Boston - What to See/Where to Stay

[dthogue]

We decided to spend the week before my niece's wedding in July touring Boston. I am looking to stay in the city for 4 nights - 5 days of touring, then we will head to Mystic, CT for a few days.

Is 5 days enough or too much to do Boston? What are the not-to-miss attractions we should plan on seeing, how should I plan our days? We are a family of 5 (DD's 20,18 and 12). I am looking for a nice hotel, reasonably priced, preferably with breakfast and a pool, not too far from all the sights. Any suggestions.

Tammy

 

[MOMnDYL]

If you don't have your heart set on staying right in the city... there's a really nice Westin in Waltham. It's about 20 minutes outside of Boston. For me it's perfect because it's a beautiful hotel with cozy beds and a nice pool, but it's affordable at the same time. I definitely recommend the Boston Science Museum, the aquarium, and shopping in Faneuil Hall!

 

[debbiecarr98]

I think the duck tours and swan boats are fun. Also, the freedom trail, Fanueil Hall, the aquarium including possibly a whale watch if you have never done one? I cant help with a place to stay, I usually just use Hotwire. Have a great trip!

 

[Safari Queen]

There's great theater in Boston -- worth checking out, especially the ArtsBoston booth which offers 1/2 price tickets. Duck Tours are very enjoyable and you can walk the Freedom Trail to catch Revolutionary War locations like Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church. There's an old cemetary where famous authors and Mother Goose are buried. Newbury Street, right near the Public Gardens and Boston Common, is filled with unique boutiques and galleries. Take a Swan Boat ride in the Gardens The Museum of Science is wonderful and features an IMAX, 3-D theater, planetarium, and butterfly zoo. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was the home of a wealthy socialite at the turn of the 19-20th century and it's filled with fascinating stuff. If you have time and a car, you might want to visit Plymouth and tour the beaches of Cape Cod. The Red Sox may be playing in Boston. Cambridge is right across the river and Harvard Square offers a fabulous variety of restaurants and shops. Lots to do for five days!

 

[englishteacha]

What they said!

Museum of Science, Aquarium, theater, Quincy Market, Freedom Trail. Also lots of art museums. There's a "Go Boston" card you can purchase that gets you into lots of places for a flat cost.

 

[new englander]

Be sure to get a go boston card for huge savings.

 

[deedeetoo]

I'm not sure about prices for hotels in Boston, but I would not stay way out in Waltham at the Westin. Yes its a beautiful hotel, but you do not want to have to drive into Boston everyday from there. Traffic can be miserable. Try to get something in town. There are several hotels in the Copley Square/Prudential area. There is also the Seaport Hotel which is lovely though on the other side of the financial district. The one place I would advise you stay away from is the Marriott Courtyard on Tremont St. I attended a meeting there recently and though I didn't stay overnight, everyone that did said the hotel was absolutely awful.

As for things to do - everyone else pretty well covered it. Freedom Trail, Duck tours, aquarium, Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts. You could do a whale watch. Just walking around the Public Garden and Newbury Street (shops and galleries) is fun.

Boston is a walking city. Once you are in the city you either walk or take the T (the subway). You don't want to be driving around Boston. You will get lost and parking is very pricey.

 

[perriwinkleblue]

There's great theater in Boston -- worth checking out, especially the ArtsBoston booth which offers 1/2 price tickets. Duck Tours are very enjoyable and you can walk the Freedom Trail to catch Revolutionary War locations like Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church. There's an old cemetary where famous authors and Mother Goose are buried. Newbury Street, right near the Public Gardens and Boston Common, is filled with unique boutiques and galleries. Take a Swan Boat ride in the Gardens The Museum of Science is wonderful and features an IMAX, 3-D theater, planetarium, and butterfly zoo. The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum was the home of a wealthy socialite at the turn of the 19-20th century and it's filled with fascinating stuff. If you have time and a car, you might want to visit Plymouth and tour the beaches of Cape Cod. The Red Sox may be playing in Boston. Cambridge is right across the river and Harvard Square offers a fabulous variety of restaurants and shops. Lots to do for five days!

Great ideas I especially second the swanboats in the public garden, a side trip to Plymouth and/or the Cape (we love Sandwich and it's just "over the bridge", the Sox (look into tickets in advance) -- and I'd add the Harvard Museum of Natural History, eating in the North End and Chinatown, exploring the harbor islands and taking a harbor cruise of any sort - even catching the water taxi from the aquarium to the U.S.S. Constitution is a great idea. Have a great trip

 

[Boston Tea Party]

We Hotwired the Westin in Back Bay this summer. Back Bay is very nice and convenient to the T. Had a great time on the Duck, saw a concert at Fenway, went to Harvard, beautiful weather. Have a great time!

 

[Deesknee]

I recommend:

Duck Tours,Swan Boats, Fenway Park (either red sox game or concert), the science museum, museum of fine arts, Freedom Trail, USS constitution (aka old ironsides), Bunker Hill, Boston Commons, Fanuel Hall, the JFK museum, the college districts (especially if you like beautiful architecture)with the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum right in the middle of.

There are sort of many cities within Boston. For instance the locals refer to cities like Dorchester,Chelsea and others as Boston. (unless you live in one of the cities inside the city). Boston is a city of nations. Each area holding pride in who settled their city, for instance "Southie" is primarily irish settled as is Dorchester, there is North End which is primarily Italian settled, German town, China town. So, if you want authentic Chinese food, China town is the place to go, Italian head to North End. If you are coming for March 17 - no place like Southie. If you have questions on if the area is high crime or not...ask one of the police on horse, they will be happy to help you.

for a great trip.

Now if you want to venture out of the city, there are some great towns filled with history like: Salem (known for the Salem witch trials - house of 7 gables, etc),Lexington Concord (battle of lexington concord), or Gloucester (beautiful fishing town (town the movie Perfect Storm was based on I believe), Or south of the city is Scituate (with a manned lighthouse, home of Rebecca & Abigail Bates who scared off British troups using only pots & pans to make noise), or historic Quincy ( home of 2 US presidents- Abigail Adams house is beautiful gardens), or Hingham (prettiest US town boasted by... I think it was Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, but that I'm not sure), or Plymouth (home of the Pilgrims, plymouth plantation, the Mayflower, Governor Bradford park (scenic), museums, some great restaurants, whale watches. qauint souvenier type shops. or theres Cape Cod apprx 2 1/2 hrs drive from Boston is full of small towns that have great restaurants, museums, hotes/motel/bed & breakfasts, theres Provincetown at the very tip of the cape, if you found the JFK museum interesting Cape Cod host the Kennedy compound in the town of Hyannis, and a museum based on the Kennedy family history as well.

What ever you decide, enjoy your trip. If you don't see it all, feel free to come back another time, don't worry, we love company!

 

[Dani4girls]

What everyone else said: Freedom Trail, Boston Commons, Quincy Market, Old Ironsides, Bunker Hill, etc.

Also, I highly recommend Mike's Pastries in the North End! Yummy!!!

 

[debbiecarr98]

I recommend:

Duck Tours,Swan Boats, Fenway Park (either red sox game or concert), the science museum, museum of fine arts, Freedom Trail, USS constitution (aka old ironsides), Bunker Hill, Boston Commons, Fanuel Hall, the JFK museum, the college districts (especially if you like beautiful architecture)with the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum right in the middle of.

There are sort of many cities within Boston. For instance the locals refer to cities like Dorchester,Chelsea and others as Boston. (unless you live in one of the cities inside the city). Boston is a city of nations. Each area holding pride in who settled their city, for instance "Southie" is primarily irish settled as is Dorchester, there is North End which is primarily Italian settled, German town, China town. So, if you want authentic Chinese food, China town is the place to go, Italian head to North End. If you are coming for March 17 - no place like Southie. If you have questions on if the area is high crime or not...ask one of the police on horse, they will be happy to help you.

for a great trip.

Now if you want to venture out of the city, there are some great towns filled with history like: Salem (known for the Salem witch trials - house of 7 gables, etc),Lexington Concord (battle of lexington concord), or Gloucester (beautiful fishing town (town the movie Perfect Storm was based on I believe), Or south of the city is Scituate (with a manned lighthouse, home of Rebecca & Abigail Bates who scared off British troups using only pots & pans to make noise), or historic Quincy ( home of 2 US presidents- Abigail Adams house is beautiful gardens), or Hingham (prettiest US town boasted by... I think it was Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, but that I'm not sure), or Plymouth (home of the Pilgrims, plymouth plantation, the Mayflower, Governor Bradford park (scenic), museums, some great restaurants, whale watches. qauint souvenier type shops. or theres Cape Cod apprx 2 1/2 hrs drive from Boston is full of small towns that have great restaurants, museums, hotes/motel/bed & breakfasts, theres Provincetown at the very tip of the cape, if you found the JFK museum interesting Cape Cod host the Kennedy compound in the town of Hyannis, and a museum based on the Kennedy family history as well.

What ever you decide, enjoy your trip. If you don't see it all, feel free to come back another time, don't worry, we love company!

great advice, just fyi, the cape is only about 90 minutes.

 

[Deesknee]

Sorry, the Cape is about 90mins. I meant to type 1 1/2 hr not 2 1/2 hr. Thanks for picking up on that Debbiecar98.

 

[ProudMommyof2]

I agree with what has been suggested- let me just add

1. Top of the Prudential Building- there is an observation deck with 360degree views of the city. There is an audio tour for kids and adults( different recordings) that tells you what you are looking at as well as the history behind it.

2. You can tour Fenway Park w/o going to a game. It is $11 a person and they go out frequently- they do stop them earlier on game days. Make sure you get a sausage & pepper sandwich!

3. The Duck Tour is awesome!!!

4. Museum of Science and Boston Children's Museum are both great! Aquarium is good and they have whale watching that leaves from there.


Try hotwire.com for hotels, there are usally great deals right in the city!

 

[Maddie2]

Where will the wedding be held? Perhaps you may want to headquarter out of the same place all week? Will you have a car?

When we travel to MA, we split our time south of Boston near the water and a few days in the city. We like the Home Suites Inn in Waltham on Totten Road. It is just a short drive to a T-stop go into the city for the day and not too far to the water.

We have gone on the Old Town Trolley Tour and loved it... www.trolleytours.com You can hop off and on the trolley all day at any of the stops. You can buy a one day or two day pass .... I just checked the website and see that the 2nd day is free! That is a great deal and I wish we would have had that last year!

The bus drivers/tour directors are very knowledgeable and often quite funny. It was definitely worth the price - which seems high to begin with, but truly 'made' our trip. On this tour we also went on the Swan Boats, the North End (Mike's Pastries included), the USS Constitution, Old North Church, Freedom Trail, Paul Revere's house, Fanueil Hall, Quincy Market, Boston Garden, saw the Cheers bar, cemetary of Mother Goose and Benjamin Franklin, saw the Christopher Columbus statue in the North End, and much more. Much is outlined on the website, but the bus drivers ad lib a lot and tell you more too.

Other things we've done and enjoyed - Museum of Science (hint: buy a membership at your local zoo and enjoy FREE or reduced admission to MoS with their reciprocity deals). We got in for free. It would have been $84 for our family of 4 - and our local zoo membership was only $53. We only had 1 day at MoS, but could have easily spent 2 days there.

There are also a few zoos in the Boston area and one in Providence that offer free or reduced admission with your local zoo pass. We flew in and out of Providence (cheaper than Logan/Boston), so we went to the zoo down there as well. The website for our local zoo has a listing of what zoos/museums participate and perhaps if you have a local/regional zoo, it may as well.

If you are a baseball fan, especially a RED SOX fan, you can't miss Fenway Park. We went to a game one night and then came back the next day to tour the stadium. Very interesting! Game tickets are pricey, but we found some for a decent price on ebay.

If you are football fan, especially a PATRIOTS fan, and you are there at the right time, you might be able to go to their Training Camp in Foxboro. It is free and open to the public.

Shopping ... be sure to find a few Christmas Tree Shops .... or 5 or 6 .... . There are several south of the city and down through Cape Cod and though they all have some of the same products, they seem to each have some different items too. And GREAT prices. Fun stores. Likely in other areas north and west too.

Filene's Basement ... if you take the trolley tour, you will go past the main store in the city. It is really fun to shop there, but there are other Filene's stores too. One of those " Boston institution" type of stores. We don't go every tim, but you should go at least once.

In the south, both Scituate and Plymouth have great areas to walk around with restaurants and shops of all kinds - antique, gift shops, pretty much anything. Scituate has the lighthouse and Plymouth, of course, has Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower 2 ship. Marshfield (between Scituate and Plymouth) has a great public beach, as do some towns down along the Cape. If you want to have the pilgrim experience, be sure to go to Plimouth Plantation in Plymouth.

There is SO much to do both in the city and away from the city. Since we split our time in both areas, having a hotel that has decent access to both works well for us.

Whatever you decide, I am sure you have a fabulous time!!!

 

[debbiecarr98]

Sorry, the Cape is about 90mins. I meant to type 1 1/2 hr not 2 1/2 hr. Thanks for picking up on that Debbiecar98.

I do that all the time! Where are you located, we live in Dennis, we are probably almost neighbors!

 

[gandycat]

If you want to get out of the city, Concord and Lexington are a lot of fun. Also, the Louisa May Alcott house is not too far away.

Newburyport and Rockport are two of my favorite places to visit. and if you want to get away for a day at the beach, Crane Beach is wonderful.

We love to visit Boston, my dh's two sisters both live there. You'll have lots of fun!

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Filene's Basement ... if you take the trolley tour, you will go past the main store in the city. It is really fun to shop there, but there are other Filene's stores too. One of those " Boston institution" type of stores. We don't go every tim, but you should go at least once.

Filene's is now Macy's. The old Flagship store and Filene's Basement is now a hole in the ground It was actually in the news again yesterday.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/03/10/city_looks_at_taking_filenes_property/

 

[cepmom]

you could try the Marriot in Quincy; only about 10 miles from Boston and also on the Red Line if you would rather use the T instead of driving into the city each day.

 

[dthogue]

Thanks everyone for the tips so far - I'm going to look into the go pass and have my DD's decide what they want to see.

I'm still at a loss as where to stay - it seems everything is expensive and I can't figure out where anything is location - any other tips on accomodations would be greatly appreciated.

I did look at the Marriott in Quincy and it looks very nice and I like how it is located near the T station. I do not want to drive into the city!!

Tammy