Heading to Boston suggestions

[Markcarovilli]

My wife and I are going to Boston the first week of May and also to around Cape Cod.  Looking for any input on must things to do or see while we have only a short several days to be there....

Thanks for any help,


Mark

[Roebling3]

Your timing is good Mark. The real starting date for holidays on the Cape is Memorial day. Once June is here those on vacation impact Cape Cod and much of downtown Boston. . . although a few thousand students of higher learning will be gone from the metro area. I assume you will be traveling by car? Camping , motels, B&B's? The ocean water will be cold. The sea food will be very good. Staffing may not be totally ready. Betwixt RI, CT and MA we have a fair sized contingent of Guzzi riders. You may hear from one or two who live on Cape Cod. PM me if I may do any research for you.  R3~

[s1120]

Lots of good stuff to do..  As far as Cape area..  If you like nature this place is real cool...  https://heritagemuseumsandgardens.org/  also has one of the best car museums in the north east.

If your a history buff Plymouth is a cool town. Nice water front, and Plymouth plantation is a lot of fun..  https://www.plimoth.org/


As for Boston... cant miss the aquarium

[sign216]

Try to avoid driving in Boston, and definitively plan to avoid morning rush hour.  It's best to use the T (subway) or walk.  For eats try the Union Oyster House or any of the Revolutionary War era bars in that area; Green Dragon, Bell In Hand, etc.  The Parker House hotel is full of history too, although it's no longer the amazing place it used to be.  Boston cream pie was invented there 100 yrs ago and a number of famous people were waiters there in their youth (Ho Chi Min, Malcom X, and more).

 

[Huzo]

Used to love that Cape Cod area when seen on TV, I’ve never been to the ‘States, (although I’d like to see Cedar Vale on the Norge..)
Is that Cape Cod area where the old Ghost and Mrs Muir series was shot? I always associated it with windswept coastlines and quaint fishing villages, sort of like a US version of Scotland..
Am I in error ?

[s1120]

Used to love that Cape Cod area when seen on TV, I’ve never been to the ‘States, (although I’d like to see Cedar Vale on the Norge..)
Is that Cape Cod area where the old Ghost and Mrs Muir series was shot? I always associated it with windswept coastlines and quaint fishing villages, sort of like a US version of Scotland..
Am I in error ?

I believe that was based from Nantucket what is a small island south of cape cod..  But ya a lot of cape cod is like that..Some is dunes, and beach, and ya some is main street USA.  Its really a beautiful area.. Summer traffic is a killer, but if you avoid that its stunning! We have had a place out there since the early 90's, and spent many a day hanging out enjoying.

[kingoffleece]

Spend the entire time eating at Faniaul Hall.

Or, at LEAST a few hours.

[Zoom Zoom]

Isn't Old Ironsides docked in Boston. Also the bar where the TV show Cheers was either filmed in or modeled after. Boston is dripping with history.

John Henry

[Chuck in Indiana]

Try to avoid driving in Boston, 

Beat me to it.

[Ncdan]

Beautiful place, a little advise. You can't rush through it. Take a couple days to let your pace slow down a bit, then start your adventure there, if you have the time.
Be sure to spend the a full day in Plymouth, especially if you love US history as I do. Have fun👍👍

[s1120]

Beautiful place, a little advise. You can't rush through it. Take a couple days to let your pace slow down a bit, then start your adventure there, if you have the time.
Be sure to spend the a full day in Plymouth, especially if you love US history as I do. Have fun👍👍

Ya its a great town. My Dad and his wife worked for the Mayflower society for 3-4 years and lived there..  Just a cool little town in, or off season.

[Sheepdog]

I was visiting the Harvard Yard with my dad and brother back in the nineties. It was a beautiful Spring day and musicians were performing and folks were basking in the sun. My father gave each of us two 25 cent pieces and told us to get an ice cream. "But dad...I don't eat ice cream," I replied. "You don't have to eat it," he said. "I just want your brother and you to be able to say you spent two quarters at Harvard."

[bassa99]

Hope you have this on your list as a Guzzitisti (sp) the north end for lunch or dinner. To many restaurants to list but a must is Modern Pastry for a fresh made cannoli. Mikes is not bad Modern rules. Both on Hanover St.

[PJPR01]

The JFK (Kennedy) museum just south of town is well worth a visit... for both contents and the view.

  Budget a fair amount of time for Cape Cod if you drive all the way to Provincetown, ...lots of cool lighthouses to see along the way...a leisurely pace makes the day enjoyable rather than rushed.

Lots of decent Polish bakeries in Dorchester if you are looking for something tasty.

[s1120]

The JFK (Kennedy) museum just south of town is well worth a visit... for both contents and the view.

  Budget a fair amount of time for Cape Cod if you drive all the way to Provincetown, ...lots of cool lighthouses to see along the way...a leisurely pace makes the day enjoyable rather than rushed.

Lots of decent Polish bakeries in Dorchester if you are looking for something tasty.

Highland light in Turo is worth the ride out.  breathtaking!!  Not sure what the times are for going in a touring it...  but its worth the climb if its open!

[Markcarovilli]

thanks for all the tips guys - I'll start making a plan and try to follow it........

Mark

[LowRyter]

Fenway Park   

take the train

[Roebling3]

Caution: Driving in the Boston metro area is not for the timid. It's a  take no prisoners attitude you may best avoid. Look at a street map, imagine the real life scale of what began as goat, horse and wagon, et. al. Lots of one way streets, alleys and limited parking.  Public trans. during off hours will be useful. Using Uber, Lyfft or a cab should save some frustration.
All the museums are terrific. Isabel Stewart Gardner is a favorite. Larz Anderson Automobile Muse`is great, but a bit out of town and currently changing exhibits. Check their website. (sorry. I can't pull up their website). A 'Duck Boat' ride about the city is fun. If your into baseball (I'm not). The 7th inning stretch event is huge, @ Fenway Park.
As mentioned earlier: The Heritage Museum setting is beautiful. The displays (cars, trucks, motorcycles), change from time to time.
Tesla? Out near the elbow of Cape Cod is a small museum commemorating the 1st cable transmission station betwixt the US and Europe. The South shore of the Cape is quite commercial and essentially 'state of the art'. The interior and the Bay side is fairly quiet, easy going, dappled sunshine on comparatively quiet 2 lane roads. Many old villages, antique shops, State Parks, lots of food stops.
   Good fortune,  R3~   

[Dilliw]

150 miles up the freeway (unfortunately with MA tolls) gets you some great places to see in New Hampshire.  Head down to the intersection of 115 and 2 a little after dark and there will be moose or 2 :)  They love the roadside salt that time of year.

[mtiberio]

Museum of Science, Harvard Square, Quincy Market, North End. Cape is nice, but Horseneck Beach was on the mainland side of the bridge and easier to get to. Same feel for me. Newport RI & Jamestown, Cape Ann/Rockport

[egschade]

Isn't Old Ironsides docked in Boston. Also the bar where the TV show Cheers was either filmed in or modeled after. Boston is dripping with history.

John Henry

Bull & Finch Pub is now renamed as Cheers Beacon Hill. Tourist trap IMHO.

Also good eats is No Name seafood restaurant on fisherman's wharf. Literally used to be a family fish restaurant with no name but it's gone a bit more commercial.

If you have time walk the Freedom Trail. Lots to see and eat as you are guided along historic Boston sites.

[twowings]

Try the baked beans...

[MarkPell]

Bull & Finch Pub is now renamed as Cheers Beacon Hill. Tourist trap IMHO.

Also good eats is No Name seafood restaurant on fisherman's wharf. Literally used to be a family fish restaurant with no name but it's gone a bit more commercial.

If you have time walk the Freedom Trail. Lots to see and eat as you are guided along historic Boston sites.

Couldn't agree more regarding Cheers. Don't waste you time. But the public garden in the same neighborhood is lovely. The North End is an absolute must. There are so many awesome restaurants and an easy walk to/from Fanueil Hall. IMO, Chathan is the quintisential Cape Cod town. Provincetown is , how shall I say, a free spirited community!!

[mtiberio]

Bull & Finch Pub is now renamed as Cheers Beacon Hill. Tourist trap IMHO.

Also good eats is No Name seafood restaurant on fisherman's wharf. Literally used to be a family fish restaurant with no name but it's gone a bit more commercial.

If you have time walk the Freedom Trail. Lots to see and eat as you are guided along historic Boston sites.

Yes! I forgot about Nick's No-Name...

[MarkPell]

Yes! I forgot about Nick's No-Name...

Sorry but IMHO Legal Seafood blows the No Name away,

[trippah]

The Museum of glass flowers at Harvard in neat, and the Heritage Museum on the Cape is a delight.  Nearby that is the Sandwich Glass Museum - small (as compared to the Corning Museum in upstate NY) but delightful.  Ifn you are a fan of the Great White whale, almost on the way to the cape is Fall River, home of Lizzie (the original hacker?) and I think the Whaler's Church.  Traffic is awful so take a patience break as needed - rte 3 from Boston town to the Cape can really clog up. If the Irish Riviera (South Shore) and Ahab land are not of interest and you want some quieter space, perhaps the ferry is running fm Boston to Provincetown and from there head back to the Sandwich area on rte 6.  Enjoy, and yes to the Aquarium if  you are in Boston proper.