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Back at the end of October, Hubs and I took our first trip together without Little. Earlier this year, we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary and in just a few short months, we’ll be adding another little one to our team. There is much to celebrate around here and we wanted to take advantage of it while we were able. We ended up planning a long weekend in Boston and it was really wonderful.
I’ll be honest, I was a nervous wreck about leaving Little. Of course, Hubs and I have both traveled separately away before, but this was our first trip where neither of us would be home. I was nervous about Little’s napping – whether or not he would have meltdowns (two is a tough age!), how he would sleep through the night, just all the things. As it turns out though, I think he only asked about us once and spent the rest of the time playing and having fun. In hindsight, it’s not a real shock.
Once I knew he was having a great time, I was really able to relax and enjoy our vacation to the fullest.
Our Weekend in Boston
This was my first trip to Boston. I’m from the south and aside from a couple of trips to Ohio, New Jersey, and New York, I really haven’t traveled that much outside of the Southeast. Hubs had been to Boston before though and felt confident that it would be a great time to visit. He was right. We traveled in the end of October and it was absolutely gorgeous. I had read that fall was the best season to visit, and I now know why. It was cool and brisk in the mornings and evenings, but without being dreadfully cold, and the afternoons were sunny and mild. The leaves on the trees were absolutely beautiful shades of orange, yellow, and red and plenty of them were still hanging on making the city just stunning. I highly recommend it.
Where We Stayed
We had been planning on taking a vacation this year for a while, so we’d been saving and learning about different travel incentives for a while. We are able to use travel points to get a great room at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Boston for our trip. It was wonderful. Probably the nicest hotel we’ve stayed in since our honeymoon. It was absolutely perfect for the trip. The hotel was right in downtown near the Theater district and we were able to walk almost everywhere we went during our entire stay which meant we didn’t need to rent a car. The staff was excellent and so friendly. They even left us a sweet welcome gift for the new baby.
Things to Do in Boston
Because our time was relatively limited, we chose all activities that were within walking distance from the hotel. We planned our days with one activity each morning, some rest in the afternoon and another activity in the evening. We wanted to see as much as we could, but also wanted plenty of time to just relax and enjoy the city and one anothers company. Although I know there is a lot we missed, I definitely feel like we got a good taste of the city.
Blue Man Group
Our first night in town, we went to the Charles Playhouse to see the Blue Man Group perform. While Blue Man Group is not specific to Boston, I had never seen them perform live before so I was excited to see that they were less than 0.5 miles away from our hotel. The show was 90 minutes long without intermission, and was the perfect combination or percussion music, comedy, fun, and audience interaction. It kept us engaged the whole time and was a great way to start the trip. After the show, the band and Blue Man Group was available for pictures, which I thought was a great touch.
Also, fun fact about the Charles Playhouse: It was originally constructed in 1839 as a Speakeasy before becoming a Jazz nightclub. Obviously, it has since become a theater for performing arts, but I appreciate the little bit of history in the place.
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum
Friday morning, we grabbed breakfast and then spent some time walking around the city to visit the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum. The tours are guided and last about an hour each. When we arrived, we were welcomed by fully costumed guides to a town hall meeting taking place just before the Boston Tea Party, complete with a rousing speech from Samuel Adams. Following the meeting, we had the chance to tour one of the ships and even throw some of the “tea crates” into the sea and tour the museum which had several interactive exhibits. The tour guides were all really excellent and knowledgeable – happy to answer any questions thrown at them. They also stayed really well in character, which added a lot to the tour.
We actually ended up being just behind the guests who purchased the one millionth ticket to the museum, so we were all treated to a big celebration complete with colonial drums and fluting, as well as cake and tea for everyone on our tour. So much fun.
Boston Common & Public Garden
Another great place to visit was the Boston Common and Public Garden. These are technically two separate places, but they’re right across the street from one another and are both absolutely gorgeous places to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. The Common is set on 50 acres and is America’s oldest public park. It was actually used by the British soldiers for camp prior to the American Revolution. The Garden on the other hand, is more decorative with beautiful flowers and greenery throughout. Both remind me of New York’s Central Park and were a nice place to take an afternoon walk. I recommend stopping by if you are visiting.
Freedom Trail Tour
This was another guided walking tour that covered several historic places and events in Boston. The tour starts in the Boston Common and ends up in North End at Faneuil Hall.
To see all the stops on the tour, see here.
Each of these tours is led by a historic character from Boston. Our tour guide was actually playing the role of Thomas Hutchinson III, whose father was a Royal Governor in Massachusetts in 1771. It was really interesting to hear the tour from the perspective of a Loyalist during the time surrounding the American Revolution. Outside of character, our tour guide was a Boston native and his love for the city was apparent, which made the tour that much more enjoyable for us.
If you haven’t picked up on it, I really am a fan of doing all the touristy things my first time visiting a city. I loved all the walking tours and learning about the history of the City of Boston. It is such an important part of American history, and it was really fun to see all those places in person.
Quincy Market
Right outside of Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market is full of little shops and food stalls and restaurants. There are street vendors outside as well. We actually stopped by the Market a few times during our stay in passing. There was always something going on whether it be performers, or in our case, lots of people in costume gearing up for a Halloween celebration. It’s a great place to stop by to grab something quick to eat or just to people watch.
Acorn Street
Located right across from the Common and about 0.5 miles from the Massachusetts State House, Acorn St. is in the Beacon Hill neighborhood and is worth a stroll if you have the time. The cobblestone streets and beautiful homes are totally swoon-worthy.
Spend the Afternoon Walking Around Harvard’s Campus
On Saturday afternoon, we took a cab out to Cambridge to visit Harvard’s campus. We ended up just walking around the campus, taking photos, and relaxing for a few minutes in the student center. Totally took me back to both being in college (those were the days) and working on a college campus. It’s such a fun and exciting place – so much learning, new friendships, I just love all of it. The campus itself was really beautiful and the weather was PERFECT for walking around exploring.
Pro Tip: Be sure to check Groupon for Events and Deals Near You!
Where We Ate
Fajitas & ‘Ritas
Fajitas and Rita’s is a local Mexican restaurant where we ate lunch on our first day in Boston. Our flight landed just before noon and by the time we made it to the hotel to drop off our bags and walk around the city, it was almost 2:00 in the afternoon. This was the perfect place for a bite to eat after traveling. Hubs ordered nachos and I had steak fajitas. Both were delicious. My favorite was their chips though. So delicious!
Caffe Nerro
This was my FAVORITE place we ate. Well, I ate. I’m a coffee and baked goods kind of girl and I was happy to find this delicious Italian coffee place just about 0.2 miles away from our hotel. The place is set up like an old library or bookstore and the staff was so friendly and efficient. (One of the baristas even gave me some good local coffee recommendations for back home!)
Most importantly, I had probably the best decaf latte and chocolate croissant I’ve had in a while. Perfect tasting espresso, perfect ratio of milk and flavor, perfect temperature. Likewise, the croissant was baked to perfection with just enough chocolate to satisfy my sweet tooth without feeling like I ate a candy bar for breakfast. We went there again on Saturday morning and my only regret from the trip was not getting up extra early before our flight Sunday morning to grab one last treat.
I know there are lots of great coffee places in Boston, but our time was limited and when you find a good thing, just hang on to it, you know?
Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
We stopped at Rock Bottom before the show on Thursday night. We wanted something quick and simple and this definitely did not disappoint. Rock Bottom is your standard sports bar/restaurant/brewery. It was pretty casual with great food and service. I ordered a BBQ chicken salad and Hubs got a burger with fries. Both were tasty and really filling.
Blaze Pizza
Another quick bite -Blaze Pizza is a franchise make-your-own pizza place. I had never tried it, but Hubs had been before and liked it so we gave it a try. I topped my pizza with nearly every single veggie in the place and Hubs got all meat on his pizza. The pizza was actually really tasty, but the think that impressed me the most was the efficiency with which the orders were filled. The pizzas are cooked right in front of you and are out super quick.
Modern Pastry
Modern Pastry is a little pastry shop in North End. It’s just across the street from another famous bakery, Mike’s Pastry. This was a must-visit on my list before heading in to Boston. I had read excellent reviews online and made a point to grab a cannoli.
I ordered the chocolate dipped cannoli vanilla custard and chocolate chips. It did not disappoint. They’ve got tons of other pastries and cookies to choose from as well of cannolis aren’t your thing.
One thing to keep in mind though – it’s cash only so if you primarily use your card, you’ll want to grab some cash before heading out.
Mr. Bartley’s Burgers
Another cash only place, Mr. Bartley’s Burgers is right across the street from Harvard. It was packed when we go there and when we got our food, we immediately knew why. This is a great local spot for excellent burgers. (I didn’t realize until writing this post that they have actually been featured in several magazines.) The food and staff here were both really wonderful and come highly recommended!
Tresca
On our last night in Boston, we made reservations at Tresca in North End. We were with a friend that did grad school with Hubs who had come to meet us on Saturday. His mom actually recommended it to us and it was fantastic!
Tresca is a more upscale Italian restaurant with an excellent menu. Hubs got a pizza and I got Chicken Marsala. We both loved it. For dessert, (because no way was I leaving without dessert), we got a chocolate cake and a seasonal item – chocolate chip pot pie, which was DELICIOUS.
Pro Tip: Be sure to check websites and social media pages for restaurants on your trip to find any deals or promotions that might be going on!
And that’s it. Our flight left pretty early on Sunday morning so we were back in time for lunch with Little, which worked out really well for us. This was definitely a trip for the memory books. I am still just so thankful that we were able to take a vacation with the two of us. I know we missed several things in Boston, but I think we had just enough time to fit in lots of things that were really fun and special to the city. We came home feeling refreshed and recharged which is just what we needed.
Have you traveled to Boston? What are your favorite things to do and see in the city? I love to hear what you think!
GIVEAWAY
Finally, I’m excited to be joining Shani over at Sunshine and Munchkins and a few other bloggers today to celebrate Shani’s 2 year blogiversary! To celebrate, she’s giving away a few of her favorite things to one lucky reader! Shani is also a Stay-at-Home mom to two with another on the way and she is constantly sharing fun and creative DIY and craft projects as well as tasty recipes over on her blog!
One of the things I have loved most about blogging is meeting so many other wonderful people. I have loved getting to know Shani and I know that you’ll love all the things in this giveaway! I mean, hello, chocolate, planner stickers, and gift cards?! You don’t want to miss it! Be sure to enter below and we’ll announce the winner on Friday!
Also, be sure to check out all the lovely bloggers in the giveaway!
Shani @ Sunshine & Munchkins
Justine @ Little Dove Blog
Meg @ The Kusi Life
Steph @ The Gifty Girl
Sarah @ Making Joy & Pretty Things
Anna @ Practical & Pretty
Wow, I never knew Boston was so diverse and beautiful! I love the history it has to offer, but that food… yum!
Oh man! It is such a wonderful city to visit and you are not kidding about the food – lots of great restaurants!
I love Boston! I actually lived there for a short time right out of college. It’s a great town to visit! I’m looking forward to taking my kids there someday. Great pictures!
Thank you so much! We also really loved it!
This trip sounded amazing! My hubby will be in Boston in January for a few days and I am kind of thinking about tagging along. your post is really making me want to go now
I’m sure it will be so cold in January – but honestly, I think it would be worth it for a few days! We had such a great time – so much to explore and tons of great food!!
I grew up in New England and remember so many good things about Boston! This post has me itching to get back!
We loved it so much! It was my first visit, but I’m hopeful that it won’t be my last!
Mikes Pastry is one of my favorites I love cannolis!!!! We have 3 boys so I completely understand the chance to get away for the weekend is so refreshing once you put your mind at ease! Definitely mentioned some places we will have to keep in mind for our next visit to Boston!
I really loved it! I love all kinds of sweet things, so Mikes was right up my alley!
What a fun trip!
It really was; we had a great time!
I love Boston! The Freedom Trail is a one-of-a-kind experience. Great post!
We loved it, too! The Freedom Trail was really fun! I love history lessons like that!
Glad you liked Boston. I grew up near there. I saw Blue Man group once & love Modern pastry & Mike’s pastry & Fanuil Hall. You didn’t make it to the Hard Rock Cafe? I know you said your time was limited.
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We loved it! That’s awesome that you grew up there. We didn’t make it to Hard Rock, but hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to visit again!
I’ve been trying to get to Boston for some time now, I’m definitely go to save this for later when I finally make my way up there.
You will love it!! We had such a great time!
Pinning this for later! I was just telling my husband that I want to go to Boston!
Oh good!! I hope you get to go. It was such a wonderful trip!
We’ve been wanting to travel back east for a long time now. I’m definitely saving your post for tips when we finally make it over.
Oh great; I’m glad it was helpful! I hope you’re able to make it back east! There are so many great cities to visit!
I’ve only been to Boston once and I loved it! I think it’s time to start planning another trip there!
This was my first visit, too! Hubs has been there quite a few times. I’m also hoping that we can go again in the future!
Looks like such a fun time. Boston is such a great city <3
We loved it! It was my first visit, but I definitely agree with you on how great it is!
That looks like such a neat place to visit!!
We loved it so much! I hope we get to go back!
Sounds like such a fun trip! Boston is on my bucket list.
Hopefully you’ll be able to cross it off the list; we loved our trip there!
What a fantastic trip away before your baby comes. How I’d love to check out Boston one day 🙂 Thanks for showing me around x
It was a really great trip! I was so thankful that we were able to go and Boston was just lovely. It was the perfect spot to get away!
I’ve actually never been to Boston but I would LOVE to go one day!
You should go if you get the chance – we really enjoyed it. I’ve heard that spring and fall are great times to visit. I can’t vouch for Spring, but we had a great time visiting in the fall!
That looks like so much fun! I’ve only ever been to Boston airport and a suburb when I stayed overnight before a cruise last year. I wish I’d had more time to hang out and explore! I want to visit the Cheers Bar. lol
That was on our list, but we weren’t able to get to it – next time though, hopefully!
It looks like you two had a great time in Boston! The Boston Common is one of my favorite areas in the city. So nice to just walk around and enjoy the sites/sounds.
Yes – the Common was beautiful. Such a great place to walk around and take in the scenery, people watch, and just relax a little bit!
I love Boston some of my favorite childhood memories are in that city. I always had so much fun with my dad there.
Oh fun! I had no idea! We really enjoyed it – it was my first visit, but hopefully not my last!
This sounds like such a great trip. My hubby lived in Boston for a little bit and loved it. I love All the historical stuff you got to do on your trip.
Angela
It was a great city to visit. Not sure I could live there because of the cold, but I do hope we get to visit again!
Okay, so I totally want to go to Boston now! I mean, technically I’ve been to the Boston airport but it was just a flight in and then traveling outside the city so I didn’t get to explore at all. Everything looks like so much fun! The Blue Man Group would definitely be on my list of things to see. So fun that you got to do a little babymoon before #2 joins the family! (Fingers crossed we get to do something too before March comes around.) Also, thank you, thank you for joining my giveaway! 🙂
It was so much fun! I was so thankful to be able to get away for a little bit of time! Fingers crossed you get to do something fun with before your next little one comes! And I loved being able to join you in your giveaway! It was a fun celebration!!
I’m so glad you were able to enjoy yourself! I know the struggle in leaving your child (exact reason why I haven’t been able to yet lol) but being able to have some “me” time is so important. An early congrats on your newest little! We just welcomed our second almost four months ago.
Thank you so much! We were so thankful to get away for a little while and can’t wait to welcome our newest member to the team soon!
It looks like you guys had so much fun! I’ve never been to Boston but I would love to visit someday!
It really was a ton of fun! I was so thankful to have been able to go!
Aaaah, I love the Blue Man Group! So cool that you got to take pictures with them!
They were really good! I loved how accessible they were afterwards for pictures. I thought that was a great touch!
I grew up in the East (currently in the West) and always want to take the hubs back there. It’s been so long, though, that I would have no idea where to take him. This is an awesome list of things to do, and I love all the food suggestions, thanks!
We loved Boston so much! There are so many great places to choose though! Hopefully you’ll get to make it back out this way one day!
Boston is on my bucket list of places to visit, my husbands company is headquartered there so I am hoping the next time he has to go for work I can tag along!
Looks like you guys had a wonderful time and I am glad your little enjoyed himself with being upset mom and dad were gone. 🙂
Marissa
You should totally tag along if you get the opportunity! It was such a fun city to explore and I definitely want to go back!
That hotel room is so adorable! I have always wanted to travel to Boston but never have had the time. So glad y’all enjoyed yourself.
-xo, Azanique | http://www.lotsofsass.com
The hotel was stunning. I loved it so much. That in and of itself felt like a vacation – even if we had just stayed there the whole time! You should definitely go if you find the time. The flight was easy (just under 2 hours) and the city is wonderful!
Great guide! Never been but I want to go and experience the good eats!
And there are definitely a lot of good eats to experience, that’s for sure!
What a great getaway with lots to do and food, food, food! That’s why I want to go to Boston on day.
It was really fun! There is so much good food, that’s for sure! And so much to do that is within walking distance. That was a big perk for us – to not have to worry about driving a car around. It really helped us enjoy more of the city to since we could take in our surroundings rather than focus on traffic!
What a terrific and detailed recap of your trip! I’ve wanted to visit Boston for a long time but I haven’t made it yet. Whenever I get there, I’ll be sure to check out the tours, restaurants, etc, that you mentioned. That bakery definitely sounds like a winner!
It was really awesome – so much rich history! I loved all of it. I hope we can go back another time to see the things we missed!
I visited Boston once and loved it! I can’t wait to go back some day. I have always wanted to see Blue Man Group too.
We loved it too! Blue Man Group was a lot of fun – they have shows in several cities across the country!
Oh we just love Boston! October is a great time to visit with all the fall colors too. We’ve been to see Blueman Group a few times and our favorite eating place is the Cheers pub (the one the show Cheers was modeled after). I’ve been wanting to get there with my boys though and walk the Freedom Trail and I have not heard of the Boston tea Party Museum– those would make great hands on history lessons. Pinned.
It was gorgeous with all the leaves changing colors! The Tea Party Museum was really well done! Really great opportunity for some hands on history lessons!
Your Boston trip sound like so much fun!! The food sounds Amazing and you are making me hungry! I love your post! So informative. I’m so glad that you and your hubby were able to spend some time alone!
Thank you so much, Angela! It was a great getaway! Of course, I was so excited to see our son when we got home, but I didn’t realize just how much good some time away with just the two of us would be. I’m also really thankful to have such great family so that we were able to leave Little in such good hands and that he had a fun mini-vacation, too!
Those restaurants sound so good, especially Caffe Nerro! I’ll be adding some of these to my list of things to see in Boston. Fall seems like the best time to visit, so maybe I’ll shoot for next year!
Oh my goodness – Kate. You would LOVE Caffe Nerro! It has an old bookstore feel and the coffee is delicious – right up your alley!
So fun! It sounds like it was a great weekend 🙂 In middle school my family spent several days in Boston for a vacation and we did some of the touristy things. Mostly I remember spending hours at Faneuil Hall and Quincy Hall and some of the other markets because my mother loves shopping, ha! I’d like to go back to Boston though and explore some of the nightlife (yeah, city nightlife isn’t that interesting when you’re 12…or maybe it’s interesting but it’s just not accessible, ha!), see some of the arts, and do some of the historical tours that we didn’t get to do when I was a kid. You’ve got some great tips for a fun weekend!
Such a fun city to explore! You should definitely go back! It was so much fun! I love the touristy things, but there are so many other great, local things to see too!
I have always wanted to visit Boston. I will definitely take your restaurant recommendations into consideration if I visit one day.
It was so much fun! There is so much good food in the city – it’s really hard to pick just one place to eat!
Looks like you had a well deserved break! Also congratulations on your new bundle of joy! Boston looks amazing, I have not been before but if I do i will definitely be visiting Modern Pastry! yum!
Thank you! We really had a great time! Modern Pastry definitely gets my recommendation – it was really tasty!
Oh I love Boston! It’s one of my favorite places. After college, I had this dream of going to grad school and in Boston and becoming a publisher. Thankfully, God had other plans for me because I don’t know that I could have survived their winters, ha! But it’s such a gorgeous place to visit! Your photos are beautiful and looks like you guys had a great time!
It was so gorgeous! I had no idea about that – but I totally feel you about the cold winters. The 40s here this week are making me want to hibernate. We had so much fun though – I would definitely go back again!
You chose well for being on limited time. Love these pics!
Thanks! One of the fun things about weekend trips is being able to fit in as much as you can. The downside is having to say no to some other really awesome things. That’s what future vacations are for, I suppose!
Being a Boston girl I am so glad you had such a good time!
Oh, fun! We really loved it and were so thankful to have been able to visit!
Sounds like you had fun!! I would love to go to Boston!
We really did. I hope you are able to visit sometime – it was such a wonderful city. I’m hoping that we’ll be able to go back!
Looked like such a fun trip and glad you got to get away together for a bit have this awesome trip to Boston as a couple for the weekend 😉
Thank you so much; it really was a great time. I was really thankful to be able to go!
My friend lives in Boston and I’m hoping to go and visit her from Ireland in the New Year – I’m literally going to show her this post and say “I WANT TO DO ALL OF THIS” haha!
Sounds like you had a lovely time, have a great holiday season xx
It was so fun! I hope you have a great trip!
Wow looks like you had an amazing trip! I loved all the pictures. I’ve never been to Boston and you’re making me want to visit!
It was my first time! I’m not big on the really cold winters, so I thought that fall was the PERFECT time to visit. We had such a great time; it is such a great city with so much rich history and charm!