Download GPX file for this article
42.639444-71.314722Full screen dynamic map

From Wikivoyage
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Lowell is a city in Massachusetts about 40 minutes northwest of Boston. With over 105,000 residents, it is the fourth largest city in Massachusetts, and has an important historical background. It was the first planned industrial city in the United States.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airports are Boston's Logan Airport and Manchester Airport in New Hampshire, each about 40 minutes away.

By train

The Lowell line of the MBTA Commuter Rail has a terminus in Lowell. [1] This train station is about a 15 minute walk from downtown, or there is a shuttle that runs between the train station and downtown.

By car

Take U.S. Route 3 or Interstate 495 to the Lowell Connector, a 2.5 mile highway that ends near downtown Lowell. Be careful; the Lowell Connector is one of the most dangerous highways in the state. Exit 31 on Route 3 and exits 37 and 38 on I-495 will also take you to Lowell.

Get around

Public transportation

The Lowell Regional Transit Authority[2] has regular shuttles going around Lowell and several neighboring towns.

See

Museums

Do

  • Lowell National Historical Park, 67 Kirk Street, +1 978 970-5000. Open year round. 9AM-5PM (Summer to 5:30PM). Commemorates the history of the American Industrial Revolution in Lowell. Includes the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, textile mills, canals, worker houses, and 19th-century commercial buildings.
  • Edward A. LeLacheur Park, 450 Aiken St. 5000-person stadium that hosts home games of the Lowell Spinners, a class A minor league affiliate of the Boston Red Sox and the UMass Lowell River Hawks.
  • Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way, +1 978-934-5760. Hosts concerts and home games of the UMass-Lowell River Hawks (an NCAA Division I hockey team).
  • Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest. Located in the western edge of the city. This is a 1140-acre forest that has 180 acres of ponds, swamps, and wetlands.
  • Cawley Stadium, off of Route 38 near Tewksbury. Hosts various sports events.
  • Lowell Memorial Auditorium, 50 East Merrimack Street.
  • Lowell Folk Festival. One of the largest free folk festivals in the United States, end of July. Performers throughout city, international food court.
  • Lowell Quilt Festival. Annual celebration of quilts throughout city, with quilting classes, exhibitions, and demonstrations.
  • Lowell Winterfest. Annual family-friendly celebration of the wonders of winter, including the National Human Dogsled Championships.
  • UMass Lowell Bellgarde Boathouse, 500 Pawtucket BLVD. Home to UMass Lowell's rowing program.

Learn

  • University of Massachusetts Lowell, One University Av., Phone: +1 978-934-4000, [3].
  • Middlesex Community College, (Lowell Campus) 33 Kearney Square, [4].
  • Blaine Beauty School (Lowell Campus), 231 Central St, +1 978 459-9959.

Buy

Eat

  • Brew'd Awakening Coffeehaus, 61 Market Street, +1 978 454-2739.
  • Athenian Corner, 207 Market Street, +1 978 458-7052.
  • Viet-Thai Restaurant, 368 Merrimack St, +1 978 446-0977.
  • La Boniche, 143 Merrimack St, +1 978 458-9473.
  • The Brewery Exchange, 201 Cabot St, +1 978 934-0097.
  • Eggroll Cafe, 110 University Ave, +1 978 970-3411. Mon-Sat: 9AM to 10PM, Closed Sundays. Great bento boxes, delicious bubble teas, and a plethora of eggrolls. If you are look for some traditional treats, or perhaps something a new give them a try. The selection of egg rolls varies from the usual spring rolls to westernized rolls, like cheeseburger or buffalo chicken; there is a great variety to try here!

Drink

Bars

  • The Dubliner, 197 Market St.
  • Blue Shamrock, 105 Market St.
  • The Brewery Exchange, 201 Cabot St.
  • The Courtyard Bar and Grill, 280 Central St.
  • Cappy's Copper Kettle, 245 Central St.
  • Sangria's, 179 Central St.

Cafes

Sleep

Go next

Boston, the North Shore or the White Mountains are all good next stops.

Routes through Lowell
LawrenceTewksbury  N  S  ChelmsfordMarlborough
END  N  S  BillericaWilmington


This city travel guide to Lowell is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.