Worcester, MA Road Trips

Worcester was established as a town on June 14, 1722 and as a city on February 29, 1848. It has a population of around 200,000 and is the second largest city in New England, behind Boston. Worcester is the home of nine colleges and universities, the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, the Massachusetts Bio-Technology Research Park, and the American Antiquarian Society. Despite their large number, Worcester's colleges and universities have not left much of an imprint on the overall feel of the city--for better and for worse, it is not the least bit a college town. Worcester has a very low rate of violent crime compared to the comparably sized city Providence, Rhode Island. It also has lots of parks, greenspace, small bodies of water, and tree-lined streets. Worcester is one of the snowiest cities in New England, receiving around 70 inches (175 cm) a year on average. Typically, snowfall is dominated by large, long duration events and the city is usually hit with several noreasters each year and the occasional blizzard. As an older, hilly city, snow removal is very poor and only the main roads will be well cleared. Some side streets may be snow covered for days after a storm. Summers can be pretty hot, but not for extended periods of time. Spring and fall are both exceedingly pleasant, with temperatures during the day between 60-70°F (16-21°C) and either blooming flowers or brilliant fall colors. Worcester's reputation for snow doesn't carry over into rain, although it does have a decent amount of rain.

There is a surprising amount to see in Worcester. Many travelers might only consider it worth a day trip, but this would be mistaken. The Worcester Art Museum alone is big enough to occupy an entire day. Leaving aside the city's museums, you may still want to take a stroll through one of the city's historic parks or college campuses. Worcester has a museum for everyone. In addition to the Worcester Art Museum, there is an interesting little history museum and a science and nature center that is great for kids. The Museum of Russian Icons is in nearby Clinton. 1 Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury St, ☏ +1 508-759-4406. W & F-Su 10AM-4PM, Th 10AM-7PM. The Worcester Art Museum (WAM) is one of the most under-rated attractions in New England. If it weren't for its proximity to the much better known Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, WAM might get more recognition. WAM is the second largest art museum in New England, covering four floors and every period from ancient Egypt to today. The museum acquired the collection of the defunct Higgins Armory museum, giving it the largest collection of arms and armor in the United States. While WAM does not have the space to display the whole collection, they do put on a series of rotating exhibits featuring pieces from the collection integrated with other related art. Adults $22; Students and Seniors $17; Youth under 17, military, veterans, and EBT/ WIC card holders free. (updated Feb 2026) 2 EcoTarium - A Museum of Science and Nature, 222 Harrington Way, ☏ +1 508-929-2700, fax: +1 508-929-2701, [email protected].

Worcester has a plethora of activities for visitors to enjoy. In the spring, summer, and fall, there is nearly always some sort of festival happening. Worcester also has a track record of attracting solid musical performances. Pop stars at the DCU Center, classical at Mechanics Hall, and metal at the Palladium. Worcester's sports teams are all minor league, but offer affordable entertainment. Worcester St. Patrick's Day Parade, Mid-March. Park Ave. One of the largest Irish parades in the state. Albanian Festival, early June, alternating odd numbered years, St. Mary's Albanian Orthodox Church. Largest Albanian festival in the country Grecian Festival], early June, alternating even numbered years. St. Spyridon Church. One of the largest Greek Festivals in New England with over 25,000 attendees Italian Festival, mid-August, Mt. Carmel Church. Very popular annual festival in the city. Latin American Festival, Mid-August, City Hall, Downtown Worcester. One of the largest Latin American festivals in New England. Pet Rock Festival, early September, held at Quinsigamond Community College. Largest non-profit animal benefit in New England. Held annually to make money for shelters and other animal related services. "They can't talk so we will." StART on the Street. September, Park Avenue. Huge street festival featuring over 200 local vendors and artists, food, and live music and performance art. StART also holds StART in the Park (spring) and StART at the Station (Christmas time). 1 Worcester Red Sox, 122 Madison St. Apr-Sept.

Worcester provides a dining experience to suit all tastes. Everything from massive, opulent fine dining restaurants to "is this even a restaurant?" holes in the wall can be found here. Major global cuisines (Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mediterranean, Mexican, Thai, and Vietnamese) are quite common. You can even find Afghan, Salvadorian, and Polish food scattered around the city. Shrewsbury St. is the city's emerging "Restaurant Row," where you will find the greatest concentration and variety of dining options. Worcester is full of cheap places to eat. Most of these will get you a meal for under $10. Coney Island Hot Dogs, 158 Southbridge St, ☏ +1 508-753-4362. Open W-M (best hot dogs, best sign) If you go to Coney Island, make sure you go into the bar. The bartender will get you your hot dogs and beer, letting you skip the line. New England Roast Beef, 33 Park Ave, ☏ +1 508-756-1991. Great roast beef; however, their hours are more limited than many of Worcester's dining options. Supposedly, the roast beef sandwich was invented in Massachusetts. This may be an urban legend, but roast beef sandwiches are a local specialty and New England Roast Beef is the standard setter for the region. They have a pretty extensive menu, but the reason to come here is the beef. Get the biggest sandwich you think you can finish. Major League Roast Beef, 503 Washington St, Auburn, ☏ +1 508-832-4300. While it has a different name and website, Major League Roast Beef has the exact same menu (and probably same owner) as New England Roast Beef.

Worcester has a nightlife option to suit everyone. You can attend a lecture or poetry reading at a coffeeshop, find a bar to quench all thirsts, dance the night away in a nightclub, or take in some live music. Worcester has a lot of bars as a result of its large college population. Unfortunately for the traveler, this makes many of them feel rather samey. For anyone interested in the raucous college set, the Blackstone Canal District is a good place to look, especially Water St. Still, with this many bars there are some unique and interesting spots that tipplers should explore. Vincent's, 49 Suffolk St. Where else can you get meatball subs and $2 Gansetts served by shirt and tie wearing bar staff? Vincent's has only been around since 1997, but it certainly feels much older. The inside is dark and dingy and the walls are covered with taxidermy. They usually have live music at night and it's always free. The beer selection is pretty terrible, but they have strong cocktails and fussing about the drinks quality is missing the point. Vincent's does serve food. Your options consist of a meatball or sausage sandwich, ziti with meatball or sausage, wachusett potato chips, or a "cheese plate" which consists of a sleeve of saltines and a bunch of cheddar. In the summer, take advantage of the back yard which includes a wooden shack with a porch to sit on, a covered patio, and a fairly well manicured lawn.

The city of Worcester itself doesn't have very many hotels. There are a few downtown and a few clustered around UMass Medical School on the Eastside. There aren't any unique or boutique hotels, just standard chains aimed at business travelers and parents of college students. 1 Beechwood Hotel, 363 Plantation St, ☏ +1 508-754-5789, fax: +1 508-752-2060. 2 miles from downtown, near all major business centers and universities. Worcester's fanciest hotel. From $207. (updated Mar 2025) 2 Courtyard Marriott Worcester, 72 Grove St, ☏ +1 508-363-0300, fax: +1 508-363-3563. Business hotel in Gateway Park near WPI. From $120. (updated Mar 2015) 3 Homewood Suites by Hilton Worcester, 1 Washington Sq, ☏ +1 508-755-1234. 4 Hilton Garden Inn Worcester, 35 Major Taylor Blvd, ☏ +1 508-753-5700, fax: +1 508-753-5780. Downtown hotel near the DCU Center. From $115. (updated Mar 2015) 5 Hotel Vernon, Kelly Square. In a pinch? $100/week, bar downstairs. 6 Residence Inn, 503 Plantation St, ☏ +1 508-753-6300, fax: +1 508-753-6330. From $120. (updated Mar 2015) The following hotels are in Auburn, which is another town. This distinction is irrelevant except that you must remember to put in "Auburn" as the town on your GPS since some of the street names are also found in Worcester, Southbridge St being one of the city's main throughfares which extends into Auburn. 7 Comfort Inn, 426 Southbridge St, ☏ +1 508-832-8300, fax: +1 508-832-4579. $123. 8 Fairfield Inn, 718 Southbridge St, ☏ +1 508-832-9500, fax: +1 508-932-9505. $119. Hampton Inn, 736 Southbridge St. $139.

Logan International Airport (BOS IATA) in Boston or T.F. Green Airport in Warwick carry the bulk of passengers in the area, although they are each around an hour away from the city. Or, you could fly into Bradley International Airport in Hartford which is a little over an hour west of the city. There is train service from Boston to Worcester. Worcester does have its own airport, but it's not well served. 1 Worcester Regional Airport (ORH IATA), 375 Airport Drive,, ☏ +1 508-859-5550, toll-free: +1-888-359-9672. Served by JetBlue, American, and Delta. Service from Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, and New York City. The airport is a few miles from Downtown, but is well connected with WRTA bus and taxi services. (updated Oct 2024) 2 Union Station, 2 Washington Sq (downtown next to the city's main bus terminal). Worcester's only train station. From here you can also walk to the Blackstone Canal District or Shrewsbury St. (updated Oct 2023) Train operators: MBTA's Framingham Worcester Line: $12.50 one-way. Often takes an hour to an hour and a half, between South Station in Boston and Union Station in Worcester, depending on if on a local or express train. MBTA Commuter Rail is generally not reliable in extreme winter weather so plan around that if necessary. The Worcester line is also susceptible to warping in warm weather, which forces the trains to slow down sometimes in the summer. Trains to Worcester are infrequent in the morning while trains to Boston are infrequent in the evening. Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1 800-872-7245.

Many of Worcester's points of interest are far spaced from one another. The only practical way to get around is by car (or bike). Public transit in Worcester is focused mainly on commuters. Cabs are often more expensive per mile than cabs in other cities. If you're there for more than just a visit, bicycles are available from many used stores and are the best way to get around and explore. Buses in the city usually run every 30 to 60 minutes, with some running only every two hours depending on the route. Fare is $1.75; true day-passes are no longer offered—available now is an 8-ride pass good for one person, good one day only. Buses on certain routes are often a half-hour or more late, but be at your stop early as they often fly by a few minutes early in order to catch up for previous late stops. Worcester does have a bus system, but it can be infrequent and confusing to navigate. Depending upon where you are going, the bus system may be an inefficient way to get around the city as nearly all routes run in a spoke-like fashion from the terminal adjacent to Union Station. Planning a route with ample time for connections and schedule deviations is essential. Real-time stop predictions are generally available. 5 Worcester Regional Transit Authority (WRTA, "The RTA"), 60 Foster St., ☏ +1 508-791-WRTA (9782). Adult $1.75; Pass for up to 8 rides (expires 1 day, good 1 person only) for $4.50. CharlieCard accepted. Yellow Cab, ☏ +1 508-754-3211. Red Cab, ☏ +1 508-792-9999, +1 508-756-9000. Worcester is surprisingly hard to navigate on foot.

Worcester is a somewhat notably dangerous city for the Northeast, to the point you might need some advice to stay out of danger. Street crime during the day is very rare but it can happen in dodgier neighborhoods. In particular, the entire southern half of the city is comprised of lower income neighborhoods that have somewhat common crime, but are safe to walk through during the day as long as you have common sense. The part of the city that tourists should really steer clear of is the Pleasant St/Chandler St area, going into downtown; while not one of the worse off parts of the city, it is infamous for being a hot spot for both violent crime and drug related crimes, which for better or worse the police seem to have little control over. Most of Worcester's homeless population also lives in this area; be respectful and don't harass them, and if you want to help don't record it. Walking around this area at any time is opening yourself up to violent crime, and at night even driving through these streets can be dangerous, as a lot of Uber drivers will avoid the area during late hours. If you take the bus or are walking in a poor area do not show off your phone or anything else that could be valuable, pickpocketing is semi-common. You might also hear about gang activity in the more business oriented parts of the city near Auburn but this is not really a problem for most people. Just like any other city, keep basic caution even in the "safe" areas.