“America’s Game” is coming to Massachusetts for the first time in 124 years. If you are too, here’s where to stay and what to know.

On December 9, at least 66,000 fans will attend the historic Army-Navy football matchup. If you’re one of them, your game plan should include booking your hotel room now. And though the game takes place about 40 minutes south of Boston at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Back Bay Boston is one of the top choices of fans traveling to attend the Big Game.

Hotel rooms are scarce in Foxborough, but the Back Bay is a short drive or a slightly longer ‘T’ ride to Gillette Stadium from Newbury Guest House. Our boutique hotel has the advantage of being in the heart of the Back Bay’s famed brownstone district and in walking distance of premiere shopping and dining destinations, not to mention some of Boston’s finest museums, night life and Colonial history sites. You’ll avoid the Foxborough crowds (except at the stadium of course) and have endless pre- or post-gridiron options for enjoying a major vacation destination. 

The Back Bay is a smart choice for Army-Navy game-goers, even if you’re without a rental car. You can get to Gillette Stadium from the Back Bay on the Franklin/Foxboro line, a regularly running commuter train. The Back Bay stop (South Station) is just south of Copely Square, a 15-minute walk from Newbury Guest House. The MBTA (Boston Transit) also schedules special event trains based on the start and end times of major events at the stadium. Important tip: Tickets are limited and only available through the mTicket app, so be sure to purchase them well in advance. And on the ride over, why not come prepared with a bit of Army-Navy trivia to entertain your fellow passengers with?

• The December 9, 2023 game is only the third that’s been played outside of the mid-Atlantic region.

• One of the nation’s oldest and most iconic football rivalries began when West Point Cadet Dennis Michie accepted a pickup football game challenge from a group of Navy midshipmen on November 29, 1890. (Army lost to the vastly more experienced Navy).

• On November 27, 1926, the Army-Navy game was held in Chicago for the National Dedication of Soldier Field and a tribute to the American servicemen who fought in World War I. 

• The Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights have faced off 116 times to date. Thus far, Navy has 60 wins, Army has 49, and there have been seven ties. For the bettors among us, Navy is favored by 2-5 points this year. 

• The Black Knights mule mascot dates to 1899, when an officer decided the Army team needed a mascot to counter the Navy’s Bill the Goat and picked a white mule used to pull an ice wagon. The first "official" mule was a former U.S. Army pack mule named "Mr. Jackson" who arrived at West Point in 1936. 

• Instant replay made its U.S. debut in the 1963 Army-Navy game.

• After every game, the players sing both teams' alma maters. Both the winning and losing teams sing facing the losing team's students. The losing team then joins the victors on their side of the field and sings the winner's alma mater to its students in a show of solidarity and mutual respect. 

The clock is ticking down on Back Bay hotel rooms for the Army-Navy game, but options are still in play at Newbury Guest House. We won’t take sides on the match, but we will predict that when you make us your Army-Navy HQ, you’ll score the best game day stay in town.