New England trip in May
 

Hi everyone - we are planning a week''s holiday in New England in early June and are thinking of spending 4 of those days in the Boston area, and the other three venturing away from the city.

Our main interests are history, my wife loves poking around old buildings and I am fascinated by military history, from the Revolutionary War through to the Civil War.

While in Boston, we intend to see the old parts of the city, walk the Freedom Trail, have a look round Harvard, go out to Lexington and Concord for my battlefield fix. Another possibility is Plymouth Rock.

Once we leave the city we want to try and explore the archetypal New England of fishing villages and lighthouses. From the research I've done so far, it seems we can either go south, and have look around Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard, maybe head over to Mystic Seaport and Newport, or go north through places like Salem, Gloucester, the villages on the Maine coast and up to Portland. I've not really thought much about going inland. My initial thought is that going north has the most to offer.

Does anyone have any thoughts on either off-the-beaten-track sites within Boston, and also what would be a good way to spend those three days on the road. Any sugestions about bed and breakfast places, or inns, preferably around the $100 mark would also be appreciated (although I know $100 doesn't get very far these days!)

Many thanks for your help

Alan

Be aware that May and June are very busy times for hotels in Boston because of all the college graduations. MIT is June 4 and Harvard is June 10 -- both campuses will be overrun with parents and alumni the entire graduation week.

The Freedom Trail covers most of "old Boston" and Concord is definitely worth the trip. Plymouth Rock is a joke, but Plimoth Plantation is very interesting.

You're right that heading north would be more interesting than south, especially for historians. Don't miss the Peabody Essex Museum, one of the few places worth visiting in Salem.

For history buffs, a some very interesting places(outside of Boston) would be Sturbridge Village in central Mass, Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth Mass, Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury NH, and Strawberry Banke in Portsmouth NH. If you do the northern route up to Portland, Portsmouth would be on your route. In general, southern New England has more historic sites, while northern New England has more scenic seacoast, mountains and farmland.

Zootsi mentions a number of interesting places - built to approximate life at various historical times. (Plimouth Rock really is a joke - a boulder in a cage with a plaque). Decide if that is your style or if you want less concentrated but more authentic sites.

Much of history is coastal (or close to it). On my opinion, for history, the Freedom Trail is really the way to go - many things to see along the way, including some less visited places (like African American Heritage Museum - not exact name, but it is something like that).

Unfortunately, "poking around old buildings" in the Boston area offers somewhat limited opportunities because of the popularity of the area - not a whole lot of un-advertised, unrestored places left to do that.

Lexington and Concord make a nice day trip.

Agree strongly with advisory about booking hotels now because of graduation season - this may also raise the price of some hotels.

I would suggest you try to stay within center of Boston (Back Bay, Downtown, Faneuil Hall area) rather than in less expensive outlying areas. Some of the cheaper suburban hotels are in unattractive areas and commuting into Boston to see stuff can be a pain.

If you are driving, parking will be an added cost. If you are flying, don't rent a car until the days you are heading out of Boston.

If your headed to Plymouth Rock, I highly recommend a whale watch excursion from adjacent dock here is a link:
http://www.whalewatchingplymouth.com
:S-(You can also do whalewatches from Boston)

MagicRat,
You will be in the cradle of US history, as you are undoubtedly aware.

Plimouth Plantation (http://www.plimoth.org/) and Sturbridge Village (http://www.osv.org/)(40 and 65 miles from Boston, respectively) are living history museums that portray life in NE in the mid 1600's and 1820's. Both offer an excellent opportunity to learn about our country's origins.

Salem/Gloucester offer the opportunity to view US maritime history, principally the whaling trade, when these coastal towns were among the wealthiest in the country.

You might also consider industrial history. The two areas of note are the Blackstone Valley National Historic Corridor (http://nps.gov/blac/) and the Boott Cotton Mills Museum in Lowell MA. (http://www.nps.gov/lowe/).

The Blackstone valley is where the original mills were built from the designs stolen from the British. The Lowell area and the Merrimack river, is where major industrial enterprises were launched.

Lastly, if you are going inland, in Worcester, MA are the headquarters of the American Antiquarian Society (http://www.americanantiquarian.org/) and Higgins Armory (http://www.higgins.org/).

The AAS is a superlative library of American history. For something completely different, Higgins Armory boasts the largest private collection of Medieval armarments in the world.

And a trip to central Massachusetts is never complete without a trip to the Worcester Foundation for Experimental Biology, birthplace 8^) of the birth control pill.

Plan your time well and have a ball!

While Plymouth Rock, itself, may not be extraordinary, the harbor area in which it is located is small, and picturesque and does have a replica of the Mayflower at one of the docks. A great restaurant is Isaacs on the second level of a harborside building with a wonderful view and very good food. The Plymouth Plantation is just minutes away. It is a well-done recreation of life in the 1600's with characters of that time portrayed very authentically. Plymouth is a little over an hour from Boston. A half hour south and over the bridge is Heritage Plantations of Sandwich, a large complex with many separate exhibits, such as a military museum, a round barn housing the earliest cars, a carousel, beautiful rhododendrons, in season, etc. The village of Sandwich contains many old houses, such as the Hoxie House, also from colonial times.

Heading back to Boston, stop at the historic towns of Concord and Lexington, where a Revolutionary War battle occured. There is the famous statue of the Minuteman on the village green. By the way, in Boston, you can see the Paul Revere house from the same period.

An essence of New England and the influence of its seacoast can be found in Maine. We love the entire stretch of Route l as far as Bar Harbor. There are numerous small and large harbors that are basically fishing villages. You might stop in Bath, where there is a shipbuilding museum, and is the home to an ongoing shipbuilding industry. There are great lighthouses all the way up the coast. A pretty one is the Porland light.

Heading south is Mystic Seaport in Connecticut, a recreated colonial era + seaport. This is an excellent long day trip.

Another recreated area is Sturbridge Village heading out west on the Mass. Turnpike.
The Publick House is a great place to eat.

Most of our country's early history occured in the New England area, so there is so much to see and do. Of course, not all these things are doable within a one-week visit.
You will have to choose what is most interesting to do. I hope you enjoy our wonderful area.

Check out the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. They manage a number of historic homes that would be interesting to poke aroung in. (www.spnea.org) I believe they offer tours and lectures too. Another group to check out is Trustees of the Reservation - they manage large tracks of land as well as historic homes. The Crane Estate in Ipswich Massachusetts is particulurly beautiful. (thetrustees.org).

There is soooo much to do. If you want to get a taste of Cape Cod without the trip. Take the ferry for the day to Provincetown...you may even see a whale!!!

Portsmouth is one of my favorite towns and has some great historical tourist sites, including Strawbery Banke http://www.strawberybanke.org/exhibits.html. Portsmouth was a key strategic location, so there are many old forts surrounding the harbor. I also love the towns on the coast around Portsmouth. Newcastle, Kittery Point and York are some of my favorites.

Within an hour from Portsmouth you can reach Canterbury Shaker Village http://www.shakers.org/, Northern Mass- Rockport, Newburyport, Gloucester and Lexington/Concord.http://www.northofboston.org/visitor/visitor.php

Although you?re a little early for sunbathing, the beaches are beautiful and not overly crowded at this time of year. Drive up Route 1A in Maine for a scenic drive with lots of great stops (including those lighthouses you were looking for).

Boston is great, but with the other things you want to do, you might be further ahead staying north of Boston and traveling into Boston to explore for a day or two. Boston hotels are expensive and I believe you might be able to find the B&B you?re looking for outside of Boston. New England isn?t very big and if you stay out of rush hours it takes about an hour to reach Boston from Portsmouth. Another suggestion is to look for weekend packages in Boston. When we decide to do a weekend in Boston we hunt down the weekend packages. I?m not sure with graduation if they will be available like they are during other times of the year.

Early June is wonderful in New England because it isn?t as crowded as high summer and it?s warm enough to take off your boots and down parka. Have a wonderful time.

You've already gotten some great suggestions. I think I might opt for 3 days in Boston, 4 days heading north. Canterbury Shaker Village might be the most interesting because of the Shakers' inventiveness and the beauty of the village. Another interior gem not mentioned yet is the Cole Transportation Museum in Bangor. The logging industry is an interesting part of New England history that is well documented here. Make sure to see pictures of the Lombard Log Hauler. In a small town nearby is the small Leonards Mills Logging Museum. We visited in early June when they were having events. We were able to see the saw mill operating and talk to the skilled volunteers who had restored it. Chopping competitions were also being held with teams from area colleges. (During the war there were logging jills and a couple of college women were doing them proud.) Tough call though. With the distance you might be best to only go as far north as Portsmouth and Portland.

Hi Rat, I see that as usual, folks have completely ignored western Massachusetts in their advice. If you are truly interested in military history, you can not miss Springfield Mass. The Springfield Armory, the first in the country, is located on the campus of Springfield Technical Community College in dowtown Springfield. We are also home to the Basketball Hall of Fame, Smith and Wesson gunmakers. There are lots of things to do in Western Mass and it is a lot cheaper here than in Boston. If you are looking for a couple of days of slower pace and cheaper rates, try the Springfield area.

A poster above mentioned south of Boston for more Historical sites- gotta agree. Newport alone has more restored pre-revolutionary war houses per square mile than any other place in the US. That is not to mention the Mansions and Fort Adams. And someone above mentioned whaling history- New Bedford, MA is THE place to go if you want to see a whaling museum. Add New London Ct as mentioned above. Also, a little-known gem in Rhode Island is the Haffenreffer[sp] museuem in Bristol which boasts perhaps the finest collection of native American artifacts and axhibts on the east coast outside of the Smithsonian.
Bottom line- if you want scenery and quaint New England towns go north of Boston and out to Cape Cod, but if you want history, southern New England it is!

Definitely check out Historic Deerfield. Stayed at the Deerfield Inn and it was superb.

If you are in western Ma. you might want to check out the Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield. www. hancockshakervillage.org

ttt

Guess i need to chime in, too re the pleasures, history, and advantages of western new england: in my adopted home in the berkshires, you will find an extraordinary literary and political history: Melville, Wharton, Hawthorne, E. st. Vincent millay, WEB dubois, and plenty of charming 18th century villages incl hancock Shaker Village where you must take at least 3 hrs to visit.; lots of antiques, and alot less traffic. it's 2.5 hrs from Boston.

Was there some particular reason for topping a 2-year-old thread?

That is funny Anonymous, about the 2 year old thread piece. Don't the messages ever drop off? Wonder if Magicrat did a trip report....

=P~

No, messages seem to never disappear, which is actually a good thing because much of the information is timeless, amusing, or at least a good basis for further research.

I just hate to see all my buddies here struggling to help someone out, when they actually took their trip already ages ago.