The Boston Harbor Island Ferry Center

If you are vacationing in downtown Boston, you’ll find that it’s not very easy to access the shore.  Of course, Massachusetts is home to dozens of fabulous beaches, but many of them are quite a distance away and can be hard to access if you don’t have a car.  For a quieter Boston waterfront adventure without renting a car, consider taking a trip to the Boston Harbor Islands.

There are 30 Boston Harbor Islands – 12 that can be visited.  Georges and Spectacle Islands are each serviced by their own ferries, while Lovells, Grape, Peddocks, or Bumpkin require a transfer at Georges (or you can catch a ferry on the South Shore).  Thompson Island sometimes has its own ferry, or you can catch a connection at Spectacle.  There are also four peninsulas that are part of the Boston Harbor Islands – Deer Island, Nut Island, World’s End, and Webb Memorial.  To access Little Brewster Island, you’ll need to sign up for the Lighthouse Tour.

The Boston Harbor Islands all offer different activities – including free jazz concerts, yoga, kids’ tide pool exploration, kayaking, island caching, hiking, and more.  On a recent trip to Spectacle Island, we visited the beach (one of the few on the Boston Harbor Islands), collected sea glass, and participated in a tide pool exploration.  Check out everything online before heading out so you can decide which island you want to visit, because they are all different.

If you do want to spend time on the Boston Harbor Islands, you may want to stay at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf, which is just a few steps away from the ferry center.

Disclosure: I received complimentary ferry tickets to the Boston Harbor Islands.

Photo credit: Jodi Grundig

It’s time for another rousing edition of Travel Around the Internet! Brace yourself.

Here are just a few of the items that have shuffled across our inbox lately:

Disney Cruise specials and kids sail free!

Marriott wants to Twitter, email and Facebook you to Hawai’i! By all means, let them!

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I don’t know why I’m telling you this.

Perhaps because I am a really, really good person who is able to put my own selfish desires aside for your best interest.

Or maybe I’m hoping that you’ll reward me in the future by, maybe, offering to take me to Hawaii with you, for example.

I’m going with the idea that I am a really good person who you would gladly reward with a trip to Hawaii even if you don’t know me.  Because in my head, that makes total sense.

Anyway – let’s talk about getting you (and a friend) a free trip to Hawaii.

Of all the travel related internet happenings going on right now, the one I am most excited about is Marriott’s “Tweet Yourself To Hawaii” Sweepstakes.  (Now, before you click that link, let me warn you that this website has autoplay sound.  Which I loathe.  But keep your eye on the prize!)

And that prize is…

A vacation for two to Hawaii from Marriott!

Each week, Marriot Hawaii is giving away three island vacations.  The vacation packages include:

• Roundtrip airfare for two to Hawaii on Hawaiian Airlines from any of its ten U.S. West Coast gateway cities – Seattle, Portland, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego
• A five-night stay at one of the following Marriott resorts in Hawaii: JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, Kauai Marriott Resort & Beach Club, Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa or Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
• Rental car, courtesy of Hertz
• Selected island activities and attractions

(In order to take advantage of this prize, you’re going to have to get yourself – and a friend - to and from one of the ten U.S. West coast gateway cities.)

All you have to do to enter is go to the contest web site and login to send a tweet about the contest.  A tweet is something you do on Twitter.  Twitter is some place where you should be following me.  You can get additional entries by submitting an email entry and connecting to your Facebook account.

The contest runs from the week of August 24th through October 23rd, and you can enter again each week.  If you win, you must take your vacation by December 20, 2009.  Oh, the burden!

Go to the Marriott Hawaii Tweet Sweepstakes website to enter.

And remember who loved you enough to tell you about it.

Photo credits: lazlo-photo on Flickr.

It’s time for another rousing edition of Travel Around the Internet! It’s like exciting.

Here are just a few of the items that have shuffled across our inbox lately:

LAST CHANCE! If you have a kid, a camera and access to water you could win a $500 Best Western gift card at Babble Playground. The contest ends tomorrow so get that kid wet, stat!

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