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A friend and I (22, and 20 years old, respectively) are planning on visiting MA this winter, around December 15 or so and plan to spend about 7-8 days in the state after which it will be destination NY for us.
We're planning on staying in Boston for the most part and are interested in making day trips to places like New Haven, Cambridge, Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod and Nantucket.
The thing is that we want to visit the tourist attractions in each place as well as explore the cities by going to all those off-the-beaten-path-little -places that native MA-ers think give each of these cities its own special charm.
This is our first time travelling without our families and we want to make the best of our time during our trip, so we would really appreciate any advice, tips, recommendations that any of you would be willing to provide us.
I have a ton of questions, but I'm not sure where to begin, so I'm going to start off by asking how good an idea it is to visit Martha's Vineyard, Cape Cod [we want to visit a lighthouse!! =)]and Nantucket during December. And if so, how do we get there from Boston and how far is each place from Boston (in hours and kilometres/miles)?
Are there any special places around Boston that fall into the category of must-sees?
Do you recommend any other places in MA that are worth visiting at this time of the year? Any special events?
We've also been thinking about taking the T to Providence since it doesn't seem too far away from there. I visited Providence 2 years ago because I loved the show 'Providence' and it had been a dream of mine to visit there, but sadly, I got to spend only around 2-3 hours there and we couldn't do much except take a look at the waterfront there. I also visited the Brown campus which was nice. But, apart from that, is there anything else that should be visited in Providence? I would really appreciate an little tips and recommendations from anyone who has lived in Providence for a while and knows about the small things that make it special, for example, cafes or some quaint bookstores or any such little thing for that matter.
What are the must-sees at Nantucket, Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard?
In regards to Boston, are universities like BU, MIT, Boston College, Tufts etc. all visitable in one day? We would like to begin our day as early as possible and cover as many places as we can during each day.
Also, since we are students and travelling on a budget, we would also like to know where we can find good deals on shopping, tickets to attractions, transportation (rail/bus etc.) and the best way to get to each of these places FROM BOSTON:
Nantucket
Martha's Vineyard
Cape Cod
New Haven (to visit the Yale campus primarily)
Cambridge (to visit the Harvard campus primarily)
Our collective interests include: music, visiting new places, trying out new things, absorbing the culture (urban/country/native) of each place that we visit, the arts, theatre, books, poetry, writing, food, scenic views, and the like)...
We would sincerely appreciate any suggestions that include events/activities or any other thing that are related but not limited to our interests, we are open to new experiences, so we would really appreciate any help that you could provide us.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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If you want to check out the lighthouses on Cap Cod, Nobska light in Falmouth is a nice one. It's close to the Woods Hole ferry dock so you can see it on your way to Marthas Vineyard. You are going in December so things ought to be pretty quiet on the Cape & the islands, and weather probably won't be so great but I'm sure you knew that already and you sound willing to overlook that aspect. A must see on Marthas Vineyard are the Gay Head gliffs on the western end of the island.
Must see in Boston is a stroll around the Beacon Hill neighborhood. Check out Acorn street and Louisbourg Square in that part of town, lots of old colonial charm and gorgeous brick archetecture. Make sure you have dinner in the North End, our version of Little Italy, most of the restaurants are on Hanover and Salem streets. If you like shopping then Newbury street will be up your alley.
Providence is OK, really not that much to do, if your going to Rhode Island, Newport is much more interesting. New Haven has Yale, but truthfully is not a very attractive city, after visiting the campus I woudn't plan on spending much time there.
What a great trip you're planning. First of all, be prepared for all types of weather. There is great shopping in Boston if you want new clothes, but it can be very expensive. I would recommend hats, gloves and scarves, with very warm coats or jackets. Boston is a great walking city, so expect to cover most of the city on foot. One 'must see' that even native Bostonians never visit is the Maparium at the Christian Science Church. It's in the general vicinity of the Prudential/Back Bay/Newbury Street. I'm sure you'll never see anything else like it in the world.
Another great site is the John Quincy Adams homestead in Quincy Adams National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) , which you can get to by the "T". The Boston Pops will be performing their Holiday concerts in Symphony Hall in December, and I would recommend a trip there (buy tickets in advance), as well as the Museum of Fine Arts (look into 'free' admission times) and the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum which is beautiful and has beautiful paintings.
As far as seeing MIT, Harvard, BU, and BC in one day: I don't think so. The tour at MIT takes a couple of hours, and Harvard square/Harvard University is a day-long trip. There is so much to see in Cambridge. Harvard has some wonderful museums
,Harvard University: Museums and the MIT museum is fantastic and unusual. BC is in another part of the city which requires an entire afternoon. BU (in my opinion) isn't a very attractive campus, but it's on the "T" line and easy to get to. I don't know if they give tours of Fenway Park in the winter, but it's a fantastic experience.
Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket/Cape Cod in December are very quiet and cold. I wouldn't recommend a visit unless we are having a warm spell. These places are best seen in the spring/summer. You can take a train ride to see Rockport, but that also will be cold during December - it's a very charming place (home of "Motif #1") Motif Number 1 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Newburyport (a train ride from Boston MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Commuter Rail > Newburyport/Rockport Line) is another charming town along the sea which has great restaurants and shopping and is decorated nicely at Christmas. It's a great place to visit, shop and eat.
I would recommend walking through the North End of Boston and enjoying some wonderful pizza and maybe a great dinner. Also, you can get a great meal in Chinatown.
There are many music/theatrical events in Boston; you can check them out online (Boston.com) and maybe get half-price tickets on the day of performance. Here's an arts link to what's happening in Harvard square: Harvard Square - Arts and Entertainment
When you continue on to NY, if you're going to upstate, then you'd be better off taking a side trip to New Haven while you're in Boston. If you're going to NYC, though, that would be a better home base for a visit to New Haven. New Haven is closer to NYC than to Boston.
Yes, you can get to the campuses of BU, MIT, Harvard, and Tufts conveniently from Boston. Whether you can do all this in one day depends on how long you spend at each school, but they're all close by. The best way to get there--in fact it's the best way to get around to most places in Boston--is to leave the car parked and use local transit (the "T"). The transit authority's website is at: mbta.com. Taking the T to MIT, Harvard, and Tufts will also offer you a picturesque view across the river to Boston as the train goes above ground and crosses the river on a bridge.
A good book to get hold of would be Car-Free in Boston. It's got info on pretty much everything you need to know about getting around in and near Boston by public transit.
What to suggest depends on what activities interest you. To get a look at classic Boston architecture, in addition to Caphillsea's suggestion of Beacon Hill, I'd also suggest the Back Bay neighborhood. Areas to check if you want a view and/or some local color would be the waterfront and North End neighborhoods. Starting at the Boston Harbor Hotel and moving north you can get some good views of the harbor, as well as often being able to see planes take off and land at the airport across the water. Inland a couple of blocks, but near the hotels along the waterfront is Quincy Market, which has a collection of small shops and eateries. It's kind of touristy, but a few blocks north of QM is the North End, which is Boston's Little Italy kind of neighborhood. It's a small area, but does have some ethnic flavor, as well as cozy Italian restaurants.
If you're looking for nightlife, the clubs in the vicinity of Kenmore Square are the first places to check out if you want to get the flavor of the local club scene. Also, if/when you visit Harvard, check the surrounding neighborhood for the Bohemian feel of the funky little stores, and the local street performers.
If you're interested in museums, a couple of possibilites would be the Museum of Fine Arts, the Gardner Museum (a smaller art museum), and the Museum of Science. In that general category, the New England Aquarium is another place you might check out along the waterfront.
I haven't mentioned the tourist attractions, because I get the impression you're more interested in places where people who live in Boston go during daily life. The tourist/historical stuff would probably take another post altogether. There's more to do in Boston than you'll be able to do in the time you're planning to be there, so the best choice of activities for making the most of your time depends a lot on your interests. The places I've mentioned here are at least some suggestions to get you started. Take care, and enjoy your trip.
An absolutely invaluable resource is the message board on Fodors.com.
We used it extensively in planning our honeymoon, and now all vacations. We've found some fabulous restaurants, etc. we NEVER would've found on our own. Talk about off the beaten track!!
Regarding Cambridge, the funkier shops etc. are in Central Square, a nice walk or one T stop from Harvard Sq. Harvard Sq. is almost all chain stores and nothing of interest that you can't see in any suburban mall. Yes, the museums and all are terrific, and are around the Harvard area.
Providence, the "resaurant row" is like a bit of Old Italy. Very charming and good food. I think it's called "Athill's Row" or some thing sounds English. Any cabbie should know. Downtown Providence has a lot of walkable attractions, beautiful buildings, a riverwalk.
The ferry to Nantucket or the Vineyard is very weather-dependent, plus, it's wet cold and often cloudy/foggy. It's a long day to get to the ferry, get the ferry, be on one of the islands. No public transport that I know of on-island. I think they are best left for a warmer-weather trip.
By the way, MIT is on the same busline from Harvard Square to Central Square and then a short walk to MIT. It's all very close. But Harvard Square is not very interesting any more.
Thank you all very much for the great suggestions, I've made a note of everything and it has really helped us in planning the trip in a more organized way, you have all been so incredibly helpful, thanks once again!
If you are planning on taking the train from Boston to New York City, this would be the time to stop in New Haven. It is quite a trek from Boston and in my opinion too far for a day trip. Even the Cape would be an iffy day trip. As others suggested Newburyport would be great. You could also do a day in Salem as the train also goes there.
Go down to the Kennedy Library, it has some great stuff. Do the Freedom Trail, walk Newbury Street, Quincy Market, the North End.........The list goes on and on. Someone else mentioned all the museums.....Whatever you do, enjoy your trip........
A big thank you to all of you who helped out with my trip providing all the wonderful information.
My friend and I feel head over heels in love with city as soon as we got there, it's an amazing place. The people were incredibly wonderful as well and I must say, that definitely added a lot to the splendor of our visit. We Couchsurfed in Boston (couchsurfing.com) and our hosts were lovely, they were all college students and closer to our age, so we really loved that part as well, we had a chance to experience Boston living with some resident Bostonians. In spite of the frosty weather, there was so much we could do and just about everything was so accessible by the T which we took maximum advantage of.
I know both of us want to return to this wonderful city and experience the actual Bostonian life that all the people there lead. I love Boston!
A big thank you to all of you who helped out with my trip providing all the wonderful information.
My friend and I feel head over heels in love with city as soon as we got there, it's an amazing place. The people were incredibly wonderful as well and I must say, that definitely added a lot to the splendor of our visit. We Couchsurfed in Boston (couchsurfing.com) and our hosts were lovely, they were all college students and closer to our age, so we really loved that part as well, we had a chance to experience Boston living with some resident Bostonians. In spite of the frosty weather, there was so much we could do and just about everything was so accessible by the T which we took maximum advantage of.
I know both of us want to return to this wonderful city and experience the actual Bostonian life that all the people there lead. I love Boston!
So nice that you had a good time on your trip,ss. See, not all of us native New Englanders are rude as some would have you believe. I have found that even the city is a friendly place if you have a smile on your face. Hope you get back here in the good weather and get to experience the beaches!
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Visited Boston!
