Okay, Salem looks like a cool visit. I also have friends in NH, would that be a doable day trip? I'm looking up what else Boston has to offer.
Plimoth Plantation is worth the visit. The Constitution is amazing - oldest commissioned warship in the US Navy (222 years old this year!). Wandering around the Granary Burying Grounds is fascinating. Cape Cod is very cool - and a trip all the way out to Provincetown on the end of the cape is really fun. New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Maine - all easy drives. We drove to Montreal from Boston in less than a day. Mystic seaport in Mystic, Connecticut, isn't far (though it's not cheap, either - we skipped the attractions and just went to have lunch at Mystic Pizza).