Mr GoodTimes and I are travelling to BOS and staying in Boston from Sat until Thursday at the end of March. We then plan to spend a further 4 nights but are not sure where to go and stay. We'd like to do some sightseeing, outlet shopping, eat seafood etc. We were thinking of hiring a car and driving somewhere. Any suggestions?

We don't really need the stays as we are diamond until 2008.

Your help would be very much appreciated.

Well, you can take a trip up to Maine, and go to the Kittery outlet shops (http://www.thekitteryoutlets.com/). Kittery is about an hour or so from Boston, and then you can continue northbound and expirence Portland.

Or, you can go to the Wrentham Outlets in Wrentham MA and then maybe continue down to Providence, RI and see that city.

Other than the mention that GoodTimes is a Hilton HHonors Diamond member until 2008, this thread really has nothing to do with the Hilton HHonors frequent guest program.

This thread is better suited for the New England forum, GoodTimes, which is now its new home.

Good luck, GoodTimes � and I hope your inquiry is answered many times over as quickly as possible!

Regards,

Canarsie
Co-Moderator, Hilton forum

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By the way, have you been to Boston before? There are many places to visit, especially if you follow the Freedom Trail, which you can do on your own by walking.

Historic sights and places along the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail include:

• The USS Constitution (also known as Old Ironsides), which is the recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the World�s Oldest Commissioned Warship afloat.
• Bunker Hill Monument
• The Paul Revere House
• Old North Church � �The British are Coming!!! The British are Coming!!!�
• Faneuil Hall

...and other sites.

You can also visit the site where the Boston Tea Party occurred.

Have a fantastic Italian dinner in the North End, just up the street from The Paul Revere House. Among the fine restaurants there, I enjoyed 5 North Square, which is also the address of the restaurant.

There are so many things to do in the Boston and surrounding areas that I cannot list them all here. Try the official Internet web site of Boston for more details on what to do, where to go and what to see.

If you are interested in fried lobster in a very informal setting and are willing to go to North Reading, I recommend a place called the Lobster Claw on Massachusetts State Highway 28 at the intersection of Concord Street, east of Interstate 93:

Lobster Claw Seafoods of North Reading
7A Main Street
North Reading, Massachusetts
(978) 664-6349

some boston ideas:
-Visit Walden Pond (yes, that Walden Pond)
-go ice-skating on Frog Pond in Boston Commons
-walk the Freedom Trail & look at everything historical
-visit Harvard Yard & surrounding
-go up the Prudential tower for the view
-go to beaches (Constitution Beach or Castle Island if you like planes)
-take a boat ride in the harbor
-visit JFK library & museum
-tour the USS Constitution (well, it's sorta on the freedom trail)
-tour the state capitol
-eat in Chinatown (Taiwan Cafe is good)
-eat in North End (Italy-town)
-attend a concert (Symphony Hall/BSO, New England Conservatory, Harvard, MIT, etc)
-visit the aquarium
-visit Museum of Fine Art or science or Harvard's Peabody or Natural History or numerous Art museums
-go skiing somewhere
-Six Flags?

Normally a great suggestion -- I was there with my daughter last weekend -- but the Frog Pond closes for the season mid-March.

Hi,
Some out of Boston trip options:
- Boston to Kennebunkport, ME.
- Salem and go on a ghost tour.
This area, an hour's drive, is scenic, historic and quite worthwhile visiting, and a chance from Boston.
- Rhode Island - worthwhile, but is a non-scenic drive.
I'd recommend the drive to Kennebunkport, with tea once you arrive. As the earlier poster mentioned, get in some shopping on your way back.
- Cape Cod - pleasant, but not scenic until you get there; Provincetown is unique .
Cheers
Ben

Sightseeing of a different sort: 90 minutes away via the Mass Trunpike, the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield:

http://www.hoophall.com

Drive to Maine. It's an easy drive and you can get outlet shopping at both Kittery and in Freeport. Plus if you want seafood, there's nothing better than Maine lobster. For the best clam chowder, go to Gilbert's Chowder House in Portland. ^

I think this is common knowledge - take a map, just in case you want to deviate from the main route. We were told about a couple of popular local places en route to Maine and could have used a better map than the one in the hire car.

The weather is warmin slowly now, but Maine seaside areas are likely to be chilly and blustery, not bad if you want to stay indoors. The Maine coast north of Portland is more scenic in a rough craggy way than the southern coast. The town of Camden is quite pretty with a number of small inns and B&B's to stay in. It is the deepest off-season along the coast so there isn't much competition for accomodations. Lobster is the thing to eat, and eat, and eat....
Closer to Boston, consider visiting Salem and the Peabody Essex Museum. This old museum has a large and eclectic collection of artifacts brought back by 18th and 19th century sea captains. The South Pacific collections are particularly notable. Avoid the completely phoney witch hype. Visit the memorial to the unfortuante victims of this hysteria instead. Near Salem, go to Woodmans restaurant in Ipswich for the New England classic they invented, fried clams.
To get a last taste of winter try central Vermont. It should still be maple syrup season there. Travel south to north along the center spine of the state on state rt. 100. Look for roadside signs advertising Maple Syrup or a sugar house. If there is a building with huge clouds of steam billowing out, you've hit gold. They are boiling maple sap down. A taste of the hot syrup right out of the pan is not to be missed. A gallon to take home with you should cost around $45, maybe less on the farm. Some farms eaven have a seasonal restaurant where you can absorb the syrup with pancakes and sausage. The traditional chaser? A dill pickle.

Thanks for all the tips. We visited Boston 3 years ago, so have pretty much done all the sights there except for Harvard and MIT.

We've just looked at the atlas of the East Coast of the USA, and it's like being at home. No wonder they call it New England!

We've decided to go to Salem and then on to Portland. Now, the task is to find a hotel to stay nearby...

My vote would go to Cape Cod, but I am kind of partial, any time I can get out to the cape I do. I particularly love the Eastham/Orleans area. Nauset beach calls to me no matter the time of year!

Check out The White Barn Inn, a Relais et Chateaux property in Kunnebunkport, Maine. http://www.whitebarninn.com/

Very close to Boston, in addition to Walden Pond I would recommend taking the part of what I think they call "The Freedom Road" and visiting Lexington and Concord. The town green in Lexington (I think) where the first battle of the revolutionary war occured. It is now a nice example of a small New England town. And then the bridge where the second battle occured outside of Concord and where the poem about the battle was inspired. It is a beautiful country are apart from the historical importance.

I see you've decided to go north, but how about a trip an hour south to Newport, RI and see all the magnificent mansions! Don't miss The Breakers. It's truly a sight to behold; a lesson in opulence. Well worth the trip. Just follow Rt. 24 south (off 93S) until you get there.