Comments on: And I've never been to Boston in the fall...well, Haverhill...well, Hampton.

Question: And I've never been to Boston in the fall...well, Haverhill...well, Hampton.

firelizard — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 19:45:35 -0800

Traveling to Haverhill, MA and Hampton, NH during the first week in October. Where are your favorite restaurants? What shouldn't we miss?

We'll have one night in Boston before moving on to the Lamies Inn in Hampton, NH for 4-5 days. I will have the rental car while my husband is in training classes in Haverhill; I don't want to sit in the hotel all day but will NOT be driving in Boston on my own.

We love seafood and state parks and should have at least one full day for sight seeing. What do you suggest?

By: sammyo

sammyo — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 19:55:55 -0800

Getting into Boston after rush hour is not that bad, 40 minutes from Haverhill and the Freedom trail and the Constitution are totally worth it but Lexington and Concord museums are about the same distance. Walden Pond is worth a walk around if you're Thoreau minded.

Do google for where the leaf colors are, the days have been cool and warm so it may be worth a drive up into Vermont.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:09:46 -0800

The Galley Hatch in Hampton has great food. Brown's Seabrook Lobster Pound in Seabrook is a trip---an old-fashioned lobster shack.

By: hworth

hworth — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:14:17 -0800

Get a lobster roll at Brown's in Seabrook.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:18:11 -0800

Joe Fish and The Loft in North Andover (just over the border from Haverhill) are good for dinner while you're there.

I would maybe drive over to Salem and see the Peabody Essex Museum and any witchiana that appeals to you while your husband's doing his training. Do the tour of the Chinese house if you go to the Peabody Essex; it's more interesting than you might think.

By: Sidhedevil

Sidhedevil — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:21:04 -0800

Oh, and if you want Middle Eastern food while you're in Haverhill, Shadi's in North Andover is great.

By: Miko

Miko — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:36:48 -0800

I'd plan to leave Hampton for Portsmouth, NH (10-15 minutes away) for really good food. There's nothing really amazing in Hampton - it's kind of a lower-end tourist town. In Portsmouth you'll find a pretty incredible foodie town. The Saturday farmers market (8-1) is not to be missed. Make breakfast of it with a chorizo/croissant breakfast sandwich from Kellie Brook Farm. MeMail me for some other great recommendations for food, culture, and outdoors stuff in the area.

By: Miko

Miko — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 20:38:37 -0800

Also re: driving in Boston: you can take the car to Newburyport and catch the MBTA Commuter Rail train from there. That takes you to North Station in Boston, from which you can easily reach Boston's Italian North End neighborhood; or you can grab the very easy subway trains from there to just about all destinations in town. So you could definitely do an easy day in Boston doing whatever you want, relying on public transport.

By: araisingirl

araisingirl — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 21:37:09 -0800

Best lobster roll around is a the Beach Plum in Rye. The delicious is on another level.

By: brujita

brujita — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 22:35:53 -0800

The Tap is where Bradford students would take visitors. It is now a brewpub.

By: pentagoet

pentagoet — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 06:04:19 -0800

Our last 2 visits to Brown's were not very good- try Markey's across the way. Joe Fish and The Loft are good but pricy.
Drive along the coast of New Hampshire into southern Maine- Nubble Light is beautiful. Apple Crest Farms in North Hampton has a wonderful variety of apples as well as all the modern farm stand accessories- ice cream, pies, hay rides etc. It's along a rather pretty country road and gets bonus points for being a technical advisor to Irving's The Cider House Rules.I'd also consider driving over towards Essex- good eats at the Choate Bridge Pub (Ipswich), Essex Seafood and Farnham's in Essex and the world famous Clam Box in Ipswich.
You can park the car at most MBTA lots and take the train into Boston.

By: veerat

veerat — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 08:26:01 -0800

The Old Salt restaurant at Lamie's is quite good. If you are at Lamie's on a Sunday, try the brunch buffet. It has kind of a lounge atmosphere but the food is good, and also as a plus there is a chocolate fountain.

By: jenkinsEar

jenkinsEar — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 11:28:27 -0800

- Seaglass in Salisbury mass is just down the road from Hampton, has some nice seafood (the chef is back in town after a brief run on the Food Network's "Extreme Chef" show.

- Wild Bites is in Amesbury, which is on the road home from Haverhill to Hampton. It's a cool little hole-in-the-wall tuscan kitchen, good for date night.

- The green monkey in Portsmouth NH is also great.