Massachusetts
This 251-acre peninsula was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted for residential development in 1889. Carriage paths were laid out and trees were planted,…
Must-see attractions in Massachusetts
Massachusetts
A Harbor Islands hub, Spectacle Island has a large marina, a solar-powered visitor center, a healthy snack bar and sandy, supervised beaches. Five miles…
Williams College Museum of Art
The Berkshires
In the center of town is this worthwhile – and free! – art museum. It has a collection of some 15,000 pieces, with substantial works by notables such as…
Massachusetts
This museum and 'center for environmental exploration' presents an array of exhibits to intrigue young minds. The outdoor exhibit area features many…
South Shore
The centerpiece of New Bedford, this excellent, hands-on museum remembers the town's heyday as a whaling port. The museum occupies seven buildings…
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art
Pioneer Valley
Co-founded by the author and illustrator of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this superb museum celebrates book illustrations from around the world with…
Massachusetts
One of the longest, widest, sandiest beaches in the region is Crane Beach, with 5.5 miles of fine-sand barrier beach on Ipswich Bay. It is set in the…
Massachusetts
Some claim that Long Beach, which straddles the Rockport–Gloucester border, is the best beach on the North Shore. It is lovely indeed – ideal for swimming…
Harvard Museums of Science & Culture
Cambridge
One ticket covers admission to both of the university's esteemed science museums: the Harvard Museum of Natural History, with the famed glass-flower…
Cambridge
Heading west out of Harvard Square, Brattle St is the epitome of colonial posh. Lined with mansions that were once home to royal sympathizers, the street…
Boston
Representing the journey of life, a granite path winds its way to a central fountain, offering a few moments of contemplative respite to anyone who cares…
Boston's Western Suburbs
Five blocks northeast of the visitors center, the Boott Cotton Mills Museum has exhibits that chronicle the rise and fall of the industrial revolution in…
Discovery Museum & Discovery Woods
Boston's Western Suburbs
This fabulous kids' spot offers a slew of newly imagined, immersive experiences focused on science. Even better, the new outdoor space offers many…
Boston
This playful fountain is unpredictable and irresistible, especially on a hot day. The weekly Greenway Open Market is held nearby.
Massachusetts
The biggest and best of Cape Ann's beaches is Wingaersheek Beach, a wide swath of sand surrounded by Ipswich Bay and guarded by Annisquam Lighthouse.
Beacon Hill & Boston Common
High atop Beacon Hill, Massachusetts’ leaders and legislators attempt to turn their ideas into concrete policies and practices within the State House…
Boston
‘Those who cannot bear free speech had best go home,’ said Wendell Phillips. ‘Faneuil Hall is no place for slavish hearts.’ Indeed, this public meeting…
Charlestown
Besides the historic ships docked here and the museum dedicated to them, the Charlestown Navy Yard is a living monument to its own history of shipbuilding…
Massachusetts
Little Brewster is the country’s oldest light station and site of the iconic Boston Light, dating from 1783. To visit Little Brewster, you must take an…
Charlestown
Head indoors to this museum for a play-by-play of the various battles of the USS Constitution, as well as its current role as the flagship of the US Navy…
Cambridge
Brattle St’s most famous resident was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose stately manor is now a National Historic Site. The poet lived here from 1837 to…
Provincetown
Swimmers favor the relatively calm (though certainly brisk) waters of Herring Cove Beach, part of the Cape Cod National Seashore. The long, sandy beach is…
Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Provincetown
Provincetown is the perfect launch point for whale-watching, since it's the closest port to Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, the summer feeding…
Back Bay
Here you'll find a cluster of handsome historic buildings, including the ornate French-Romanesque Trinity Church, the masterwork of architect HH…
Provincetown
On the wild tip of the Cape, this Cape Cod National Seashore beach is a breathtaking stretch of sand, crashing surf and undulating dunes as far as the eye…
Massachusetts
Of more than a score of witchy attractions in town, this is the only actual historic site. The house was once the home of Jonathan Corwin, a local…
Boston's Western Suburbs
Here is a beautifully landscaped, 210-acre property that was the site of Bronson Alcott's short-lived experiment in communal living. The original hillside…
Beacon Hill & Boston Common
Dating from 1660, this atmospheric atoll is crammed with historic headstones, many with evocative (and creepy) carvings. This is the final resting place…
King's Chapel & Burying Ground
Boston
Puritan Bostonians were not pleased when the original Anglican church was erected on this site in 1688. The granite chapel standing today – built in 1754 …
Provincetown
Overlooking Race Point Beach, this Cape Cod National Seashore visitor center has displays on dune ecology and a rooftop observation deck with an eye…
Pioneer Valley
For a peek at Amherst's colorful past, make your way to the West Cemetery, between Triangle St and N Pleasant St. Here you'll find the graves of Amherst's…
Cape Cod
The barrier beach at Sandy Neck extends 6.5 miles along Cape Cod Bay, backed the entire way by undulating dunes and a scenic salt marsh. It's a…
Boston
When silversmith Paul Revere rode to warn patriots of the British march to Lexington and Concord, he set out from this home on North Sq. This small…
Pioneer Valley
The nation's oldest women's college, founded in 1837, is in the center of South Hadley, the southernmost and sleepiest of the Five College towns. The…
The Berkshires
This evocative museum illustrates the lives of the religious sect that founded the village in 1783. The Shakers believed in communal ownership, the…
Prudential Center Skywalk Observatory
Back Bay
Technically called the Shops at Prudential Center, this landmark Boston building is not much more than a fancy shopping mall. But it does provide a bird’s…
Boston's Western Suburbs
The historic Battle Green is where the skirmish between patriots and British troops jump-started the War of Independence. The Lexington Minuteman Statue …
Salem Maritime National Historic Site
Massachusetts
This National Historic Site comprises the Custom House, the wharves and other buildings along Derby St that are remnants of the shipping industry that…
Martha's Vineyard
Accessed by frequent ferry (the 'Chappy Ferry') from Edgartown harbor, Chappaquiddick is a small island with a big history, thanks to a fatal accident in…
Boston
Directly in front of the Old State House, encircled by cobblestones, a bronze plaque marks the spot where the first blood was shed for the American…
