (end of Red Line on MBTA at Alewife) for dinner.

Keep yourself posted on whatever is special going on for week of 7/4 - likely to be concerts and events as Boston always makes it a week long celebration, and especially this year with 7/4 being on a Wednesday.

albaelena

Thanks Gail!

More questions.....doing the Freedom Trail with he Park Rangers is a good idea?
We plan to do it Monday July 2nd. Their website says it is VERY popular and they distrute 30 tickets 30 minutes prior to the tour......30 people sounds like a lot for an outdorr walk

Any input on this?
Alba

Anonymous

The JFK Library is on the subway's Red Line and so is South Station; it seems a shame for you to trek back to the hotel for your luggage. Why not inquire of both the museum and the train station whether they can accommodate your luggage; I know that the Amtrak stations in other cities no longer have lockers (for security reasons) but some do have a desk where you can check your suitcase for a few hours for a fee if you have a ticket.

rizzo0904

missypie, why quincy??? that seems like a waste of time to me.

missypie

How can I be in the area and not pay my respects to John and Abigail Adams?

albaelena

The JFK library does not allow luggage...I've not checked with the train station because it's only 8 blocks from the hotel and I figured it would be easier to leave it in the lobby. We are a group of 8!

Can you recomend restaurants for dinner? Something good but not fancy, we have 3 teens, 4 adults and grandpa!

THANKS
Alba

albaelena

There are two different duck tours...the Duck Tours and the Super Duck tours...wich one is good?
Also, should we do the Freedom Trail with the Park RAngers?

Bill_I

There are 3 of us (wife & 15 yr son)going to Boston area this summer also. Getting there on June 24. Staying in the Quincy area for a couple reasons, since we are driving, no parking fee, geting a AAA discount, & on the 25th we will also be going to Adams National Historical Park & then down to Plymouth area. Then on Tues the 26th, going into Boston to do the Freedom trail, especially want to see the Revere House & USS Constitution - which according to the website is not open on Mondays. Then do a later Duck Tour that evening (purchase tix online the Thursday before leaving home), mixed in with a couple of meals at restaurants from the various suggestions on this site.
Then on Wed, driving up to Portsmouth, NH, Going to the John Paul Jones house, & maybe the USS Albacore, & eat at a restaurant somewhere there, Then continue drive up to Freeport, ME. We will be staying at hotel in Freeport for 3 nights. On Thursday driving up to Camden for a schooner tour of the Bay, & then stop in Bath on the way back for the Maritime museum. & then visit Portland on Friday. Any free hours we have while in Freeport, we will go to LL Bean for the wife's shopping spree. Then leaving on Saturday, June 30 & drive back home.

missypie

Bill, please post a trip report when you return...the sooner the better so alba and I can benefit from your experiences!

Bill_I

I will try & get a report posted, hopefully within a few days after I get back. With all the driving to get back home in the Chicago area, we won't return home until late Sunday 7/1. That reminds me I need to go get a small notebook (I don't take a pc with me on vacation) to record the necessary things.

TKT

I love the JFK library but I would plan on 2 hours there at most with teens, unless they are huge JFK fans.
They show short JFK history films, it might be good to contact them and try to go when then do.

There is a small pond in the middle of the boston common with some fountains. It is about a foot deep and pleasant for cooling off. You are about a 10 minute walk from there. Also enjoy the adjacent Public Garden.

Chinatown is fun to eat at with a group, all order something different and share. You are about a 10 minute walk from there.

I would suggest combining the North End and Waterfront park Fanuel Hall.
It is in walking distance and will have more activity than Harvard Sq.

Two streets you want to walk down are Newbury Street in the Back Bay and Charles Street on Beacon Hill for their galleries and outdoor cafes.

ggreen

missypie, IMO there's not a lot to see in Lexington; Concord is a different matter. (I grew up in a town adjacent to both.)

My suggestion would be to do Quincy and Plimoth Plantation in the same day (if you haven't already figured that one out). As mentioned, there's not a lot in Quincy - but I understand the desire to pay respects!

I'd then make Concord and Lexington something you do on your way towards Maine. Hit Concord first - be sure to walk across the Old North Bridge! - then Lexington on your way north. Both towns have plenty of lunch options in their respective centers. You can drive from Concord into Lexington Center where the famous town green is; when you exit Lexington back onto Route 128 North, you'll be well on your way to Maine!

If you have *any* space left in your itinerary, another suggestion is to stop in Salem on your way to Maine. The Peabody-Essex Museum (pem.org) is lovely and small, and Salem itself has a bunch of kitchy witch-related stuff your kids might enjoy (salemweb.com). Plus it's a way to stretch your legs for a bit! (Note that the witch trials actually took place in what is now known as Danvers - but the fun stuff is in Salem.)

Ooh, I just found this on the PEM website: "PEM has been selected 'One of the nation's ten best art museums for kids' by Child magazine."

realtor_traveler

DAY ONEefinitely do the trolley! ON AND OFF ALL DAY.....IT GIVES YOU A GREAT OVERVIEW........FOOD IS NOT A PROBLEM IN BOSTON..IT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU LIKE!
FANEUIL HALL HAS EVEYTHING.
GREAT WALKING TOWN.
JFK MUSEUM IS A GREAT TAKE......HAVE FUN!

Liam

Day 1 - Based on your scheduled arrival time, you will be at your hotel around 12:30. I would dump the bags there and walk up Devonshire Street (against the flow of traffic) until you hit the Old State House. There is a National Park Services office right there (free maps, etc.) and you can pick up the Freedom Trail (the red strip on the sidewalk).

Grab lunch at Faneuil Hall, wander around Quincy Market and follow the Freedom Trail toward the North End (see Paul Revere's House, wander on to Charlestown, and then back). Depending on your pace and the time you spend at each stop on the trail, this should get you back at your hotel around 5:30 or 6 pm. The good part about doing that part of the trail your first day is that it allows you to see The North End, which is where I'd suggest you go for dinner your first night. There are plenty of great small Italian restaurants along Salem and Hanover Streets and it is incredibly atmospheric of a traditional "Little Italy": open cafe doors, people meandering on a pleasant summer evening. You can practically hear the Tony Bennett. After dinner, go to Caffe Vittoria for cappuccinos or to Mike's or Modern Pastry for cannollis or sweets. Wander back through Faneuil Hall to your hotel.

Day 2 - rejoin the Freedom Trail but head in the other direction, toward School Street and the State House. Stay on Beacon Street until you hit Joy St., take a right and walk up into Beacon Hill. Take a left on Mt. Vernon down the western slope of the hill and just gawk at the houses of old Boston. At the bottom of the hill is Charles Street. Charles is no more than a half mile long, but has some cool shops and one great pizza place (the name escapes me). Work your way back to Beacon and take in the Public Gardens. On Beacon across for the Public Garden is the Bull & Finch (aka "Cheers"). Stop in for a rest and refreshments. At the far end of the Public Gardens is Back Bay. Wander up Newbury Street and do some window shopping. Stephanie's on Newbury is a great lunch place with a nice outdoor cafe. Head over to Copley Square and stop in to see Trinity Church and the Boston Public Library. From there, it's a quick five minute walk to Huntington Ave where you can pick up a late afternoon Duck Tour. If you didn't eat lunch along Newbury Street, I would suggest an outdoor cafe for dinner. Stephanie's (again) is good, 29 Newbury, likewise. There's also an amazing tapas place (Tapeo) with an outdoor dining area and killer sangria. Wander around, look at the menus and see what appeals to you. You can either hop on the Green line back to Government Center, near your hotel, or cab it back to your hotel.

Day 3 - as someone else said, the JFK museum is fine, but would not be my choice. (I live here, though!) I'd recommend the Isabella Stewart Gardner, a small and unique art museum with an amazing collection of Renaissance art. The ISG has a nice small cafe for lunch. I'd then head over to South Station.