Hull, MA

Hull, Massachusetts is a small coastal town in Plymouth County perched on the tip of a long, narrow peninsula that curls out into Massachusetts Bay, just southeast of Boston. With a year-round population of roughly 10,000, Hull has the feel of a classic New England seaside village, characterized by weathered shingle-style cottages, a working harbor, and broad sandy beaches that have drawn summer visitors since the 19th century. Best known as home to Nantasket Beach, one of the South Shore's most iconic shorelines, Hull also serves as a gateway to the Boston Harbor Islands and sits within easy reach of downtown Boston, located about 30 miles to the northwest across the bay.

Nantasket Beach stretches for roughly three miles along the eastern side of the peninsula and forms the heart of Hull's identity. The wide, gently sloping sand is lined with a classic boardwalk, small restaurants, ice cream stands, and the historic Paragon Park Carousel, a hand-carved merry-go-round that has survived since the early 1900s. Because the beach is essentially within the town itself, virtually every short-term rental in Hull is just a short walk or drive from the surf.

At the end of the peninsula, Fort Revere occupies Telegraph Hill, a former coastal defense site with earthworks dating to the Revolutionary War and a more substantial turn-of-the-20th-century battery. Visitors today come mainly for the panoramic views across Boston Harbor, which on a clear day stretch from the city skyline all the way to Boston Light on Little Brewster Island. The hill is only a few minutes' drive from the center of town and offers an easy side trip for guests staying anywhere on the peninsula.

The Hull Lifesaving Museum, housed in the restored 1889 Point Allerton U.S. Life-Saving Station on the bay side of the peninsula, tells the story of maritime rescue along the New England coast. Exhibits cover the history of the U.S. Life-Saving Service, local shipwrecks, and the surfmen who patrolled these waters, and the museum's setting right above the water makes it a quiet counterpoint to the busier beach side of town.

Just across the border in neighboring Hingham lies World's End, a Trustees of Reservations property of rolling meadows, pine groves, and rocky shoreline looking out over the harbor. A trip here is only a ten- or fifteen-minute drive from most of Hull and offers miles of easy walking trails with some of the best harbor views in the area.

Hull's appeal for short-term rentals comes from this unusual combination: it has the unhurried pace and natural setting of a small beach town, yet it sits within roughly an hour of Boston and the South Shore's historic sites, with the bonus of seasonal ferry access to the Boston Harbor Islands from nearby Hingham. The result is a destination that works equally well for families seeking a classic New England beach vacation and for visitors who want a quieter base from which to explore the greater Boston coast.