molly1153

We're taking a family trip to Boston in late April 2009. I've been reading here and getting great info. Here is the skeleton of our trip:

Hotel -- one bedroom suite in Peabody $99/night.

Fri: Arrive by car from WNY

Sat: Drive into Boston. See aquarium, USS Constitution. Eat Italian somewhere?

Sun: Drive into Boston. Freedom trail tour w/ Boston by foot. Eat seafood somewhere?

Mon: Drive to Plimouth Plantation. Maybe stop at Adams NHP

Tues: Salem AM: Peabody Essex Museum
PM: Sox Game vs. Twins -- maybe early dinner at a bar/pub near Fenway

Wed. Glouchester -- whale watch?

Thurs/Fri -- head up to Maine? More Boston area stuff?

Some other notes: Family of 5 (kids 15, 13, 10.) We love history, sports, reading, nature & outdoors.

We are NOT shoppers (more likely to buy a book at a museum gift shop than to go to a mall.)

We're not adventurous eaters. I am allergic to shellfish (I'd could cry!) & one kid is a vegetarian.

I'd LOVE to go to Maine to Acadia but need advise on where to stay.

Is it too early for a whale watch?

I'd love to go see lighthouses. Suggestions on particular ones? Also need advice on beach/nature hikes.

Any input?

Thanks in advance

wyatt92

I assume you're staying in Peabody because it's cheap. Since it's the weekend, the commute probably won't be too bad but you'll end up paying at least $25 per day in parking. You might try to drive to a T stop and take the train in (Wonderland maybe? I'm not familiar with which parking lots fill up early, etc.) Just be aware of this.

For Italian, you'll want to head to the North End, it's on the Freedom Trail and within walking distance of the USS Constitution. There are over 100 restaurants there, tons to choose from. With kids, you might want to try Maurizio's or Giacomo's or have pizza at the original Pizzeria Regina location. For dessert, hit Modern or Mike's Pastry.

Giacomo's has a lot of seafood so you could kill two birds with one stone. Neptune Oyster in the NE is another place to go for seafood. I also like Atlantic Fish and Skipjack's in the Back Bay.

You don't have enough time to head up to Acadia. There's plenty to see in southern Maine. The Nubble Light lighthouse in York Beach is nice, there's also a lighthouse in the Portland ME area I believe. But the North Shore of MA also has a lot of cute seaside towns. You could easily spend a day in Marblehead or Rockport or Newburyport.

bennnie

Usually I would recommend that you stay closer to Boston but given that you have a good rate and a large family that may need two rooms in a non-suite hotel in Boston, you've done okay.

Usually I would tell you to not park in Boston and take the T too but again since you are a bigger group it may be worth your while to just drive in and park if you are not adverse to Boston.

On Sat - you should eat in the North End - the local Italian neighborhood. Pizzeria Regina has excellent pizza - cheap eats and local atmosphere for a big family.

Be careful on your drive to Plimouth Plantation on Monday - its about 1.5 hours without traffic. Depending on when you leave you could hit lots which will add upwards of an hour to the trip. Stopping at Adams NHP is easy as it is along the way.

Whale Watch out of Gloucester in April could be very cold - if they are running.

Don't try to park near Fenway - its outrageous - anywhere from $25 to 50.

You could head up to S. Maine - York Beach area as a day trip from Peabody. Nubble Lighthouse is famous. See the taffy being pulled at the Goldenrod. Walk along the beach. Stop along the way in Portsmouth or Ordione State Park for a hike out to see a few more lighthouses in Portsmouth Harbor. There are WWII bunkers to explore there also.

have a great trip.

yk

I'll comment on a few things:

Sat: Drive into Boston. See aquarium, USS Constitution. Eat Italian somewhere?

An Italian dinner in North End is your best bet. It may work out better if you go to USS Constitution first, then to the Aquarium as North End is within walking distance from the Aquarium.

Sun: Drive into Boston. Freedom trail tour w/ Boston by foot. Eat seafood somewhere?

The Boston National Park Service offers FREE 90-min guided walking tour of the Freedom Trail. Why pay $12 per person for the Boston by foot?
http://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm

There is a large food hall in the Fanueil Hall complex which offers various types of food including seafood. You should be able to find something that satisfies everyone's diet limitation there.

Mon: Drive to Plimouth Plantation. Maybe stop at Adams NHP

Traffic would be a nightmare. Would you consider doing this trip on the weekend instead?

Tues: Salem AM: Peabody Essex Museum
PM: Sox Game vs. Twins -- maybe early dinner at a bar/pub near Fenway

Make sure you visit the Chinese House at PEM. Very unique.

You'll need to leave yourself plenty of time to get to the RedSox game. Are you driving? Plan to get there hours in advance or you'll be stuck in traffic forever getting near Fenway. The bars & pubs will be crowded before the game, so you might want to consider eating at a restaurant where you can make a reservation before the game (eg, Eastern Standard Kitchen). Parking will be expensive if you park near Fenway, but if you're willing to walk a bit, you can park at 100 Clarendon Garage, which is the offical parking garage for Red Sox games. You can get a discount by showing your ticket stub.
http://www.100clarendon.com/index.html

Late April is too early for Acadia.

EDIT to add:
Parking in boston on the weekend ISN'T too bad.
The Garage @ Post Office Sq is $9/day
The Boston Common Garage is $11/d

Anonymous

Since the Sox play the Twins on Tuesday April 21, your trip begins over the very busy Patriots Day weekend. Parking in the city on Sunday could be problematic, and traffic in the Back Bay might already be rerouted in preparation for Monday's marathon.

On the other hand, Monday traffic will be lighter than usual; get an early start and visit Adams first.

Anonymous

Also, that week is school vacation week for most public schools in the greater Boston area.

yk

Forgot to add websites:

Boston Common Garage
http://www.mccahome.com/bcg_rat.html

Garage @ Post Office Sq
http://www.posquare.com/rates.html

Anonymous

It might make more sense to do the Freedom Trail on Tuesday since you'll be in town for the game anyway, and then go to Salem on Sunday. There's a lot to do in Salem and you could stay longer, and avoid trying to drive from Salem into the city for the game on a weekday at rush hour.

tchoiniere

Do you have tickets for the Sox game already? It will be tough to get 5 seats together at this point, unless you are willing to pay a premium.

I would definitely switch Sunday day with Tuesday day. That weekend is insane in Boston (lots of fun but way too many people)

molly1153

Cost & space are the reasons we're staying in Peabody.

I'd planned to go to the city on Sat & Sun b/c I thought there'd be less traffic and easier parking.

Now picture me going, "D'oh!" b/c I didn't do my research about what else was going on in Boston that weekend. Anon was correct about the dates. I actually picked that week based on the Sox schedule. I thought we could have an easier time getting tix early in the season and against non-rival team. (Note to self: Find out why a MLB team would play at 11 AM on a Monday. Don't just say "hmmmm.")

And schools here are off the week after Easter.

About Game Day: We'd like to be in our seats before batting practice starts. (5 pm? 5:30?) I was thinking we'd have to be at a restaurant by 3-3:30. Would we avoid much traffic and be able to sit & eat easily somewhere close to Fenway?

I picked Boston by foot over the NPS b/c that weekend BBF is wlaking the whole Freedom Trail. Maybe that'd be too much or not necessary?

tchoiniere

Sox sell out every game, regardless of opponent. That game has only obstructed view seats left for groups of 5 (just checked redsox.com). Try Acetickets.com or stubhub.com but I would act quickly.

Gates open at 5:05 for a 7:05 game (2 hrs prior to gametime). Yawkey way is the main street near the entrance. They close it down on game day and have BBQ restaurants, vendors, etc starting at gate opening, which is a lot of fun. You can walk back and forth from your seats. Would agree with a restaurant around 3:00 which may still be crowded in the Fenway area adjacent to the stadium.

Anonymous

Since many of your planned days are interchangeable, IF you don't have your Sox tickets yet you should also look into what's still available for Wednesday's game.

fmpden

ttt

yk

If you truly plan to visit Adams Historic Park on your day to Plimouth, plan on a very long day and start early.

The Adams park opens at 9am, and you can only tour the site by guided tours, which last 2 hours. You cannot leave the tour in the middle of it, as you board a trolley which takes you to 2 separate houses and at each house there is a guided tour. You get back to your starting point only at the end of the 2-hour tour.

Therefore, if you get there at 9am, you won't be done touring the Adams Historic Park until 11am the earliest.

I picked Boston by foot over the NPS b/c that weekend BBF is wlaking the whole Freedom Trail. Maybe that'd be too much or not necessary?

I'm not sure what you mean with the above statement. Walking the entire Freedom Trail means going to Charlestown to visit Bunker Hill and USS Constitution as well. I don't see the point of returning to USS Constitution again if you have already done that on Saturday. You can easily drive over to Bunker hill on Sat before or after USS Constitution. You can climb the monument and visit the museum across the street.
http://www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/bhm.htm

molly1153

Thanks to everyone for the info!

I just looked at Acetickets for Tues & Wed and will jump on some bleachers seats as soon as we finalize the dates...

Because I'm wondering if we should change to the first week of May b/c of Patriot's Day, Boston Marathon and schools being off. I really don't want to go in May b/c my kids play baseball and soccer starting in May. Obviously, you guys can't make that decision for me but is the city doable that marathon weekend or is it to be avoided at all costs?

molly1153

yk,

I think I see what you mean. I was comparing the BBF 3 hour tour and the NPS 1.5 hour tour. You're saying that I'm covering part of the trail by going to the Constituion on Sat and I could just add on going to Bunker Hill. If I did the NPS I'd save $$ and not duplicate sites. Is that right?

Adams & Plimoth on the same day would be a long day. Thanks for pointing that out.

Anonymous

The city is "do-able" on Marathon weekend, especially if many of your activities are outside the city or in sections that aren't directly affected by the Marathon (such as the Aquarium and most of the Freedom Trail). Frankly, early May isn't much better, because it's college graduation season.

Adams and Plimoth would be a long day in total hours, but not exhausting because it's broken up by car rides, and because the Adams trolley means there's very little waking around. Since the Park Service home base for Adams is right across the street from the Quincy Center subway station, it's also very accessible by public transit.

yk

If you wait until early May, you run the risk of arriving town with lots of parents, as May is graduation month here in Boston.

It's hard to say how crazy it is in Boston for the Marathon weekend. We were wandering around town on the Sunday before the Marathon last year, and I didn't think it was nuts. Of course, we took public transportation so I can't say how bad traffic was.

The Magnolia blooms during mid-late April in Boston is quite magnificent.

I see that you are thinking of taking the "Footloose on the Freedom Trail" tour, which is the 3-hr tour. Yes, part of it will be a duplicate with the USS Constitution if you have already visited it a few days earlier.

I have not personally taken any walking tours, either by Boston by Foot or by the NPS, so I cannot really comment or compare them. The one thing I notice about the NPS tour is there's a limit of 30 people per tour and it's first-come-first-serve. there are tours at 10, 11 and 2 on weekends, so if you want to take advantage of the free tour, try to get there early to ensure you will get in on the tour.

I enjoyed my visit to Adams Historic site. It's very worthwhile though only you will know if your kids can last such a long day if you do go.

china_cat

About your Sox plans...

game is at 7:05, the gates to the park open 2 hours early, 5:05 so you can see the visiting team take batting practice for about 1/2 hour. the home team practices earlier than that. Yawkey Way, the street outside Fenway closes around that time, maybe a little earlier. So after watching BP, you can wander on Yawkey way before the game, visit the Twins souvenir store, or RemDawgs hotdog stand, maybe someone will be signing stuff in Autograph Alley (just inside the park).

If you arrive around 3:30, you will have no trouble finding somplace less crowded to have a snack before hand. One thing, I have no idea how crowded this is, but on Lansdowne street side of Fenway is a new place called the Bleacher Bar. It is actually built underneath the Fenway bleachers, and has a grate with one-way opening so you can see into the park. You may be able to watch the home team taking batting practice this way (presumable sometime between 3-4 they take BP).

If you like Mexican, there is an excellent Mexican place on Landsdowne called La Verdad. It will be very crowded at 5PM, but before that maybe not. You'll have to check their hours. Eastern Standard is another good choice, and I believe it serves all day. Also, on the far side fo the park from Kenmore, is Burtons for a sitdown meal. Or Cambridge 1 which has decent pizza. Cambridge 1 isn't usally that crowded right before the game.

molly1153

Thanks for all the help thus far. Based on your input I've switched things up a bit.

Sat: Drive into Boston. NPS Freedom Trail 90 minute walk. See Constitution in depth.

Sun: Drive into Boston. Go to Science museum.

Go to Faneuil Hall to eat one of these days. Italian in North End the other day.

Mon: Glouchester -- whale watch & maybe Essex for the shipbuilding museum?

Tues: AM Peabody Essex Museum. Afternoon & evening: Head into Boston to see Sox BP at Bleacher Bar then to Fenway in time for Twins BP.

Wed: more Boston/north of Boston stuff -- have to figure it out.

Thurs: Check out of hotel and head south. Go to Adams NHP or go to Plimouth. Would love to do both. We'll see.

Going to get a room "south" of Boston

Fri: Plimouth or New Bedford. (Whaling Museum, Firefighter Museum)

Sat: ??? and head home in afternoon

Besides Cape Cod, what else would you reccomend to do south of Boston?