Day trip from North Mass

Hi, I am staying in the Methuen area of Massachusetts for a week with my parents in May. I would be interested in any day trips north of Methuen that anyone could recommend. I was thinking of Lake Winniepaukee for the boat trip.... Any suggestions you have would be great! Thanks.

Day trip from North Mass

There are so many things to do, the first step is for you to tell us your ideas of fun. Energetic? Hikes? Museums? Shopping? Antiques? Ocean? Mountain? Methuen is a great jumping off point for excursions into New Hampshire and Maine. You%26#39;re also near Rockport and Gloucester Mass. Read ';The Perfect Storm'; and visit Gloucester -- home port of this true account of a huge storm in the early 1990s.

Day trip from North Mass

A day trip to the Monadnock Region of SW New Hampshire (maybe an hour away) could yield you a hike up Mt Monadnock, the most climbed mountain in the Western Hemisphere (second in the world to Mt Fuji in Japan). 360 degree panoramic views and you can even see the Boston skyline on a clear day.

From there you are close to a covered bridges tour just South of Keene in the Swanzey area. There are other things to do and see in this area but it really depends on where your interests lay.

Thanks very much for your suggestions! Sorry I should have been more specific. My parents are older so something like a pretty town with nice gardens or shops overlooking the sea would suit them rather than a lot of activities. Any picturesque villages on the coast you would recommend visiting? Thanks again.

Rockport or Gloucester, Ma

Portsmouth and so many of the towns along the Maine Coast

The bayside of Cape Cod

Falmouth, Woods Hole and Martha%26#39;s Vineyard

All great seaside towns!!!

Even if you don%26#39;t hike, there are lots of great towns with all the stuff you are looking for without the ocean throughout NH from Squam Lake and Lake Winni, to Hanover, NH (Dartmouth College), Sunapee area, and of course, the area of my alleged expertise NC and Jackson

I%26#39;d recommend a drive up I-93 to Rte. 112 the Kancamaugus Hwy...one of the most beautiful drives in the Northeast. Cross over the Kanc and pick up Bear Notch Road North to the Pinkham Notch Rte. 16 and do a drive up the summit of Mt. Washington. Watch the weather, the later in May the better as more time for the snow to melt - and temps on the summit to warm. Then head on back South via Rte 16 and cut across to Lake Winnipesaukee for a cruise on the Mount Washington - then pick up I-93 south to Massachusetts...lots of beautiful views...mountains and lakes and walking is minimal....

I would second the suggestion for Monadnock. There are plenty of scenic villages, covered bridges, nice places for walks-Goose Pond Conservation Area in Keeene for example, nice restaurants,museums, theatre, etc. Being able to stop and walk around a bit is a nice way to break up the driving.

Lake Winnipesaukee is a nice trip. It is 90 minutes from Methuen.

I would suggest taking The MS Mount Washington to cruise around the lake.

http://www.cruisenh.com/

I live in Methuen and have elderly in-laws from Europe. My Mother-in-Law%26#39;s favorite place to visit is Franconia Notch, NH in the White Mountains. It is approximately a two hour drive from Methuen. She also enjoys a brief stop in North Woodstock, NH.

Here are a few more suggestions for day trips from Methuen:

Less than 30 minutes from Methuen

-National Park exhibits in Lowell, MA

-Stevens-Coolidge Place, Andover, MA

-Cochran Wildlife Sanctuary in Andover, MA

Here are a few more suggestions less than one hour%26#39;s drive from Methuen

-Cape Neddick%26#39;s lighthouse (Nubble Light), Maine

-Ogunquit, Maine (Marginal way is very nice and highly recommended)

-York Beach, Maine

-Portsmouth, New Hampshire

-Odiorne Point State Park, Rye NH

-Concord, NH

-Rockport, MA

-Gloucester, MA

-Crane Beach Reservation, Ipswich, MA

-Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA

-Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston MA

-Institute of Contemporary Art, Boston, MA

-Boston Public Garden/ Boston Common, Boston, MA

-Boston Public Library, Boston, MA

-Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ,MA

-USS Constitution and Museum, Charlestown, MA

-DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA

-National Park exhibits in Lexington and Concord, MA

-Walden Pond, Concord, MA

There is also an auto road to the top of Pack Monadnock so your parents could get some beautiful views in Southern NH without the climb and Peterborough (just four miles away) is a wonderful town to walk around and explore.

Not to mention Frye%26#39;s Measure Mill where the make Shaker boxes the old fashioned way and the Peterborough Basket Company.

Thank you all very much for the suggestions-loads there!