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Is Boston’s North End the best place to travel “authentically”?

Pabio November 7, 2024

Plus: Holidays at Newport Mansions, the best places to visit in December and Memorial Drive’s last Fun Sunday of the year.

Hanover Street in the north. Jonathan Wiggs / GlobeStaff

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Welcome back to Scenic Six.

Now that Halloween is behind us, it’s time to move on to the home stretch of 2024. This week, we’ll focus on December’s holiday activities and travel, as well as upcoming travel trends in 2025.

Hot “escape neighborhoods” in 2025

If you like to live like a local when you travel, a “country far away” is what you’re looking for, according to Prixline, and the North End will be hot in 2025. “Awayborhoods” offer a more authentic experience rather than the “prepackaged charm of tourist hotspots,” wrote Price line. As a former North End resident, I can attest to the neighborhood’s charm. Where else can you buy a jar of homemade crushed tomatoes curbside from a friendly local who reminds you of your grandmother?

Planning a December getaway with the kids?

Traveling with kids adds another level to the planning process, with the goal of finding great multi-generational activities that the whole family can enjoy. Good housekeeping published a list of 24 Best Places to Visit in December, focusing on kid-friendly places and named Biddeford, Maine, for its holiday festival and “Hallmark movie vibe.” Also on the list were the Mountain View Grand Resort & Spa in NH’s White Mountains, for its ice skating, movie theater and indoor pool, and the Great Wolf Lodge in Fitchburg, Mass., which has water slides, restaurants, mini golf and more.

Are you leaving Logan? Here’s how much time you’ll waste.

Air travel often causes delays, and we now know how much time we’ll waste at Logan Airport thanks to a new report from Upgraded Points. Logan Airport Classified 18th out of 50 US airports when it comes to wasted time. Boston travelers waste an average of 32.2 minutes – 11.7 in departure delays and 20.5 minutes in tarmac delays – in Logan. So don’t forget those reading materials.

Travel Tips

Mark your calendar for Vacation at Newport Mansionswhich will take place from November 22 to January 1, 2025 (mansions are closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas). The decorations are lavish, the nighttime lights twinkle, and new this year at the opulent Breakers is a vignette of mannequins dressed in Gilded Age fashion.
Thousands of Christmas lights will once again twinkle at three properties in the Reservations Administrators Garden during Winter Lightswhich opens on November 29. Choose your location – Stevens-Coolidge House & Gardens in North Andover, Eleanor Cabot Bradley Estate in Canton or Naumkeag in Stockbridge – and book your timed tickets in advance, as no tickets will be sold on site.
Walk or bike Memorial Drive with spectacular city views on November 10 during the finale Recreational Sunday of the year. The riverfront roadway is closed to traffic between Western Avenue and Gerry’s Landing Road from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Offers and flights

Explore a national park site this month without spending a dime. The National Park Service is waive entry fees on November 11 for Veterans Day, the last of its six free days in 2024.
If you’re considering a getaway to Maine, Hotel Ursaa boutique hotel that opened in Orono, Maine in March, is offering 30% off its best available rate on stays of two nights or more between November 19 and December 31, 2025. Rates start at $109 and are subject to availability. Book between November 19 and December 4 with code CYBER25.

I leave you with this photo of a sunrise at the beginning of November taken by the photographer Jack Cohen and shared with Boston.com.

Where have you traveled lately? Please share your photos by sending them to (email protected) and they may be featured in an upcoming Scenic Six newsletter.

Whether you’re traveling this week or planning your next getaway, enjoy the journey.

— Kristi Palma