Day Trips from Boston: Cape, Maine, Vineyards

Food destinations within easy reach of Boston. worth the train, the rental car or the early start.

Worth the trip

Portland, Maine ★ 4.8

2 hours by carDrive via I-95 North or Amtrak Downeaster from North Station

Famous for: Lobster rolls, Eventide oyster bar, Maine craft beer

Portland Maine, two hours north of Boston, is New England's most decorated food city. Eventide Oyster Co, Fore Street, Duck Fat and a 100-restaurant Old Port.

Portland, Maine

Cape Cod (Wellfleet and Chatham) ★ 4.7

2 hours by carDrive via Route 3 South to Route 6

Famous for: Wellfleet oysters, Chatham scallops, summer lobster shacks

Cape Cod's outer flats produce Wellfleet oysters, the East Coast benchmark; Chatham boats land day-boat scallops at the Chatham Pier Fish Market.

Cape Cod (Wellfleet and Chatham)

Salem and Beverly ★ 4.2

30 minutes by trainMBTA commuter rail from North Station to Salem

Famous for: Witch-City themed cafes, Turner's Seafood, North Shore clam shacks

Salem, 30 minutes north of Boston on the commuter rail, mixes Halloween tourist food with serious North Shore seafood. Reservations advised.

Salem and Beverly

Ipswich and Essex clam shacks ★ 4.7

45 minutes by carDrive via I-93 North to Route 128 to exit 53

Famous for: Whole-belly fried clams at Woodman's, Clam Box, J.T. Farnham's

Ipswich and Essex on Boston's North Shore are the original fried-clam towns. Lawrence Chubby Woodman invented the dish in Essex in 1916. Booking recommended.

Ipswich and Essex clam shacks