52 Best Weekend Trips and Getaways from Boston
Arts & Culture
PHOTO BY JARROD MCCABE
12. Mashantucket, Connecticut
Two hours by car
Risk & Reward | Rising up out of a forest (southeastern Connecticut’s Mashantucket Pequot Indian reservation, to be exact), Foxwoods Resort Casino looks like a Walt Disney World castle. And yet, it’s no child’s play. Find proof between gambling sessions at the Scorpion Bar (where massive margarita “bowls” are ubiquitous), or at Shrine nightclub in the adjoining Fox Tower, hangout to the likes of Gronk and Flo Rida. Then indulge in grilled filet mignon (your steak hand-selected by Savenor’s) at Alta Strada, and chase it with a show at the Grand Theater. Leave in the morning either refueled (by Alta Strada’s leisurely brunch) or fully relaxed (via the deep-tissue massage at the G Spa).
Stay: The Fox Tower at Foxwoods, 39 Norwich-Westerly Rd., Ledyard, Connecticut, 800-369-9663, foxwoods.com.
13. Rockport, Maine
Three hours, 30 minutes by car
Swing Time | Slice it too hard, and your ball will be sleeping with the lobsters at the Samoset Resort. Though challenging, this seaside golf course is well worth the extra effort—it’s arguably the most beautiful in New England.
220 Warrenton St., Rockport, Maine, 207-594-2511, samosetresort.com.
14. Uncasville, Connecticut
Two hours by car
Be a Card Shark | Cast off those notions of dark, smoky gambling dens—the 42-table poker enclave at Mohegan Sun’s Casino of the Wind is brightly lit and sparkles with crystals that hang from a cathedral ceiling. After you play, blow your winnings on a spice-rubbed rib-eye at Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain brasserie.
One Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, Connecticut, 888-226-7711, mohegansun.com.
15. Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
One hour, 30 minutes by car to ferry
License to Drive | A 2009 Obama visit lent notoriety to Mink Meadows, a nine-hole jewel among Vineyard golf courses. The highlight is a spectacular view of the Elizabeth Islands from the 8th, but there’s plenty more to ogle: rolling hills, foliage, and the occasional deer.
320 Golf Club Rd., Vineyard Haven, 508-693-0600, minkmeadowsgc.com. Stay: Mansion House, 9 Main St., Vineyard Haven, 508-693-2200, mvmansionhouse.com. See the Woods Hole ferry schedule at steamshipauthority.com.
16. Cooperstown, NY
Four hours, 30 minutes by car
Have a Ball | With its idyllic main street and perch beside Otsego Lake, Cooperstown would be worth visiting even if it weren’t home to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Since it is, all the better: Peruse the plaques of Sox greats, from Cy Young to Jim Rice. Nearby is a resort where Hall of Famers stay when they come to be enshrined.
25 Main St., Cooperstown, New York, 888-425-5633, baseballhall.org. Stay: The Otesaga Resort Hotel, 60 Lake St., Cooperstown, New York, 607-547-9931, otesaga.com.
17. Northbridge, Massachusetts
One hour by car
Change of Course | Blackstone Valley’s Shining Rock Golf Club has been turning clubheads ever since it debuted its 146-acre course—and it’s not hard to see why: Carved out of a granite canyon, and with challenging par 4s and long par 3s to test anyone’s game, the design is as impressive as the views.
91 Clubhouse Ln., Northbridge, 508-234-0400, shiningrock.com. Stay: The Beechwood Hotel, 363 Plantation St., Worcester, 508-754-5789, beechwoodhotel.com.
18. Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Three hours by car
Snow Man’s Land | For skiers seeking creature comforts, the Omni Mount Washington Resort is a gem. After breakfast in the grand dining room, catch the free shuttle to the Bretton Woods ski area. Later, thaw out with a hot toddy in front of the gargantuan lobby fireplaces—or get a rubdown in the splendid spa and enjoy a soak in the outdoor Jacuzzi.
310 Mount Washington Hotel Rd., Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, 603-278-1000, omnihotels.com.
19. North Adams, Massachusetts
Three hours, 30 minutes by car
Visual Aid | Back in the ’70s, photographer Stephen Shore was known for his desolate images of decaying, post-industrial U.S. downtowns. One of his most famous portrayed an abandoned street in North Adams. For decades that was the closest contact this Berkshire County town had with the international art world. But it wasn’t long before Mass MoCA made it a world-renowned destination. The museum now draws more than 200,000 visitors a year to exhibits like its long-running Sol LeWitt retrospective and music festivals like its summer Solid Sound, headlined by Wilco. North Adams’s downtown storefronts are now packed with studios and galleries featuring art, sculpture, installations, and work by students at the nearby Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Upon arrival, grab a copy of the handy North Adams Walking Map. After hitting the museum and downtown spots, head to the quartet of old mills just outside the town center: Beaver, Windsor, Norad, and Eclipse (which is filled with galleries of paintings, pottery, fiber arts, and more). And take a side trip to tony Williamstown, where the Clark museum offers impressive collections of 19th-century art as well as the achingly modern galleries of the Lunder Center at Stone Hill. At day’s end, grab a table at Gramercy Bistro (inside Mass MoCA). Be sure to savor an outdoor cocktail at the Golden Eagle restaurant, too. Sitting on the porch as the sun sets over the Berkshires, you’ll be inspired to take plenty of pictures. They’re certain to turn out rosier than Stephen Shore’s did.
Stay: The Porches Inn at Mass MoCA, 231 River St., North Adams, 413-664-0400, porches.com.
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