Recently, I’ve been experiencing some extreme wanderlust. After spending my junior fall abroad in Rome, staying in one place for too long makes me feel too restless. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love BC and being in Boston, but sometimes I just want to go explore some place new for an afternoon or even a weekend. I spent a weekend in Montreal a few weeks ago, which was awesome, but here are some options for day trips from Boston! Now that it’s finally spring, we Collegiettes can finally get outside and enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather, and you can do so in all these places!
Historical Day Trips
Boston is surrounded by history, something I (as a history major and aspiring history teacher) absolutely love. And, as an added bonus, most of these historic towns are accessible by train for those wanderlust people who don’t have cars.
Salem
Head North to Salem for the day! While Salem is most popular to visit around Halloween, you can also visit during the spring. You can see the historic houses, shop in the cute stores, and grab a bite to eat!
Lexington and Concord
As a history major, I’ve really been wanting to get up to Lexington and Concord, to see the two towns where the first battles of the Revolutionary War were fought, to see Concord where “the shot heard round the world” was fired. What better time to venture up to these New England towns than a beautiful spring Saturday or Sunday?
Plymouth
I went to Plymouth in the fall of my freshman year for 48 Hours. Though my memories of the weekend are mostly of the cold, from inside the hotel we stayed in, and about how disappointing Plymouth Rock was, I really enjoyed the shops we stopped in and our walks along the beach Plus, we got cupcakes from Cupcake Charlie’s, which were delicious and I highly recommend. So gather a group of friends and spend a day down in Plymouth!
Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tours (click me)
As a huge fan of ice cream, the Ben & Jerry’s Factory Tour is something I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t yet. But taking a tour of an ice cream factory and eating said ice cream sounds like a heavenly afternoon to me! Plus, tickets are only $4, so super inexpensive! It’s a bit of a trek up to the factory (according to Google Maps, it’s a 3 hour drive), so you might want to make it a weekend trip! Montpelier, the capital of Vermont, is just 15 minutes away.
The Cape
Finally, let’s not forget about Cape Cod! While the water may not be warm enough to go swimming yet, you can still go enjoy any of the cute towns on the Cape and walk along the beach! How far onto the Cape you travel depends on how much time you have, but I know from experience that basically all the towns are super cute! Depending on the weather, you could even consider packing a picnic for the beach!
Whenever and wherever you choose to go, there are so many options for day trips around Boston! As much as we all love being at Boston College and staying on campus, don’t forget that there are some awesome places around us just waiting to be explored!
Photo Sources:
http://www.limitstogrowth.org/WEB-Graphics/MassachusettsPostcard.jpg
http://www.salempsychics.com/SALEM1.jpg
http://travelingwithsweeney.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/lexington-chu…
http://www.travelblog.org/Photos/4095534
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Sunset_on_Cape_Cod_Ba…