Places to Visit in Massachusetts
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Located in the northwest corner of Massachusetts, this former railroad right of way runs through the beautiful Berkshires.
Whether you bicycle, skate, jog or walk, the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail provides a path to enjoy the sights and beauty of Hoosac River Valley.
The path travels through a few towns like Cheshire, Adams and Lanesborough. The trail is about 11 miles long and paved 10 feet wide.
This is one of many places across the country where unused railroad corridors are transformed into recreational paths for the use of the public.
This is a great way to get out into the countryside and enjoy the fresh air and scenery.
We all split the rent for the week which helps make the costs quite reasonable for each family. We love Orleans because it is right on the Atlantic Ocean and there’s a strong feeling of history in the town. I feel connected to the people who started our great country.
The things we usually do are spend our mornings at the beach. The guys usually go fishing at the beach and at night pretty much almost the whole time. We go shopping in the towns of Hyannis and Chatham.
It is just so enjoyable because being with my family and the island is just so laid back and relaxing. The people of Cape Cod also make the time so nice and pleasant since they are the kindest and sweetest of people.
My traveling friend and I stayed at the Best Western on Commonwealth Avenue; it was a very professional hotel (GREAT breakfast) and reasonably priced, too. Maybe we're nerds, but we challenged ourselves to see the whole city without need of a car.
For two Midwestern girls who haven't ever used public transportation, this WAS a challenge! We got a map of the "T" system and used it to get from our hotel to everywhere we wanted to go. The nearest station was actually not far from our hotel at all, and the system was amazingly easy.
We were only in town for four days, and we chose to do four things, one each day: the Fine Arts Museum, Quincy Market, the JFK museum, and the Freedom Trail. They were all amazing, but if you only have one day in Boston?
My advice is: do the Freedom Trail! This is a walking tour of basically the entire city, it is made up of what is more or less a painted (sometimes paved) line on the street/ sidewalk, that takes you past all the famous monuments and sites.
Some people think the Freedom Trail is a separate tourist area, but it's not. The sites are integrated right into the city itself – Paul Revere's house, for example, is right in the middle of Little Italy – and what you are doing is just walking the actual city itself and having the historical things pointed out to you by small plaques along the way. Following the trail is a great way to mix into the city and its people.
You see many locals keeping an eye out for the line on the sidewalk, too, and using it to get to where they need to go! If you like historical sites, and busy vibrant towns (that kind of feel like New York but without quite as much chaos), you should check out Boston.
I loved how warm and open it felt, I loved the accessibility of it and how pedestrian-friendly it was, and even if you don't know anything about history when you get there you will when you leave!
It has a wonderful energy. I can't wait to go back to Boston, one of the best places to visit in Massachusetts.
Here in Old Sturbridge Village that lifestyle is recreated by locals in period costume taking on the roles of farmers, craftsmen and shopkeepers.
There was no electricity back then. Water power was how things got done. Tasks like grinding grain, sawing logs and even wool spinning were driven by local water streams and rivers. You can visit one of these old mills, watch cows being milked, or a blacksmith working his metal trade.
The whole village is designed to show off period collections of heirlooms and present life in a Colonial era village.
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