Sdill

My husband and I are spending 4 night and 5 days in the Boston area. We fly into Portsmouth NH. I have been doing alot of research but am conflicted about what to do and where to stay. I want to spend 1 night in either Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket. We also want to do some historic things in Boston. I like the idea of spending time in Salem, but have heard it's very touristy. I want to spend a half day on the best whale watch tour I can find. I want to see some great lighthouses. and, of course find the best places to get oysters, lobster, and crab almost right off the boat. Any help would be appreciated!

escargot

With 5 days in Boston, I would not spend a night on MV or Nantucket, but that is personal opinion - I just think it is a long way to go for one night - and for me, enjoying either island is really more than a one night visit.

You can certainly go to Nantucket for a day trip - many do, but usually all you see is Main Street and some of the side streets off of that - which are expensive shops, some restaurants and galleries -
it is lovely, it has quaint spots, we are there every July for a week - but my favorite part is getting OFF of Main St and the Boat Basin docks and visiting all the beaches, lighthouses, etc of the island

Same with MV - there are too many lovely towns, beaches, nature trails, etc to judge MV on a day trip and staying in only say, Oak Bluff and Edgartown -
you could go for a day and take a bus tour of the island, or bus hop yourselves, or try to cover a lot of ground on a moped -

Either island-- from Boston you'd have to get to the Cape and from there to the island and for me, that would be a lot of time traveling during the summer for so little time on island.

From Boston, instead consider a day trip to Provincetown (or an overnight) or to Hyannis via the ferries or head north on the train for an overnight.

I'd also hate to see you have to rent a car for one overnight, b/c you certainly do not need a car in Boston - but I am guessing if you are flying in to NH you are driving down - are you flying into Portsmouth or Manchester NH ?
There is a bus from Manchester airport to South Station, so maybe there is also one from Portsmouth

You also don't say what time of year, which would also affect the time it would take to do a day trip driving to the Cape to grab a ferry to the island/s.

There are lighthouse tours out of Boston, there are Boston Harbor Island tours (and Spectacle Island opens to the public for the first time on June 24)
which might satisfy that part -

For extra casual, fun seafood is the Barking Crab, the legal kitchen or No Names, but the latter is not nearly as good as it was years ago - in town are Legal Seafoods and McCormicks, jasper Whites Summer Shack, -

if you type into the search bar "Boston restaurants" and "Boston seafood" and "Day trip Nantucket" those types of things, you will see lots of posts about many of the questions you are asking.

bostonharborcruises.com

fbhi.org

bostontours.us

wyatt92

If you actually are flying in to Portsmouth, you could use that as your base for a night or two. You'll find plenty of lobster and lighthouses in the area.

I, too, think it might be a little much to do an overnight on the Cape or the Islands, but the ferry from Boston to Provincetown is a good idea.

FYI, there is a bus that goes from Portsmouth to South Station in Boston. C & J Trailways, it's a very easy ride, $28 round trip.

schmerl

We did some fantastic whale watching out of Provincetown last July. We went with Dolphin Encounter.

bethmac

We really enjoyed Salem. Didn't stay overnight, or anything, but visited for the day and it was fun. We are Hawthorne fans, though, so it appealed to us and we were also there in Oct. when everything is very Halloween-y. I am sure to some it's touristy, but I kind of think tourist spots get that way for a reason...there is something there that tourists want to see.

dfrostnh

I hope you look into the historic things you can do in Portsmouth (i.e. Strawbery Banke). I haven't been on a whale watch but have enjoyed the harbor and inland rivers cruises out of Portsmouth. The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem MA is very nice. Make sure a visit includes a tour of the Chinese house.

tovarich

Not enough time for your plans I'm afraid.Paul

LG2

Depends on what you want to get out of the trip.

35 years ago we spent a week in Boston with side trips to Cape Cod, Plymouth Rock, Salem, Cambridge.

15 years ago we tried a New England trip, starting with Western Mass (for business), Conn, mansions in RI, skipped Cape Cod, a day in Boston, drove up to Maine, brief drive through NH and never made it to Vermont. Got a taste of New England, but no depth.

Last year we spent four days in Boston, driving 1 day to Plymouth (decided Cape Cod was too far) and then to the JFK Presidential Library & Museum back in Boston. Used "Go Card" and got our money's worth. Ducks tour was great, Freedom Trail Guided Tour is better than self-guided. Rode trolley one day with hop on and off privileges, and more ....

Definitely want to go back in a few years, especially to return to the JFK Museum (really need all or most of the day for that).

capxxx

Wow, that's not a lot of time.

Portsmouth for food, history, and ambiance. 2 nights.

One day to drive down the coast to Boston. Visit Glouchester, Rockport, and Salem on the way. Glouchester has a working fishing industry, Rockport has an artist colony, both have beaches and views. Salem is kind of cheesy (think witch museums), but has some legitimate historical interest, too.

When you get to Boston, turn in your car. Take public transporation from now on. Boston 2 nights.

From Boston, take the high-speed ferry to Provincetown -- 90 minutes. You can spend a night on Cape Cod -- Provincetown is nice for walking around in -- or make it a day trip. I agree that MV and Nantucket are too hard to get to for this trip.

mugs1102

Salem can be quite touristy, especially in late October (Halloween!), but there are lots of things worth seeing, like the House of Seven Gables and the Witch House. The Witch Museum hasn't been updated since I was in grade school (read 30+ years ago) and is the very definition of kitch. The Peabody Essex Museum is fantastic. Rather than stay in Salem, though, I would recommend you stay in one of the B&B's in next-door Marblehead. I highly recommend the Harborside House on Gregory Street. The town is very old... founded in the 1620's... and still has many houses built in the early 18th century not only standing but quite lived in. It also has one of the largest protected harbors I've seen... well over 1,000 moorings... there's nothing quite like sitting on the bench with a coffee from the Driftwood and looking out at the morning sun on the water. Am I biased about Marblehead? Yes, because I grew up there. But I know lots of people who didn't who feel the same way!

clarkgriswold

From Portsmouth it's a lot easier to just head up into Southern Maine, they have everything you're looking for and you won't have to fight Boston traffic. Think 35 minute drive into Maine instead of 3 hour drive down into the Cape. Check out the York Harbor Inn, Terrace By the Sea in Oqunquit, or something in Kennebunkport.

adnil1962

Take a stroll along the Charles River (great views, people watching and sailboats). In May you'll start to see ducklings if you get over there early enough.

- Walk down Charles Street (quaint shops) and Newbury Street (pricey shops)

- Walk through the Boston common (see the frog pond - http://www.bostoncommonfrogpond.org/) and public garden and take a ride on the Swan Boats (get there early in the morning so you don't have to wait in line) http://www.swanboats.com/new/welcome.shtml

During your walk through the public gardens (Charles Street entrance), don’t forget to stop by the duckling monument put up to honor the classic story of a family of Mallard ducks in downtown Boston from the book -Make Way for Ducklings- by Robert McCloskey, Viking, 1941, A Caldecott Medal winner - if you are there on mother's day there's a kids parade through the park.

A copy of the book makes a great gift for kids. It can be found at most Boston gift shops. I give it to all new mothers as part of the shower or christening gift.

- Spend an afternoon in Harvard Square (lots of shops, really great people watching and lots of history)

- Take a Duck Boat Tour. This is the best way to ride by all the sights. It is a land and water tour which you can catch at the Prudential or Science Museum (reserve ahead). Not only do you get to see the harbor but you get to ride in it (all kids on board get a chance to drive the boat for a minute or two). The guys who ride are really animated, in costumes and tell little known historical stories (like the great Boston molasses flood). http://www.bostonducktours.com/

- Eat dinner in the North End (Italian section) and then have desserts at Mike's Pastry (or look for a quaint coffee shop). Over by the water there is usually a group of older Italian men playing outdoor bocce ball - it's great to watch – on a hot summer night I have watched them for hours. They don’t seem to mind being photographed.

- Depending on what you like, stop by Charleston to see the Constitution, Bunker Hill Monument and then stop by the Warren Tavern for lunch or dinner (small, quaint and great food - gets a little too crowded for me on Wednesday nights) – Tavern on the water (same owners) in the Charlestown Navy Yard is also fun.

- See a Red Sox Game and get a tour of Fenway Park (sometimes you can get tickets using the Craig site website – kind of like EBay but free and organized by location - http://boston.craigslist.org/)
tickets: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/ticketi...x.jsp?c_id=bos
tour: http://boston.redsox.mlb.com/bos/ballpark/tour.jsp


- Head up to Gloucester (whale watches), Newburyport (shops/food), Portsmouth NH (shops/food), Salem MA (check out some of the witch museums), Rockport (quaint shopping and picture taking ) or down to Cape Cod or Newport RI – there is a ferry service found in between the aquarium and the Marriot Longwarf you can go out to the harbor islands and hike (mostly flat) or take a fast ferry to Provincetown.

Side trip websites:
Rockport: http://www.rockportusa.com/ (day trip)
Newburyport: http://www.newburyportchamber.org/ (day trip)
Portsmouth: http://www.portsmouthnh.com/(day trip)
Salem: http://www.salemweb.com/(day trip)
Gloucester: http://www.cape-ann.com/gloucester.html(day trip)
Newport: http://www.gonewport.com/ (stay overnight)
Cape Cod: http://www.capecodchamber.org/ (stay overnight)
Nantucket: http://www.nantucket.net/ (stay overnight)
Martha’s Vineyard: http://www.mvy.com/ (stay overnight)
White Mountains, NH (need at least 3 days): http://www.visitwhitemountains.com/


- If you do a day trip to Salem to visit the witch museums (take a train/blue line – the traffic is crazy all summer) visit the Rockmore Floating Restaurant. You catch a small boat out to it from Pickering Wharf – they have burgers, salads, etc. The best is throwing your French fries to the fish swarming the area (because they know about the French fries) – also great views back to Salem.

- Boston has a lot of great parks. My favorite is the Back Bay Fens. Local residents who don't have a yard take a spot and turn it into their own garden. There are literally hundreds of these, all beautiful (near Kenmore Square).

This site lists many of the parks:
http://www.emeraldnecklace.org/tourtheparks.htm
Another favorite: The Arnold Arboretum is a 265-acre botanical garden and educational research facility run by Harvard University. Over 5000 kinds of trees, most originating from northern temperate forests, are featured. Two of the arboretum's highlights include the Larz Anderson Bonsai Collection and the Lilac Collection. In 1872, the Arboretum's first director, Charles Sprague Sargent, designed the grounds in collaboration with the landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted as part of Boston's Emerald Necklace park system http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/

- You may also want to consider a day at the Science Museum. If you don't want to take the entire day you can get tickets to their Omni theater which is quite good (a few hours for a show).

- The JFK library is also great. http://www.jfklibrary.org/JFK+Librar...essibility.htm

- Then there's the aquarium & IMAX theater (although I have been to much better aquariums in other cities - the best in Valencia, Spain)

- The Museum of Fine Art http://www.mfa.org/ and the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum http://www.gardnermuseum.org/ are also nice.

- I'd skip Fanuel Hall and the Cheers Bar and stay away from all the dives on Route 1 and Revere Beach.

adnil1962

One other thing, check out:

Formaggio Kitchen
244 Huron Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
tel: (617) 354-4750
toll-free: (888)-212-3224

www.formaggiokitchen.com

It's just outside of Harvard Square (maybe a mile? - you can walk, drive or take a bus) and has amazing stuff!!! Granted none of it seems to be native to Boston but they have tons of stuff from Europe (mach of which is exclusively distributed to them) - cheeses (that you can taste), wines, olive oil, pasta, bread, pastry....

Great sandwichs too - good little shop to stop at for picnic food and sample some cheeses....

They also have other locations in South Boston & NY, although I have never been to them.

escargot

I think Sdill has forgotten about us or is on a good long vacation !