Massachusetts Travel Guide

GALLERY

Massachusetts is far more than just Boston, but the capital city is a great place to start. Sports, culture, and tourism come together here, where you can eat a Fenway Frank while watching the Boston Red Sox, or follow the red line of the Freedom Trail to Paul Revere’s House. In the Back Bay, do some retail therapy on the city's most famous shopping boulevard, Newbury Street. Continue into the impeccable Boston Public Garden, where you can catch a ride on the Swan Boats, or take your photo at the beloved Make Way for Ducklings statue. Visit Faneuil Hall, where crowds of tourists venture for shopping, street performers, and history in the hallowed halls of Quincy Market. Follow it up with a visit to the Museum of Science or the New England Aquarium.

Step outside the city limits to... Read More

Step outside the city limits to see how the American Revolution began in nearby Lexington and Concord. See how the war's opening battle was fought at Minute Man National Historic Park. Live like a literary luminary and visit Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, or take a dip at Walden Pond, famously depicted in Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Head north to the spooky city of Salem, where Halloween lives on 365 days a year. Learn about the Salem witch trials at the Salem Witch Museum, or step inside the House of Seven Gables made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel. Also in Salem is the Peabody Essex Museum, home of one of the major collections of Asian art in the US. Don't miss the peaceful sea breezes on Cape Ann, where towns like Rockport and Essex are the epitome of peaceful, oceanfront New England. South of the city you'll find historic Plymouth, where you can step back in time at Plimouth Plantation, home to costumed staff who seem to have come straight out of the 17th century. Climb aboard the Mayflower II, a reproduction of the original ship. Historic New Bedford, once the center of the Massachusetts whaling industry, is not only a tourist destination but a great spot to hop the ferry to Woods Hole on Cape Cod. Catch some rays on the Cape, where New England summers of ice cream and clam shacks reign supreme. Travel to Nantucket, or head to Martha's Vineyard, where you can grab a ride on the Flying Horses Carousel in Oak Bluffs, one of the oldest carousels in the country.

If you're looking to head farther out from Boston, central Massachusetts is filled with natural wonder that will delight any outdoorsman. Ski the slopes at Wachusett Mountain, or stroll through Tower Hill Botanic Garden, which is open year-round. Explore the 200-acre Old Sturbridge Village, where time has stopped in the 1800s. Continue into Springfield to relive your childhood at the Amazing World of Dr. Seuss Museum and Sculpture Garden, or shoot some hoops at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Don't forget to make a stop at the brand new MGM Springfield, New England’s first integrated luxury resort. Try your luck in the 125,000-square-foot casino, or catch a concert at the 8,000-seat MassMutual Center.

The rolling mountains of the Berkshires draw tourists from far and wide, thanks to the exquisite natural beauty and rich cultural offerings. Catch a performance of the Boston Symphony Orchestra at their summer home, Tanglewood, or visit the iconic Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Quote the Bard with the best of them at the Shakespeare Theatre Festival, or head north for the annual Williamstown Theatre Festival. Stretch it out at Kripalu, or get pampered at Canyon Ranch or Cranwell Spa & Golf Resort. Step back in time at Hancock Shaker Village, or check out the art scene at the Mass MoCa and Norman Rockwell Museum.

In every corner of the Bay State, you'll find exciting opportunities. But take a word of advice from us: If you're coming in the winter, be sure to dress warm. New England winters do not mess around.

Guidebooks for Every Journey

Fodor's New England: with the Best Fall Foliage Drives, Scenic Road Trips & Acadia National Park

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's Boston

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips

Easy Planning
Local Writers
Itineraries
Helpful Maps

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Find a Hotel

ROAD TRIPS

Quintessential New England

Find a Hotel

Guidebooks for Every Journey

Fodor's New England: with the Best Fall Foliage Drives, Scenic Road Trips & Acadia National Park

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's Boston

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips

Easy Planning
Local Writers
Itineraries
Helpful Maps

Buy Now See All Guideboks

Top Destinations

Filter By:

Boston

Boston has come a long way from 1773, when a band of revolutionaries tossed 342 chests of tea into the harbor. But the Massachusetts capital...

Cape Cod

Continually shaped by ocean currents, this windswept land of sandy beaches and dunes has compelling natural beauty. Everyone comes for the seaside, yet the crimson...

The Berkshires

Occupying the far western end of the state, the Berkshires are only about three hours by car from Boston or New York City, yet the...

Martha's Vineyard

Far less developed than Cape Cod—thanks to a few local conservation organizations—yet more cosmopolitan than neighboring Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard is an island with a double...

Nantucket

At the height of its prosperity in the early 19th century, the little island of Nantucket was the foremost whaling port in the world. Its...

Great Barrington

The largest town in South County became, in 1781, the first place in the United States to free a slave under due process of law...

Lenox

The famed Tanglewood music festival has been a fixture in upscale Lenox for decades, and it's one of the reasons the town remains fiercely popular...

Edgartown

Once a well-to-do whaling center, Edgartown remains the Vineyard's toniest town and has preserved parts of its elegant past. Sea captains' houses from the 18th...

Pittsfield

Pittsfield is a workaday city without the quaint, rural demeanor of the comparatively small Colonial towns that surround it. There's a positive buzz in Pittsfield...

Oak Bluffs

Circuit Avenue is the bustling center of the Oak Bluffs action, with most of the town's shops, bars, and restaurants. Colorful gingerbread-trimmed guesthouses and food...

North Adams

If you're looking for a Berkshires getaway that combines culture with outdoor fun and a cool place to stay, put North Adams on your short...

Williamstown

Williamstown is largely built around the prestigious Williams College, a smallish but verdant campus bisected by Route 2. Williams is one of the "Little Ivies,"...

Stockbridge

The quintessence of small-town New England charm, Stockbridge is untainted by large-scale development. It is also the blueprint for small-town America as represented on the...

West Tisbury

West Tisbury retains its rural appeal and maintains its agricultural tradition at several active horse and produce farms. The town center looks very much like...

Hancock

Tiny Hancock, the village closest to the Jiminy Peak ski resort, really comes into its own in winter, though it's also a great base for...

Menemsha

Unspoiled by the "progress" of the past few decades, this working port is a jumble of weathered fishing shacks, fishing and pleasure boats, drying nets...

Aquinnah

Aquinnah, called Gay Head until the town voted to change its name in 1997, is an official Native American township. The Wampanoag tribe is the...

Chilmark

Chilmark is a rural village where ocean-view roads, rustic woodlands, and sparse crowds have drawn chic summer visitors and resulted in stratospheric real-estate prices. Laced...

Shelburne Falls

A tour of New England's fall foliage wouldn't be complete without a trek across the famed Mohawk Trail, a 63-mile section of Route 2 that...

Northampton

The cultural center of Western Massachusetts is without a doubt the city of Northampton (nicknamed "Noho"), whose vibrant downtown is packed with interesting restaurants, lively...

Deerfield

In Deerfield a horse pulling a carriage clip-clops past perfectly maintained 18th-century homes, neighbors tip their hats to strangers, kids play ball in fields by...

Sturbridge and The Pioneer Valley

Historic settlements line the majestic Connecticut River, the wide and winding waterway that runs through Western Massachusetts. Springfield, known for its family-friendly attractions and museums...

Yarmouth

Once known as Mattacheese, or "the planting lands," Yarmouth was settled in 1639 by farmers from the Plymouth Bay Colony. By then the Cape had...

Truro

Today Truro is a town of high dunes, estuaries, and rivers fringed by grasses, rolling moors, and houses sheltered in tiny valleys. It's a popular...

Chatham

At the bent elbow of the Cape, with water nearly surrounding it, Chatham has all the charm of a quietly posh seaside resort, with plenty...

Harwich

The Cape's famous cranberry industry took off in Harwich in 1844, when Alvin Cahoon was its principal grower. Today you'll still find working cranberry bogs...

Hyannis

Perhaps best known for its association with the Kennedy clan, the Hyannis area was also a vacation site for President Ulysses S. Grant in 1874...

Orleans

Orleans has a long heritage in fishing and seafaring, and many beautifully preserved homes from the Colonial era can still be seen in the small...

Springfield

Springfield is the busy hub of the Pioneer Valley. Known as the birthplace of basketball—the game was devised here in 1891 as a gym instructor's...

Vineyard Haven

Most people call this town Vineyard Haven because of the name of the port where ferries arrive, but its official name is Tisbury. Not as...

Dennis

The back streets of Dennis Village still retain the Colonial charm of their seafaring days. The town, which was incorporated in 1793, was named for...

Newburyport

Newburyport’s High Street is lined with some of the finest examples of Federal-period (roughly, 1790–1810) mansions in New England. The city was once a leading...

Otis

With a ski area and 20 lakes and ponds, Otis supplies plenty of what made the Berkshires desirable in the first place: the great outdoors...

Rockport

Rockport, at the very tip of Cape Ann, derives its name from the local granite formations. Many Boston-area structures are made of stone cut from...

Sandwich

The oldest town on Cape Cod, Sandwich was established in 1637 by some of the Plymouth Pilgrims and incorporated on March 6, 1638. Today, it...

Wellfleet and South Wellfleet

Still famous for its world-renowned and succulent namesake oysters, Wellfleet is today a tranquil community; many artists and writers call it home. Less than 2...

Plymouth

On December 26, 1620, 102 weary men, women, and children disembarked from the Mayflower to found the first permanent European settlement north of Virginia (they...

Falmouth

Falmouth, the Cape's second-largest town, was settled in 1660. Today it is largely suburban, with a mix of old and new developments and a sizable...

Salem

Known for years as the Witch City, Salem is redefining itself. Though numerous witch-related attractions and shops still draw tourists, there’s much more to the...

Nantucket Town

After the Great Fire of 1846 leveled all its wooden buildings, Main Street was widened to prevent future flames from hopping across the street. The...

Amherst

One of New England's most visited spots, Amherst is known for its scores of world-renowned authors, poets, and artists. The above-average intelligence quotient of its...

Siasconset

First a fishing outpost and then an artists' colony—Broadway actors favored it in the late 19th century—Siasconset (or ’Sconset, in local vernacular) is a charming...

Greenfield

...

Concord

The Concord of today is a modern suburb with a busy center filled with arty shops, places to eat, and (recalling the literary history made...

Northfield

...

Boston Outskirts

The expansion of Boston in the 1800s went beyond the Back Bay and the South End. As the working population of the Downtown district swelled...

South Hadley

A quiet college town with a cluster of Main Street cafés and stores, South Hadley is surrounded by rolling hills and farmland. It's best known...

Gloucester

On Gloucester’s fine seaside promenade is a famous statue of a man steering a ship’s wheel, his eyes searching the horizon. The statue, which honors...

Eastham

Often overlooked on the speedy drive up toward Provincetown on Route 6, Eastham is a town full of hidden treasures. Unlike other towns on the...

Ipswich

Quiet little Ipswich, settled in 1633 and famous for its clams, is said to have more 17th-century houses standing and occupied than any other place...

Lexington

Incensed against the British, American colonials burst into action in Lexington in April 1775. On April 18, patriot leader Paul Revere alerted the town that...

Lowell

Everyone knows that the American Revolution began in Massachusetts. But the Commonwealth, and in particular the Merrimack Valley, also nurtured the Industrial Revolution. Lowell’s first...

Brewster

Brewster's location on Cape Cod Bay makes it a perfect place to learn about the region's ecology. The Cape Cod Museum of Natural History is...

Marblehead

Marblehead, with its narrow and winding streets, beautifully preserved clapboard homes, sea captains’ mansions, and harbor, looks much as it must have when it was...

Barnstable

With nearly 50,000 year-round residents, Barnstable is the largest town on the Cape. It's also the second oldest, founded in 1639. You can get a...

New Bedford

In 1652 colonists from Plymouth settled in the area that now includes the city of New Bedford. The city has a long maritime tradition, beginning...

Essex

The small seafaring town of Essex, once an important shipbuilding center, is surrounded by salt marshes and is filled with antiques stores and seafood restaurants...

Provincetown

Many people know that the Pilgrims stopped here at the curved tip of Cape Cod before proceeding to Plymouth. Historical records suggest that an earlier...