Found some great airfares and would like to go to Boston in October, but need to act fast, so I'm turning to the experts.

We would fly into Boston on Thursday and out on Monday. We'd like to see some highlights of the city, sample some good fall foliage, and maybe see Salem. Could we daytrip from Boston, or should we spend a night somewhere else as well?

Also, I'd like to bid on some Priceline rooms...what area of the city would be good for a first-time visitor?

Any suggested iteneraries are very welcome.

Thanks a jillion!

When in October? You know mid-October around Columbus Day is PEAK season in Boston/NE?

I'd give Salem a miss on this trip. It is a complete zoo in October even though Halloween is at the end of the month.

For PL zones, I'd stick with zones 1, 5 & 9 (Harbor Front; Copley; Quincy Market) ONLY.

Dates are October 15-19. Thanks, yk, for the PL zone suggestions. We went ahead and booked the flights, so just need to fill in the blanks!

Concord/Lexingtonn West of the city is a nice place for day trip and foliage. See this thread for more ideas:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...nding-area.cfm

The following photo was taken by me @ Walden Pond in Concord on October 12, 20008; just to give you an idea of foliage:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...8/IMG_2474.jpg

Oct 17/18, 2009 is Head of the Charles. Always fun for a couple of hours, esp if it's a nice day: http://www.hocr.org/competitors/default.asp

Here's a photo I took of 2008 Head of the Charles:
http://i406.photobucket.com/albums/p...N/IMG_2512.jpg

Fabulous information, yk and paul. The thread link for this site and travelersanonymous are full of ideas that sound interesting. Yk, your photos at Walden Pond and Head of the Charles are beautiful. Concord is definitely on the list now.

If we still want to see Salem, how far is it and what route do you suggest?

Hi jayne,

Salem is about 30ish miles N of Boston. There's only one way in and one way out, hence the traffic can be nightmarish, esp during October due to its association w/all things Halloween. And the road to Salem (I think it's Rt 114) after you get off the Interstate is only 2 lanes - one lane each direction. So if you really want to go, go EARLY, like before 10am.

While I don't endorse the Witch-related sights in Salem, I can tell you that it's worthwhile to visit the National Maritime Site (part of National Park Service) in Salem. They offer guided tours of several houses as well as the Salem Custom House - where Nathaniel Hawthorne worked for several years. I also enjoyed a tour of the House of Seven Gables. That plus a visit to Concord will be great, if you're a fan of Hawthorne (plus the rest of the American literary writers in the 19th c).

Plenty of good advice so far on this thread, and will only add that Boston is extremely well covered in all aspects on this forum. A board search will yield excellent results.

Thanks to all- I will check out all the threads and start planning.

Jayne,

Like yk, I advise you to give Salem a miss this time. I live in a nearby town and I avoid Salem in October. Traffic and crowds really can be awful. Of course, weekends are worse, so bear that in mind.

If you still go and you like things maritime or Asian, the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem is well worth a visit. They also own some historic houses that you can tour (as well as a complete 200-year-old Chinese house that was brought over and reassembled at the museum).

Actually, I think Haunted Happenings is fun if you love Halloween, which I do. We went for several years when my daughters were young and really enjoyed it. There are haunted houses, the witch museum, witch dungeon, interesting stores; it's like a street fair. Many people dress in costume.

But if you don't like Halloween and/or crowds, it might not be your cup of tea.

Love Halloween, actually, so I can't imagine skipping Salem on an October trip. I know if you live in the area it proably seems like cheesy tourist stuff, but it will be a real novelty for us.

Question: I know Boston has great public transportation and parking at the hotels is expensive. Does it make sense to rent a car only on the day we go out for Concord/foliage viewing?

Another vote to give Salem a miss. I also live in the area...it's more than just "cheesy tourist stuff", it renders the rest of the worthwhile sights (like House of Seven Gables and PEM) in Salem virtually unreachable and if you do they are so crowded it's unenjoyable. yk is right, it can be well over an hour sitting in traffic from 128 down 114 into Salem, a ride that should take less than 15 minutes, then you have to find parking! After 30+ years here, I know enough to not even try crossing the bridge into Salem the entire month, unless very late at night or very, very early in the morning. Weekends are the absolute worst during the month.

You can take the Commuter Rail train from North Station to Salem and just rent a car for the Concord day. Salem (and Concord) will be less crowded on weekdays. Be sure to check the train schedule when planning, as most run less often on weekends. www.mbta.com

Thanks -- we will defintely take the train everywhere we can. Do we need to go back to the airport to rent a car, or are there better options?

I'd just rent from downtown locations close to your hotel. You'll pay a lot more if you rent from the airport (both rental fees and cost of getting to/from airport).

If the weather is nice, you might like to take the ferry to Salem from Boston. www.salemferry.com.

Hmmm???? Regarding Haunted Happenings, maybe the crowds have increased tremendously since we were there but we NEVER sat in traffic for an hour and we always easily found parking. We would park in the garage across the street from the Visitor Center. And we usually went on a Sat or Sunday. We would have gone in the 90's; I don't remember if we have gone since 2000.

This is a good site for planning a day trip to Concord: http://www.concordchamberofcommerce....sitor-info.htm.

Have a great trip!

Kwoo, my sis worked at the preschool attached to the House of Seven Gables. Getting out of work at 2:30, she was never home the next town over before 4:00. And that was going "back roads". On October weekends, Route 128 routinely backs up to Route 1 (over a mile away) and then you are bumper to bumper all the way down 114 into Salem. If you're at all familiar with the area, that's a long way to be not moving.

You've gotten some great advice already but I'll just say that the Colonial Inn in Concord is a nice place for lunch. Lots of atmosphere and good food, too. It's downtown right on Monument Square.

http://www.concordscolonialinn.com/