yk, If Plimouth Plantation is underwhelming, what's the adjective to use for Plymouth Rock?

zwho, maybe you can stop in Plymouth on your way from New Bedford to Boston. The Plantation/Mayflower/Rock shouldn't take more than 3 hours - total. You can then grab a lobster roll and some fried clams at the Lobster Hut before heading north to Boston.

LOL, the adjective to use for Plymouth Rock is "WTF"? Skip it, it's a joke.

I like Plimoth Plantation because the villagers are all so insanely committed to portraying their characters accurately, whether they're housewives, craftsmen, or Native Americans. Each one is a living history museum, themselves, right down to authentic regional accents of wherever their settler originally was from. Ask them about anything from herbal remedies to plans for weathering the upcoming winter to what they miss about life "back home" in England, to religious issues of the day (1627) to what (or who) they hope will arrive on the next supply ship. Then picture yourself working in those kitchens, eek. The village itself is unimpressive partly because it is so authentic; life was pretty primitive.

I went to Plimoth Plantation on a very crowded day, and most of the "actors" just seemed uninterested in talking and answering questions.

I don't blame them, I suppose, since they probably get asked "What are you doing?" "What's THAT?" etc about 10 times per minute by children. I would seriously commit suicide if I have to repeat the same spiel over and over and over again.

That's why it's more interesting to ask questions that draw on their more esoteric knowledge, like agricultural practices or religious issues. I'm always tempted to ask about underwear.

Okay, to be honest, yes I'm from Kansas, but I'm pretty well traveled. I just haven't been to New England, but I do know my US history and I'm a proud "tourist"! So, my choices are very tempting because there is sooo much I'd like to see, but well, my time is very limited. The good part is my DH having business to attend to outside Boston. I know I'll be back. Now that I have all these ideas, I'm going to start studying up on Plimoth & Plymouth and Astors Beechwood in Newport, as well as the Freedom Trail in Boston. And Concord! That should keep me busy until we leave , in about 6 weeks! Yesterday I decided to check Priceline, pretty sure they would turn me down. They did the 1st time at $75.00. I raised it to $100.00 and they accepted for the Sheraton Boston Hotel. I think I did okay, but since I don't know Boston I'm not sure. Is the location good and did I get a good price? Thanks in advance.

Yes, the Sheraton Boston is a good location, assuming you got the one on Dalton Street. I think the hotel is undergoing renovations, but I'm not 100% sure. Maybe that's why you got a deal on that. It's actually a very good price for mid-Oct; as last time I checked, most hotels are asking for $250+, even dumps are asking $200/n. Of course, if you have a car, you'll be paying an arm and a leg for parking charges @ the Sheraton.

The location is fine, close to Copley Plaza and the Pru, so T-stop is close to the hotel, plus I believe the hotel has parking. Online they advertise a $159 non-refundable rate for booking more than 5 days in advance, so I'd say you did pretty well. Hotel stays in Boston can sometimes be challenging, especially in autumn when traffic to the university communities picks up and folks decide to take fall color tours, so given that, I think you did pretty well. I noted in the past year or so since the economy has been plummeting I have been able to get rates via Priceline that I'd never dreamed possible.

BC

zwho,

The Sheraton is a great location. If the weather is not good you can walk indoors through the Sheraton then the Prudential Center then Copley Place and get to Copley Square without going outside. You'll be almost next to Boylston Street and a block and a half from Newbury Street, both where you'll find lots of shops and restaurants. There are also a lot of places to eat (restaurants and a food court) within the Prudential Center complex and Copley Place.

In Newport, the Astor's Beachwood is a great choice. It was one of the early "mansions." I would also then visit one of the "newer" mansions--the Breakers, Rosecliff, or Marble House--to see how the idea of mansions evolved. The Moorings or the Black Pearl are good places for lunch on the waterfront.

I'm not sure if you'll have time for Plimouth Plantation but September is a good time to go. Fewer crowds and it will be cooler. It is authentic, as far as these places can be, to what the Pilgrims built on their arrival. If you think you'll go, and have time, get the book by Nathaniel Philbrick called Mayflower. It will really make a difference in your appreciation of the site.

Head of the Charles, a huge crew regatta, is the weekend of the 17th. It's a lot of fun to attend, but also brings a lot of people to Boston.

Here's a post in favor of a Plimouth Plantation visit. I enjoyed it very much and found the folks at both the Native American settlement area and the Pilgrim's area fun and interesting to chat with. I found Anonymous's description jived with my experience there.

When we were in Newport, we visited one mansion only, and chose Rosecliff, mainly because a number of movies were filmed there. I really just wanted my DD (and us) to get a feel for the scope of these houses (for ex., the ballroom at Rosecliff was designed to hold 400, which was the number of people on the Social Register!)

I am so excited about this short trip. All of you have given me so much "food for thought". I really feel sorry for people who travel and don't use this forum. I get better info then I could ever pick up in any guide book. Even the yeas & nays are helpful. I just have to decide what seems most like my type of entertainment. And that's what travel is to me. The best form of entertainment. I just remembered when I was in HS my favorite novel was "The Scarlet Letter". That was by Nathaniel Hawthorne, wasn't it? Yes, Concord is definitely part of the itinerary. The only down side is that after looking at the Boston GTG, I don't think we can be part of it. We just don't have time to do much in Boston, and want to see as much as we can. Maybe another city, another time. Thanks Bookchick, for thinking of it.

Just chiming in to add that I would avoid Salem at all costs on any weekend in October (I live the next city over). The further into October, the crazier it gets with the crowds. If you're going for Halloween festivities, that's one thing, but if you're going for House of Seven Gables, PEM, and what else Salem has to offer, you will find it extremely frustrating to get around as well as get in and out of the city in a timely manner.

Thanks Amyb, we had decided that Salem was too much for this trip. Maybe next time. I have another question. We have bought on plane tics, so we'll be there Thurs. Oct. 8. We are going to spend Thus. & Fri. outside of Boston seeing the countryside. 1 day Newport, & Plymouth, the next day Concord & ?. Since we don't have any solid plans, can we get away with not making reservations anywhere for the night? When we were in Croatia, we just drove around and found a place to stay wherever we ended up in the evening. Is this an okay plan for Thurs. & Fri. nights in the parts of Mass. we'll be visiting, or will we end up sleeping in the car? Thanks in advance.

zwho, Concord & Lexington will easily take up an entire day; esp if you visit the MinuteMan national park. Check its website beforehand and click on the EVENTS tab as well as the things to do/guided tours section. There are lots of ranger-led tours and activites.

I don't think you'll end up sleeping in your car in you don't pre-book, but you will save lots of time, and probably some money, if you book your hotel in advance. But the Friday night may be tricker since that's the start of the long weekend.

A few more sites to help you in trip planning:
www.newportmansions.org (The Breakers is my favorite)
www.newportrestoration.org
www.cliffwalk.com
www.oceandrivenewport.com
www.coastalwinetrail.com
www.plimouth.org

Enjoy!

We didn't visit it, but the Breakers has 70 rooms in 126,000 square feet of space. Now THAT'S a mansion!!

Thanks Ivk for all the links. I think I'll book a room Friday night and have the names & phone # of places that look good and reasonable in different towns for Thursday. However, by Oct. we may have a much better idea of what we'll have time to see and where we want to end up for the evening. sf307, my DH is nuts about The Breakers. Are all of the mansions open for tours?

The newportmansions weblink that lvk gave you will have all the opening dates and hours for the mansions. Most of them are open through the fall, but only a couple are open all year round. Check the website.

If you only have time to tour one mansion in Newport, IMHO, Breakers is the one to visit. It definitely has the most WOW factor.

You'll be in SE Massachusetts at cranberry harvest time.

You might not have time to visit a cranberry bog, but if you are interested, check out this link:

http://www.cranberries.org/cranberries/bog_tours.html