Your Top 10 list of things to do and see in Massachusetts (Boston: appointed, amusement park)

[moonshadow]

I'm looking forward to coming to Massachusetts in 2009 and I'd love to hear from people that have spent some time in the area.

What are your Top 10 things to see, do and experience in Massachusetts?

[lrfox]

^I'll try to spread it around and be creative

1) Boston. It's the cultural, economic center of not only Massachusetts, but New England as well. If I wanted, I could make the entire top 10 different things to do in Boston. From the basics like the Freedom Trail, Aquarium, Museum of Science, etc to the tiny unique neighborhood shops and restaurants, Boston is a must for any visit to New England. From the museums to the neighborhoods to the restaurants and nightlife, there's something for everyone in Boston.

2)Nantucket. Nantucket is an island that reached its industrial prime with the rise of the region's whaling industry. Today, it's an island community with a beautiful historic town center complete with cobbled streets, and historic buildings lined with shops, restaurants, and galleries. The Island is home to many beautiful beaches as well.

3)Salem. A lot of history in this North Shore community, and it's a great place to spend time with the family learning about the witch trials and exploring the shops and restaurants the town has to offer.

4)Northampton and the Pioneer Valley. Plenty to see and do out in the more rural part Western part of the state. Northampton is an artsy, sort of granola community with a lot of interesting things to see and do. You should also see Amherst (a big college town) and some of the attractions in Springfield like the Dr. Suess memorial (he was from Springfield) and the International Basketball Hall of Fame. Six Flags New England is in nearby Agawam and is the largest amusement park in New England.

5) Provincetown and Cape Cod. Cape Cod has a long standing reputation (a well-deserved one) for being one of the premier summer getaways in the nation. The Kennedy's still spend much of their time in Hyannisport and many other celebrities and well-off people spend much of their summer in Cape Cod. Provincetown is an artsy, super liberal community at the tip of the Cape. It's home to the Pilgrim Monument (a 200+ foot granite tower which you can climb to the top of) which commemorates the initial landing of the Pilgrims in P-Town. It's also where you'll catch the best whale-watch boats in New England as well as enjoy the dining, nightlife, and galleries of the town center. The beaches in the area are some of the best you'll ever visit.

6) Rockport/Gloucester area. Gloucester has a famous history of fishing and seafaring tradition (most recently noted in "The Perfect Storm."). The town has many attractions to visit and get better acquainted with the fishing tradition in Massachusetts. Nearby Rockport is a great little seaside town which not only offers natural beauty, but plenty to do in the way of shops, galleries and restaurants.

7) The Berkshires. This area of Massachusetts is not as well-traveled as many of the others, but it's a gorgeous hilly area that has a lot of history and natural beauty. The towns of Pittsfield and North Adams (great art museum in N. Adams) are the focal points, but be sure to explore one of the state parks (Mt. Greylock SP is my suggestion... perhaps October Mountain) and any of the smaller communities out here.

8) New Bedford and the South Coast. Often over looked due to the proximity to more popular Cape Cod and Newport and Providence RI, New Bedford (and other parts of the South Coast) shouldn't be over looked. New Bedford, like Nantucket, was established on a strong Whaling Tradition (many of the landmarks mentioned in Herman Melville's Moby Dick are in New Bedford and open to the public). Today, it's the highest-grossing fishing port in the U.S. but the downtown area is preserved as it was in the days of the Whaling Industry. The Whaling District National Historic Park is centered around the New Bedford Whaling Museum and the streets are lined with art galleries (and a nice art museum), shops, and restaurants (many Portuguese places-- fantastic food) and there's also an Ocean Explorium that just opened as well as many historic captain's homes that are now museums or B&Bs. You can catch a ferry to Cuttyhunk or Martha's Vinyard from New Bedford or check out Battleship Cove (the largest collection of Naval Ships open to the public in the nation) which is fun if you enjoy walking around on Battleships, Submarines, and other warships. The Beaches in Westport, Fairhaven, and Dartmouth are very nice as well.

9)Plymouth. Plymouth is famous for the Mayflower and Pilgrims, but it's also a nice coastal town with some great beaches and a nice town center. You shouldn't miss Plimoth Plantation and Plymouth Rock, but be sure spend some at the the beaches and the town center. Also check out King Richards Faire (if you're here when it's in session, it's an interesting, yet mildly over-priced renaissance fair in nearby Carver) or Edaville Railroad (if you have little ones).

10) Lowell and the Merrimack Valley. Lowell is the largest of the industrial revolution era mill communities in Massachusetts. Today, it's revitalized enough downtown to the point where it's fun to walk around the old streets, look at the canals and enjoy the downtown attractions. If you're into sports, the Lowell Spinners (Single A Baseball) and the Lowell Devils (AHL Hockey) offer fun and inexpensive activities. Also check out downtown Haverhill, another mill town in the midst of a revitalization.

[clevedark]

The Berkshires have a lot of culture--it's the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (Tanglewood), there's a world famous summer dance festival every year, Jacob's Pillow. There are some famous museums--the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass MOCA (Contemporary Art) in North Adams are the two most well-known.

Edith Wharton's old home, The Mount, is in Lenox. There are a few beautiful gardens to visit, good restaurants, expensive clothes and jewlery stores.

We also like to visit the Pittsfield Museum--it's charming and old.

An interesting thing about tourism and the Berkshires--you're probably wondering why there are such artistic riches there--it's a longtime summer playground for cultured NYers.

Like Irfox says, Mt. Greylock is cool, too--I think that's the mountain where you can see four states (or is it five?) from the summit--Mass, VT, NY, CT. And you can drive to the top!

Back in Eastern Mass, I'd recommend in addition to Irfox's fine suggestions a visit to Cambridge to see Harvard Square and walk around Harvard Yard, visit a few bookstores, maybe take a tour of the campus.

A visit to Fenway Park is a pilgrimage for a sports lover.

Mass. is also a nature lover's paradise--The Appalachian Mountain club operates a lot of lodges and cabins and runs various trips if you're into that.

Have fun!

[lrfox]

^excellent post. I can't believe I forgot to mention tanglewood. Cambridge is a can't miss if you're in the Boston area.

Also, my post was just a generalization of certain areas. If you want specifics, just ask... I'll elaborate if you want. Almost every location listed could have an impressive top 10 of it's own.

[moonshadow]

This is great stuff! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond and with such detail.

I have a tonne of questions but am going out now, I'll be back later to ask them.

[VerBoston]

The Boston Harborfest is a great, week long event. In 2009 it runs from June 30th - July 5th. BostonHarborfest

I would add a visit to Lexington and Concord too. There you can learn about the "shout heard around the world" where you can visit the Old North Bridge and see where the first battles of the Revolutionary War occured. On Patriots Day (3rd Monday in April) they have an excellent reenactment of the battles on Lexington Green.

You can also visit Thoreau's old haunts at Walden Pond as well as the homes or other literary giants - Emerson, Alcott, Hawthorne. There's a lot of history here.

[Beachcomber4]

Lots of good suggestions already. Here are a few more:


Whale watching out at Stelwagon Bank. Seal tours at Monomoy in Chatham.

Boston- great tips already but a few more-Isabelle Stuart Gardner Museum, tour of Fenway Park, the Mapparium at the Christian Science Church, Duck Tour, Swan Boats. The Make Way for Ducklings statues always make me smile.

Beaches so many to choose from- I love Old Silver in Falmouth, Sandy Neck in Barnstable/Sandwich and Mayflower in Dennis- all on the Cape and Wingersheik on the North Shore. The Cape Cod Canal is a great cheap stop and park rangers give free informational tours.


Castle Island in South Boston is a world unto itself. Cheap hot dogs and onion rings on the grass while watching the air traffic from Logan and sailboats gliding through the Sugarbowl is a great way to spend an afternoon. The people watching is A+. It's truly old Boston.

[moonshadow]

Just popped back in because the time is flying by and I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten all your excellent suggestions.

I'm just working my way through, googling and juggling the atlas.

As I'm hoping (and it is only a hope at this stage) to be coming in May I was disappointed to discover I won't be able to go to the King Richards Faire BUT I will be able to visit Edith Whartons shack!

I definitely intend to see as many of the authors landmarks and museums as I can and I'm just trying to piece together a road trip to include some of the cities and towns suggested.

Rest assured I am doing my homework and thank you again for pointing out some interesting places.

At some point when I've caught up with all the fabulous suggestions here I will probably ask if you could expand on a few places, if you don't mind? Boston for starters.

Thank you, I really appreciate it! I'll be back!

[Beachcomber4]

You can spend days just visiting sites of authors of the Transcendentalist movement. Concord/Lexington will offer much US history and liteary interest. Do a search on Alcott, Emerson, Thoreau and/or Hawthorne and you'll find lots of places and sites that might interest you. I think if you plan on visiting any of those places, you might want to add a trip to Salem in to see the House of the Seven Gables. It is a town with a totally different flavor but it's an interesting place.

[moonshadow]

Originally Posted by Beachcomber4

You can spend days just visiting sites of authors of the Transcendentalist movement. Concord/Lexington will offer much US history and liteary interest. Do a search on Alcott, Emerson, Thoreau and/or Hawthorne and you'll find lots of places and sites that might interest you. I think if you plan on visiting any of those places, you might want to add a trip to Salem in to see the House of the Seven Gables. It is a town with a totally different flavor but it's an interesting place.

Thanks beachcomber, Salem is definitely on the list already. I can't wait to go there! I can't decide what I'm more excited about Boston or Salem.

I'd already planned Alcott, Emerson and Thoreau visits and William Collin Bryant Homestead. But now I'll be adding Springfield so I can see Dr Suess!

I really loved the hot dog and onion ring suggestion at Castle Island so I'm hoping to manage that one and most definitely will be taking in as many beaches as I can.