We are headed to the Boston/Rhode Island area in a couple of months and I'm so excited! I've never been to the east coast, so do you have any recommendations for things we must see and do?
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@Boogs: ooh jealous! I've always wanted to see Boston! Have a ton of fun!
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I haven't been in years. Hope you have fun!
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Fun! I've never been to either places!
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Have an amazing time!! I was wee lil one when I last went to Boston. Never been to RI though.
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Mmmmm eat dinner in the north end in Boston. And walking the Freedom trail through Boston is fun. If you are sports fans you could take in a game at Fenway. And the Museum of Fine Arts is great to explore too. The Science Museum and the Aquarium are fun if you want something a little more family friendly.
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OMG!!! Coming to Boston?!?!? A must see/do is to have a meetup with Mrs. Wagon!!!
I work at the Museum of Fine Arts so if you want to come during the day any day Tues thru Friday let me know and I can let you in for free!! I will comment again soon with more things to do 
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@MamaMoose: We will have the LO so family friendly is a must.
@mrs. wagon: Free?! DH won't believe me! Lol! We are going for a cousin's wedding, so I'm sure we could make a weekday work. Is that a kid friendly place?
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@Boogs: ooh fun! I live just north of Boston, and my family is in RI!
For Boston:
Children's Museum (with LO), LOVE the MFA (@mrs. wagon: i didn't know you worked there!!), you could walk around Boston Common, do the swan boats - check Boston.com's calendar & see if there is anything good going on when you're here. Agree with either North End, or the Seaport area for dinner/lunch!For RI:
Not sure which part you're going to be in - but Newport is always a great day trip - you can do the mansion tours (not sure how old your LO is though).... or just walk around, hit the beach - although be warned - it will be busy! Especially on a weekend! But it's beautiful.... If you're going to be in southern RI in Westerly/Misquamicut area -- the beaches are great. Watch Hill is beautiful to go walk around the little town, walk by the water - there is a famous Carousel there - and the new Ocean House is beautiful to walk around. Also nearby is Mystic, CT - great to walk around, shop, and eat.
Providence is also cool - especially near where Brown University is!hopefully that's not too all over the place!
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@Boogs: hehe yes free!! you can come in as my guest if I'm working. It's surprisingly kid friendly... I've hesitated to bring Wagon Jr. there, but I hear all the time that kids love it, and I see families with baby strollers all the time. It's AWESOME during school vacation weeks (arts and crafts and activities everywhere you turn!) here are two links that can help for regular museum times:
http://www.mfa.org/visit/plan-your-visit/visiting-kids
http://www.mfa.org/programs/kids-and-family-programs
(I hope this doesn't count as self-promotion! I'm not even officially employed by the museum
@hellobeeboston: yup, I work here Tues thru Fri... let me know if you're ever in town!
I would definitely also recommend visiting some places to eat lobster and sit on the beach. I'm not very beachy so I don't have specific recommendations but we go to New Hampshire every summer to eat at Brown's Lobster Pound and eat at the ice cream place across the street.
Cape Cod is very campy and touristy but very fun and cute as well! It can be expensive in the summers though. Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard are also very lovely... but you've got to book ferry tickets in advance if you want to bring your car.
DEFINITELY Boston Common would be a great place to walk around, do the Swan Boats for sure, and there's a carousel and you've got to take pics with the Make Way for Ducklings ducks!
Newbury Street is really nice to walk through but things are pricey, watch out! But right near there is the Copley area-- really nice to walk around and see the Boston Public Library, then the huge Copley Mall (with the Prudential Mall attached, a little more down to earth type places) if it's rainy. Really HUGE mall with lots of eating options and a few nice kids stores.
If you or hubby are beer fans, touring the Sam Adams or Harpoon breweries might be fun!
You can also always take a Boston Harbor sightseeing cruise if you're into that.
Still thinking of ideas!! I've lived here all my life so it's tough for me to think of it from a visitor's perspective
Don't bother with Downtown Crossing, almost nothing left to see there these days
just a bunch of junky stores. Other cute little places to walk around: Harvard Square, the South End, the Fenway area.
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@mrs. wagon: Love Browns - we were there for mothers day last year actually!!!! We also go to Petey's all the time, and then stop at the Beach Plum!
sorry to sidetrack.... @Boogs - these places are about an hour north of Boston just over the border in New Hampshire (Salisbury, Hampton Beach area)
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have an oyster shot! i had my first one in boston (with beer, not hard liquor), and it was so awesome i threw an oyster shot party!
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@mrs. wagon: you make Boston sound like so much fun! Totally wanna visit now..
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@hellobeeboston: YAY BROWN'S! and SALISBURY-- that's it! I totally was too lazy to google and figure out the town name.
Oh also definitely walk around Fanueil Hall / Quincy Market-- it is quintessential Boston and oh so cute, and still walkable if it's rainy.
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@chopsuey119: uhhh COME VISIT!!!!
That would be SO FUN!! No seriously Boston is really not THAT fun for young people, but it is really cute and very historic, which makes it great for families and older people. So many people come here for college and can't wait to get out... but so many people who grew up here end up coming back to raise their families here. It's expensive to live here but I think it's so worth it.
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To follow up on @mrs. wagon: suggestion to eat seafood and sit on the beach you should consider heading up to the North Shore. Gloucester, Rockport, and Newburyport are super fun to walk around. Very quientessential New England towns. And there is a small town up there, Essex, where there is a restaurant called Woodman's. My dad will tell you they have the best fried clams in all the land!
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If you take your LO to the Boston Children's Museum, definitely take a 5 minute walk to check out Flour Bakery. Best Sticky Buns ever... along with other deliciousness. I went everyday during our most recent trip to Boston! I loved it so much. Good for lunch or brunch!
Oh also maybe consider a "duck tour" if you're short on time... It was a good way for us to see Boston in a few hours. LO loved the boat ride.
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@NYCaliMama: omg flour is TO DIE FOR!
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I live in Salem, MA and there's lots to see up here (and not just witches)! It's a half hour north of Boston by train or an hour by ferry. It's on the ocean, with lots of great old architecture, a tall ship you can tour, and the Peabody Essex Museum, a world-renowned art museum that was voted one of the “Ten Best Art Museums for Kids” by Child Magazine in 2006! Sorry if I sound like an ad from the Salem Tourism Board, but I've got to represent!
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@Boogs: Oh, have fun! I actually have never been to Boston but it is a city that might be our next home when we move back east.
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For Boston...
- I'd say the Duck Tour is a must, it's a fun, great way to see Boston!
- Head to the North End for dinner. There are many tourist traps you may want to avoid, but my favorite places are Vinoteca di Monica, Marco, Pomodoro, and Prezza. Then grab dessert at Mike's Pastry for cannolis.
- Walk through Beacon Hill (my hood!), there are many cute shops on Charles Street. They just opened up a baby/kids store called NRO Kids that is amazing!
- Game at Fenway Park, even if you're not a Red Sox fan
I'm not, but Fenway really is a special place!Have fun! New England is beautiful in the summertime!
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I am loving this thread because the hubs and I are going to Boston for Memorial Day weekend and I always like to get opinions from locals whenever we go somewhere. I am getting excited now!!
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@mrs. wagon: so good! I wanted to try everything on the menu. I remember their homemade pop tarts and sticky buns especially. and this raspberry seltzer drink... so to-die-for!!! the owners also have a restaurant I saw on the Cooking Channel.. forgot the name, but looks heavenly too!
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@pointybird: I got married at the PEM! I love Salem.
Def visit Providence as well, it's a great walking city and have the BEST spinach pies, kinda like calzones but much much better!!
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So fun! I haven't been to either of those places, so I have no recommendations, but have a great time!
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@crash806: And dessert at Pastiche! Mind blowing strawberry shortcake.
I also love Al Forno! -
@betsyboop: OMG I want some strawberry shortcake NOW! Def making a trip to Providence this weekend. Oh and you can't leave without a Del's lemonade!
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You all are the best! I'm getting even more excited and can't wait to put all your tips on a list to show DH, thank you!
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@crash806: Yesss! I love Del's!
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I work at the Museum of Fine Arts so if you want to come during the day any day Tues thru Friday let me know and I can let you in for free!! I will comment again soon with more things to do 
That would be SO FUN!! No seriously Boston is really not THAT fun for young people, but it is really cute and very historic, which makes it great for families and older people. So many people come here for college and can't wait to get out... but so many people who grew up here end up coming back to raise their families here. It's expensive to live here but I think it's so worth it.
I'm not, but Fenway really is a special place!Reply
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