We are visiting MA in mid July for 3-4 days. We want to walk the freedom trail and then go to Cape Ann. Is there a hotel--midway-- so that we can visit both places and not have to switch hotels? We do not want to drive to the city so would love a hotel that has a shuttle to the Freedom trail or nearby area. We will drive ourselves to the coast. Ann Zee

You might consider staying in Salem Ma. Salem is connected to Boston by commuter rail and is very close to Cape Ann. Salem also has interesting sites such as the Peabody Essex Museum which is showing an exhibit of Turner paintings all summer. Salem has two better hotels - the Salem Waterfront Hotel and the Hawthorne. Haven't stayed in either - Waterfront is relatively new while Hawthorne is historic.

There are loads of hotels between Gloucester and Boston, and some close to Boston may offer a shuttle to a T stop, but none that I know have any sort of shuttle into Boston. I recommended you look at the Hyatt in Medford on your last thread: http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...ucester-ma.cfm

But the Hyatt is nowhere near mid-way from Boston to Cape Ann.

You could stay in Salem and take the train to Boston. At least then you could be in a nice location and not be in a hotel right off the highway for 4 nights. Or pick a hotel mid-way and drive to the nearest train or subway station that has parking. You can find out about the stations and parking availability at www.mbta.com.

Oops--was writing the same time as bennnie. We agree on Salem.

I think it would be best to stay in two hotels. You don't need to necessarily stay in Boston itself, but you should stay nearby to enjoy the evening activities and have a chance to absorb the full flavor of the city. You can certainly stay in one of neighboring towns such as Cambridge, Newton, and Lexington, etc. If you need suggestions, let us know. From Boston, you can explore the harbor by boat as well as neighboring Cambridge. You can also explore the historic towns of Lexington and Concord and visit Walden Pond.

Cape Ann is only perhaps an hour away (in good traffic) and, as you probably know, is not one specific town, but a lovely region extending onto a peninsula. From there, you could also explore the northern coast line of Massachusetts and the lower part of New Hampshire and Maine.

Good luck. I've lived in a Boston suburb for over 40 years and love the region enormously.

Salem would work, but I don't think there are that many hotels there. In particular, there are only one or two that are in Salem, which would be the primary reason I would recommend it.

Most of the hotels around Woburn seem to offer free shuttle service within 5 miles, which should get you to a train station, though I have no idea what the schedules are like.

The Hyatt in Medford is not midway, but it is far enough north that you do miss most of the traffic and it is very close to the highway. For getting into Boston, the 94 and 96 buses stops right nearby and are 10 to 15 minutes from there to the Red Line in Davis Square (the 96 goes all the way through to Harvard). Both are very frequent. There are also some decent restaurants in Davis Square and some restaurants in Medford Square (can't speak to the quality, though I have seen the Korean BBQ place there recommended). Honestly, it would give you a lot more flexibility getting into and around Boston than staying somewhere on the commuter rail and, if you avoid rush hour, really wouldn't add much time to the drive up to Cape Ann.

You can certainly stay in one of neighboring towns such as Cambridge, Newton, and Lexington, etc.

My opinion is that Lexington is simply too far to serve well as a 'Boston' hotel. Many of the Lexington hotels are no more accessible to Boston than Woburn, so why not just stay in Woburn and not move. Hotels in Lexington are certainly less accessible than the Hyatt and Medford. I guess I just don't see the point. I have stayed at the Element out there, though, and will offer that it is a decent hotel.

The same kind of goes for the Newton hotels out by 128, though I think you can get to the very end of the Green Line from them. However, riding the Green Line all the way to Riverside is pretty much my idea of hell.

Cambridge is a fine choice, but I don't think it saves any hassle in terms of driving into "the city" and I'm not sure the hotels save you much money. The one benefit might be that I think parking would be cheaper, particularly for the hotels on McGrath Highway past Lechmere. Not sure whether the Kendall Square hotels are any cheaper for parking (the Marriott in Kendall is super convenient, FWIW), or the hotels by the mall. I would think the Harvard Square hotels would be more expensive for parking. The Hyatt and Courtyard in Cambridge are in subpar locations and I would recommend against them.

I have sometimes hag serious disagreements with travel gourmet, but she or he absolutely nails it this time.

It is a thorough and cogent analysis.

I am very familiar with Woburn. The residence inn is very close to the train station....Anderson is the name of the station. It's right off the highway which makes life easier. There is a target and small strip mall just down the road. There are numerous chain dining options. All would be simple to get to. There are much better dining options available if you are okay driving a bit. Woburn is pretty busy in that area with two highways crossing. And the rotary downtown has odd rules....this entering have the right of way,

I forgot that the OP is visiting the region for 3-4 days. Staying in one place does make sense with that restriction. However, though Woburn suits the OP'S request for a town accessible to both areas, it is a town that could be just anywhere. It's wonderful for the folks that live there and would probably be cheaper than either Boston or Cape Ann, but supplies little New England atmosphere. You don't walk out the door and smell the ocean on Cape Ann. You don't walk out the door and walk to Quincy Market, Fenway, or the freedom Trail. But, it could be cheaper.

When I travel, I prefer to stay near the "sites," particularity if it is a city or town with history and beauty. I believe that the main cities tend to give a "pulse" of a region. Although I no longer tend to visit Paris, for example, I did so early on my trips to France. Once I know an area, I might chose to stay at a distance from that town.

The two areas the OP wants to explore are rich in history and just plain attractiveness and and her time is short. Summer in both places is just glorious. Personally, I'd stay in Boston and, depending on interest and time (and money), take the train to Rockport or the ferry to Salem or, better yet, Provincetown on Cape Cod for one day.

By the way, I mentioned Lexington because it is connectable via bus to Cambridge and the red line to Boston and is a beautiful historic town near the highway.

By the way, I mentioned Lexington because it is connectable via bus to Cambridge and the red line to Boston and is a beautiful historic town near the highway.

Fair enough, but the hotels I'm aware of there are not in the beautiful historic town. They are a few miles away, on the other side of 128 in what is basically an office park setting. And it will take you over an hour to get to Downtown via public transit from there and the buses are infrequent. The Hyatt in Medford, by contrast, is around 30-40 minutes.

FWIW, I thought instinctively of the 94 and 96, because I used to live in Somerville, but you could also take one of the buses to Wellington and then the Orange Line. Depending upon the time, that may shave 5 or 10 minutes.

I agree that Woburn is not a destination in and of itself, but it's easy to take public transportation to Boston and the drive to Gloucester isn't bad either.

A few places you can visit in Woburn if the OP stays there:

First Congregational Church is home to a historic E&GG Hook Organ.

One of the ventilation cowls for the USS Maine is on the town common - kind of a random roadside attraction.

http://members.toast.net/willycw/rum...eum/index.html

By the way, I mentioned Lexington because it is connectable via bus to Cambridge and the red line to Boston and is a beautiful historic town near the highway.

It's not well-connected by bus and it's a rather long and dull trip with line changes and inconsistent connections. I live in Arlington btw Cambridge & Lexington and do not own a car, so I'm very familiar with the bus options out this way.

Consider visiting the Crane Estate in Ipswich. Toured it recently fro the first time and its well worth a visit. Crane's Beach is gorgeous.

With kids, I really would check out Wisconsin Dells, sort of a water amusement arwa.

AnnZee, either HappyTrvlr is joshing you/us or intended to post that on another thread. Don't go looking in Mass. for the Dells!

You've gotten some decent advice here, and/but your choices may hinge on what part of the week and what part of the summer you're planning to do all this. In your situation, I might well consider finding an inexpensive motel along the I-95/128 arc and triangulating from there.

While I would not use your plan (I would stay in Boston and believe to drive in and out once is doable, although not at rush hour) - Woburn seems the reasonable answer. Although in mileage much closer to Boston, it will probably take longer Woburn-Boston than Woburn-Cape Ann (which is Gloucester and Rockport, not the other assorted towns mentioned here).

The commuter rail is close to some a couple of chain hotels (I think one is Residence Inn or maybe Embassy Suites - look on map as road is Commerce Way). None are in true walking distance but it is likely the hotel has a shuttle or the taxi would be really cheap. Be careful with train schedules, as they are frequent during rush hours only.

The advantage of Woburn for Cape Ann is that this area is right near I95 (known as Rte 128 to locals) which heads straight to Gloucester/Rockport. Bring GPS or get directions - because as you get close to Cape Ann you want Rte 128 because in Danvers/Peabody area they become 2 different roads and if you stay on Rte I95 you will end up in Maine.

near I95 (known as Rte 128 to locals)

That is because the two roads do split further on. In the case of Cape Ann, you take 128.

Woburn to Boston is 20 minutes if you avoid rush hour.

travelg - I know that - which is why I mentioned in the last 2 sentences above.