Fitchburg to Springfield

Lunch at Armsby Abbey would be a good option.

Yankee Spirits is minutes of 90 in Sturbridge and has probably the best selection of beers in the state

 

Julios is not far east of where you'll be going. Highly recommended.

 

been to tree house the past 2 weds nights and can line has been tiny to none ... plus 2 drafts if you want

 

Are you, by chance , going to great wolf lodge ?

 

Check River Styx if you get a chance. Pretty damn good beer and they sell crowlers.

 

There's not much up in that area. The Old Mill on 2A is pretty good and a few minutes away

 

Wachusett has a brew yard where you can have a beer and they have an on site food truck with burgers for the kids and some other stuff ... Try some Wally Juice its one of my favs I work in Fitchburg I can vouch

 

Check out River Styx Brewing in downtown Fitchburg, they have a couple pretty good imp stouts and IPAs. They have some board games and things that might occupy the children. Wachusset Brewery is pretty fun too and pretty family friendly. For a good meal and good beer selection, go to Rye and Thyme in Leominster.

 

I'll second the notion that, barring a major release, Thursday mid-afternoon can line at Tree House should be minimal. Yankee Spirits is a good shout. Austin Liquors on Gold Star Blvd in Worcester also has a decent beer selection.
Also, at the BB HOF, hit up Plan B burger bar.

 

Good food is pretty limited.
Old Mill is ok, nothing to write home about
River Styx is not very good IMO
Wachusett brew yard is a nice spot, limited food options
Other options would be Blueprint in downtown Westminster for food, Mountain Barn in Princeton, Gardner Alehouse, a few places in Leominster too

 

I've been to river styx a couple times, Im more of an IPA guy and ive only had 1 of theres that I liked out of my flight of 6 and I passed on all the stouts and porters.

Mcbiz mentioned the Blue print in westminster, and thats who runs the food truck for Wachusett

And Rye and thyme in Leominster is pricey but food an draft list are pretty decent

 

I'd personally put Gardner Ale House as the best food/craft beer option in the area. Great Wolf Lodge is a blast, especially for young kids. I have stayed there a few times and only live 10 miles away. You will have to drive to get any food besides GWL. Their food is pretty basic (think pizza and chicken fingers) They do have a buffet as well; again, pretty basic and overpriced IMO. Have fun!

 

Stay away from Rye and Tyme with kids. It's overpriced as it is for adults. Quality does not match $. Gardner Ale House is a good family option for meals and a beer. If you can swing it I would hit Honest Weight in Orange for beer. Very good spot.

 

ive been to great wolf a few times. heres my advice...

definitely 100% do yankee spirits, that will meet all your needs in one stop.

bring some snacks and pack a cooler for your room. the food at the resort is decent, but pricey and waits are long. weve saved a ton of time and money just making sandwiches, etc.

the beer at the restaurants is served in plain, clear, solo cups. buy one. you can walk around the resort with a beer as long as its in one of these cups. so buy 1 to get the cup. stock the fridge in your room. and just refill the cup from your fridge.

i wouldnt really eat anywhere besides the wood fired grill at the resort. i dont know much about the general area to be honest though

bt's bbq is right by yankee spirits and very casual and good for the kids. also its byob so you can enjoy some of your stuff from yankee spirits here.

try to keep the kids at the water park as much as possible because everything else is ridiculously expensive

thoroughly check youre room as soon as you get in it, weve had extremely good and extremely bad experiences in this regard. we did have a fairly good experience just a couple weeks ago

 

I'm in intrigued. Goooo ooooon....

 

The housekeepers are not very detailed and, I have never experienced anything outright hazardous or anything. But i have definitely, more than once, had a room that was ....less than ideal.

 

I'm grave-robbing this thread to ask a similar question treated to an extent here...

I'm heading out tomorrow from western mass with my mother and basically taking Route 2 across the state and eventually ending up in Salem. we're looking to stop somewhere along the way for lunch, and it'd be fun for us/me if that place featured good beer as well as food. I saw Gardner Ale House mentioned here as well as Rye and Thyme, anyone have other recommendations? I think stopping somewhere between Gardner and 495 makes the most sense for us timing-wise, but hey, if there's something we definitely shouldn't miss, let me know!

Thanks a bunch