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

September 14, 2012 7:45 PM

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?

posted by firelizard to Travel & Transportation around Haverhill, MA (12 answers total)

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.
posted by sammyo at 7:55 PM on September 14, 2012

The Galley Hatch in Hampton has great food. Brown's Seabrook Lobster Pound in Seabrook is a trip---an old-fashioned lobster shack.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:09 PM on September 14, 2012

Get a lobster roll at Brown's in Seabrook.
posted by hworth at 8:14 PM on September 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

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.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:18 PM on September 14, 2012 [2 favorites]

Oh, and if you want Middle Eastern food while you're in Haverhill, Shadi's in North Andover is great.
posted by Sidhedevil at 8:21 PM on September 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

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.
posted by Miko at 8:36 PM on September 14, 2012 [1 favorite]

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.
posted by Miko at 8:38 PM on September 14, 2012

Best answer: Best lobster roll around is a the Beach Plum in Rye. The delicious is on another level.
posted by araisingirl at 9:37 PM on September 14, 2012

The Tap is where Bradford students would take visitors. It is now a brewpub.
posted by brujita at 10:35 PM on September 14, 2012

Best answer: 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.
posted by pentagoet at 6:04 AM on September 15, 2012 [1 favorite]

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.
posted by veerat at 8:26 AM on September 15, 2012

- 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.
posted by jenkinsEar at 11:28 AM on September 15, 2012