Boston & Cape Cod Road Trip - October 2016 - Day 8 - Plymouth & Home

[Erial]

Boston & Cape Cod Road Trip
28th October 2016
Day 8 - Plymouth & Home

Previous: Martha's Vineyard

We were so sad to be going home today. We’d had an absolutely amazing week and felt as though we’d had three holidays in one – the city, the mountains and the beach.

Fortunately our flight wasn’t until tea time and so we still had time to do lots of things. We were sad to say goodbye to the Anchor In and would stay here again in a heartbeat. It is a perfect location for exploring the Cape, it has great views, fabulous staff and a spotless room. Our girls likened it to the Beach Club but ‘for real’!

On the drive back to Boston we wanted to stop a Plymouth to give the kids a bit of a history lesson.

We saw the Mayflower 2 a replica of the original Mayflower and were astounded by how small it was. To think such a small boat could transport over 100 people across the Atlantic is amazing!

We also saw the ‘original’ rock that Pilgrims landed on in 1620. It’s a bit hard to believe it’s the specific rock that they first set foot on but nevertheless it’s now in a protected cage as people used to chip bits off it as a souvenir!

There were lots of school trips here as obviously it’s probably on of the the most historical sites in America that they can visit. We did a little bit of last minute shopping – I got a Cape Cod Hoodie and Izzy got a cuddly lobster. We were a little shocked to hear a teacher in one of the souvenir shops tell their kids “no knives longer than 4 inches”! OMG, so a 4 inch knife is OK for the kids to buy!

From Plymouth we headed to Braintree just outside Boston as we knew there was a Cheesecake Factory here that we could have lunch in before heading the airport. Given that we’d never been to a Cheesecake Factory before this week we managed to fit two in! It didn’t disappoint and we had another great meal but declined the actual cheesecakes this time as we didn’t think they’d travel well.

The Cheesecake Factory was attached to a shopping centre so of course we couldn’t resist a little look around. I can’t believe we came out with even more Bath & Body Works products! We really had no space left in the suitcases and were stood in the car park repacking the cases to try to fit everything in.

It was quite a posh shopping centre – it was carpeted on the upper level. I felt like I should take my shoes off!

We made one last attempt to pick up a Cambridge mug from Starbucks but alas they only had Boston ones so my Cambridge mug was not meant to be. Oh well, we’ll just have to come back!

Before long it was time to head to the airport. The roads around Boston were very busy as you’d expect around any big city. However, they had a lane for vehicles with multiple occupants which meant we could wiz past almost of all of the queues. It felt a bit odd, and we were convinced we were going to get stopped and told off for some reason but it worked and we just got to the airport really quickly.

Dropping the car off at the parking garage was straightforward and we caught the shuttle bus to our terminal. As at Heathrow we were a bit too early for check in and so we had to sit and wait until the BA gates opened.

We had a very short and uneventful flight home. I dosed but didn’t really sleep. Fortunately Jeff managed to get a couple of hours sleep which was more important as he was the one driving home.

We’d had an absolutely fabulous holiday and would love to go back to both Boston and Cape Cod. We’d been unsure how the kids would cope with a road trip and moving hotels every couple of days but they absolutely loved it. So much so that we’ve tagged a mini Florida road trip to the front of our Disney holiday this August. But that story’s for another Trip Report!

Thanks for reading and sticking with me through another trip report. And an even bigger thank you to those of your who've taken the time to comment. I now need to thing about starting a pre-trip report for our Florida holiday in less than 3 weeks time!

Claire
x

[JellyEllieBean]

I've only just found this and read in reverse order, it's a place that I really want to visit. Did you a buy a guide book for the area to know the best places to visit?

What were the fall trees like, do you think you were too early or late in the season or just right to see the foliage?

Sorry for all the questions, but I keep looking at flights but don't know where to start.

Thanks, I've really enjoyed reading it xx

[Erial]

Originally Posted by JellyEllieBean

I've only just found this and read in reverse order, it's a place that I really want to visit. Did you a buy a guide book for the area to know the best places to visit?

What were the fall trees like, do you think you were too early or late in the season or just right to see the foliage?

Sorry for all the questions, but I keep looking at flights but don't know where to start.

Thanks, I've really enjoyed reading it xx

See more...

Hi, I did buy the DK Boston Top 10 Travel Guide (I have a bit of an addiction to them ) but places such as Cape Cod and Salem I have just wanted to visit for years. I didn't know about this like the Gingerbread Houses until I started to research Martha's Vineyard online though. I also found reading other people's trip reports to be a great help.

The Mohawk Trail I found by googling 'good places to see fall foliage' lol! And actually that was one of the highlights of our trip. I'd say we were just right for the fall trees. It was absolutely perfect in Boston Common. There is certainly variation across the state though. We were probably more the tail end of the season for the Mohawk Trail (but still stunning) and fall barely felt like it at hit yet on the Cape, so yes all in all it was a great time to visit.

Hope that helps.
Claire
x

[JellyEllieBean]

Thanks Claire, will order the book xx

[sue97]

Thanks for posting. We are thinking of doing Boston and the Cape next summer. I went there on a J1 visa so it was like a walk down memory lane

[SarahJayne]

Ah, great trip report and a lovely week

Now get writing your Florida pre-trippy! I need to update mine before we leave!

[fa$$a]

Thanks so much for your report, It's been so informative and I've got some grat tips from you for next September 👍🏻 Looking forward to your next one.

Claire xx

[Libby]

Thanks for your report you have certainly given me ideas for a New England trip next year.

What was your experience of driving to and from the airport? Everything I read seems to suggest that MA now only has cashless tolls was that a problem?

[Goldia]

I've loved reading your Boston trippie. Thanks for sharing.

[disney owl]

I've really enjoyed reading your reports. Thanks for posting & sharing your holiday with us.