Fun Things to Do in Massachusetts

Massachusetts is packed with historical sites and fun things to do. Your only dilemma is picking one. Why not start with a trip to Salem? Historic Salem, Massachusetts was the site of the 17th Century Salem Witch Trials and the setting for Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible. Today, you can walk around Salem common (a really pretty open lawn area in the center of town) and check out the Salem Witch Museum and Salem Witch Trials Memorial. You can also visit the waterfront or go on a whale watch.

The Freedom Trail is a winding path throughout the city that takes people to 16 historical sites in the course of two or three hours and covers two and a half centuries of American history. A red brick or painted line connects the sites on the Trail and serves as a guide. You can take a self-guided tour (or one of the many tours which begin every half hour from the park visitor center at 15 State Street opposite the Old State House.) Or if you prefer to ride, you can pay for one of the trolley tours, which are unofficial guided tours, but do take you to most of the sites and allow you to stop and look around different sites.

Stops along the Freedom Trail include the Massachusetts State House, Old North Church, Park Street Church and Burying Ground (burial site of Paul Revere, Samuel Adams and Mother Goose), the site of the Boston Massacre and the USS Constitution.

Make a trip to Martha’s Vineyard, a seaport island off of Cape Cod. Make air or boat travel plans to get to the vineyard and explore the many diverse towns, villages, and shopping experiences there. Martha’s Vineyard is made up of six towns each with it’s own history and heritage. Plan to visit each village for the ultimate Massachusetts experience. The villages include: Edgartown, Oak Bluffs, Vineyard Haven, West Tisbury, Chilmark, and Aquinnah. Edgartown is known for the white-painted captain’s houses of the whaling era.

Oak Bluffs is the home of the Methodist Campground and the open-air tabernacle. Vineyard Haven has lots of shopping along the main street and a bookstore that’s top notch. West Tisbury is home to Alley’s General Store and Field Gallery. Chilmark will bring rolling hills and fields of grazing sheep. Aquinnah houses the Gay Head Cliffs and the Gay Head Lighthouse.