Summer Travel to Boston

Last Summer, we took a family vacation to Boston! If you haven't been to the area, add all of New England to your bucket list! It's such a beautiful part of the country with so much to see!

We had such a wonderful time on our trip. It was our second time visiting the area, but the first time with both boys! Our first time to the area, we spent some time in Newport, Rhode Island, you can read about that trip here! Also just as charming and beautiful! ;)

(When giving a friend some recommendations on the area, I was reminded that I didn't share our trip from last Summer on the blog -thanks Alex!XO) Hope this little recap, better late than never is helpful!

We flew into Boston, explored the city for a few days then drove over to the Cape for a couple more days of fun at the beach! We learned quickly that the locals refer to Cape Cod as, the Cape. ;)

Here are a few of our favorite stops for Boston and Cape Cod, ahem, the Cape! The first thing, was getting some fresh seafood on the water! Legal Harborside was delicious with pretty views!

Boston Public Garden & Swan Boats
This beautiful large park is in the heart of Boston! You'll find a beautiful garden, historic statues, and the lagoon where you can ride the famous Swan Boats! The Swan Boats were really fun, but it was warm, next time I would try to make the boat ride in the morning hours! We learned that the Boston Public Garden was the first public botanical garden in America! So much to see and do here, you can easily spend half the day exploring! Be sure to stop by the "Make Way For Ducklings" statues, from the classic children's book Make Way For Ducklings. There's also a great big playground nearby for the kids. We stopped to let the kids play while Mom and Dad enjoyed a cold drink. Everyone wins! ;)

Boston Duck Tour
This tour was a lot of fun and the boys loved it! Tour the sights of Boston by land and sea! We picked up our tour at the Museum of Science, making it the perfect location for us to hit the museum afterwards! The narrator was hilarious, entertaining and ending the tour on the Charles River made it really neat! The view of Boston from the water, was super cool! And Jack got the chance to drive the Duck Boat!

Museum of Science
If the giant T-Rex outside the museum doesn't draw you in, let me make this recommendation, your kids will love this museum! An awesome Dino exhibit, super cool Lightning presentation, so many interactive exhibits, we didn't even finish all in one day! We came back for a second day to see some of the great exhibits we missed on day 1! The boys loved climbing inside the full size model of the Apollo Space Craft in the To The Moon exhibit. This is a must stop for families!

The North End/Little Italy
Thanks to friends who had lived in the area, they directed us to this adorable neighborhood filled with Italian restaurants and family owned bakeries. We filled our bellies full with delicious pasta at Beneveto's! For dessert, you'll have to visit the famous, Mike's Pastry for one of their popular cannolis! Lots of history along the cobblestone streets. This is where you'll find the Paul Revere statue & The Paul Revere House nearby! There was also a fountain splash area nearby, but we only walked through, next time, we'll make time to let the boys play. There were lots of tables & chairs and a lawn perfect for an evening picnic.

Cape Cod 
Cape Cod, the peninsula of Massachusetts, is a collection of charming beach towns I couldn't wait to explore! We rented a car and headed out to the beaches of the Cape for a couple of days of relaxation! There are so many little towns to choose from when planning for the Cape, thanks to friends for the recommendation we chose the town of Chatham, MA! Full of mom & pop ice cream shops, (our favorite was a school house turned ice cream parlor) lots of beaches to check out, and an adorable historic Main Street. A little farmer's market & a delicious seafood stop along the highway, welcomed us when we arrived!

I adored all the beautiful homes, colorful buoys and gorgeous hydrangea everywhere. I took far too many photos, but I could not resist... everywhere we went, looked as though it belonged in a magazine! I loved our visit to the Cape! From our adorable Airbnb, the big sandunes on the beaches and the seals in the water, to the quaint shops down Main Street, this was one of our most memorable family vacations.

These were some our favorite stops while in Chatham: 

Chatham Lighthouse Beach

The most scenic beach we found. Beautiful homes, seals in the ocean, and the biggest sandunnes we've seen! 

Short-N-Sweet Ice Cream Shop

Inside an old school house, this adorable ice cream shop even had old desk chairs to sit in while enjoying your ice cream! 

Where The Sidewalk Ends Bookstore

The cutest shop ever! This bookstore, surrounded by a beautiful garden also had a children's annex with special children's gifts and books unique to the Cape! This bookstore was right along the historic Main Street in Chatham. 

Chatham's Historic Main Street

Main Street was filled with miles of adorable shops, art galleries, candy shops and restaurants. We also came across a big display of Great White Shark art pieces! Chatham Art in the Park showcases art displays commissioned by local artists to be auctioned off for raising money for their community! Chatham is known for being the "Summer Home" of the Great White Shark. The impressive shark art were the only sharks we saw on our visit though! Thank goodness! :) 

Back to Boston for one more day of exploring before heading home! We ventured out to Boston's Chinatown for something different to end the trip and we thoroughly enjoyed Shojo! It wasn't the most kid-friendly choice, but the restaurant was AMAZING to accommodate us and the kids with special options made just for them!

New England is so beautiful! Rich in history and so charming! Have you been to Cape Cod area before? If so, I'd love to hear your favorites! Next time we visit, we'll take the ferry to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. We ran out of time, but now we have something to check out on our next trip! We can't wait to come back and visit again soon!