Ipswich and North Shore-Good location for Boston trip

We are a family of 5 (children are older children--youngest is 15) planning a week long trip to Boston. I am looking for a place outside of Boston to stay and to make trips into the city for sightseeing for 3-4 days and to use as a base for traveling around other areas. We will be there in mid July.

Is Ispwich a good choice to do this? Can we get into the city fairly decently by train? What about if we have to catch an airplane flight out of Logan early on a Saturday morning--will traffic towards Boston be a problem?

Thanks for the input.

Ipswich and North Shore-Good location for Boston trip

Traffic will not be a problem. You do need to pay attention to the signs to Logan. You don%26#39;t need to go thru Boston from this point to get to logan.

I like Ispwich and the area and it is perfect in July.

Ipswich and North Shore-Good location for Boston trip

Good morning EGKDP,

Ipswich would be a good choice to do that yes, but the thing is I suppose, if you have a way of getting to the commuter rail (the Ipswich stop) which goes right in to North Station.

As a suggestion though, there%26#39;s two other places that I think you might want to consider. One of them is only 4 miles from downtown Boston, it%26#39;s the Hyatt in Medford. They%26#39;re not far from Logan International Airport at all. They have a complimentary shuttle service that would take you to the Wellington MBTA Station OR even to Davis Square if you wanted to explore Somerville/Cambridge. There%26#39;s a Pizzeria Regina and a Not Your Average Joe restaurant as well as a Kelly%26#39;s Roast Beef now at Station Landing, a short walk from the train station. If you missed the complimentary shuttle van there%26#39;s a bus that would take you right to this Hotel from the train station. It%26#39;s pretty convenient all around. You%26#39;d be in downtown Boston in no time from Wellington Station. The hotel is located a quarter of a mile from the station.

Just google Hyatt Place Medford, MA. for information on it. You can also check the reviews here to see what you think.

If you didn%26#39;t want to stay in Medford, if you wanted to go further north, there%26#39;s this Motel in Beverly, MA. that would be really convenient and they%26#39;re family friendly too! It%26#39;s called the Lakeview Motor Lodge. It%26#39;s got the (commuter rail) MBTA train within walking distance from this Motel, which would be ideal. If you go in to their site, you%26#39;ll see all the various restaurants, shops and all that that are within walking distance from this motel. It%26#39;s another good option for you...BUT with teenagers? I would think you%26#39;d want to stay where they have a pool may be?

www.lakeviewmotorlodge.com

Check this Inn out, I drive by it a lot and it%26#39;s pretty nice, I guess their rates are really good from what people say. They%26#39;re in Rowley, MA., not too far from Ipswich at all. You know you%26#39;ll need to rent a car though right? As this place is not within walking distance to a train or anything like that. BUT it%26#39;s got a pool and in July? You%26#39;ll be glad you thought of that with teens! So that%26#39;s something to consider:

www.countrygardenmotel.com

You could of course stay in Ipswich instead, but, like I said, you definitely need a car to get to the train or the many various sights and attractions as you know...

www.ipswichma.com

Have a wonderful time wherever you decide to stay!

Ipswich isn%26#39;t bad. It is close by the other towns on Cape Ann to visit as well as a short drive to Salem. Ipswich has Crane%26#39;s Beach for swimming and the famous Clam Box for good fried clams.

I would not say that the Hyatt Place in Medford is a quarter of a mile from Wellington Station. This makes it sound walkable. I think it%26#39;s got to be a mile at least (I would guess more.) and the station is accross a very complicated and busy set of intersections.

You might also consider Newburyport - which has train service to Boston, is near beaches, and has a terrific, small downtown waterfront. There is plenty to see in Newburyport if you don%26#39;t feel like going into town (you can go on whale watching cruises from there, for example). I imagine Ipswich would also be awesome (although I don%26#39;t know it as well as I know Newburyport).

Yes, you%26#39;re right, what was I thinking, I%26#39;m picturing it in my head as being only about a quarter of a mile from driving through that area a lot! So yes, it%26#39;s probably a mile may be a mile and a half to the train station from the hotel%26#39;s location. Yes, it%26#39;s definitely busy through the Wellington Circle area with that crazy intersection right there. Your best bet if you do stay there is to take the free complimentary shuttle service back and forth to the train, that way you%26#39;ll get used to it, especially if you%26#39;re only going to be there for a few days.

I still feel that this particular Hyatt is a great hotel for families to get in and out of downtown Boston, especially if they didn%26#39;t want to stay right in town. Regardless of what any one else here thinks about the location of it, it%26#39;s a great choice for them.

Thanks for the replies. I forgot to mention that if we stayed out of Boston I would be renting a car.

The problem I am running into is that hotels in Boston generally accomodate 4, not 5 and therefore want you to have 2 rooms which at the Boston prices can be fairly pricey for a week. We are used to staying in condos in Florida mostly when we vacation so the thought of being 5 people cramped in a hotel room--children are 24, 21 and 15 is not tremendously appealing for the price we would have to pay. So I have been looking at other alternatives outside of Boston. I had found two really nice houses on the water in Ipswich on VRBO so I wondered what the area was like and what it%26#39;s proximity to Boston was. If I did not want to drive into Boston--could I take the train from Ipswich? Is there a train station.

I also have contact with a lady in Salem to stay at a house there for the week. Would that be a better area? Also with a car.

Thanks for the input.

Hi EGKDP,

You had the correct interpretation of my handle, since I always thought that cheer was unique to LSU (but Hot Boudin is even more so!).

I think it will be hard to beat a house on the water in Ipswich if you are looking for a more relaxed atmosphere than you%26#39;ll find in the city. But that may depend on what sort of activities you and your family are looking forward to during your vacation. I know my teenage son was bored to tears when we went to Sanibel a few years ago.

Oh, and one warning for you: the ocean water up here is COLD compared to the Gulf!

Hey Tiger Bait,

It%26#39;s hard to miss a Tiger fan--but I agree (Hot Boudin) is really unique.

Thanks for the information on Ipswich. I was thinking of it more as a base of operations from which we would spend 3-4 days going to Boston and then the other days taking day trips to Salem, etc (someone had mentioned the mountains--don%26#39;t see too many of those down here), etc. I mainly thought we might spend one day just there relaxing at the beach, etc. Can you do whale watching out of Ipswich?

Also, do you have any thoughts on Salem as a place to stay?

Thanks once again for all of the input. I didn%26#39;t realize going to Boston was going to be so complicated. I guess I%26#39;m not used to all these cities being so close together.

I think your point, that the cities/towns are all close together, hits the nail on the head. Don%26#39;t stress yourself our about it. Salem is a wonderful historic city with plenty to do and see. It is a little more urban than Ipswitch. I am not from the North shore but my impression of Ipswitch is that it has a lot of conservation land and is more rural. Which in my opinion is nice. Another town up in that area I hear recommended a lot is Marblehead. I noticed a number of loactions on VBRO there as well. Check out www.mbta.com (commuter rails/trains) for the train access into Boston. They have information on all the train stations and parking that%26#39;s available at each. I would find the nicest looking property for the best price in any of these towns and not worry too much about the specifics. I know there are great whale watches out of Glouster which is nearby as well. Good luck!