Massachusetts (MA)

Massachusetts State Flag

 

"Commonwealth of Massachusetts"

"The Baked Bean State", The Bay State", "The Codfish State", "The Old Bay State", "The Old Colony State", "The Pilgrim State" and "The Puritan State".

Why visit Massachusetts?

Early American historians also interested in arts, biking, events, festivals, fishing, kayaking, hiking, history, lighthouses, museums, nightlife, performing arts, sailing, seacoast, seafood, scenery, ships, shopping, skiing and whale watching.

Martha's Vineyard, MA. Photo Credit: MV Vacation/Unsplash 

At a Glance

• Capital: Boston
• State Bird: Chickadee
• State Dessert: Boston Cream Pie
• State Flower: Mayflower
• State Gemstone: Rhodonite
• State Mammal: None
• State Rock: Roxbury Puddingstone 

Fun Facts

• Founded in 1636, Harvard University (Cambridge) is the oldest institution of higher education in our country.
  
• During 1692 (Salem Village) a group of girls were said to be possessed by the devil. Claims of local witchcraft became known as Salem Witch Trials.
• In 1799, established the first Marine Hospital (Boston). 
  
• During John "Johnny Appleseed" Chapman (1774-1845) native born in Leominster was known for planting apple trees in the Midwest.
• Birthplace (Adam) of Susan Brownell Anthony (Susan B Anthony) (1820-1906) for her role in the Women's Suffrage Movement. Dollar coin minted during 1979-1981 and in 1999.
• Birthplace (Amherst) of Poet, Emily Dickinson (1855-1886).
  
• In 1897, Tremont Street Subway, our nation's first subway opened.
  
• In 1930, Whitman Toll House Restaurant claimed the invention of the chocolate chip cookie.
  
• In 2004, the first U.S. state to legally recognize same-sex marriage.
  
• Boston Light (Little Brewster Island) was our country's first lighthouse built.
• Public-school students place among the top tier in the world in academic performance and the highest average IQ in the U.S.
  
• Birthplace of Norman Percevel Rockwell (1894-1978), Painter and Theodor "Ted" Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), Author well known for "Dr Seuss" books.
  
• Features 20 National Parks, 34 State Forests and 48 State Parks.

Massachusetts Foliage. Photo Credit: David Mark/Pixabay

Thank You!

• Spotlight Celebrities: Amy Poehler (Actress), Bette Davis (Actress), Billy Squier (Musician), Conan O'Brien (Comedian), Grace Elizabeth Gold (Athlete), John Burke Krasinski (Actor), John Fitzgerald Kennedy (Late President), Michael Anthony Eruzione "Rizz Rizzo" (Athlete), Nancy Kerrigan (Athlete), Peter "Pete" Goodwill Hamilton "The Dedham Flash" (NASCAR Driver), Steven Carell (Comedian) and Uma Thurman (Actress), just to name a few.
• Movies to Inspire You: Field of Dreams (1989), Flowers In The Attic (1987), Ghostbuster (2016), Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2 (2004), Cider House Rules (1999), Shutter Island (2010), The Departed (2005), The Good Son (1993) and The Proposal (2008), just to name a few.
• Reads Set in Massachusetts: Caleb’s Crossing (written by Geraldine Books), Longfellow's Tales of a Wayside Inn (written by Henry Wadsworth), The Crucible (written by Arthur Miller), The House of the Seven Gables (written by Nathaniel Hawthorne) ,The Namesake (written by Jhumpa Lahiri), The Scarlet Letter (written by Nathaniel Hawthorne) and Walden (written by Henry David Thoreau), just to name a few.

Boston, MA. Photo Credit: David Mark/Pixabay

Good to Know

• Boston is the windiest large city in our country, regardless of Chicago's claims.
  
• Along Cape Cod's National Seashore, wild roses grow amongst the marshes.
• Whale Watching is at Cape Cod, Gloucester and Provincetown.
• A Fishing License is required in freshwater.
• Summertime elegant picnics happen on the lawn at Tanglewood.
• Ferry Service to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
• Fall Foliage is usually best mid September - October.

Subject to humidity, hurricanes, snowstorms and tornadoes.

• Best Time to Visit: May - October
• Coldest Month: January
• Hottest Month: July
• Peak Season: June - August

Edgartown Light Station, Edgartown, MA. Photo Credit: David Mark/Pixabay

Your Must-See & Do

• Historical Sites: Alden House Historic Site, Bancroft's Castle, Bancroft Tower, Ben Franklin House, Bloody Angle, Boardman House, Boston African American National Historic Site, Boston Massacre Site, Boston's Old City Hall, Charles Street Meeting House, Chesterwood, Crane Estate, Custom House Place, Dorothy Quincy Homestead, Fort Pickering, Framingham Historical Society, Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site, Gardner-Pingree House, Hamilton Hall, Hancock-Clarke House, Harlow Old Fort House, Hoxie House, Harvard Shaker Village Historic District, Jack Kerouac Birthplace, Jason Russell Grave Site, Jethro's Tree, John Brown Bell, John Coburn House, John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site, John J Smith House, John Nelson House, John Ward House, King's Chapel Burying Ground, Lexington Common National Historic Site, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, Lyman Estate (The Vale), Mary Baker Eddy Historic House, Nike Missile Launching Site, Nike Missile Site B-05, Nike Missile Site B-63, Old Gaol, Old Schwamb Mill, Old Mill, Old South Meeting House, Old Town Hall, Paul Revere Capture Site, Phillips House, Phillips School, Robbins House, Robert Frost Farm State Historic Site, Robert Treat Paine Estate (Stonehurst), Salisbury Mansion, Salem Maritime National Historic Site, Samuel Parris Archaeological Site, Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site, Silver Mine Historic Site, Springfield Armory National Historic Site, The Old Belfry, State Armory, The Witch House, Thoreau Cabin Site, Toll House Inn Historical Site, Wayside Inn Grist Mill and W.E.B. Du Bois National Historic Site.
• Museums: Abigail Adams Historical Society, Agawam Historical & Fire House, American Antiquarian Society, Armenian Museum of America, Atwood Museum, Balch House, Bare Cove Fire Museum, Battleship Cove, Beauport, Berkshire County Historical Society, Bidwell House Museum, Boott Cotton Mills Museum, Boston Children's Museum, Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, Braintree Historical Society, Brook Farm Historic Site, Buckman Tavern, Busch-Reisinger Museum, Cape Ann Museum, Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, Clark Art Institute, Codman Estate, Concord Museum, Cooper Frost Austin House, Crosby Mansion, Davis Museum, Discovery Museum, Dr Robert Goddard Rocket Launch Site, EcoTarium, Edward Gorey House, Emily Dickinson Museum, Fairbanks House, Fall River Historical Society, Fitchburg Art Museum, Fruitlands Museum, Golden Ball Tavern Museum, Gore Place, Gropius House, Hammond Castle Museum, Heritage Museums & Gardens, Historic Deerfield, Historic New England, Historic New England Cogswell's Grant, Hingham Historical Society, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Jackson Homestead & Museum, James Barrett Farm, Jason Russell House, John Cabot House, John F Kennedy Birthplace, John F Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum, John Hale House,  John Paul Jones House, John Whipple House, Lexington Historical Society, Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, Maria Baldwin House, Marlborough Historical Society, Massachusetts Historical Society, Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMoCa), Mayflower Society House, McMullen Museum of Art, Mead Art Museum, Metropolitan Waterworks Museum, Mission House, MIT Museum, Munroe Tavern, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Modern Renaissance, Museum of Russian Icons, Museum of Science, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, National PT Boat Museum, Naumkeag, New Bedford Whaling Museum, Norman Rockwell Museum, Old State House, Optical Heritage Museum, Otis House Museum, Page House, Parson Barnard House, Parson Capen House, Paul Revere Statue, Peabody Essex Museum, Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology, Plimoth Plantation, Plumbing Museum, Public Health Museum,Quincy Historical Society, Ralph Waldo Emerson House, Richard Sparrow House, Rocky Hill Meeting House, Rotch Jones Duff House & Garden Museum, Royall House, Salem Witch Museum, Salem Witch Trials Memorial, Sandwich Glass Museum, Scargo Tower, Scottish Rite Masonic Museum, Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, Springfield Museums, Stevens-Coolidge Place, Storrowton Village Museum, Susan B Anthony Birthplace Museum, The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, The Harvard Museum of Natural History, The Institute of Contemporary Art, The Jeremiah Lee Mansion, The Little Red Shop Museum, The New England Quilt Museum, The Old Manse, The Paul Revere House, The Pickering House, The Rose Art Museum, The Salem Museum, The Wayside Home of Authors, USNS Hiddensee, United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum & The USS Salem, USS Cassin Young, USS Constitution Museum, Waltham Museum, Weston Historical Museum, Whaling Museum, Whistler House Museum Of Art, William Cullen Bryant Homestead, Williams College Museum of Art, Wilmington Town Museum, Winslow House Museum, Witch Dungeon Museum and Worcester Art Museum. 
• Popular Attractions:  5 Wits Patriot Place, Abbot Hall, Acton Arboretum, 
  Adams National Historical Park, All Saints Way, Animal Adventures Family Zoo & Rescue Center, Apex Entertainment Marlborough, Arcadian Shop, Arnold Arboretum, Aquinnah Cliffs Overlook, Bash Bish Falls State Park, Beacon Hill, Berkshire Botanical Garden, Bird Sanctuary, Black Heritage Trail, Boston Athenaeum, Boston's Back Bay, Boston Common, Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Boston Irish Famine Memorial, 
  Boston National Historical Park, Boston Public Garden, Boston Public Library, Breakheart Reservation, Brewster Gardens, Bridge of Flowers, Broken Creek Vineyard & Winery, Brooks Village, Bunker Hill Monument, Burial Hill, Burnside Fountain, Cambridge Common, Cambridgeside Galleria, Cape Cod Rail Trail, Castle Hill, Castle Island, Charlestown Navy Yard, Charles River Esplanade,Chinatown Gate, Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park, CoCo Key Water Park Boston North Shore, Copley Place, Copp's Hill Burying Ground, Crane Beach Reservation, Davis Farmland, 
  Derby Wharf Light Station, Durant-Kenrick House & Grounds,Edaville Family Theme Park, Edgar Allan Poe Memorial Sculpture, Effie M Morrissey, Ether Monument, Faneuil Hall, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Fenway Park, Fenway Studios, Flying Horses Carousel, Fort Independence, Fort Phoenix State Reservation, Fort Sewall, Fort Warren, Franklin Park Zoo, Good Harbor Beach, Granary Burying Ground, Great Dome, Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, Great Molasses Flood Plaque, Great Point Lighthouse, Great Wolf Lodge Water Park, Greenway Open Market, Hart Nautical Gallery, Harvard Bridge, Harvard Square, Harvard University, Higgins Patrol Torpedo Boat PT-796, Hood Milk Bottle, Hopkinton State Park, Horace Mann Statue, Hosmer House, House of the Seven Gables, Jenney Interpretive Centre, Jiminy Peak Mountain Adventure Park, John Harvard Statue, Johnny Kelley Statue, King's Chapel, Larz Anderson Park, LEGOLAND Discovery Center Boston, Look Memorial Park, Lowell National Historic Park, Madonna Queen of the Universe Shrine, Martha's Vineyard, Mary Baker Eddy Library, 
  Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, Meriam's Corner, Minute Man National Historical Park, Minuteman Statue, MIT Geodetic Observatory, Mount Auburn Cemetery, Mount Greylock State Reservation, My Fair Lady, Myles Standish’s Legs, National Monument to the Forefathers, National Shrine of The Divine Mercy, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, New England Aquarium, Nickerson State Park, North Bridge, North Point Park, Norumbega Tower, Old Corner Book Store, Old South Church, Old Sturbridge Village, Paper House, Park Street Church, Paul Revere Grave, Pilgrim Memorial State Park, Pilgrim Monument, Plimoth Grist Mill, Plimoth Plantation, Plymouth Rock, Proctor's Ledge, Prudential Center, Quabbin Park, Quabbin Reservoir, Rainsford Island, Remis Auditorium, Robert Gould Shaw & 54th Regiment Memorial, Salem Pioneer Village, Salem Village Parsonage, Samuel Adams Boston Brewery, Saxonville Beach, Scituate Lighthouse, Seekonk Grand Prix, Skywalk Observatory, Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Stone Library, Southwick's Zoo, Stone Zoo, Summer Star Wildlife Sanctuary, Symphony Hall, Tanglewood, TD Garden, Ten Pound Island Lighthouse, The Botanic Garden of Smith College, The House of the Seven Gables, The Mount, The Wayside Home of Authors, Thomas Land USA, The New England Holocaust Memorial, Three Sisters Sanctuary, Tiananmen Memorial, Trinity Church, Veterans War Memorial Tower, Wachusett Ski Area, Wahconah Falls State Park, Walden Pond, Washington Elm, Winter Island and Wright's Tower.
• Popular Cities/Towns to Visit: Belchertown, Berkshires, Boston, Brimfield, Brockton, Cambridge, Cape Cod, Charlestown, Concord, Dalton, Deerfield, Fall River Gloucester, Ipswich, Lee, Lexox, Lexington, Lowell, Mashpee, Mendon, Mount Washington, Nantucket, New Bedford, North Adams, Pittsfield, Oak Bluffs, Plymouth, Princeton, Provincetown, Rockport, Salem, Springfield, Sturbridge, Sudbury, Wellfleet, Williamstown and Worcester, Wrentham.
• Special Events: (January) Boston Wine Expo, L Street Brownies, (February) Boston Science Fiction Film Festival, Hot Stove Cool Music, New England Boat Show, PAX East, Truck Day, (March) Dine Out Boston, St Patrick's Day Parade, (April) ArtWeek, Boston Marathon, Greek Independence Parade, Patriot's Day, (May) Boston Calling Music Festival, Cape Cod Maritime Days, Haitian Parade, Harvard Square Mayfair, Walk for Hunger, (June) Boston Gay Pride Day, Boston Pride Parade & Festival, Bunker Hill Parade, Cambridge Dance Party, Donna Summer Memorial Roller Disco, Dorchester Parade, Historic Drover's Roast, Jacob’s Pillow Festival, Jams for Jake, June Day Parade,  Solid Sound Festival, St. Peter’s Fiesta, Williamstown Theatre Festival, (July) Boston Harborfest, Boston Hip Hop Fest, Columbia Threadneedle Investments Boston Triathlon, Feast of the Blessed Sacrament, Festival Betances, Green River Festival, Levitate Music & Arts Festival, Lowell Folk Festival, North End's Italian, Outside the Box Festival, Puerto Rican Parade, Revere Beach Sand Sculpting Festival, Sad Summer Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival, Working Waterfront Festival,(August) Boston Carnival, Boston Fuzzstival, Boston Jazz Fest, Boston Kiddies Carnival, Boston Seafood Festival, Gloucester Blues Festival, Lobsterfest,  Marshfield Fair, North End's Italian, Riverfest Seaside Music Festival, Salem Jazz & Soul Festival, St. Anthony's Feast, Tanglewood Music Festival, (September) Boston Freedom Rally (Hempfest), Brimfield Antiques & Collectibles Show, Evolution of Hip Hop Festival, FreshGrass Festival, JP Music Festival, South Shore Country Festival, The Eastern States Exposition (The Big E), Together Boston,(October) Arlington International Film Festival, Clamfest, Harvard Square Oktoberfest & HONK!, Haunted Happenings, Head of the Charles Regatta, HUBweek, (November) Build Boston, (December) Boston Tea Party ReEnactment, Edaville Railroad Festival of Lights, and First Night.

The House of the Seven Gables, Salem, MA. Photo Credit: David Mark/Pixabay

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