Best of Massachusetts

Massachusetts Essentials

Massachusetts anchors American history through sites like the 2.5-mile Freedom Trail and Boston Common, the nation’s oldest public park established in 1634. The list spans from the cobblestone 19th-century charm of Beacon Hill’s Acorn Street to the academic legacy of Harvard University. Coastal highlights include the dunes of Cape Cod and the historic Nauset Light, while the interior features the industrial textile mills of Lowell and the Berkshires' renowned Tanglewood music venue.

Ingfbruno / CC BY-SA 3.0

Boston Common

Historic public park established in 1634, featuring green spaces, historic monuments, and recreational facilities including the Frog Pond. It serves as a site for public gatherings and is part of a larger historic park system.

Ian Howard / CC BY 2.5

Beacon Hill

Historic neighborhood known for colonial and Federal-style architecture, brick row houses, and the Massachusetts State House. Features narrow streets illuminated by gas lamps and rich cultural heritage.

Ben Schumin / CC BY-SA 3.0

Freedom Trail

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile-long path through Boston that passes by 17 locations significant to the history of the United States.

Alan Levine / CC BY 2.0

Harvard University

Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Daderot / Public domain

Boston Public Garden

The Public Garden, also known as Boston Public Garden, is a large park in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, adjacent to Boston Common.

tiarescott / CC BY 2.0

Cape Cod

Cape Cod is an arm-shaped peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern…

Theodore Robinson / Public domain

Nantucket Island

Nantucket () is an island about 30 miles south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the…

CC-BY-SA-3.0

Harvard Square

Harvard Square is a triangular plaza at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue, Brattle Street and John F.

JPizzle1122 / Public domain

Granary Burying Ground

The Granary Burying Ground in Massachusetts is the city of Boston's third-oldest cemetery, founded in 1660 and located on Tremont Street.

Das Nili / CC BY-SA 3.0

Acorn Street

This historical street was built in the 19th century and is governed by a neighborhood association.

Cholmes75 / CC-BY-SA-3.0

Nauset Light

Nauset Light, officially Nauset Beach Light, is a restored lighthouse on the Cape Cod National Seashore near Eastham, Massachusetts,…

Daderot. / CC-BY-SA-3.0

Tanglewood

Tanglewood is a music venue and festival in the towns of Lenox and Stockbridge in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts.

John Phelan / CC BY 3.0

Kings Chapel

King's Chapel is an American independent Christian unitarian congregation affiliated with the Unitarian Universalist Association that is …

yeowatzup / CC BY 2.0

Park Street Church

Park Street Congregational Church, founded in 1804, is a historic and active evangelical congregational church in Downtown Boston,…

Unknown authorUnknown author / Public domain

Lowell National Historical Park

Protected area highlighting industrial history and textile manufacturing heritage from the First Industrial Revolution. Features historic mills, canals, museums, and related sites.