Day trip out of Boston
 

For a day trip out of Boston which would you choose? Lexington & Concord; Salem & Marblehead; or, Plymouth? (Interesting sights, etc.) Also, which has the quaintest shopping area?

Boy, that's a difficult one. All three trips are important, historic and worthwhile! And, you've named three directions out of Boston. North, to Salem and Marblehead is charming old towns, the coast, a fabulous museum in Salem (the Peabody Essex), lots of witch related hype, and plenty of New England charm! <BR>West out of Boston to Lex/Concord is major American history! Battle Road, the Museum of our National Heritage in Lexington, and Concord which just drips in New England charm. Plus, Walden Pond. Oh, excellent shopping areas in both Concord and Marblehead. <BR>But one of my favorite destinations is Plimoth Plantation to the South of Boston. The pilgrim village is recreated and the guides are totally in character. There is also a recreation of the Mayflower, and you can buy a combination ticket to see them both. <BR>I know I haven't given you advice on which one to choose, but if you evaluate what you are interested in the most (what period of history) you might decide that way. You might also consider the traffic, day of the week, etc. in making your choice. There is even a boat that sails from downtown Boston to Salem but you'd miss Marblehead if you take the boat. Good luck, and at least be assured that whichever direction you choose, you made the right decision!

Diane, all the above are very much worth the trip. Really, with whichever one you chose like the previos person mentioned you CAN'T go wrong. But, to be totally honest I don't care too much for thePlymouth Plantation, it's really just a rock nothing too big, but it's worth the trip if you've never been down that way! BE CAREFUL choose the day wisely and the time of day you venture out the traffic can be horendous!!! Especially this time of the year heading down towards Cape Cod. Have a wonderful time in Beantown! Mike

Any of these would be fabulous. If you're really interested in Revolutionary War history, do Lexington & Concord. Salem is wonderful for the "witch" attractions, House of the Seven Gables, gorgeous waterfront (ditto Marblehead), and the trolley tour is great fun. There's lots to see and do in Plymouth - more worthy of an overnight, though, I think. As for "quaint shopping", you may want to consider Rockport or Newburyport. Both are beautiful seaport towns with fabulous scenery, lots of seeing and doing, wonderful restaurants, and interesting boat tours.

Diane, I'd like to correct some mis-information that Mike gave you. Plimouth Plantation is NOT a big rock! Plymouth Rock is a really underwhelming big rock in Plymouth harbor, and not worth the trip. Plimouth Plantation, on the other hand, is a really great recreation of the Pilgrim village. See <BR>http://www.theinsider.com/Boston/att...s/2plimoth.htm <BR>for a nice description of it. Just don't dismiss it as a big rock. It sounds like Mike has never visited the Plantation...only the Rock!

Ann is right about the rock vs. Plimouth(correct spelling - unlike the town which is spelled Plymouth) Plantation. The Plantation is really interesting because it takes you back in time to when the MA Bay Colonies were founded and how life was at that time. The people answer questions as though it were the 1600's and if you ask a question of them comparing life then and now they act like they don't have a clue as to what you're talking about. It's like time has stood still for them <BR>Also, although Salem has some interesting sights and it is on the coast, you don't see much of its coastline---and I definitly wouln't call Salem charming. Marblehead on the other hand is a much more upscale town (Salem is a city) and very charming. The harbor is beautiful and "old town" is quaint. There are quite a few shops, a number of which are antique stores if you're interested in that sort of thing. Guess I better sign off. I'm taking up alot of space/time. Whatever place you decide to visit will be just fine. <BR>PS---I wouldn't go to the Cape on the week end. Traffic nightmare!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 <BR>

Salem was a waste of time! I would have better spent the time somewhere else. One can only take so much of witchery. Yawn. The whole place seemed like a Halloween display at K-mart. <BR> <BR>If you're a lit fan, Nathaniel Hawthorne's house was pretty cool. Other than that, skip it!!

We loved Salem - and we skipped all the "witch" attractions. The trolley tour is very interesting (you can hop on and off). The neighborhoods with beautiful old homes take you back - you can almost imagine the clip-clop of horses down streets lined with gas street lamps. The Peabody Essex museum is fabulous. The waterfront is beautiful with several restaurants which have outdoor seating for enjoying the views. We also enjoyed Plymouth. The wax museum (which depicts in sequential the events leading up to and the crossing of the Mayflower) is very well done. Plimoth Plantation is very interesting as well. We enjoyed seeing Plymouth Rock and going aboard the Mayflower. Agree that Lexington & Concord are good destinations if you're into Revolutionary War history or authors that lived in Concord. The graveyard in Concord has many of the greats. We've been to all these places, along with Rockport, Newburyport, and Portsmouth, NH. Your selection of a destination really depends on what you have in mind and what you find appealing.

If you go North to Lexington/Concord, try going a bit further on to Lowell National park. Canal tours, museums, etc.

If you do go to Concord, be sure to visit the North Bridge. Not only is it an important piece of history, it's really pretty there as well. I live in Concord, and I go for walks there all the time just because I enjoy the scenery so much. You can also rent a canoe at the South Bridge Boat House and go boating on the river (there are actually 3 in Concord, the Sudbury and Assabet Rivers converge to form the Concord River), it's quite lovely along the rivers, lots of beautiful old houses and meadows, and is a different way to visit the bridge. If you go up the Assabet, it's very secluded and wooded, very private feeling. It makes for a fun outing. <BR> Concord also has a good museum, and you can visit Orchard House, home of the Alcotts, where Louisa May wrote "Little Women", and The Old Manse, where Hawthorne lived for a time and which inspired "Mosses on an Old Manse". There's also the Museum of Our National Heritage in Lexington, which has changing exhibits.

If you go west, don't miss Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury/Wayland -- lovely mill and millpond, nice restaurant/inn in restored Inn. <BR> <BR>If you go north, skip Salem (or jsut drive-by old part of town) -- do Gloucester, Marblehead, Rockport for the seacoast scenery, "real" fisheries, etc. Walk on the rocks at Rockport, eat great seafood in Essex, go to the end of Marblehead Neck for the view.

It depends what you like to do. My all time favorite spot is Walden pond in Concord. Great swimming, beautiful walk around the pond, beautiful back country winding roads, and near historic Lexington. <BR> <BR>If you like fishing villages, Salem and Marblehead are terrific towns to explore. Have fun.

I'm assuming you have access to a car? If not, I know that Salem is reachable by commmuter rail, because I have done it as a day trip myself. One quick note about Marblehead--they have a wonderful town hall that a visited after just driving by, and to my surprise, I discovered what appeared to be the huge ORIGINAL (correct me if I'm wrong, locals!) "Spirit of '76" painiting! This is the one with the three wounded revolutionary soldiers playing drum and fife.