Groton (Massachusetts)
Groton is a town of about 10,500 people (2010) in Middlesex County, in the Merrimack Valley region of Massachusetts. Groton, like a lot of towns in New England, has a plethora of historic homes and structures to see.
Pepperell is a town in Massachusetts with a population of 12,000 (2020).
Understand
Groton is part of the greater Boston metropolitan area, but it is very much a small New England town. The town takes pride in the fact that a little over 40% of the land in town is protected by the town, state, or through private organizations & trusts, and is accessible to the public.
History
Groton started with the trading post of John Tinker, who conducted business there with the Nashaway at the confluence of Nod Brook and the Nashua River. It incorporated as a town in 1655, and named for Groton in Suffolk, England. Called The Plantation of Groton, it included all of present-day Groton and Ayer, almost all of Pepperell and Shirley, large parts of Dunstable, Littleton, and Tyngsborough, plus smaller parts of Harvard and Westford in Massachusetts, as well as Nashua and Hollis, New Hampshire. During King Philip's War, on March 13, 1676, Native Americans burned all buildings except for four Groton garrisons. during King William's War, on July 27, 1694 a group of native warriors raided the town killing some 20 people,and took captive some 13 others. On April 19, 1775, word arrived of fighting in Lexington & Concord. The common in Groton was used as a staging area for two companies of Minutemen under the command of Colonel William Prescott before beginning the march to Concord.
Get in
By car
you are coming from Boston take Interstate route 90 west to route 3 north. From route 3 north get off onto state route 2A/119 west.Route 119 and route 2 diverge in the center of Littleton. Stay on 119 west and you will arrive in Groton.
Coming from the southwest, take interstate route 90 east to 495 North. Take 495 North to exit 31, from here take state route 119 west to Groton.
Coming from the northwest, the easiest way is state route 2 east to exit 25 where you will take state route 2A east. In Lunenburg route 2A east will meet up with state route 13 north and run concurrently for approximately .2 miles. When 2A and 13 north diverge take 13 north to Townsend where 119 and 13 cross each other. Take 119 east all the way to Groton.
From the south, take either interstates 91, 84, or 395 to interstate Route 90 east. From here Route 90 east to 495 north to 119 west.
Alternatively from the south take interstate route 95 north to 495 north to 119 west.
Pepperell is served by state routes 111, 113, 119 and 122.
Get around
There is no public transportation within the town so walking,biking our driving is going to be the only option to get around the town. Most of the down town area of Groton can be traversed on foot, and the Nashua River Rail Trail makes walking or biking a feasible option to get around.
See
- Autumn Hills Orchard.
- 🌍 Gibbet Hill Castle (Bancroft's castle) (Park off Lowell Rd. just east of the Gibbet Hill Grill). Built in 1906 and ruined in 1932, Bancroft's castle is an impressive structure with a tower and overgrown stone walls. Public access is free and unrestricted, although it can be hard to find parking on nice days. There are also some good views of the area from the top of Gibbet Hill. Note that despite how it looks on the map, you cannot drive directly to the castle; park on the north side of Lowell Rd. near the stone pillars that mark the trailhead, and there is a short but steep trail up to the castle.
- 🌍 Groton History Center (Groton Historical Society), 172 Main St, ☏ +1 978-448-0092, info@grotonhistory.org.
- Kalliroscope Gallery.
- 🌍 Old Groton Inn.
- Pepperell Covered Bridge (Near the intersection of Route 111 and Route 113). 24 hours daily. This new all wood bridge was rebuilt in 2010, and is one of only three covered bridges on public Massachusetts roads that are open to vehicular traffic. It's also the closest to the greater Boston area. The bridge is designed for cars, but there are pedestrian walkways available on both sides. Free.
Do
- 🌍 Nashua River Rail Trail. A 12.5-mile paved bike and walking path on the old Hollis branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad.The rail trail Starts in Ayer, MA and runs through the towns of Groton, Pepperell, and reaches its northern point in Nashua, NH.
Buy
There is not really a variety of specialty shopping options in town. Groton has the average stores that you'll find in most towns in the area a couple gas stations,drug store,grocery store, etc,etc. If you are looking for a wider variety of shopping establishments the surrounding towns of Littleton, Westford , and Ayer should be your next stops.
Eat
- Pizza Pizzazz, 75 Main Street #3 (Pepperell), ☏ +1 978 433-9535. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. Pizza joint offering subs, salads, chicken wings, etc. $10-20.
- 🌍 Filho's Cucina, 235 Main St (Groton), ☏ +1 978-448-5664. BYOB Italian restaurant with a connected wine, beer, and spirits store.
- Mariano’s, 105 Main Street (Pepperell), ☏ +1 978-829-4496. M-F 4-9PM, Sa Su noon-8PM. Italian restaurant with traditional pasta, pizza, etc. $20-40.
- 🌍 Gibbet Hill Grill, 61 Lowell Rd (Groton), ☏ +1 978-448-2900. Steakhouse in a 100-year-old converted barn that has an on site produce farm (reservations are recommended)
- 🌍 Forge & Vine, 128R Main St (Groton), ☏ +1 978-448-9200. Upscale restaurant with an open kitchen that serves american & seafood (reservation recommended)
Drink
The best options to get a drink in Groton are Forge & Vine and Gibbet Hill Grill (see Eat section).
Sleep
- 🌍 The Groton Inn, 128 Main St, ☏ +1 978-448-6600. A boutique hotel that is a rebuild of the former historic Groton Inn that burned down in 2011.
Go next
| Routes through Groton |
| Nashua ← Pepperell ← | N S | → Jct W E → Harvard |
| Townsend ← Pepperell ← | W E | → Littleton → Concord |