Cape Cod to Boston

[janej]

I need some last minute help.

We are checking in to Southcape resort this afternoon. This is our first trip to the area. I thought we would relax and enjoy the beach for the most part. But kids discovered the Go Boston card yesterday and circled a long list of things they want to do. How long does it take to get to Boston? Is there a place where we can park and get on the public transportation?

My sister will be at the Brairwood. Which resort would be more comfortable for our parents who do not drive? They usually get up early and like to walk around.

Many thanks,

Jane

[pcgirl54]

Jane

What do the kids want to see in Boston? Boston is at least an hour plus. Weekend Cape Cod summer traffic and then Boston weekday commuter traffic can be hellacious so do not travel at peak times. Again you could park in Quincy at the T and take the commuter rail into Boston but let us all know where you want to go such as Fanuiel Hall,Science Museum or the NE Aquarium,Beantown Torlley Tours.

This weekend the Tall Ships are in Boston so there will be 300k plus people and 47 tall ships. http://www.sailboston.com

On the Cape

On the cape your parents may enjoy the little shopping village at Mashpee Commons ,Mashpee Ma near Briarwood. Eat at Bobby Byrnes while there. casual ,reasonable and nice desserts. http://www.mashpeecommons.com/dining.php

Also across the street there is a plaza with Roche Brothers Market worth a stop. Also a Marshalls. On the other side of the street there is a Stop N Shop Grocer too nice but more standard fare than Roche. And there is a Movie Cinema at Mashpee Commons.

Falmouth-nice little walk around town and then you could take the kids to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

If your family is up to it go to Martha's Vineyard on the ferry from Wood's Hole. You could also do an island tour. No need to rent a car but you can as there are busses.

In Wellfleet there is a twin drive in theater and on weekends its a flea market in the daytime of course.

Cape Cod Rail trails.

Whale Watching

Rte 6A on the Cape-little charming road with shops along the way-not a must do unless you are in the area.

Chatham Lighthouse and Lighthouse Beach-nice walk around town, super beach with soft sand and a terrific view. Terrible parking for the beach but there is someone who charges $10 to park on his property and then he'll shuttle you to the beach. You can park for 30 minutes near the Coast Guard station if you can find a spot.

[janej]

Thanks a lot for the information.

Here is the list of things my boys picked. I will need to trim it down.

Fenway Park tour
Museum of fine arts
New England aquarium
Duck Tour
Children's Museum
Paul Revere house
Six Flags New England & Hurricane Harrbor
Sandwich Glass Muesum
Theater-on-Wheels Movie Tour

USS constitution museum

TOMB presented by SWITS
Boston MIT museum

[falmouth3]

Originally Posted by janej

Thanks a lot for the information.

Here is the list of things my boys picked. I will need to trim it down.

Fenway Park tour
Museum of fine arts
New England aquarium
Duck Tour
Children's Museum
Paul Revere house
Six Flags New England & Hurricane Harrbor
Sandwich Glass Muesum
Theater-on-Wheels Movie Tour

USS constitution museum

TOMB presented by SWITS
Boston MIT museum

It depends on how long you'll want to stay. Six Flags isn't in Boston - it's about 1 1/2 hours west of Boston.

I think the Duck Tour would be a fun thing for the family to do, but in the summer make sure you have reservations before you go. I'm not kidding.

Fenway Park is in an area of Boston away from most of the "touristy" things to do, but it's also fun, especially if you're a baseball fan. I think reservations are also advisable for that.

The USS Constitution museum could take a couple of hours, or 15 minutes. Make sure you get onto the Constitution - it's free and the tours are very informative.

Paul Revere house is 1/2 hour tour, tops. It's in the north end so you can have a nice Italian lunch or dinner while there. Mike's Pastries is well known and delicious, but I'm sure the other bakeries in the area are just as good.

From the North End it's an easy walk to the Aquarium. Depending on your interests, it's 1 to 3 hours, probably more like 1 or 2. They just opened a new exhibit which features seals and I think, sea lions.

Museum of Fine Arts is easily accessible by the Green Line "T" line. Again, anywhere from 1 to 5 or more hours.

MIT museum is in Cambridge, accessible on the Red Line with a walk. I thought it was interesting, but I was trained as a scientist and my husband is an engineer. It might not be for everyone. The Harvard museum is also interesting, and it's also in Cambridge. There are many exhibits there that might interest the kids. The one I found most fascinating were the glass flowers - that look absolutely real.


I don't know anything about the other places.

If you have 1 day, I'd do a duck tour, the North End, the Constitution and maybe the Aquarium. Walk some of the Freedom Trail. This is where America began!

Sue

[falmouth3]

By the way, if you're going to do a lot of traveling around Boston, it's a walkable city, but I'd advise taking the "T" instead of driving if you're traveling any distance. I'd also advise getting a "Charlie" card because each fare on the T is reduced by 30 cents if you have the card. You only need 1 for the family because you can use it by "tapping" it multiple times, one for each family member. You just ask an employee at the T station for a Charlie card and then load it up with cash or credit card. They'll show you how to do it.

We normally park at the Alewife Station. It's easy to find but probably not the best place if you're coming from the Cape. In case you decide to go that way, take Route 95 North to Route 2 in Lexington. You'll see signs for the Alewife Garage.

Sue

[pcgirl54]

Six Flags is not in Boston but in Agawam MA. 2.5 hrs from Mashpee

Boston Duck Tours are lots of fun but yes get those tickets early they sell out quickly.

Paul Revere House and The Old North Church is in the famous North End where are wonderful Italian restaurants and you can walk to Fanueil Hall. Mike's Italian Bakery in the North End is famous. Lots of places to eat in Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market. Kids may like Pizza Regina.

Sandwich Glass Museum is on the Cape and you are close enough to drive there as it's near Mashpee.

Depending on their ages I would say Museum of Science or Children's Museum.

Your parents may like the JFK Museum that is outside of Boston.

Try here for info: http://www.boston.com/thingstodo

http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/.../faneuil_hall/

The NE Aquarium, Children's Museum,Paul Revere, Faneuil Hall are all in the same area. Not next to each other but in the vicinity.

Museum of Science and Fine Arts are in another part of the city.

Swan Boats in Boston Common and head down Newbury St to the Pru(Prudential Tower and Copley Square. Eat at Legal Seafood or Cheescake Factory. Oh that Banana Creme is my favorite.

Prudential Center has shops and restaurants in Copley place.

Depending on taking your parents would determine mode of transportation and how far you walk so the Trolley Tour may suffice.

[SailBadtheSinner]

Six Flags New England is located in Agawam, MA. It is on the west side of the Connecticut River in Massachusetts almost on the state line with Connecticut. It is about 150 miles from Mashpee. In non-rush hour traffic, travel time should be approx. 2h 30m. Travel, except for the very beginning and end, will be on interstate highways. There is a toll on the Mass Pike section of the route.

Here is the Six Flags site: http://www.sixflags.com/NewEngland/


SBtS

[janej]

Thanks everyone for the responses. We are at Southcape now. I plan to do the 10am orientation tomorrow morning.

The Tall ships are so impressive. Tomorrow seems to be the last day they are in Boston. I will show the web site to the boys in the morning. By the way, they are 13 and 11 with cousins age 9, 6, 6 and 3.

If we decide to go see the Tall ships tomorrow, will that take a whole day? If not, is there anything on their list we can combine?

Also, on the Tall ships home page, there is a line that says take the T to the Tall ships. But I could not find any details. Which station should I drive to and where should I get off to see the tall ships?

Thanks again. Looks like the area has so much to offer. We could not possiblely do everything in a week. Six flags is definitely out. We have six flags, king's dominion, Busch gardens, all closer to home.

Jane

[Scott_Ru]

This may be too late for you but here is a good site regarding the Tall Ships in Boston.

http://www.sailboston.com/schedule.html

Have fun.

[falmouth3]

So Jane, what did you end up doing in Boston?

Sue

[janej]

Sue,

We ended up going to Boston twice. On Sunday after checking in, we went to see the tall ships since that was the last day they were there. We got to the Harvard Museum and spent a few hours there until they closed. The glass flower exhibition is amazing. We then went to see a cousin in Woburn and had dinner together. It was really late when I got back to Mashpee.

On the check out day, we drove to China town for lunch and went to the MIT museum.

We liked both museums. DS13 especially enjoyed the MIT museum and its gift shop. He usually opt out for all shopping. He found so many cool stuff there. Boston seems to be a very friendly city with a distinct college town feel. We can easily spent a week there alone. Maybe I should trade my timeshare for my cousin's house some day My boys are just getting old enough to enjoy cities.

We had a great first trip to the Cape Cod. We ended up driving a lot (to Boston, P-Town, national coast, spent a day at Martha's Vineyard). Now we are somewhat oriented. We are looking forward to returning to the area in the future.

Thanks a lot for the suggestions.

Jane

[falmouth3]

I'm glad you had a good time. We moved here about 7 years ago and we love it here.

Sue

[Sou13]

I found your discussion of your trip to Cape Cod by using a search engine (Omgili) I'd never tried. I'm looking for feedback from first-time visitors to Southcape Resort. What did you think the resort?

[janej]

We are happy with Southcape. Our unit is clean and spacious. The fixtures are dated (e.g., blue tub and sink). But we know we are not in Orlando. We are so lucky to get this exchange. My sister has confirmed a unit at the Brairwoood for the same week last year. We did not firm up our summer schedule until this spring. I put in a request with II for only this one week and got Southcape.

The kids loved the loft. Their cousin came and one of them had to sleep in between the two beds. No one wants to be on the sofa bed. We love the smaller resort feel. We feel safe to let the kids out by themselves to play outside.

We drove a lot to see different places. The location is great for our first trip since we would not sit and relax any way.

[Sou13]

Thank you for the reply and for the positive review!

What is it about the blue fixtures in the bathrooms that dates the resort so much that it stands out in guests' minds? If that's the worst thing that anyone can say about Southcape Resort, I can think of a lot worse things to say about other resorts. Are other resorts not necessarily clean, for example?

I've never exchanged through I.I. or ever exchanged at all anywhere because I'm happy with Southcape Resort and the only thing I would like to see changed at this time is the attempt by Festiva to take over the resort through the unholy alliance with NEVS/Outfield Marketing.

It's time for the FTC to get involved.