A Day At The New England Boat Show
Winter is in full swing here in New England, with all of us looking towards spring and warmer weather ahead. One unique activity that is perfect to break up the winter blues is a trip to the New England Boat Show. Anyone who has grown up in New England knows that the area has a rich seafaring tradition (the first ship of the U.S. Navy was launched from Beverly Harbor!) and today boating is a $4.4 billion industry supporting 20,000 jobs throughout New England.
The New England Boat Show helps to support and showcase the industry by welcoming more than 55,000 people each year to the convention & exhibition center where they have more than 700 vessels on display, as well as exhibitors from all areas of the boating industry.
We were fortunate enough to be granted a behind-the-scenes tour of the show, allowing us to take in all the activities they have on offer. Read on to hear about all the show has to offer!
Our time at the show started with an early access tour of the “star of the show” the Azimut 45. To say the ship is impressive is an understatement! It is a 47 foot yacht that features a master bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and three smaller beds in a secondary bedroom. We both agreed that we would be more than comfortable living aboard it full time, as it had all the comforts of a dwelling, complete with flat screens throughout the living areas.
The next stop was an exhibit that is perfect for kids, and that was Salt the whale! Salt is a large inflatable replica of a whale that guests can go inside to get a view of what the interior of a whale looks like. It is operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, who are deeply involved with the whale populations of Stellwagen Bank, which is a marine area located just east of Gloucester. They have a wealth of information about whales and the marine areas around New England and it is definitely worth a stop by their booth if you are interested in learning more about these impressive creatures.
Speaking of kids activities, the boat show is a perfect activity for parents with young children. There are several other activity areas besides Salt that allow little ones to experience the fun of the show. There are several child friendly areas with a paddle pool that allows children to get into paddle boats and experience the fun of boating for themselves! They can also build their own boat to bring home with them as a craft project. For those that are still kids at heart, the Progressive Insurance booth offers a VR boat racing experience that lets you satisfy your need for speed, and a model boat that guests can practice their skills docking in a mini pool. They also have trivia questions that you can answer to win prizes while hearing about insurance solutions they can offer for boat owners.
In addition to boating, there are also dozens of other vendors covering all manner of nautical aspects from apparel, diving, fishing, insurance, boat leasing and rental, and safety equipment. Chris actually connected with some of the guys from East Coast Divers with the hopes of doing his open water refresher course and getting back into diving more often!
The boat show is a great afternoon activity, and it is important to note that even if you think a boat is out of your reach financially that there are so many options at the show besides that including kayaks, paddle boards and other small recreational craft that may interest those with a love for the water - and with financing, leasing, and rental options it may be more affordable than you think to make a dream of boat ownership a reality!
The show is running from February 8th to 16th, at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center located at 415 Summer Street in Boston.
Show hours are noon to 8pm Monday through Friday, 10am to 8pm Saturday and 10am to 6pm Sunday. Tickets are $16 for adults and kids under 12 get in free. You can purchase tickets in advance here
Parking is available at the on-site garage for $20 or valet for $30. There is also street parking available on various streets around the Seaport. You can also take the silver line from South Station and get off at the World Trade Center stop to avoid having to find parking.
As a special giveaway, we will be giving away TWO tickets for this week’s Boat Show! Enter Here & Good Luck!