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Underlib's list of daytripsMassachusettsBoston: I have heard that the harbor islands have been spruced up. They might be worth checking out. You can take a ferry from the Aquarium. http://www.bostonislands.com/ there you will find all about the hahbah. -Pam B. Boston: Take the Red line (either the Ashmont or Braintree train) to JFK/UMASS. From there you could take the bus to UMASS, or the Kennedy Library, or the Massachusetts Archives. All are interesting. You could also walk over to Carson Beach. Or get off at BROADWAY. Then either walk up Broadway to Admiral Farragut or take the City Point bus. Walk left to Castle Island. Explore Fort Independence. Walk around the Fort. Admire the views of the harbor. Walk out to the Sugar Bowl and continue on to the end and back to good old Admiral Farragut. You could also go up to Dorchester Heights, (Broadway to Dorchester Street). That's part of the National Park Service and is an important Revolutionary site. -Marylouise Concord: The obvious answer is Concord. You got history, you got..., well, you got history at least. You can get there on the commuter train which runs fairly often. Within walking distance: Walden Pond, ye olde North Bridge, homes of Emerson, Alcotts, Hawthorne. I can't remember the name of it, but there's a museum of American history too. Also lots of dead people in the cemeteries. You can rent a canoe and paddle on the Concord River--last time I was there I saw lots of turtles. If you are a true library geek you can visit their public library. Also the Center is full of quaint shops. Walden is a bit of a distance (2 miles?) from the train station, but it is a nice walk--leafy, winding country/suburban roads, except the part when you have to cross the highway (rte 2). -Rebecca A. Concord: ...the center, Louisa May Alcott's house, Walden Pond, Great Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary [not sure if that would be too far a walk from train] etc. -Ellen Hingham: One of my favorites is World's End, a Trustees of Reservations property in Hingham. -Linda B. Lowell: I always like Lowell for a day trip. Easy to get there by train, lots to see all in walking distance. You've got the mill girl museum, the quilt museum (which I'm dying to see but haven't yet), cool old brick buildings, cafes, great southeast Asian restaurants. -Anne B. Martha's Vineyard: Martha's Vineyard is fun... you can travel by bus to Falmouth and then take the ferry (2 hour bus, 40 min ferry)... one of my (college) house mates found a "nudy beach" there (well, not sure if you're interested) -Brenda H. Northampton: I used to live in Northampton MA, 90 miles west of here, and I am partial to it as a fun destination. Don't know how fast one can get there on public trans (the bus), but it's a fun place. Smith College has a great art museum and a very pretty campus, there's a nice farmer's market (or used to be) on Saturday mornings, fun places to eat, pond to walk around, and a East Heaven Tub Company (you have to take a friend, but can rent time in a hottub! Yeehah!). Outside of N'ton, there's hiking and canoeing on the Connecticut and other surrounding towns. You may want a car for this trip though... -M.P. Bogan Plymouth: Plymouth is now a lot more accessible via commuter-rail than it used to be, if you're interested in looking around there. There are trains out of South Station... looks like it takes about an hour. It's probably overrun with tourists during the summer but the historic area is kind of interesting, and there's a pleasant walk along a brook. -Barbara Provincetown: P-Town is fun... (bus 2 ½-3 hrs; take the ferry, it leaves wikkid early in the morning - 9:15 or so...) -Brenda H. Quincy: The Adams estate in Quincy is very easy to get to (just get off the red line at Quincy Center and walk back up the road a few hundred yards); it's the home of John Adams & several of his descendents. They all had a real sense of their place in history, and kept EVERYTHING. -Barbara Quincy: The John Quincy Adams home in Quincy is both interesting and, thanks to nice gardens, beautiful. It is extremely easy to reach by T and bus. -Linda B. Salem: The Peabody and Essex Museum, if you're in a museum mood (New England history, furniture, whaling trade-type Asian collections, it helps to like porcelain). The House of the Seven Gables is an enjoyable interlude, not a great investment in time. I think there's a witches museum but not sure about particulars. The old houses around several squares are great examples of Georgian and Federal style and they've been restored for the most part. Just walk around and gawk. -ML Waltham: ...you could go to the Lyman Estate (owned by Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, phone: 781-891-7095). That is on Lyman Street in Waltham about 4 blocks west of the route 20/route 60 intersection on the right. Easily walkable from route 20. A nice house with pleasant grounds to walk around. I'm not sure the house is actually open for tours - maybe by appointment. The main attraction here - admittedly for garden lovers like me - are the green houses which sell plants & show a collection of historic camellia bushes (bloom in fall & winter), grape vines, wonderful orchids & other tropical plants. Usually on Saturdays, they have a series of special programs & sales through spring & summer. They can send you a schedule. The green houses seem to always be open during normal business hours & ask a voluntary donation. -Anne K. Watertown: Just take whatever bus it is down route 20 (Main Street in Watertown AND Waltham). Get off at Gore Place (on left going westbound in Watertown shortly before Waltham line) & take a short walk into the Gore Estate. I think they charge $5.00 for a very nice personalized tour of this summer home of a former Massachusetts governor (Federal style). ...they are open daily as I recall. -Anne K. ![[top]](../images/top1.gif){kind=small}
CT/ME/RII took a day trip to Hartford to see the Wadsworth Athenaeum last Sunday. Hartford also has the Mark Twain House and Harriet Beecher Stowe House. On the way there, the Peter Pan bus stopped at Sturbridge Village, so you do a day trip there as well. -Michael N. Portland ME can be fun during this time of year (2 hr bus ride)... I think that there's a music festival coming up for Portland in August... -Brenda H. If you feel like renting a car for a day, Caprilands Herb Garden in Coventry, Connecticut is a very pretty destination, as is Green Animals topiary garden in (Tiverton?) RI. I don't imagine either would be too accessible by public transport, though. -Barbara Take the Bonanza bus or Amtrak down to Providence. The T rail goes there on weekday rush hours, but I don't think it runs on weekends. In Providence, walk up the hill to Brown. On the way, you'll see the oldest Baptist church in the country, a wonderful collection of homes, and the Rhode Island School of Design, which has one of the best small art museums in the US. Brown itself is a very nice campus, if you liked varied architecture. The National Park Service has a small visitor center down the canal. It's open in the summer. There's lots more to do there, but this will fill a day. -Michael N.
Good local travel booksCar-Free in Boston (probably in its umpteenth edition now); Greater Boston Parks and Recreation Guide by Mark Primack (possibly still in print) -Linda B. We tended to use a little paperback sold in the Globe Book Store that describes how to get to a bunch of places on public transport. I think it's called "Country Walks in Boston" or something like that. -Ellen
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