Welcome to Massachusetts

Few states in the nation can boast as many pivotal historic events as Massachusetts. The Pilgrims landed on Cape Cod Bay, the American Revolution erupted in Lexington and Concord, and some of the country’s best colleges can be found on ivy-covered campuses in the Bay State.

For many travelers, Massachusetts is synonymous with Cape Cod. Shaped like a giant arm flexing out into the Atlantic Ocean, the Cape is fringed with 60 public beaches along its 559 miles of shoreline. The Cape Cod National Seashore features a good share of those miles. Off the southern coast are the popular vacation destinations of Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard.

Getty Images/iStockphoto

Rural Berkshire County comprises the western third of Massachusetts. Covered by the Berkshire Hills, the region hosts classic hikes like Monument Mountain in Great Barrington, the Ice Glen in Stockbridge, Mount Washington in South Egremont and Batholomew’s Cobble in Ashley Falls.

Make sure to visit during the Boston Marathon, New England’s largest spectator sporting event. The road race winds 26.2 hilly miles through Greater Boston. No less celebratory is the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, when the city celebrates its Irish heritage in Boston on the Sunday nearest to March 17. Come Independence Day, the city mounts the Boston Harborfest.

On the coast, the town of Plymouth, site of the first Thanksgiving, continues to celebrate the local bounty every November.