Ayer, located 35 miles northwest of Boston, is a small town in central Massachusetts. Several parks in the area provide outdoor recreation such as sports, swimming hiking and winter activity. Visitors to Ayer, which originally was a part of the city of Groton, will find several options for lodging in the outlying area.
The lobby at the SpringHill Suites features a wall-length granite fountain, a curved grand staircase and two-story windows, suitable for formal posed photos. The enclosed sky bridge at the hotel connects to the Devens Common Center, which hosts catered weddings, parties and other social events in a posh ballroom as well as business conferences and meetings. An on-site business center, Internet connection options and in-room desks provide business travelers working facilities. For families, the hotel offers an indoor swimming pool, a small exercise room, nearby restaurant delivery and in-suite microwave and refrigerator. The Devens Common Center complex, located in Fort Devens just 1.5 miles southwest of Ayer, includes a spa offering beauty and body services and a restaurant that serves a variety of entrees from sandwiches to international cuisine.
Four miles northeast of Ayer on the main street in Groton, The Groton Stagecoach Inn and Tavern offers 15 guest rooms and two suites in one of the oldest inns in the country, originally built in 1678. The restaurant at the inn features Greek and European specialty dishes and homemade desserts from the nearby family-owned bakery, Party Favors. Five original working fireplaces throughout the inn provide ambiance for dining, drinking and relaxation. The inn provides several places for parties and banquets, including separate private banquet rooms within the restaurant and a renovated carriage house behind the inn that accommodates up to 250. The tavern features imported specialty beers and wines served with lighter fare. Many of the guest rooms have pine canopy beds that were hand-crafted by the inn's original owner.
Almost everything from the breakfast kitchen at the Lyttleton Inn is made from scratch from ingredients grown locally, served in the candlelit tea room on fine china and linens with a backdrop of classical music. The inn, just six miles southeast of Ayer, offers five rooms individually decorated with antiques to reflect the 1860 Italianate Revival home. At the inn, which is just off the Littleton Common amid lush, landscaped gardens, guests can relax by the fireplace in the library, play checkers or chess in the game parlor and enjoy complimentary homemade baked goods at afternoon tea.
