Anyone have any recommendations?? I am taking a weekend trip there in about 5 days, we will be in Stoneham, Mass. and I am looking for places that are within ~ an hour of there. I will have at least one full day to devote to photography before the wedding.
You could take the T into Boston (I don't recommend driving there), there are a lot of beautiful buildings there along with Faneuil Hall Marketplace, museums and parks all pretty much within walking distance of the T.
A drive down to the Cape is really nice too! You could stop in Plymouth along the way and walk through Plimouth Plantation, or just walk around on the waterfront where the Mayflower is too.
A little over an hour from Stoneham is Newport, RI where you can walk along the cliffs over the ocean, look at (and tour) a lot of the beautiful, huge homes there and there are shops along the waterfront too.
You could take the T into Boston (I don't recommend driving there), there are a lot of beautiful buildings there along with Faneuil Hall Marketplace, museums and parks all pretty much within walking distance of the T.
A drive down to the Cape is really nice too! You could stop in Plymouth along the way and walk through Plimouth Plantation, or just walk around on the waterfront where the Mayflower is too.
A little over an hour from Stoneham is Newport, RI where you can walk along the cliffs over the ocean, look at (and tour) a lot of the beautiful, huge homes there and there are shops along the waterfront too.
Enjoy your trip!
I LOVE Faneuil Hall! I got the best bowl of clam chowder there that I have EVER had! :) Last time we just took the kids into the city... we went to the Science Museum... WOW!! Dunno if we are going into Boston this time... but maybe. They are staying home for this trip :) bwahhahahhahaaa
I will offer up Plymouth. We didn't think of that. Thank you for the info!! :) I would love to see all that stuff.
Since Stoneham is north of the city you can save yourself a good bit of driving by picking attractions on the north side. Cape Cod and Newport are very nice, but they require driving through or around the city, which means lots of traffic. If you want nature and seaside villages then there are great places on the north shore, like Crane Beach in Ipswich, and the town of Rockport (and the whole cape around there, called Cape Ann). If you prefer history then there's the Minuteman National Historic Park in Lincoln and all sorts of historic houses in Concord. Both are just minutes from Stoneham. Then there's city stuff, like Harvard Yard and the amazing Stata Center (both in Cambridge, I could show you around!), and the ICA in Boston. You'll find plenty to see!
I agree completely with Magnus. If you're going to be North of the city, you would be very pleased anywhere on Cape Ann. Salem is always a choice, but very touristy to a Mass-hole like myself. Personally, if it were me, I'd cruise up Rte. 93N a few exits to Rte. 128 Northbound (which is Rt 95/128 in the Stoneham area). They later split in the Saugus/Lynfield area and 95 goes up to NH and ME, and 128 goes up to Gloucester/Rockport and terminates. Any town along the way up Rt 128 is picturesque. You may just want to jump off at the Rte 133 exit and head towards Essex/Ipswich and follow it until you hit rte 95 in Rowley. It's about a 10 mile drive. What you'll see in any of these towns- Salt marshes, antique shops, farms, orchards and the small town living kind of stuff, even though these towns are pretty large in area. You may want to stop at either Woodman's in Essex for some great fried seafood and a beer as well as a great view of an enormous salt marsh or a few more miles down the road, the Clambox in Ipswich. You can't miss it.
If you want old school New England harbor shots, head all the way up rte 128 (about 35 minutes from Stoneham) and take Rte 127 either direction. It loops through Rockport and Gloucester and comes right back to the same rotary . It's a very nice drive and you'll hit evey imaginable type of scenery reminiscent of New England coastal life.
If you decide to head up Rte 95N after it splits from 128, go up to either Amesbury or Newburyport, both of which are more cosmopolitan coastal cities on the MA/NH border. right on the NH border. Or even Portsmouth, NH and do a Redhook brewery tour.
All this and more lies within 1 hr. from Stoneham. Well worth the trip.
