My husband and I are going to visit the Boston area December 18 - 23. We are from Idaho and have never been back East. The reason for our ( his ) visit is we are going to the New England Patriots football game on the 22nd. We will be spending the 18th - 20th in Boston and then the 20th-23rd Foxboro. Would appreciate any suggestions on what is a must see in Boston or the surrounding areas and what we should avoid. We only have 3 days of actual "exploring". Thank you for any comments.

Why are you spending 3 days in Foxboro? Did you know that you could stay in Boston and take a commuter rail train to Foxboro? Will you have a car? Are you looking for things to do right in the city, or day trips in the Foxboro arae? What do you enjoy -- history, museums, art, shopping?

Joanne -
We will have a car, I've heard driving there is a nightmare but he wanted to have his own car. The reason why we are staying in Foxboro is because my husband was determined to stay there ( he wanted to stay there the whole time ). We are very interested in the history over there and I ( not him ) like shopping.

Thank you for any more input.

Having grown up in Foxboro I must tell you there is not a lot to do in the town itself (it is a small suburban town....very nice but not a lot for activities). May I ask where you are staying there? The drive from Boston to Foxboro can be horrendous (during rush hour), however without traffic is only 40 minutes.

That being said there are several area activities...in Boston, the Aquarium, Science museum and Fanuel Hall come to mind. Providence, RI is also close by...that has become quite a nice small city. If you are into history, Plymouth, MA may also be interesting to you.

There are actually many things to do in this general area...let me know if you have any other questions. I would be happy to help!

We will be staying at the Comfort Inn in Foxboro, do you know if that is a good place to stay? It was my husband's idea to stay in Foxboro because the stadium is right there but he knows that up until the game day I want to explore. How far is Plymouth from Boston or Foxboro? Thanks for the comment about Providence, that was on my list of places to visit when we are there because I noticed that it was fairly close to Foxboro. Is Cape Cod worth going to?

I'm hoping after this trip we will learn more about where to stay and where not to stay.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Don't get the car until you leave Boston. You don't want to drive in Boston and you don't want to have to pay the parking fee at the hotel. Use the MBTA subway and/or cabs. You can enjoy walking unless the weather is dismal. The Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall area is very close to the Aquarium. You can also walk from their to the North End if you'd like Italian food. Or walk thru Chinatown. It's only a few blocks away. Take some kind of tour. The Kennedy Library is fascinating. At the Museum of Science you can spend some of the time watching the IMAX movie. Usually there are several playing. I think there is also an IMAX at the Providence Place Mall. If worse comes to worse, you can probably deposit your husband in a brew pub while you shop. A fun place to eat on the street level is Fire and Ice. You choose your veggies, meats, and sauce and it's stir fried on a giant grill. The Union Brewery would be good. If you want to splurge on a luxury meal, go to Cafe Nuevo. Leave room for dessert. I don't think you need to change hotels, Foxboro is close enough to Providence. Depending on how well you like Boston you can spend most of you time there and just spend the 21st in Providence. Hope you have a great time.

We were in Boston 20 some yrs ago and what we, and our children, remember to this day is Old North Church because of the history. We all remembered Paul Revere and "one if by land, two if by sea".

Avoid the Cheers bar. I went a few years ago and found it to be a huge waste of time. And I was only there for about 30 minutes!

Hi Kim!
In general... If you are leaving Boston on the 20th, that might be the right day to detour to Plymouth. It's less than an hour from Boston, and if you like history, I think you'd enjoy touring the Mayflower replica and Plimouth Plantation. One of the evenings you're in Foxboro, be sure to venture out to North Attleboro to the Lasallette Shrine. They have the most beautiful display of Christmas lights! Also, Providence is nice for shopping, dining, etc.
Your full day in Boston, you might enjoy the Duck Tour out of the Pru area or the North End Culinery Tour in Boston's "little Italy." Both require advance reservations. The Freedom Trail is best walked, but many of the stops are on the tourist "trolley" line. Dinner at Aujourd'hui at the Four Seasons would be expensive, but overlooks Boston Commons and the ice skating pond (ask for a table that actually does!). The Ritz has a room set up as "Clara's Bedroom" from the Nutcracker on display, and you can enjoy a reasonable lunch or drinks in their pub. The Boston Ballet does a fabulous Nutcracker at the Wang Center. There is lots of shopping on both Boylston (FAO Schwartz) and Newbury Streets (very expensive!) and an upscale mall inside the Copley Plaza. You might enjoy spending your first night after arrival poking around Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall - casual eateries and various shops.
If you have any other specific questions, I'd be happy to help if I can! I'll check back tomorrow.

Beth, I have a question for you (I did try citysearch), where is the Kennedy Library and do they still have the Jackie Kennedy exhibit? I'll be in Boston December 14th and 15th. Thanks.

The Kennedy Library is in the Dorchester section of Boston, very accessible by the subway, not hard to find by car (for Boston, that is). The special exhibit on Jackie is up until the end of February.

http://www.jfklibrary.org/

Go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum!!!! Even if you don't like art, you will love the sheer beauty of this palazzo. The interior courtyard is one of the most ethereal places I have seen!And it is one of the few places in the world where you will see a Giotto.

I drove to the Kennedy Library earlier this fall and let me just say that I figured with over 100,000 miles on my car it would be okay if we didn't make it through some of the intersections. Although the route is well marked by signs, we came to one intersection where we had a flashing red light. It was noon time on a Friday and getting through that was challenging. There was always a steady stream of traffic to cross, they had a flashing yellow light. The Jackie exhibit was fascinating. She was a very gracious lady.

I just want to thank everyone for their responses. You have all been very helpful.