Hello again! I’m back with my favorite type of story, a traveling one. As you all know I absolutely love to travel. So for mother’s day this year we went on a random trip. One day I was playing with the google flights tracker and the cheapest direct flight from Charlotte (CLT) to anywhere in the U.S. just so happened to be to Boston on Mother’s day weekend. So I bought us tickets and off we went. I was glad it was Boston. If you like history then this is a great place for you.
As a southerner a few things to know about Boston if you plan to go: Healthy food is everywhere, if you want a big greasy breakfast then you better put in some research, grits are non-existent, and you get home fries instead of hashbrowns. Home fries are small cut potatoes that are fried. They’re really good. I never saw biscuits and gravy on the menus either, but eggs benedict is available at every spot. –
There is a ban on the sale of menthol cigarettes. So, if you smoke menthol cigarettes you better bring a couple of packs with you. – Marijuana is legal for person’s 21 and older and there are plenty of dispensaries around just make sure you have your ID.
It is windy, so bring a hoodie. It was May and the temp was about 50 degrees for the high but windy because it is on the coast. Alot of the roads go under the city and under water. This was really cool considering the only time I’ve drove in tunnels is in the mountains, when the road cuts through it.
I had heard previously that Boston locals were rude, and that was NOT my experience. They were very helpful especially when I got on the wrong bus (lol). Speaking of transportation, Boston has a big subway line (called the T) that travels to most parts of the city. It can be quite confusing to newcomers, so we rented a car. However, when driving there are a lot and I mean A LOT of roundabouts. The roundabouts are not labeled so it was confusing at first but basically the rule is “Get in where you fit in”
We flew into Boston about 3pm Friday afternoon, from the airport you can take a free shuttle to 1. Rental car row, 2. another bus, or 3. to the subway. This is where I got on the wrong bus. The plan was to take another bus to our hotel, but I got confused and jumped on the wrong bus and after riding around and around I asked someone for help. Eventually we got to rental car row and got a car instead.
After getting unpacked we wanted to go do something, so I picked this area called “The Lawn on D,” This is a cute mixed outdoor space that has cornhole, light up swings, giant checkers, giant Jenga, giant chess, lawn chairs, and a little restaurant that also serves adult drinks. Music plays loudly, it was fun. I recommend it even if you don’t have kids with you.
Saturday morning, we went to this cute little diner that was really close to our hotel. We did not stay right downtown but maybe 7-10 mins away depending on traffic. We stayed at the courtyard by Mariott Boston Logan airport. The diner was called Donna’s Restaurant and it gave the small-town New England vibe, it was packed full of locals which is what I like. The walls inside are Disney Themed and the food was tasty.
Of course, I wanted to go see a beach while I was here because we are on the coast so after breakfast, we went to Orient Heights beach to walk around. It was cold and windy, so we did not stay too long. The boys were happy to run around and found many sea slugs and crabs. It also has a great view of the planes landing and taking off and lots of pretty rocks and shells.
Then Saturday after the beach, we went to walk on the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail is a brick line that connects all the historic things in the city. Wear comfy walking shoes because it is 2.5 miles one way. Some of the stops on this trail include: The Paul Revere house, the Bunker hill monument, the Old State house and the USS Constitution.
For Lunch on Saturday, we went over to the Back Bay area of Boston, which is gorgeous, to eat at Crazy Good Kitchen (C.G.K. on Newbury). This area is so pretty and there are so many things to choose from here. C.G.K. has burgers and was the request of my oldest son after seeing it on Tiktok. The burgers were very very good and yet very expensive for lunch.
We walked around this area for a while, there is a lot of shopping in this district. It is so pretty also.
After Lunch, the boys decided they wanted to go to an arcade. However, all the ones nearby were 21+ so we ended up going to Dave and Busters about 30 mins south of Boston. We then went back to our hotel to enjoy the indoor pool, ordered pizza from Woody’s Pizza and enjoyed a night in.
Sunday, Mother’s Day, we made the trip to Salem. It was about a 30 min drive north of Boston and is really a straight shot. This was the place of the Salem Witch Trials in the 1600’s. So much history and pretty brick streets. We ate breakfast at The Fountain Place in Salem and it was the best breakfast we had the whole stay. There are lots of old buildings and churches and some of them you may enter. I decided to go into the Witch House, which was actually one of the judges from the trials house. You can walk through and it is set up as it would’ve been in that time. Very cool place. I bought some books from a cute bookstore on Essex st.
After about half a day in Salem (I could’ve spent all day there) we headed back to Boston to visit China Town. If you have never been to a China Town in one of the US’s bigger cities, I suggest you go ASAP. If you think you love Chinese food normally, it is 100x better I promise. We got Boba Tea and ate at The Happy Lamb Hot Pot. A hot pot is a restaurant that has tables with glass burners built in. Your order a soup base and then all the meats or veggies or noodles that go inside it. You drink the soup first and then cook the items you ordered in the soup. You are only given chopsticks, no utensils at all. I ordered a sweet herbal tea with my meal, and it was also delicious. I 100% recommend.
Another Awesome place to visit while you’re in Boston is the Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. This is a reenactment that you can participate in. The characters are dressed and speak as if they were in the 1600’s and you even get to throw tea into the harbor. This costs about $115 for 4 people but it was really worth it. There are many museums within, and the characters take you through all of them explaining everything.
I hope that I have given you reason to visit Boston, to visit and be emersed in history of the United States, to eat different foods and try something new. It’s fun to get out of your comfort zone and do something different. I hope it inspires you to take a random trip to a random place even if it is not Boston. This trip, including flights, hotel, food and extras cost about $2700 for a family of four.
As always, I wish you all the best of love and luck!
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