This post is sponsored by the Amtrak Downeaster. We received complimentary tickets for our honest review. As always the opinions below are 100% my own.
There is so much to do in Boston from the many museums, the aquarium, restaurants, shopping and more. Taking the train takes away a lot of added stress from your trip and you won’t have to worry about tolls, gas, highway exits, rotaries, and other drivers! Last weekend we had the pleasure of taking a day trip to Boston on the Amtrak Downeaster and exploring Boston. This was Madison & of course Colton’s first time on the train, so the excitement was high! As soon as we got on the train we chose the first seats that faced each other and gave plenty of room for the four of us. We took the 8:20am train out of Portland and we waited until we got on the train to have breakfast. Amtrak offers a café car in the front of the train which features local Maine food and beverage favorites. We enjoyed breakfast sandwiches and bagels with orange juice to drink!
Amtrak offers many stops along the way so no matter where you live there is a station near you. You can get on in –
Brunswick
Freeport
Portland
Old Orchard Beach
Saco
Wells
Dover
Durham – UNH
Exeter
Haverhill
Woburn
Boston – North Station
Madison was very excited to watch out the windows and check out everyone that was coming on at each station. She even made a few friends and chatted with others around us. It took us a total of around 2.5 hours to get to Boston and once we arrived at the Boston North Station we ventured off to grab a taxi. Of course, we had to snap this photo while we were waiting!
We made plans to head over to the Boston Children’s Museum which was only a 10 minute taxi ride, in traffic. The museum is right on the water next to the Boston tea party and the view is gorgeous! The museum itself is 3 floors and filled with loads of fun! There are many rooms that each have a different theme whether it be dinosaurs, bubbles, Arthur’s world, and so much more. We had a blast venturing around and checking it out.
After the museum we took an Uber back to Boston North Station, which is just below TD Garden and checked out the pro shop and had a bite to eat at the pizza joint. Our departure train was at 4:45pm and we were able to start loading onto the train around 4:30. We were all exhausted, but the excitement set in for Madison as soon as we got on the train and she chatted the whole way back!
We will definitely be planning another trip on the Amtrak Downeaster for some more exploring! There is so much to see and do in Boston and it is the perfect time to go with the kiddos, especially with Winter & April vacations coming up! Make sure to take advantage of the children’s discount for the train to Boston when booking, all children ages 2-12 are eligible to receive a 50% discount with each full fare-paying adult. Head over to bit.ly/DowneasterVM for more information!
Make sure to go and follow Amtrak Downeaster on Instagram @amtrakdowneaster & Twitter @RideRail and share your experience with them using the hashtag #exploremoredriveless for a chance to win a pair of two roundtrip tickets!
Xo,
Ashley
9 Comments
Erin | The Epicurean Traveler
February 16, 2018 at 7:47 pmI love train travel and taking Amtrak when I can. I could see this line being very convenient for Boston area locals to take car-less day trips and also for travelers who want to save some money by staying outside the city. It looks like your family really enjoyed the outing, too!
Sarah | I Heart Frugal
February 16, 2018 at 8:13 pmThis looks so fun! My boys are SO into trains and we enjoy watching the Amtrak by our downtown! I bet your kids were in heaven!
Evelyn, PathofPresence
February 17, 2018 at 12:28 pmHow fun is this? I enjoyed seeing pics of your beautiful family. We have not taken Amtrak much, but the few times that we have, the experience was stellar. Definitely a great way to travel – stress free and easy on the legs (meaning, you can actually move around and not be cramped) ;-D
Erica @ Coming up Roses
February 19, 2018 at 5:36 pmThis would be so much fun! I lovelovelove all your photos! Such a great family outing!
Michelle Johnson
February 23, 2018 at 8:10 pmOn a side note, love this outing, but I love your phone case 🙂
Sara
March 2, 2018 at 9:30 amI love visiting Boston but I don’t like the traffic or parking! I will definitely look into this when I’m in New England again. Loved loved your pictures of your happy family.
Cassie
March 2, 2018 at 9:33 amThis is awesome. My niece goes to college in Boston and now I have ideas of places to take my boys when we go up to visit her.
Sarah Kate
March 2, 2018 at 2:49 pmThis looks like an absolute blast! Sweet memories for your family!
Leigh Suznovich
March 2, 2018 at 6:32 pmI love Boston!! This looks like such an amazing, fun trip.