OT:Best way to get to Gillette/Patriot Place (Not on a game day)

[PaulThePat]

Apologies in advance if this question has been asked before

Coming over to the States in June and will be spending a week or so in the Boston area. We are staying at a hotel in downtown Boston with good access to South Station. One day we would like to head down to have a wander round Patriot Place, visit the Hall and get a close up look at Gillette.

What is the best way to get to Gillette from central Boston ? Bearing in mind this will not be a game day it looks as if the nearest we can get by train is Walpole. Is there a bus from Boston which goes closer ? If we do end up at Walpole what are the best options for getting to the stadium ?

Thanks.

 

[sdaniels7114]

I expect a cab from Walpole is about it. I'd bet there's buses leaving Boston and heading down route one, which would work for you, but getting them to stop where you want is another matter. Its all major highways if you decide to rent a car. 93 South turns into 128 and there's an exit for route 1 south. Its less than 30 miles. On a map it seems much shorter, but you go in a circle for a while on 128.

 

[Wolfpack]

The best way to get to Gillette? Practice, my man. Practice.

 

[Gainzo]

Apologies in advance if this question has been asked before

Coming over to the States in June and will be spending a week or so in the Boston area. We are staying at a hotel in downtown Boston with good access to South Station. One day we would like to head down to have a wander round Patriot Place, visit the Hall and get a close up look at Gillette.

What is the best way to get to Gillette from central Boston ? Bearing in mind this will not be a game day it looks as if the nearest we can get by train is Walpole. Is there a bus from Boston which goes closer ? If we do end up at Walpole what are the best options for getting to the stadium ?

Thanks.

Rent a car for a day if you want to head down to Foxboro. It's an easy drive from Boston and probably won't cost you more than $80.

 

[PaulThePat]

I expect a cab from Walpole is about it.

Went to Gillette Stadium today and as advised got the train from South Station to Walpole. No sign of Taxi's at the station. No sign of very much at all. Walpole seemed like a dead zone. Eventually found a travel agent and he informed us that there are no Taxi firms in Walpole. Nearest company is actually a few miles away in Norwood. He kindly phoned for us and about 30 minutes later a taxi appeared. Took about 10 minutes to get to the stadium and cost about $20.

On arriving we headed straight for the pro shop. Having bought some Pats goodies we then went into the Hall. Even though the Hall only covers a couple of floors there is plenty to see. Plenty of good photo opportunities and we spent a good 90 minutes wandering around. It was then time for food and so we walked over to CBS Scene and had just about the best burger I've ever eaten. Delicious.

Eventually it was time to leave. At this point things slow down. Phoned the same Norwood firm who took us to the stadium. About an hour later they showed and we ended up missing the train back to Boston by four minutes. An hour and a half later the next train appeared and we finally got back to South Station at around 7pm.

Even though it was a working day I was still surprised at how empty Patriot Place was. Most of the shops were either devoid of customers or had maybe one or two browsing. However, the truth is Gillette Stadium is a pain in the ass to get to. Die hard fans like me will make the effort no matter what it takes. Casual tourists in Boston simply won't bother unless they have a car. Seems crazy for there to be no trains or buses, even if there were only a few a day. Stadium is in the middle of nowhere and better public transport options would surely get more people down there.

In summary. Shop, Hall and CBS Scene all great. Getting there, way more difficult than it should be. If going I'd recommend getting a taxi to meet you at the station and arrange for them to pick you up at an agreed time to head back. One major gripe to finish. Why no Stadium tours ? I love these behind the scenes tours and don't understand why the Pats don't have one.

 

[Joker]

you should have taken the MBTA out of South station or Copley and got off at Mansfield and called a cab...here's the schedule

MBTA > Schedules & Maps > Commuter Rail > Providence/Stoughton Line

why you had to wait an hour and a half is beyond me...unless you were using AMTRAK, which is the interstate train service.

 

[PaulThePat]

why you had to wait an hour and a half is beyond me...unless you were using AMTRAK, which is the interstate train service.

Nope. Used the commuter rail service from Forge Park to South Station. Trains from Walpole were sporadic and after the 1620 the next wasn't until 1753. There is currently a temporary time table due to work on the line somewhere. Can only guess this is restricting the inbound service.

As for going to Mansfield. Well, I asked on here and searched the web and every time someone asked where to go they were told Walpole. The first person to mention Mansfield to me was the bloke in the travel agents in Walpole

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Nope. Used the commuter rail service from Forge Park to South Station. Trains from Walpole were sporadic and after the 1620 the next wasn't until 1753. There is currently a temporary time table due to work on the line somewhere. Can only guess this is restricting the inbound service.

This post is a blatant lie. The Pilgrims did not have railroads here in the colonies in 1620, or even in 1753 for that matter.

 

[PaulThePat]

This post is a blatant lie. The Pilgrims did not have railroads here in the colonies in 1620, or even in 1753 for that matter.

Fair point. It did indeed feel like we waited for about 133 years for the next train.

 

[Tunescribe]

This post is a blatant lie. The Pilgrims did not have railroads here in the colonies in 1620, or even in 1753 for that matter.

Apologies in advance if this question has been asked before

Coming over to the States in June and will be spending a week or so in the Boston area. We are staying at a hotel in downtown Boston with good access to South Station. One day we would like to head down to have a wander round Patriot Place, visit the Hall and get a close up look at Gillette.

What is the best way to get to Gillette from central Boston ? Bearing in mind this will not be a game day it looks as if the nearest we can get by train is Walpole. Is there a bus from Boston which goes closer ? If we do end up at Walpole what are the best options for getting to the stadium ?

Thanks.

Heck, you could have walked from Walpole to Patriot Place but probably not much fun in the rain. Good point about stadium tours; did you call and ask if they're offered? At least you saw the Hall, which is more impressive than I thought it would be, and the pro shop.

 

[signbabybrady]

Nope. Used the commuter rail service from Forge Park to South Station. Trains from Walpole were sporadic and after the 1620 the next wasn't until 1753. There is currently a temporary time table due to work on the line somewhere. Can only guess this is restricting the inbound service.

As for going to Mansfield. Well, I asked on here and searched the web and every time someone asked where to go they were told Walpole. The first person to mention Mansfield to me was the bloke in the travel agents in Walpole

PTP,
Glad you got a chance to check everything out. I live in foxboro (well for now will be moving out of the parents house to Walpole real soon) and I love this town and of course Gillette.

I got to be honest I saw you looking for advice and I might have said Mansfield but when I saw Walpole it seemed like it would be fairly equal in time as they both neighbor Foxboro. As far as there being more public transportation you have to keep in mind this is a suburb and there is low needs for cabs and most people using the commuter rails know exactly when to show up and generally park their cars there.

As to the general foot traffic at the mall. I got to be honest never really tried to compare it to anything but I am always fairly impressed by the crowds there and I am there during the day to grab lunch more than I go for dinner, shopping or movies at night.

I dont know how great the pro shop and Hall do though as I feel the traffic there is usually lighter than the rest of the mall. Obviously on game days and game day weekends they do great but I am talking the rest of the time.

 

[signbabybrady]

Good point about stadium tours; did you call and ask if they're offered?

They do some Stadium Tours but they are part of their Credit Card Rewards Programs. I never did the specific tour on the rewards catalog but most of the more expensive rewards included portions of the tour and I have seen a lot of the inner workings of gillette and my favorite part is the field and seating area. Really isnt to much to see inside. Well I guess that is a lie as I find everything cool but its not like it has the history like Fenway or something like that.

What they should do is open one small area of the seating and fence it off so people can grab lunch and picnic in the stadium.

 

[PaulThePat]

Walking around Boston there is almost nothing which mentions Gillette Stadium. Yes I know it's off season but the fact that the main tourist info places don't mention it is bizarre. Simply don't understand why they don't want to get tourists down there. Missing a trick, and a ton of tourist dollars if you ask me. Surely something as easy to organise as a shuttle bus which runs from Walpole or Mansfield to the stadium half a dozen times a day would help. The stadium and Patriot Place looks to be set up for game days and local shoppers. It should be a major tourist attraction. Without more help to get people there and more self promotion in Boston it probably never will be. Crazy.

 

[Urgent]

How do you get to Gillette?
Practice, practice, practice.

 

[Tunescribe]

Walking around Boston there is almost nothing which mentions Gillette Stadium. Yes I know it's off season but the fact that the main tourist info places don't mention it is bizarre.

That's because Boston -- the city -- is very provincial and unto itself. Gillette/Patriots Place and the Patriots are more regionally oriented vs. being tightly identified with Boston. Hence, the New England Patriots.

 

[PaulThePat]

Went on the Fenway Park tour today. Superb. All you need to have these is an old boy with stories to tell about the Franchise, stop at three or four locations in the stadium and bingo, a tour. Yes, Fenway has fantastic history but so do the Patriots as a team. Really is a no brainer.