Massachusetts Travel Guide
From Wikitravel
Contents |
Regions
From East to West:
- Greater Boston The metropolitan area inside the old Route 128, now I-95.
- Cape Cod and the Islands A summer vacation area of beaches, art and antiques.
- North Shore Along the northern coast and Cape Ann.
- South Shore Plymouth County and some towns to its north.
- Merrimack Valley Northwest of Boston to the border of New Hampshire.
- MetroWest West of Greater Boston.
- Bristol-Norfolk Northern Bristol County and Norfolk county towns not part of Greater Boston or South Shore.
- SouthCoast An area along the southern coast of Massachusetts.
- Central Massachusetts The Blackstone Valley, Worcester and north to the border of New Hampshire.
- Pioneer Valley The three counties of the Connecticut River valley.
- Berkshire Mountains A Western Massachusetts area of great beauty.
Cities
There are 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts. The 10 largest cities are:
- Boston - The state capitol and largest city.
- Brockton - "The City of Champions".
- Cambridge - Home to Harvard University.
- Fall River
- Lowell
- Lynn
- New Bedford
- Springfield
- Quincy - "City of Presidents".
- Worcester
Other destinations
- Lexington and Concord for their historical significance as the birthplace of the American Revolution.
- Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard - Offshore islands.
- Plymouth - Landing place of the Pilgrims.
- Salem - The Witch City.
- Sturbridge where there is a recreated colonial village.
Understand
Massachusetts is an excellent travel destination, noted for many of its historical sites as well as diverse regional flavors. The eastern Massachusetts Bay area of the state from Gloucester to Plymouth is very metropolitan, with Boston at its hub. Here you can find great cooking, fresh seafood, and an intense concentration of colleges and universities.
To the south of Boston is Cape Cod, a tremendously popular vacation spot and home to the Kennedy family, one of America's more influential political families. West of Boston you'll find the Blackstone Valley National Corridor, a vast expanse of rolling hills and small towns, as well as some of the most unique vineyards in the East Coast.
To the far west, you'll find more rural areas, the Berkshire mountains, the Appalachian Trail, and excellent skiing. Massachusetts has a lot to offer the prospective traveller!
History
Massachusetts is one of the oldest states in America, dating back to the foundation of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1620. The name Massachusetts comes from Algonquian Indian words that mean the great mountain, an apparent reference to the tallest of the Blue Hills, a recreation area south of the town of Milton.
Massachusetts is a state of firsts - the first public school (Boston Latin School), the first public library (Boston Public Library), the first American university (Harvard), the first public beach (Revere Beach), and the home of the Boston Massacre, the event that set off the American Revolutionary War, with the "shot heard 'round the world" in Concord at the Old North Bridge.
Massachusetts also has its dark side, the Salem Witch Trials being one of the most significant black spots on the state's history.
Today
Massachusetts today is a blend of old and new. In Eastern Massachusetts you can walk the 3.5 mile Freedom Trail in Boston to see more than 20 historical sites, then hop over to Cambridge and see some of the world's most advanced biotechnology, not to mention the legendary Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the gold standard for technical education in the United States. The state as a whole is a blend of rural and urban, from Boston and suburbs in the East, to the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshires in the West.
Get in
By plane
The easiest way to get into Massachusetts is through Logan International Airport in Boston. Other regional airports include Manchester, New Hampshire, Warwick, Rhode Island and Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
More information on New England's regional airports can be found at Fly New England.
By train
Boston is the northern terminus of the Northeast Corridor, the most heavily trafficked rail route in the country, and one of the few routes serviced by Amtrak with a high frequency of service. Trains from New York reach Boston in about 3.5 hours; trains from Washington take about twice as long. The faster Acela trains shave about an hour off those journeys, and although they cost more, they generally present a more enjoyable trip. You can reach the eastern portion of the state from Boston's South Station by taking the MBTA commuter rail.
Central and Western Massachusetts are also served by Amtrak, although less frequently. Typically train journeys from New York to Springfield or Worcester require a change at New Haven, Connecticut.
Though easily accessible by train, it is frequently cheaper and almost always faster to fly to Massachusetts than take the train, if traveling from Pennsylvania or further away (however, traveling on the Lake Shore Limited from Chicago and all points in between is often less than $100).
By car
Massachusetts has several large interstates that serve it, including:
- I-90, the Massachusetts Turnpike
- I-93
- I-91
- I-84
- I-95
- I-290
- I-395
- I-495
- I-195
Other important non-interstate highways in Massachusetts include: U.S. Route 1, U.S. Route/State Route 3, and State Routes 2, 9, and 24.
Use SmarTraveler to determine traffic conditions in the Metro Boston area.
By bus
A number of bus companies run a Boston-New York route, from the nationally-known Greyhound to a variety of small, low-cost "Chinatown bus" carriers.
- Fung Wah Bus [2] low-cost bus between New York City and Boston's Chinatown.
- LimoLiner [3] luxury bus transportation offering professionals business services between New York City and Boston.
Get around
On foot
A portion of the Appalacian trail runs through the state.
By bicycle
There are a number of "rail trails" - converted rail road lines - throughout the state that have been paved for pedestrian and bicycle travel.
By car
I-90 (also called the Massachusetts Turnpike, or simply the Mass Pike) is the major East-West route across the state. Rt 2 is a more northern equivalent, though there are sections through town centers with traffic lights.
By bus
- Peter Pan / Greyhound runs busses to most towns in Massachusetts.
By train
Amtrak goes to major cities.
Within Boston the subway line is called the T, and there are commuter rails (purple on the maps) that go to surrounding suburbs and cities including Framingham and Worcester.
See
- More than 170 art, history and sporting museums, including excellent colonial "living history" museums:
- Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth,
- Old Sturbridge Village in Sturbridge, and
- Hancock Shaker Village in Pittsfield.
- New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and exhibits in Gloucester, Provincetown and Nantucket harken to the days when fishing and whaling were a vital industry.
- Over 50 theatres and performing arts centers. Cape Cod, Rockport and Gloucester have thriving artist colonies and numerous galleries.
- Numerous historical sites and monuments as Massachusetts played a central role in the American Revolution. Minuteman National Historical Park in Concord gives a taste of what times were like when America was born.
Do
- Bicycling, [4]. There are many routes and bikepaths throughout Massachusetts. The Claire Saltonstall bikeway traverses a marked route from Boston to Cape Cod on some less-travelled roads. Minuteman Bikeway[5] from Cambridge to Bedford is one of the more outstanding bike paths.
- Fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing
Mass Wildlife maintains an excellent site[6] showing access points and maps of wildlife areas as well as regulations, permits and fees. Saltwater fishing does not require a license (shellfishing usually does), but there are regulations under the authority of the State Division of Marine Fisheries[7]. Local regulations may also apply in regards to shellfishing or taking of herring.
- Bay Circuit Trail, [8] a 200 mile network of interconnected trails extending from Plum Island, Newburyport in the North to Kingston Bay in the South. Currently about 150 miles are completed and accessible.
Skiing
- Blandford, Blandford
- Blue Hills, Canton
- Bousquet, Pittsfield
- Bradford, Haverhill
- Jiminy Peak, Hancock
- Nashoba Valley, Westford
- Ski Ward, Shrewsbury
- Wachusett Mountain, Princeton
Eat
Drink
The minimum age for purchasing alcoholic beverages is 21. No one is permitted to serve alcohol to a person under 21 years of age unless they are parent or spouse of that person.
Stay safe
Get out
Popular escape routes tend to be to the north to Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont whether for hiking, foliage viewing, skiing or just to enjoy a more relaxed, rural setting.
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