We only live about 20 minutes from Patriots Place but thought it would be fun to do a 2-night "staycation" because daycare was closed for the kids and we needed to take the day off anyway.
It's always so crazy to me how much stuff you need to pack when traveling with kids- even if it is just 20 min down the road! So we packed up and off we went with our 2.5-year-old and 8-month-old after they woke up from their naps. We parked (free parking!) and checked into The Renaissance Hotel at 4PM. The hotel lobby is so beautiful!
We went up to our room to unpack and get situated. We had a king room and it was pretty spacious for all of us! I called ahead and requested 2 pack-n-plays since both of my boys sleep in a crib, one less thing to bring too! When we got to the room they were already set up which was nice. I had to move some things around (like a chair and a coffee table) to be able to set up the slumberpods but other than that we were happy with the space.
The view from our room was amazing! The hotel faces Gillette Stadium and we had the perfect view of it. Once we were settled in we went back down the lobby to head out to explore Patriots Place! The hotel walks right out to the shopping center with stairs or a ramp. Right when you walk out they have an awesome patio area that faces the stadium with outdoor couches and a firepit. It wasn't the right weather when we went to sit out there but I could totally imagine hanging out there!
It was about 5pm by the time we got to walking around so we walked to one of our favorites for dinner: Citizens Crust. We love their Citizens Pie pizza, cheese pizza w/pepperoni, hot honey drizzle, and ricotta dollops. We love the vibe here and it's a perfect spot to dine with kids. We sat outside at their covered outdoor seating that had heat fans blowing from the ceiling. This time we opted to try some non-pizza items like the Cuban sandwich and the pastrami sandwich and it was so good, as always! :)
After dinner, across from Citizens Crust there is a little lawn area with corn hole that we played. In the summer they have live music playing which is another reason we like to try to grab dinner at that outdoor section at Citizens Crust! My husband put the baby to bed and my son and I took a walk down to Trader Joe's to get some snacks in the stroller. It was about a 5-minute walk from the hotel. Note though that there weren't any sidewalks! We then just relaxed and watched a movie in bed.
The next morning we had breakfast at Twenty-Eight food and spirits which is located right inside the hotel. It was great and convenient. My husband had to work for a bit in the AM so went back upstairs with the baby to put him down for a nap. He was able to work right in the hotel room at the desk they have in there! My oldest and I went off to explore again. It was school vacation week so there were lots of fun events happening throughout the week in addition to what is already there.
First, we took a walk to see the stadium up close, from the hotel it is about a 10-minute walk. Then it started to rain a bit so we hopped in the car and drove down to Bass Pro (you could walk there, it is about a 20-minute walk, a similar route to Trader Joe's!). We walked around inside to check out all the fish, turtles, and cool four-wheelers #boymomlife until the rain stopped. Once it stopped, we went in the back of Bass Pro to do the Cranberry Bog Trail which was awesome! I'm glad I didn't bring the stroller because once you get into the tree area it isn't stroller friendly, but would be baby carrier friendly! Cam, my oldest, loved looking in the water for the turtles and ducks and walking under the big trees. We drove back to the hotel and then walked to IT'SUGAR, a new, self-serve candy shop then met up with my husband & the baby!
We grabbed lunch to go from Tropical Smoothie (in Patriots Place) and ate it back in the hotel lobby at one of their many tables and chairs because it's started to rain again! Cam had fun playing some of the games in the lobby they had like tik-tak-toe. If the weather was nice we would have totally sat in the outdoor area at the hotel! They were having a dinosaur event happening on the Dean College stage that we were going to attend but due to the rain it was moved to Bass Pro and we didn't make it because of the kid's naps!
After naps, we went down to the hotel pool for a swim! Cam loved that! Then we changed and went for a walk down to the Patriot's Pro Shop & got Cam a new sweatshirt. We didn't go up to the Patriots Hall Of Fame because my kids were a little too young for it but that is deff a kid-friendly option! We were going to pop into Splitsville to do bowling but the lanes were full (because of school vaca in MA) so instead, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.
We ate again in the hotel at Twenty-Eight and it was soo good!! I had the scallops and chowder and my husband had the steak. They had a kid's meal along with crayons and paper to keep them busy! We all split the apple cobbler for dessert which was so good too. We walked around a bit more and then headed back to the hotel to settle down for the night. We woke up early and headed straight to drop the kids off at daycare so we could get back home to work.
It was so nice to get away for a bit and have a change of senary!
Recap of kid-friendly activities:
- Indoor pool at The Rennasaince Hotel
- Bass Pro- exploring inside (fish, turtles, games)
- Bass Pro cranberry trail (in the back)
- Bowling at splitsville
- Cornhole across from the Dean College Stage
- It'Sugar self serve candy shop
- Pro Shop/ Hall of fame
Best,
Haley