There are good day excursions from Boston and lobsters for lunch in every direction:

North Shore

Commuter Rail trains from North Station, MBTA buses and a fast ferryboat can take you on an adventure to Massachusetts Bay's North Shore and the historic towns of Salem, Marblehead, Gloucester, Rockport and Ipswich:

Salem

Think of Salem, think of witches. Although the fame of Salem's 17th-century witch trials has spread around the world, the town's place in New England history really comes from its great ship-builders and intrepid ship captains. The wealth generated from their voyages produced America's first millionaire and made Salem an exceptionally beautiful town. The Salem-Boston ferry brings you here the appropriate way: by sea. More...

Marblehead

What Salem was to merchant ships a century and a half ago, Marblehead is to yachts today. Summer and winter, the beautiful, perfectly sheltered harbor of this historic fishing town has upwards of 2000 white boats in drydock, or bobbing on the water, or heading out to sea. Take the Commuter Rail train from North Station to Salem, then bus, taxi or bike to nearby Marblehead. There's also the Salem Ferry for a voyage to this one-time maritime city. More...

Gloucester

The Pilgrims founded Plymouth in 1620, and three years later fishermen founded Gloucester. The marvelous natural harbor and the plentiful fishing grounds made that early settlement a fishers' paradise. Commuter Rail trains from North Station get you there easily. More...

Rockport

North of Gloucester is the small seacoast town of Rockport, famed as an artists' colony and, well, just as a very beautiful, cultured and picturesque place easily reached by Commuter Rail train from North Station. More...

Ipswich

Known for its old New England history, its clams, antiques, beaches and the late author John Updike, you'll like it. More...

East

Boston Harbor Islands

East of Boston lies Boston Harbor and its Harbor Islands, a fine goal for a day's relaxing excursion by boat for walking, sightseeing, picnicking and sunbathing. More...

Provincetown

Evrn farther east is Provincetown on the tip of Cape Cod, reachable by fast ferryboat right from Boston. More...

West

Lexington and Concord, two beautiful, historic towns west of Boston, are where the American Revolutionary War began and where America's 19th-century literary giants—Emerson, Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Hawthorne—lived, wrote and are buried. Bonus: Concord's Walden Pond offers fine forest walks and good swimming beaches. More...

Lexington

Lexington was the home of the first Minutemen to die from British bullets in the Revolutionary War. It's now a historic, picturesque suburb of Boston. MBTA bus, bike and car are the best ways to get there. More...

Concord

Beautiful, historic Concord boasts the first American victory in the Revolutionary War, and the houses and graves of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, and Daniel Chester French, but it's also a popular destination for those wanting to get out of Boston for a day of walking, biking, or swimming (at Walden Pond). You can go by car, Commuter Rail train from North Station, bike, or bike-and-train. More...

South Shore

Massachusetts Bay's South Shore has more history and beauty.

Quincy

John Adams's estate, in the historic town of Quincy, is easily reachable by Commuter Rail train from South Station. More...

Plymouth

Famous because of more than just a small boulder, visitors come to Plymouth Rock because Plymouth, as the landing place of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, is a symbol for the ideal of religious freedom and the quest for a better life. More...

Cape Cod

Once a collection of fishing towns, then a getaway vacation spot for Bostonians, Cape Cod is now among America's most popular seaside resort areas. Go by intercity bus, by CapeFLYER train, by plane to Hyannis or fast ferryboat to Provincetown. More...

Nantucket

"Thirty Miles at Sea!" To its year-round inhabitants, Nantucket is not just another resort island off Cape Cod, but is a special seagoing world of its own. Go by plane (fast and easy, but not cheap), or by bus or train and ferry (longer, but cheaper). More...

Martha's Vineyard

To Bostonians and denizens of Cape Cod, it is simply "the Vineyard," an island larger than neighboring Nantucket, and close enough to Woods Hole that strong swimmers hardly need a boat to get there. Go by bus and ferry from Boston. More...