Somerville: Hotels between the Community Path and art

Somerville brings together several themes to consider when planning a trip: urban paths, neighborhood spaces, art events, history and seasonal offerings. If you’re looking for a hotel in Somerville, you can start by considering which of these aspects matter to your stay. The places and activities below offer different points of reference without describing the same city experience.

Urban paths and neighborhoods

The Somerville Community Path is a multi-use path approximately 3.2 miles long. It runs from the city border with Cambridge to East Cambridge, near the MBTA’s Lechmere station. Its length and endpoints provide an overview of the path as a whole.

Another specific route detail concerns the Community Path Extension: the city installed lighting along approximately 2,600 feet between Walnut Street and Poplar Street, on either side of the MBTA’s East Somerville station. The figures refer to different scales: 3.2 miles describes the length of the Somerville Community Path, while approximately 2,600 feet refers to the illuminated section of the named extension.

Davis Square also offers its own point of reference for getting oriented. Somerville has a network of more than 20 city squares, and Davis Square is a walkable neighborhood within it. Each square shapes its own neighborhood boundaries and a distinct mix of homes and businesses. This makes Davis Square a specific neighborhood space, while the wider network reflects the diversity of the city’s neighborhoods.

Art events and different formats

The annual ArtBeat Festival is an art event held over a weekend in Davis Square and organized by the Somerville Arts Council. The program varies from year to year. If you’d like to plan your trip around this festival, check the dates and the program in advance.

Somerville Open Studios focuses on encountering artworks and learning how they are made: the public can view and buy works by more than 350 Somerville artists and learn more about their work and artistic processes. Participating artists and venues vary from year to year. In 2024, Somerville Open Studios took place at more than 100 locations in Somerville. The festival celebrated its 25th anniversary.

The two art formats offer different points of reference for planning your trip: ArtBeat is a weekend festival in Davis Square, while Somerville Open Studios offers a look at artworks and artistic processes at changing locations. You can choose between the festival and the studios based on which interests you’d like to shape your stay.

History and seasonal offerings

The Old Powder House represents an aspect of Somerville’s history. It is one of the few surviving powder houses in the United States dating from before the American Revolutionary War.

One seasonal offering is the Somerville Winter Farmers Market at the Center for the Arts at the Armory. In the 2025/26 season, it offered a weekly winter market with more than 71 local food vendors. Products included locally grown or regionally produced items such as fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese, eggs, meat, fish, bread, tamales, baked goods and chocolate, as well as skincare products. The market is seasonal; vendors and dates may change. Check the dates for the relevant winter before visiting.

Together, these points of reference offer a picture of urban paths, a network of distinctive neighborhoods, art, history and a market that runs for a limited time. When deciding on your trip, you can weigh the themes according to the season and your personal interests, and consider Somerville as a destination for your hotel stay.

Discover more destinations: Newton, Waltham, Cambridge, Chelmsford, North Chelmsford, Billerica, Arlington, Concord.

For the broader travel overview: Middlesex.