Sights in Massachusetts
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Edward Kennedy Institute for the US Senate
In 2011, public officials joined the Kennedy clan in celebrating the groundbreaking for a new institute and museum, dedicated to the memory of Edward Kennedy. A striking building designed to complement the JFK Library, the institute will use high-tech exhibits to educate about the legislative process, highlighting history-making senators and legislative initiatives. Stay tuned.
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Whydah Pirate Museum
See the salvaged booty from a pirate ship that sank off Cape Cod in 1717.
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Whale-Watching
Provincetown is the perfect launch point for whale-watching, since it's the closest port to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, a summer feeding ground for humpback whales. These awesome creatures with a flair for acrobatic breaching come surprisingly close to the boats, offering great photo ops. Many of the 300 remaining North Atlantic right whales, the world's most endangered whale species, also frequent these waters.
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Smith College Museum of Art
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Rockport
At the northern tip of Cape Ann, Rockport is a quaint contrast to gritty Gloucester. Dock Square is the hub of Rockport. Visible from here, the red fishing shack decorated with colorful buoys is known as Motif No 1 because so many artists have painted and photographed it over the years. Bearskin Neck is the peninsula that juts into the harbor, lined with galleries, lobster shacks and souvenir shops.
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Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial House
The Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial House is where the philosopher lived for almost 50 years (1835–82). Emerson was the paterfamilias of literary Concord, one of the great literary figures of his age and the founding thinker of the Transcendentalist movement. The house often hosted his renowned circle of friends and still contains many original furnishings.
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Old North Bridge
A half-mile north of Memorial Sq in Concord center, the wooden span of Old North Bridge is the site of the ‘shot heard around the world’ (as Emerson wrote in his poem Concord Hymn). Daniel Chester French’s first statue, Minute Man, presides over the park from the opposite side of the bridge.
On the far side of the bridge, the Buttrick mansion contains the visitor center, where you can see a video about the battle and admire the Revolutionary War brass cannon, the Hancock.
On your way up to Old North Bridge, look for the yellow Bullet Hole House, at which British troops purportedly fired as they retreated from North Bridge.
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Nantucket Beaches
If you have young 'uns head to Children's Beach, right in Nantucket town, where the water's calm and there's a playground. Surfside Beach, 2 miles to the south, is where the college crowd heads for an active scene and bodysurfing waves. The best place to catch the sunset is Madaket Beach, 5.5 miles west of town.
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Bullet Hole House
On your way up to Old North Bridge, look for the yellow Bullet Hole House, where British troops purportedly fired at the owner of the house as they retreated from North Bridge.
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Museum of New Hampshire History
The Museum of New Hampshire Historychronicles the history of the Granite State in more depth.
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Christa McAuliffe Planetarium
This planetarium honors the New Hampshire schoolteacher chosen to be America’s first teacher-astronaut. McAuliffe and her fellow astronauts died in the tragic explosion of the Challenger spacecraft on January 28, 1986. Hour-long shows examine topics such as space travel to Mars and the power of the sun. The popular ‘Tonight’s Sky’ takes visitors on a tour of the constellations and planets visible that month.
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Canterbury Shaker Village
A traditional Shaker community from 1792, Canterbury Shaker Village maintains the Shaker heritage as a living-history museum. Interpreters demonstrate the Shakers' daily lives, artisans create Shaker crafts, and walking trails invite pond-side strolls. The greening of America has deep roots here - for more than two centuries the Shakers' abundant gardens have been turning out vegetables, medicinal herbs and bountiful flowers the organic way. If you're ready for a soulful diversion you could easily spend half a day here on the farm, which covers nearly 700 acres. Take a little wholesomeness home with you - there's a store selling Shaker handicrafts, a farm stand and a…
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State House
The gold-domed, eagle-topped State House, built in 1819 of New Hampshire granite, houses the oldest legislative chamber in the US. Forget heavy-handed security, this is a remarkably relaxed affair - you can walk right in, check out the intriguing lobby display of battle-tattered Civil War flags, then head up to the 2nd floor to visit the chamber.
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Pierce Manse
Pierce Manse, the home of Franklin Pierce (1804-69), the only US president to hail from New Hampshire, can be toured in summer.
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Fort Point Arts Community
This refurbished big-windowed warehouse is the hub of the Fort Point Arts Community, which contains a gallery featuring work from the talented collective. See huge psychedelic oils, prints inspired by 14th-century Venetian laces, lampshades made from birch and mixed-media films. Several times a year, FPAC hosts popular open-studio events that allow you to see the artists’ working spaces as well as their creations.
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William Lloyd Garrison Statue
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Weeks Memorial Bridge
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Walker Memorial
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Science Center
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Sacco's Bowl Haven
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Public Garden
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Old Burying Ground
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Loeb Drama Center
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