Sightseeing around Massachusetts with out of town guests

Leading up to Easter we had plans for the family from Colorado to visit. After a few flight delays, they finally arrived and we spent their first night in town eating handmade pasta, meatballs, and then pastries from our local bakery.

On Friday morning, we started our day in the North End of Boston. Our first stop was the Old North Church. I was slightly disappointed that it was now a fee to enter rather than just the donation. However, I understand that receiving donations aren't always reliable. Our next stop was the Copp's Hill Burying Ground. Before leaving the area we participated in a quick self-guided tour of Paul Revere's House. 

Time for refreshments! We decided to walk them the over to the oldest restaurant in Boston for oysters and cocktails. The Union Oyster House is a Boston institution. You can sit inside the classic wood bar area or hope to sit in JFK's booth inside the restaurant. 

For lunch, we all split up for a time and purchased lunch inside Quincy Market. I opted for a lobster roll (sans the brioche roll) and a nice cold bottle of water. 

We continued our walking tour and made our way through Government Center and into the Boston Commons and the Public Gardens. I patiently waited and finally snagged a picture of the Make way for Ducklings all dressed up for Easter. 

Our last stop of the day was for my cousin's husband. In our party, we had a big Cheers fan so we headed over for some pictures and gear.   ​

On this rainy Saturday morning, we went back and forth about where to go sightseeing. We lucked out and enjoyed a cloudy but rain-free visit to Rockport MA. A few of us wandered in and out of the stores, while others took in the ocean views. A few of my favorite stores along Bearskin Neck are Lula's Pantry, Tuck's Candy & Gifts, Wicked Peacock, One Ocean One Love Shop, Floating Lotus, and Helmut's Strudel. 

At lunchtime, we headed to Roy Moore's Fish Shack Restaurant. We all enjoyed some fried seafood, clam chowder, baked fish, and pasta. I thoroughly enjoyed the lobster salad plate.

To finish our touring of the day, we drove to Salem MA. Unfortunately, Greg and I couldn't stay long because we needed to go and take care of Fred. We did visit the Ye Olde Pepper Companie for some last minute Easter sweets. The rest of the crew headed over to the Salem Witch Museum while we headed back home. Later that night we met up for dinner at Pabu in Boston. To read about our dinner experience click here.   

---

On Easter Sunday we spent time together, baked, and ate a lot of delicious food!

Before flying home on Monday our family had time for more sightseeing. Heading back into Boston we made a stop at Bunker Hill Monument. Our next stop was to the USS Constitution even though it was closed. We were able to take pictures, visit the museum, and check out the gift shop for unique keepsakes. Our last sightseeing stop was at the Boston Tea Party Museum.

Porscha spent the whole weekend requesting food in Chinatown so away we went. After putting our name in at the Gourmet Dumpling House we got out of the rain and ordered some bubble teas from Tea Do. 15 minutes later and we were seated inside the restaurant and ready to over order. We enjoyed soup dumplings, chicken and cabbage dumplings, Szechuan wontons, general gao's chicken, and more. Everything was delicious as usual!  ​