Useful Stuff: Massachusetts Regions

The Berkshire Mountains region of western Massachusetts is a haven of pristine mountains sprinkled with gems of cultural and outdoor activities. Bisected by the historic Mohawk Trail, the Berkshires offer a wealth of cultural attractions, starting with Tanglewood in Lenox, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. In 2003, the Mahaiwe Theater in Great Barrington was transformed into the Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, which is rapidly building a reputation as a year-round cultural center. Among museums, the region’s big draw is the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, with the world’s largest collection of original Norman Rockwell art, a perennial attraction for kids and families. In North Adams, MASS MoCA, or the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, charms visitors with every imaginable slant on the visual and performing arts. In Pittsfield, the restored Hancock Shaker village, a living history museum, provides a glimpse into the lives of these agrarian people. Winter activities in the Berkshire Mountains / Mohawk Trail region include skiing and snow sports at the Butternut (Great Barrington) and Catamount (South Egremont) ski areas.

Located in western Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley is home to a number of contiguous municipalities, each providing ample activities for visitors. Hampshire County is often referred to as the Five College Area, since the region is home to the University of Massachusetts Amherst, as well as Hampshire, Amherst, Mount Holyoke and Smith Colleges.

With its warm sea breezes sand 560 miles of unspoiled coastline, Cape Cod is the most famous beach region in New England. Spectacular ocean settings with views of wide dune fields and sandy bluffs form the edges of the Cape. Add to this the charm of numerous harbors, quaint villages, and forests with the smell of the sea, and you'll understand the unique lure of the Cape. Spend a night dining on fresh seafood and luxuriating in a majestic seaside resort hotel or snuggle into a quaint inn or B&B. Days are for the beach and ocean. Swimming, sailing, fishing and whale watching are available the length of the Cape.  The Cape Cod National Seashore has great walking and bicycle trails in addition to miles of woods and unspoiled beaches. Explore 15 distinctive towns, arts & culture, quaint shops, exciting attractions and countless historic sites, each telling the proud role that Cape Cod has played in American history. And be sure to view the art galleries found from Falmouth to Provincetown. Come visit and you will find why the Cape is captivating.

The South of Boston / Plymouth region has many attractions of its own, along with the advantage of being just a step away from the very different delights of Boston, Cape Cod, and Providence, Rhode Island. Within the region itself, the story has to begin at Plymouth and Plymouth Rock (yes, it’s an actual rock at the town’s harbor), where the Mayflower landed in 1620. Plymouth is a delightful New England seaside town with an intimate harbor and good souvenir shopping; the Pilgrim Hall Museum is recommended for people interested in the arrival of Williams Bradford and his shipmates. Also, don’t miss a trip to Plimoth Plantation. Its major attractions are the 1627 Pilgrim Village, a re-creation of the small farming town built by English colonists in the midst of the Wampanoag homeland, and the Mayflower II, a careful recreation of the original Mayflower.

The relaxed, slightly hilly topography of this central swath of Massachusetts serves as a home for farms, fruit orchards, and a scattering of interesting and unusual attractions, such as Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum that invites visitors to explore daily life in a small New England farming town in the mid-19th century. The centerpiece of the museum is a re-created rural town of the 1830s set on more than 200 acres of historical landscape, encompassing a center village, mills area, and countryside. While you are in a bucolic mood, visit one of the region’s family-run orchards – Bolton, Carlton, and Keown orchards are prime examples – where you can taste and carry home the fruits of the harvest. The orchards also offer lots of entertainment for people curious about farm life: pick-your-own opportunities, cider pressing demonstrations, tractor-drawn hayrides, birthday parties, pumpkin fields, and retail stores with home-baked goods, honey, and cut flowers, among other delights.

Revolutionary history comes to life in the rolling hills of MetroWest Boston

In the MetroWest region, the suburbs of Boston give way to rolling countryside sprinkled with towns and buildings that date from Colonial times and include the Federal, Georgian, and Victorian styles. In recent years this region has been defined by the proliferation of technology industries that occupy offices along Routes 128 and 495. This region includes the towns of Concord and Lexington, where a long-simmering political feud between the British government and the American colonists came to a climax on April 19, 1775, as British soldiers clashed with Colonial militiamen at Lexington, on North Bridge in Concord, and along the road to Boston. The fighting that began that day – later to be memorialized as the “shot heard ’round the world” – soon grew into a war for independence that lasted more than eight years. These places are preserved at the Minute Man National Historical Park in Concord, where visitors may explore the battlefield and learn about these historic events. On Patriot’s Day in April, a Massachusetts state holiday, re-enactment groups present portrayals of the battles.

Colonial history, fine arts, and urban delights are everywhere to be found in Boston and Cambridge

Every year, thousands of visitors from around the world flock to Boston, a world-class city brimming with urban and cultural pleasures, natural beauty, and so many sites of Colonial and Revolutionary history they always seem to be just an arm’s length away.

Massachusetts - North of Boston/Salem/Cape Ann
Seaside beauty, enclaves of art and history tucked just minutes outside Boston

North of Boston, a region comprising legendary names like Salem, Gloucester, Marblehead, Lowell, and Cape Ann, offers an astonishing variety of pleasures, from yachting to whale watching, fine art to Colonial history. In this region, just a few minutes’ drive from Boston, visitors can find fascination tours and excellent dining, with an emphasis on New England seafood.

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