In my last post, we began our 15 Day New England Roadtrip with stops in Connecticut and Rhode Island. On days 2 and 3 we visited the Mystic Seaport Museum, The Breakers, and Fort Adams State Park. Today we’ll continue our journey and will spend days 4-7 exploring Massachusetts. Let’s hit the road! I hope you stay with me, this is a long post.
Day 4
Cape Cod Chip Factory
On the morning of day 4, we woke up early and headed for Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Our first stop of the day would be the Cape Cod Chip Factory in Hyannis. Free factory tours are available weekdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. They are closed on holidays and weekends.
Tours are self-guided and won’t take more than half an hour. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed once you begin the tour. Basically, you walk through one large room lined with windows. Each window represents a different stage in the creation of Cape Cod potato chips.
Your tour ends at a very small gift shop where you are given a free bag of chips. Our kids were super excited about this part. They love chips! There are picnic tables outside so you can sit back and enjoy your chips.
Cape Cod National Seashore
Our next stop was the Cape Cod National Seashore Salt Pond Visitor Center in Eastham. The visitor center has a large parking area and is open year-round from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. The facility includes a theater, store, museum, restrooms, and very helpful park rangers. If you are unsure about what you would like to do or see at the seashore, park rangers can give you great suggestions. While you are at the visitor center I highly recommend watching the short film in the theater.
Doane Rock
After getting advice from a park ranger we headed to Doane Rock for a picnic lunch. The picnic area has multiple tables, some are even covered, grills, and a restroom. Beware there is a 2-hour parking limit. At the front of the parking area, you can view and climb on Doane Rock. At the back of the picnic area, there is a trail to Coast Guard Beach.
Doane Rock is a glacial erratic and is the largest exposed boulder in Cape Cod. It is 18 feet tall and extends much further into the ground. The rock is a favorite climbing spot for kids and adults. Our kids had a great time climbing to the top, even though I was super nervous about them falling.
Next, we attempted to park at Coast Guard Beach in order to see the lighthouses. The parking area was full and no street parking was to be found. If you do find the parking area open there is a $25 parking fee or you can use your National Park Pass.
Marconi Beach
We drove on to Marconi Station Site and got our first glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean. In 1903, the Marconi Station Site was the site of the first wireless communication between the United States and Europe. Today the site is open seasonally and has an observation platform, a trail, restrooms, and a small parking area. It is free to visit this area.
After a short visit to the Station Site, we drove to Marconi Beach. Like Coast Guard Beach there is a $25 parking fee or you can use your National Park Pass. This beach has a huge parking area, restrooms, and showers. During our visit, there was a lifeguard on duty. Be sure to check out the flag warnings before entering the water. Our kids loved playing in the surf, hunting for seashells, and spotting a seal offshore.
Plymouth, Massachusetts
From here we loaded up our van and headed to Plymouth, Massachusetts where we would spend 2 nights at the Fairfield Inn. This hotel is fairly new, because of this Google sent us on a weird route behind a grocery store. We enjoyed our stay even though we had an issue with housekeeping. The hotel fully remedied the situation so I still give the property high marks.
For dinner, we headed to the Town Wharf. Here’s a little tip, park in the free lot that is just 0.3 miles north of the Town Wharf. It is a very easy and short walk. Otherwise, you will have to pay to park on the street or at the Wharf. You can find a great map on the Park Plymouth website.
Day 5
Plimoth Plantation
Day 5 started with us visiting Plimoth Plantation. The plantation is very much like Jamestown Settlement, but not as grand. Plimoth Plantation is open seasonally from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. A Heritage Pass is $38 for adults and $24 for kids 5-12. This ticket lets you visit the Plantation, Grist Mill, and the Waterfront Exhibit: Should I Stay or Should I Go? I highly recommend this ticket.
The Plantation consists of a 17th Century English Village, Wampanoag Homesite, Visitor Center with exhibits, shops and dining, Craft Center, and Nye Barn. Your visit is self-guided and starts with an introductory film. There are many hands-on activities for adults and kids alike. Our visit lasted about 2.5 hours.
The Plimoth Grist Mill
Next, we drove a couple miles to The Plimoth Grist Mill. Another tip, the Grist Mill is located next to a large, free public parking lot. At the end of the parking lot, there is a small picnic area. We enjoyed a picnic lunch here before touring the Grist Mill.
The Grist Mill is self-guided but there are volunteers on both levels that fully explain what you are looking at. This stop will take you about 30 minutes.
From the Grist Mill, we took the walking trail behind the building. This trail is about 0.6 mi long and takes you down to the waterfront. It passes through Brewster Gardens, which is beautiful. I highly recommend that you leave your vehicle at the Grist Mill parking lot and walk to the waterfront. It is difficult to find street parking, plus they are metered.
Plymouth Rock
The trail leads you right to Plymouth Rock and then the Plimoth Plantation Waterfront Exhibit. Plymouth Rock is open all the time and is free.
Waterfront Exhibit
The Plimoth Plantation Waterfront Exhibit is temporarily taking the place of tours on the Mayflower. When you arrive you are asked to choose a character. You then follow that character through the exhibit. There is a lot of reading so little kids will need help. My kids enjoyed all the hands-on things to do along the exhibit path. We considered skipping this, but I’m glad we didn’t. The kids seemed to enjoy it. It took us about half an hour.
Day 6
The next day we headed north into Boston. We tried to time our arrival in order to miss rush hour traffic but still arrive at the Boston Tea Party Museum near opening time. We did pretty well leaving Plymouth at 8:30 am.
Boston Tea Party Museum
We parked in the Farnsworth Street Garage. Be sure to bring your parking ticket with you to the museum because you can get it validated and receive $2.00 off your parking. Beware parking spots are very tight. We barely fit our minivan into a spot.
The Boston Tea Party Museum is just a few blocks away from the garage. The museum is open from 10:00am to 5:00pm and is $29.95 for adults and $21.95 for children ages 5-12. If you purchase tickets online you only save $1.50 per ticket.
The museum includes historical interpreters, hands-on exhibits, and full-scale replicas of sailing vessels. Your tour begins in the Meeting House, then you climb aboard the Tea Party Ships, next you view a 3D reenactment, the Robinson Tea Chest, and finish up in the Minuteman Theater. Your tour ends in Abigail’s Tea Room.
Our entire tour lasted just over an hour. Everyone in our family loved throwing tea in the harbor. It was one of the highlights!
Freedom Trail
Afterward, we walked to Boston Commons in order to begin our walk down the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail is 2.5 miles long and is a collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, cemeteries, parks, ships, and markers that help you relive the American Revolution. The Trail is open daily but tours and programs have various operating days and hours.
It is possible to walk the entire route in one day or you can split it up like we did. On our first day, we followed the red brick trail from Boston Commons to the Massachusetts State House, Park Street Church, Granary Burying Ground, Kings Chapel, Latin School, and Benjamin Franklin Statue, The Old South Meeting House, Old State House, Boston Massacre Site, and Faneuil Hall.
Not every site is open to the public and you don’t have to visit every site. We chose to go inside Kings Chapel (donation requested), the Old South Meeting House ($6 for adults and $1 for children 5-17, there is a $1 AAA discount), and Faneuil Hall (free).
Be sure to check at each site for special activities for children. A few had scavenger hunts that our kids really enjoyed. Also, be sure to bring your National Park Passport Books. You can collect lots of stamps along the trail.
After Faneuil Hall, we headed back to our van and called it a day. It was about a 20-minute walk to the Farnsworth Street parking garage. From here we headed about 8 miles to the Residence Inn Boston Watertown. We spent the next 2 nights here. It was a super nice hotel with suites. It is also within walking distance to a Target. I highly recommend it!
Day 7
Freedom Trail continued
On day 7 we started the Freedom Trail on the opposite end. We parked in the Nautica Parking Garage near the Charlestown Navy Yard. If you stay more than 4 hours the rate is $22. Our first stop of the day was the Charlestown Navy Yard Visitor Center. It is open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm in the spring and summer. Hours are reduced in the fall and winter.
When we arrived we discovered that the USS Constitution was out of the port and wouldn’t be open for tours until the late afternoon. That meant we would not be able to take the tour since it didn’t fit into our schedule. The ship is separate from the USS Constitution Museum. It is generally free to visit and requires a photo ID for those 18 and older.
USS Constitution Museum
After exploring the Visitor Center we walked across the Navy Yard to the USS Constitution Museum. The Museum is open from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm and has a suggested admission of $10-15 for adults, $5-10 for children, and $25-45 for families.
The museum is filled with hands-on exhibits, films, artifacts, daily programs, and a store. Our kids could have easily spent all day here. There was so much to do. In order to fit in everything on our schedule, we had to limit our visit to an hour.
USS Cassin Young
Following the museum, we walked down to the USS Cassin Young. As we got there the USS Constitution was returning to the port. The ship fired the cannons in honor of the Coast Guard and the sailors even sang and shot their rifles. It was a grand sight to see!
The USS Cassin Young is open to the public from 10:00am to 4:00pm May through October and is free to visit. It is a historic ship with limited accessibility. The USS Cassin Young was active in 7 Pacific battles during World War 2. She survived 2 Kamikaze hits and went on to serve another decade. We did a self-guided tour which included only 1 deck. If you go on a guided tour you can visit more of the ship.
Old North Church
After a quick lunch, we followed the Freedom Trail across the Charlestown Bridge. It was about a mile from the Navy Yard to the Old North Church. Admission to the Old North Church is $8 for adults and $4 for children. Old North Church is the oldest standing church in Boston and was made famous by Paul Revere’s midnight ride.
Paul Revere House
Next, we walked on to our last stop on the Freedom Trail, Paul Revere House. The house is the oldest remaining structure in downtown Boston and the only home along the Freedom Trail. It is open most days from 9:30am to 5:15pm. Hours vary by season. Admission is CASH only and $5.00 for adults and $1.00 for children. The house was interesting but only 4 rooms. The attached museum was also very small with only 2 rooms.
Since it was a warm day, we decided to call it a day and head back to our hotel. There the kids enjoyed some downtime in the pool. This would be our final night in Massachusetts.
Up next
Coming up in my next post we’ll drive to Maine and spend days 8-10 exploring Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park.
- 15 Day New England Road Trip: Connecticut and Rhode Island
- Maine
- 15 Day Road Trip: New Hampshire
- 15 Day New England Road Trip: Vermont
Disclaimer: The opinions in this post are strictly my own. I was not compensated for this post.
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