Andover (Massachusetts)

Andover is a town in Massachusetts, situated at the crossroads of I-495 and I-93 in the heart of the Merrimack Valley. Andover is bordered by Dracut, Lawrence, Methuen, North Andover, North Reading, Tewksbury, and Wilmington.

Get in

The closest major airports to Andover are Boston's Logan International Airport (BOS ^IATA) and Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT ^IATA) in New Hampshire. Nearby Lawrence Municipal Airport does not serve major carriers.

Get around

• Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) runs buses daily throughout the Merrimack Valley as well as a limited number of morning routes into Boston with afternoon returns from Boston.
• Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) operates the Commuter Rail with stops in Andover (17 Railroad Street, Andover) and Ballardvale (195 Andover Street, Andover). Trains run outbound to Haverhill with stops in Lawrence and Bradford and inbound to Boston with stops in North Wilmington, Reading, Wakefield, Greenwood, Melrose Highlands, Cedar Park, Wyoming Hill, and Malden. Transfer at the Malden stop to access the Orange Line's Malden Center subway stop.
• Flightline runs shuttle vans to Logan and MHT airports.

See

• Addison Gallery of American Art, 180 Main Street (at Phillips Academy), ☎ [phone]. (updated Jun 2017)
• Andover Historical Society, 97 Main Street. 
• 🌍 Robert S. Peabody Museum, 175 Main Street, ☎ [phone]. Repository of Native American archaeology founded in 1901.  
• Also, the headstone and final resting place of Harriet Elizabeth Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, is located in Academy Cemetery.

Do

Andover features many walking trails, spanning approximately 1,100 acres of reservation land maintained by AVIS, one of the oldest conservation societies in the United States. Additionally, the Andover Bird Sanctuary, officially titled the Moncrieff Cochran Sanctuary, features pathways lined with several rhododendron species, mountain laurel, white pines, hemlocks, larch, oaks, and hickories.

• J. Everett Collins Center For the Performing Arts, 100 Shawsheen Road (Attached to Andover High School). An auditorium where groups of all ages sing, dance, act, and more. Local schools hold plays and performances here, as well as anyone willing to rent the space out for personal use. Past performers include Martin Johnson of Boys Like Girls, and Sesame Street Live. 
• Andover Country Club, 60 Canterbury Street. The Andover Country Club is an 18-hole regulation length golf course. This medium-length layout features 4 sets of teeboxes for golfers of all skill levels. 
• Harold Parker State Forest (Lorraine Park), 133 Jenkins Road. Late May - Early September. A campground containing 89 campsites. Each site is equipped with a picnic table and grill. No electric or water hookups are available, however the public bathrooms have hot water showers. 
• 🌍 Ward Reservation, Prospect Road. 8am - dusk, year round. The Solstice Stones are on top of Holt Hill, the highest spot in Essex County. There are 10 miles of trails, including a boardwalk that leads to Pine Hole Pond and a quaking bog. Parking is $5 for non-members.. 
• Penguin Park, Burnham Road (East of 133 and Rt. 28 Junction). Family walking through fields to the Shawsheen River. Trail follows the shore of the river to the woods. Picnicking and a toddlers' playground is also located here. 
• Andovers' Farmers Market, 97 Main Street. Late June to October, Saturdays 10AM–2PM. An outdoor market, where you can purchase vegetables, baked goods, and other crafted items on a weekly basis (updated Jun 2017)
• Andover Skatepark, 80 Shawsheen Road (On the lot of West Middle School and Andover High School). A town run facility that is run by the Andover Youth Services. $8 per skater. (updated Jun 2017)
• Pomps Pond, 147 Abbot Street (Part of the Recreation Park Complex), ☎ [phone]. The pond area contains a sunbathing area, recreational swimming, shaded picnic grounds, children's playground area, a volleyball net, boat rentals, bathrooms, showers, and a concession stand. Red Cross certified swim lessons. (updated Jun 2017)

Buy

• Andover Bookstore, ☎ [phone]. 89R Main Street. A three-level cozy independent bookstore covering many genres of work. Sit on the couch by the fire in winter to warm yourself over your reading selection. 
• Royal Jewelers, 58 Main Street, ☎ [phone]. An independent retail jewelry store offering designer jewelry and Swiss timepieces. 
• Learning Express, 32 Park Street, ☎ [phone]. An educational toy store for kids of all ages. Has hands-on sample toys that children can play with while exploring the store. 
• First Date Boutique, 1 Main Street Suite 203, ☎ [phone]. An upscale clothing store in the heart of downtown Andover, Massachusetts. Trendy clothes for girls of all ages. Casual and dressy attire can be found here. 

Eat

While Andover and the surrounding area host a number of cafes and restaurants, including chains such as Dunkin' Donuts, McDonald's, Bertucci's, Starbucks, and the Ninety Nine, there are several dining locations that provide a more personal taste of the town.

• Depot House of Pizza, 53 Essex Street. Near the Andover train station serves Greek-style pizza and sandwiches. 
• King's Subs & Pizza, 11 Bartlet Street, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. 
• Perfecto's Caffe, 79 N. Main Street. Serves coffee, muffins, bagels, salads, sandwiches, and wraps. 
• Shawsheen Luncheonette, 3 Lowell Street. Tue-Sun: 6am-2pm. Employs countless high school students and serves breakfasts and lunches. 
• Sweet Basil, 209 N. Main Street. Is Andover's only Thai restaurant. 
• Spinners Pizza Parlor, 195 Andover St. Is a family-friendly restaurant offering the best in homemade, mouthwatering pizza and sub sandwiches. 
• 🌍 Salvatore's, 34 Park St, ☎ [phone]. Is a new Italian style casual restaurant, of which there are few branches. 
• Casa Blanca, 10 Main Street, ☎ [phone]. Mon-Thu,Sun 11am-10pm; Fri-Sat 11am-11pm. An authentic Mexican Restaurant in the heart of downtown Andover. Upstairs location allows customers to view Main Street from their table. 
• The Chateau, 131 River Rd, ☎ [phone]. Sunday: Open 11:30 AM Monday - Saturday Open 11:15 AM. A family owned Italian restaurant featuring a variety of authentic Italian dishes. Famous for their fried raviolis 
• Bertucci's, 90 Main Street, ☎ [phone]. Famous for their Brick Oven Pizza. Features outdoor seating during Spring, Summer, and Fall months on Main Street. 
• Peking Garden of Andover, 36 Park Street, ☎ [phone]. An eat-in or take-out Chinese, Polynesian, and Mandarin food restaurant. 
• Ninety-Nine, ☎ [phone]. An American chain restaurant and bar. Family friendly, and also date-spot worthy. Food price varies depending on the meal between $12-$17. The bar stays open later than the restaurant, and serves 7 nights a week 
• 🌍 Andover Town Market (Town Market), 429 South Main Street, Andover, MA, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Mon-Sat: 7am-8pm Sun: 7am-6pm. Offers fresh sandwiches, salads, ice cream and desserts plus prepared food to take home for dinner. It also has a market for fine foods, local items, and a selection of wines, beers, and ciders. (updated Feb 2017)
• 🌍 Perry's Plate, 89-93 MAIN ST (Located off Main St in Andover Village Square. Park in the metered lot.). 6:15am - 3pm. Serves breakfast all-day and lunch starting at 11am. Opened in January 2017, taking over from the venerable Lantern Brunch. (updated Feb 2017)

Drink

Coffee

• Bruegger's Bagels Bakery, 10 Main Street. 
• Felicia's Bakery Cafe, 63 Park Street. 
• Dunkin' Donuts, 309 Lowell Street. 
• Dunkin' Donuts, 139 River Road. 
• Dunkin' Donuts, 349 North Main Street. 
• Dunkin' Donuts, 93 Main Street. 
• Starbucks, 14 Main Street. 
• Ultimate Perk, 96 Main Street. 

Bars

Andover has a few watering holes:

• Glory, 19 Essex Street. 
• Palmers Restaurant & Tavern, 18 Elm Street. 
• Park Street Pub, 40 Park Street. 

Sleep

Most hotels are located immediately off I-93, a few miles from Main Street. Other nearby hotels are located in Tewksbury off I-495. The Andover Inn is the only hotel located downtown.

• Courtyard Boston Andover, 10 Campanelli Dr, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. 
• Residence Inn Boston Andover, 500 Minuteman Rd, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone], fax: [phone]. 
• SpringHill Suites Boston Andover, 550 Minuteman Rd, ☎ [phone], fax: [phone]. 
• Staybridge Suites, 4 Tech Drive, ☎ [phone]. 
• 🌍 Andover Inn, 4 Chapel Ave, ☎ [phone], toll-free: [phone]. Located on the campus of Phillips Andover Academy. Breakfast (and other meals) is served in their Samuel's restaurant. 
• Homewood Suites by Hilton Boston Andover, 4 Riverside Drive, ☎ [phone]. 
• La Quinta Inn & Suites, 131 River Road. 
• DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Andover, 123 Old River Road, ☎ [phone]. Andover Hotel offering free wifi 

Connect

Andover's Memorial Hall Library provides free wireless internet access for equipped laptops. Otherwise, visitors can register to use one of the public library's desktop computers.

Starbucks, 14 Main Street, charges for wi-fi access on hourly, daily, and monthly rates through their T-Mobile HotSpot.

• McDonald's, 195 N MAIN ST, ☎ [phone]. 5am-11pm (drive-thru is open until 1am). The restaurant has free WiFi (updated Feb 2017)

Go next

Routes through Andover

Manchester ← Methuen ←	N  S	→ Wilmington → Boston
Lawrence ← North Andover ←	N  S	→ Tewksbury → Lowell
Manchester ← Lawrence ←	N  S	→ North Reading → Boston
Haverhill ← North Andover ←	N  S	→ Wilmington → END
Lowell ← Tewksbury ←	W  E	→ North Andover → Georgetown
Haverhill ← Lawrence ←	N  S	→ Wilmington → Boston