Trip outside of Boston
 

My husband & I will be attending a convention in Boston from May 1-5 and we would like to take a post meeting adventure.

We would like to spend about 3-4 days traveling by car to see some sights in driving distance from Boston. Maybe Cape Cod or points north?

We were thinking about taking a train out of Boston and renting a car in a smaller city to begin our travels in order to avoid driving in Boston.

We enjoy beautiful scenery, back roads, (my husband is a photographer) and I would be happy with some great antique stores!

The follow up question, before we book our flights, would be should we fly out of a different city by to San Diego (where we live) in order not to have to back track to Boston to fly home.

Thank you for your help!

We drove up the southern coast of Maine, thru Kennebunkport and up to Portland. I, too, am a photographer, and loved the lighthouse at Cape Neddick. It was March and snowing, but the starkness of it made for beautiful pictures!

I would pick up a car at the airport, or see what the charge is to get one in town and drop it off at Logan. Driving in Boston is impossible, but from a rental location to Rt 93 should not be too difficult.

I'd head to Ipswich, Essex,Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester by the Sea, Magnolia maps and plan a day and night doing that. The area is regarded as Cape Anne.

Then I'd head to Maine - York, Ogunquit, Wells and Kennebunkport/Kennebunk areas for the rest of the trip.

Final day just head directly back to Logan and drop off car.

Do a search and you should find numerous antiques shops in both of these areas.

Good luck with your plans
g

gyppielou forgot to mention Portsmouth NH. May 1-5 is when spring is finally arriving in northern New England. It might be a little early for apple blossoms but the coast is warmer than inland. Expect to see flowering shrubs etc in bloom. The coastal route thru Rye NH will go past beautiful mansions. Rt 1B to Portsmouth goes thru New Castle, a very beautiful old town and the renovated historic Wentworth hotel. From Portsmouth, if you go over the bridge to Kittery ME and follow the signs to Kittery Point it is very pretty along the river. Portsmouth has some great restaurants. If you make a loop inland to Concord NH Rt 4 takes you thru Northwood NH which is called "antique alley". Lots of antique shops.
Including Gyppie's list, you are still within an hour of Boston, less than 2 hours if you go further to include Cape Neddick and Portland ME. Ideal for lots of back road driving and great restaurants and things to do.
If you do consider a drive to the Concord NH area, the terrain gets hillier. There are some places with views of distant mountains although there are some small mountains in the Concord area (i.e. Mt Kearsarge in Warner).
You might consider the price of car rentals in Manchester NH vs Boston. Maybe cheaper would be worth flying home from MHT. Manchester to Boston is less than an hour by bus and less than an hour to Portsmouth. I would still make the Cape Ann trip.

Depending on where you are staying, renting a car at the airport may be pretty easy, and your only Boston driving would be from the car rental to I-93 and back, well marked and very easy, no city streets at all!

If your husband's convention is at the Convention Center in South Boston [erroneously called The Waterfront], you can get a shuttle or the Silver Line to the airport, then pick up a rental car bus.

If you are staying in the Back Bay, a quick change at Government Center from the Green Line to the Blue Line makes it very easy to get to the airport.

If you are staying in the Financial District or the [real] waterfront, all you need to do is go to the Aquarium or State St T.

Sorry, Essex is full of antique stores.

Here's a link to Amtrak's Downeaster train that runs from North Station to points in NH and ME, ending in Portland. You can get to North Station using the Green line from Copley Square in the Back Bay (I see from your other post that you will be staying at the Sheraton Boston). This may be an alternative to driving, if you decide not to rent a car http://www.amtrakdowneaster.com/
You can also take the train from Boston up to one of the stops in NH or ME and rent a car from there to go further up in Northern NE. Also, there are airports in South Portland, ME and Manchester, NH (about an hour from Boston) for your return trip to CA as an alternative to driving all the way back to Boston. Enjoy your time in New England!

I often fly to Boston to get to our place in Southern Maine. We use Thrifty Car Rental. All you hvae to do is make a u-turn after leaving Thrifty and head north up through Revere, Saugus then to Rt.#95 north. It is very easy and no Boston driving.

I agree that you should just rent the car in-town; taking a train out of town just in order to pick up the rental car is more hassle. The rental agency will be able to give you getaway directions; as bnb pointed out, some are very simple.

One place in Boston you should not miss if you love beautiful things and European atmosphere: the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.
Outside of Boston, try Lowell, home to Jack Kerouac and the mills plus the nearby towns with commons, farmers' markets, antiques shops, apple orchards; Westford, Littleton, Groton,Dunstable. Why cant all of N. England stay free from strip malls ??

thanks ack, when I suggested Essex I was thinking marshy roads lots of antique stores but forgot to mention my intentions. It's been awhile, time for a local road trip to Cape Ann area - that is once the ice melts!!!

Happy planning Isok! Google some good maps and hit the scenic shore roads. And research New England Antique organizations - I have seen Antique newsletters that list dealers.

Thank you to everyone for their suggestions--keep them coming.

We were thinking of staying on Cape Cod, but Cape Ann sounds great. It may be a little early in the season for good weather on Cape Cod?? The Sandwich Glass museum caught my attention, but we could still do that.

Any suggestions as to which town/city to stay in? Our preference would be to find someplace (a B&B perhaps) to use as a home base for day trips and not have to pack and unpack every night. We only have 3 or 4 nights, then back to Boston for our trip home.

Again--thanks to all of your input.

LSOK