Greater Boston Vacation Rentals, Massachusetts, Vacation Homes

Greater Boston

Just west of Boston sits a cluster of fantastic vacation towns offering easy access to Massachusetts' capital and charms of their own. Consider a home rental in Cambridge, Marlborough, Wakefield, Quincy, Sharon, Winthrop and Lynn for a quiet holiday close to the big city.

Come to where the settlers first landed, to the heart of New England and step back in time.

Cambridge, like its England equivalent, is home to not just one but two of the greatest universities in the world: Harvard and MIT. On the Charles River, on the opposite shore from Boston itself, this is an historic city lying under ten kilometres from Logan International Airport and Boston's downtown areas. Here you have the best of all worlds: ready access into the city, a great town and river to explore, plus natural retreats.

In the west of the city for example, the Alewife Brook Reservation has 120 acres of wetlands, woods and meadows along the Little River. This is an important habitat for many resident and migratory birds, including woodcocks, great blue herons and ospreys. The two ponds are also breeding grounds for herring, who migrate here annually from the Atlantic Ocean. The lawns of the universities make for great walking spots and, perhaps surprisingly, the cemetery at Mount Auburn is amongst the first garden cemeteries and includes a world-class arboretum.

Marlborough lies further inland, some 55 kilometres west of Boston along Highway 90, still only three-quarters of an hour from the big city making for easy day trips. Tucked behind a large state park - Raymond J. Callaghan - and the Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, Marlborough offers a country retreat. Here, there are historic homesteads and a city hall to rival that of Cambridge, an authentic and low-rise main street and Lake Williams. 350 years old, Marlborough is a stately and green city with a rich colonial and Native American history.

Winthrop is right on the Atlantic coast, just ten minutes' drive north of Boston's airport. Here you have the ideal combination of beach, city and park life. This is one of the oldest communities in the whole of the USA, first lived in by the forefathers in 1630. From Point Shirley, you can see the towers of Boston while relaxing on one of seven beaches. There are three yacht clubs here, several parks, nature reserves and a golf course all within the town boundaries. The Belle Isle Marsh Reservation protects the last salt marsh in Boston and it's harbour. This 251-acre wetland environment provides birdwatchers with an observation tower from which to view many species of migratory birds, including terns, swans, geese, gulls and piping plovers. There are walking trails throughout.

For the best views, take the two-and-a-half mile Deer Island Walkway around the peninsular to see the harbour, the open seas, islands and great views of downtown Boston.

Of course, from any of the lovely towns in Greater Boston, you'll want to head into the big city itself. Enjoy a cruise through the harbour islands, visit some of the best museums and galleries in the world and don't forget the breweries and pubs! Take the 2.5 mile Freedom Trail to get to know the history of Boston and its many landmarks. There are sixteen stops, but you might like to make more to shop and dine, at leisure. Starting at the oldest public park in the USA - Boston Common - you can stroll through the Revolution history including the site of the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere's House, Benjamin Franklin's statue and the Bunker Hill Monument. Boston and its history is no more to be missed than the great towns that surround it.

Vacation Rentals Greater Boston

Greater Boston