We will be in Boston just before Easter in April next year. We want to do one day trip. What would be better Salem, Plymouth or Province Town. Can you still get a ferry to Province Town in April or do they only run during the summer?
Day trips from Boston
if you love ghosts and witchs i would go to salem
not only is it a great place to visit for the history but it is a beautiful seaside town and all the people are very nice
i believe the ferry runs year round but i%26#39;m sure someoe wil correct me soon
i wouldn%26#39;t make the long drive out to province town and the ferry would be a bit cold and take a lot of time you could be sight seeing
with plymouth it is very nice town with alot of great shops but i think a fair amount close up in the winter
why not look south, newport is always a great place to visit
Day trips from Boston
Plymouth and the Plymouth Plantation are a 45 minute easy drive straight down on Rt 3 from Boston. The plantation features live actors in costume and in the part (they will answer as if they are actually in the 1600%26#39;s.) Fascinating for kids.
The other area that is close by is the Lexington/Concord area which on the 3rd Monday in April celebrates Patriots%26#39; Day in a big way here in MA with a re-enactment of the battle between the Redcoats and the patriots, including the Paul Revere ride. You can also visit Louisa May Alcott%26#39;s home, Walden Pond, Emerson,. That day is also usually the running of the Boston Marathon from Hopkinton to Boston so hotels in Boston can be sold out and expensive. Check the Boston Marathon website for the actual date.
If you go to Salem for the witch museum, nearby is Marblehead, which will be neat for little shops, the harbor and good seafood. The drive up to Salem is a bit tricky for newcomers, but pretty.
Provincetown is best reached by ferry but it will be quite cold on the water in April so dress warmly (hats, gloves) unless you want to stay below deck. There are lots of shops and good seafood; just know that it is demonstrably gay community. Do go on a dune ride or head out to see the dunes as you%26#39;ll be at the tip of Cape Cod at the National Seashore Park. Welcome, and have a great time!
I vote for Salem and the North Shore. The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem is absolutely top notch for art, history architecture, colonial living, etc. (Also much Asian and Oceania art.) The seacoast north of Boston is rock-bound and much more interesting to me than south of Boston. You can drive the coast all the way to Gloucester, Rockport, and the rest of Cape Ann.
In my opinion, most of the witch stuff is touristy and schlocky.
There are other options available - you might want to check out www.essexheritage.org for a myraid other things to do in this area.
Also north of Boston, a bit inland, is the Lowell National Historical Park - about the industrial revolution in US.
Finally, you might want to consider Fruitlands - a museum west of Boston in a pretty town - Harvard, with a nice American Indian art museum, literary associations (The Alcotts and Emerson) and the Shakers.
As a North Shore resident, I agree with adamsmorgan, especially since I THINK (not sure) the ferries to P-Town don%26#39;t start running until May. Even if the ferries are running, a large number of the local businesses will still be shuttered or ';freshening up'; for the upcoming season.
If public transportation is the issue, you can get a train from North Station to Rockport (or Salem), or a train from South Station to Plymouth. My personal recommendation would be Rockport... for its ';quaint %26amp; scenic'; value, as well as the fact that the walk from the train is not too far. If the weather is foul on your visit, I%26#39;d opt for Salem... the train is close to the center of town, and most everything there is indoor-oriented.
Though Plymouth is nice, I find other towns more interesting... especially if you%26#39;re limited to only one day-trip in the area.
There are numerous day trips you can take from Boston. With gas prices like they are my boyfriend and I actually just took a few ourselves. I%26#39;ll describe what we did so you can get a good idea of what you would like to do. We rented a car and went to Hampton Beach NH, the only 13 miles of beach front in Boston. It was a cute place, not exactly the best beach but it was definately goofy. Lots of arcades, silly shops, fried food and if whether permits you could check that out. However, I would recommend going to Salem before going to Hampton Beach. You can take the Commuter rail in or rent a car. It%26#39;s a very short trip about 45 minutes and a nice little drive, too. In Salem you can enjoy the witch trial museums, goofy shops, old graveyards, ghost tours, etc. However, they can get really expensive so if you%26#39;re going to be in Boston, get a Go Boston Card because that includes the museums in Salem as well as the attractions in Boston. Another fabulous place to go on a day trip is Cape Cod, MA. However, I don%26#39;t know if the main attractions will be Opened in April. They should begin opening around that time, but I%26#39;m not sure when that is exactly. The beach is really beautiful, there are great cranberry bogs, little shops and great seafood. It%26#39;s a peaceful place during the early spring and great if you want a low key day trip.
FISC To answer your question? Salem would definitely be better out of your 3 choices, so much to see and do there, it%26#39;s great! By all means!
If you really wanted to go to Provincetown? I don%26#39;t think the boat leaves from Boston until later in the season myself, I could be wrong! It%26#39;s NOTHING to write home about taking that Ferry boat from Boston! I%26#39;m so glad to see there%26#39;s other alternatives of getting down to P-Town now! I%26#39;m seeing and reading on this forum that there%26#39;s a ';catamaran'; that does the trip now! That%26#39;s GREAT! If you were here later in the season? That would be a really fun possibility! I think April might be way too chilly out on that water though!
Plymouth Plantation is really fun and interesting; but to be perfectly honest with you? You%26#39;d be in and out of there in an hour or so and that%26#39;s IT! Where Salem, MA has all types of shops, restaurants, museums and things always going on, you%26#39;d be there longer and you%26#39;d be really enjoying the day!
Too bad you didn%26#39;t have more time, the Portsmouth, NH and Newburyport, MA ports are wonderful! If you go in to the following sites you can see what I mean!
www.strawberybanke.org
It has a fantastic museum filled with rich history of the urban maritime community of 3 1/2 centuries; it%26#39;s quite interesting, it%26#39;s located in Portsmouth, NH., where they have all types of older historical homes, shops, restaurants and things going on, driving down the coast from there is really pretty, in through New Castle, in fact you could go from Portsmouth right down to Newburyport, MA following either the coast or the highway, it%26#39;s minutes away. Further down the coast in Newburyport, MA are a lot of beautiful historical older homes, shops, restaurants and things going on. Walking tours, Harbor tours and whale watches. Here%26#39;s a good site to check out Newburyport:
www.newburyportchamber.org
Have fun!
Fisc, since I am in planning stages for an international convention next year in Boston, I thought I%26#39;d check some of the hospitality-based info I have...
April in Boston is lovely; check out the magnolia trees along Commonwealth Avenue, Beacon Street from Mass Ave toward the public garden...the sunny/nothside of these streets blossom first around mid April and the opposite side about a week later...you can easily stroll past the brownstones and check out their tiny front gardens as well.
Ferries to P-town. Boston Harbor Crises operates the Cape Cod Fast Ferry from Boston and started their seasonal service this year on June 18.
The Bay State Cruise Lines started their express service on May 20th. Both take 90 min. from downtown Boston.
Plimouth (correct spelling if you ';Google';Plantation, south of Boston, opened March 27th and Gray Line also runs a tour there.
The museums at Harvard in Cambridge are fascinating...fabulous glass collection, natural history as well.
If your interest is historical, the National Heritage Museum in Lexington is interesting...a mini Smithsonian.
If your interest is historical and outside the city, check out www.liberty ride.us as well as www.historicnewenglanddrivingtours.com
There is also a literary trail which does Hawthorne/Emerson/Alcott houses plus more in the Cambridge-Lexington/Concord area..don%26#39;t have the site in front of me; sorry)
There is also the Adams%26#39; homes etc for John, Abigail and John Quincy, in Quincy immediately south of the city (have been reading the Adams books by McCulloch recently!)
Enjoy your planning and I know you%26#39;ll enjoy your visit!
I absolutely loved Salem! We did the witches museum, which was very interesting. The House of seven gables is also a place you can tour in Salem. It was quite educational too!
Salem is a wonderful old ';port town'; with much history and beautiful scenery.
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