ATTRACTIONS

Greater Boston & Cambridge   North of Boston & Merrimack Valley   South of Boston   Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket Island   Central   Western   National Parks

Greater Boston & Cambridge

New England Aquarium - The Aquariums extensive collection includes the exotic and the familiar. More than 70 exhibits feature aquatic animals from as far away as India, the Amazon Rain Forest and Hawaii and as near as the Maine coast. And marine mammals make a big splash in daily presentations aboard Discovery, a unique floating pavilion.

US.S. Constitution - Located in Charlestown, the U.S.S. Constitution was launched in 1797 and served in the Navy of the fledgling United States. Today, the Constitution remains the world's oldest fully commissioned warship afloat.

Museum of Fine Arts, Boston - MFA is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world; the collection encompasses over 400,000 works of art. More than one million visitors each year experience art from ancient Egyptian to contemporary, special exhibitions, and innovative educational programs.

Stone Zoo - Visit Stone Zoo to experience and learn about a variety of animals from around the world! The species you'll discover include arctic foxes, Mexican gray wolves, flamingos, and snow leopards, to name a few!

Marino Lookout Farm - Marino Lookout Farm is recognized as the oldest continuously working farm in the country; it was first deeded in the late 1600's.  The farm is a popular, family-oriented apple-picking working farm, with animal attractions, train rides, stagecoach rides and more.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum - The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum is dedicated to the memory of our nation's thirty-fifth president and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world.

Duck Tours - Land and water tour aboard a huge World War II Duck (amphibious vehicle) tours last about 80 minutes.

Boston Children's Theater - For 75 years, the corporation now known as Boston Children's Theatre (BCT) has provided public services to the Boston Community. For the last 50 years, those activities have been devoted to children's theatre- 'Live Theatre for Children by Children .' BCT is one of the oldest children's theatrical organizations in the country.

Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology - Founded in 1866, the Peabody Museum is one of the oldest museums in the world devoted to anthropology and houses one of the most comprehensive records of human cultural history in the Western Hemisphere.

The Children's Museum - The Children's Museum in Boston exists to help children understand and enjoy the world in which they live.  The Museum is the second oldest in the nation.  The museum features a variety of interactive, hands-on exhibits that are great for children ages 10 and under.  Some of the most popular are Climbing the Walls, Arthur's World, Bubbles, and PlaySpace.

Skywalk Observatory - The Skywalk View and Exhibit on the 50th floor of the Prudential Tower, enables visitors to discover all of Boston, from its founding to the present. It uses the panoramic views of the city as prompts to highlight people and sites, which make the city special. Twenty nine different exhibits present approximately 300 pieces of information that show what is behind the 360 degree view.

Boston Harbor Cruises - Since 1926, Boston Harbor Cruises has been the city's premiere ticket to ride on Boston's extraordinary harbor. Cruises include whale watching, exclusive harbor island ferries, sightseeing cruises, private charters, special events and more.

Museum of Science - The museum is dedicated to stimulate interest in and further understanding of science and technology and their importance for individuals and for society.

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary - Experience life on a working New England farm, complete with pigs, horses, cows, and more. Take a hayride along the farmyard trail and enjoy the sights and sounds of farm animals (see baby animals seasonally).

North of Boston & Merrimack Valley

Moby Duck Sightseeing - A unique 55 minute family experience aboard amphibious U.S.C.G. certified vessels. Enjoy this narrated tour, with your personal, licensed Captain at the helm and narration by your ""Duck Mate"". Your trip will provide spectacular panoramic views, by ""land and sea"". A calm sightseeing cruise will provide fun for the entire family.

Pioneer Village: Salem in 1630 - Step back in time to 17th century New England at Salem's oldest living history museum. Discover Salem 1630: Pioneer Village. It is a recreation of the English colony established by Roger Conant and his intrepid band of settlers. From these humbling beginnings the seeds of Revolution were planted.

Salem Witch Museum - The Salem Witch Museum takes you back to Salem 1692. Visitors are given a dramatic history lesson using stage sets with life-size figures, lighting and a narration - an overview of the Witch Trials of 1692.

Pirate’s Fun Park - Pirate's Fun Park is a traditional seaside amusement park, featuring 18 rides ranging from a carousel and kiddie rides to a go-kart track and bumper boats.

Cabot Street Cinema Theatre - Restored 1920 theatre offering magic shows and movie classics.  286 Cabot Street, Beverly.  (978) 927-3677.

South of Boston

Plymouth Hall Museum - The oldest continuously operating public museum in the nation, a gallery museum that uses the actual 17th century Pilgrim possessions - the cradle of Peregrine White, the bible of William Bradford, the sword of Myles Standish - as well as Native American artifacts to tell the story of the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony.

Battleship Cove - For over thirty years, Battleship Massachusetts has welcomed visitors of all ages. The historic naval ships, military exhibits, and related memorabilia tell the stories of brave sailors and their proud fighting days long ago. Walk where these sailors fought, man the guns they used to defend our freedom, or try on a Navy bunk for size!

Children's Museum of Easton - The Children's museum in Easton is a 'learning playground' where parents and children explore, imagine, and learn about our everyday world. The museum sparks curiosity, encourages questions and fosters creativity in children and adults through it's exhibits and programs. The Museum is a friendly place for children to explore.

Ocean Spray's Cranberry World Visitors' Center - Exhibits and interactive displays bring you the history of the cranberry from Native American times to present day. Learn how cranberries are grown and harvested, how your favorite juice company was formed, and how the growers who own the company work at preserving the environment while bringing you the wonderful products you know and love.  225 Water St., Plymouth.  (508) 747-2350.

Edaville USA/Railroad - Edaville Railroad recreates the era when traveling was slower and the little things enjoyed a lot more. You'll enjoy a 30 minute ride on America's oldest authentic 2 foot, narrow gauge railway. Steam engines and diesel locomotives will pull passenger cars through 5 1/2 miles of beautiful Massachusetts landscape.

Lobster Tales - Enjoy a fun, affordable, ""hands-on"" lobstering experience as a one hour excursion takes you to haul lobster traps from historic Plymouth Harbor. One of the most popular cruises aboard Lobster Tales is a Pirate Cruise. Pirate passengers will set sail to reclaim a treasure chest lying beneath Plymouth Harbor.

Plimoth Plantation - Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum founded in 1947. The museum has grown from one small re-created house on the Plymouth waterfront to include three major open-air exhibits-the 1627 Pilgrim village, Hobbamock's Wampanoag Indian Homesite, Mayflower II and other facilities, exhibits and programs.

Whale Watching - Discover the great whales of the North Atlantic during a 4-hour Capt. John Boats Cape Cod whale watch adventure. Among the whale and marine mammal sightings are the Humpback Whale, Finback Whale, Minke Whale, Right Whale and Pilot whale, as well as dolphins, porpoises and seals.

Capron Park Zoo - Capron Park Zoo is dedicated to the professional management of animal species, and providing the public with educational programs and recreational activities. The zoo features animals from around the world, Asian rain forest, nocturnal building and more.

Fall River Carousel - Located at Battleship Cove is the magnificent Fall River Carousel. Fully restored to its previous splendor, this Philadelphia Toboggan Company Carousel #54 is now housed in a beautiful Victorian-style pavilion. This seventy-three year old carousel, with its 48 majestic steeds and two spectacular chariots, is the oldest functioning carousel in America.  Fall River, (508) 324-4300

Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard & Nantucket Island

Maria Mitchell Aquarium - Where but Nantucket could you find a real marine aquarium in a quaint waterfront shack? The marine organisms of Nantucket's salt marshes, harbors, and near shore waters await your acquaintance on Washington Street. There are friendly science interns to answer all your questions about the mollusks, crustaceans, and finfish, and hands-on exhibits for children.

Green Briar Nature Center and Jam Kitchen - The old jam kitchen was started in 1903 where they still make jam "the old fashioned way."  The nature center is great for families with exhibits, nature trails, a wildflower garden and organized programs.

Cape Cod Duckmobile - The Cape Cod Duckmobile offers narrated land and sea tours aboard an amphibious vehicle. (888) 225-3825.

Flying Horses Carousel - Located on Oak Bluffs Avenue in the heart of Oak Bluffs, this treasured carousel has been enjoyed by Vineyarders and visitors for more than a century.

Pilgrim Monument - Dedicated in 1910 to commemorate the first landing of the Pilgrims in Provincetown on November 21, 1620,the Pilgrim Monument is the tallest all-granite structure in the United States. Walk to the top of the Pilgrim Monument and delight in the panoramic view of Cape Cod Bay and Provincetown Harbor, including the sand dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore.

Cape Cod Children's Museum - The Cape Cod Children's Museum is a place where families can learn and play together. The museum offers lots of hands on exhibits including a pirate ship, an indoor planetarium, puppet theater, toddler play area, gift shop and daily programs.

Central

Davis' Farmland & MegaMaze - Two great parks and twice the fun. Davis' Mega Maze is a world class field maze. Designed for adults, but enjoyed by all ages, it's the ultimate 3-D challenge of your life!  Davis' Farmland is ""home"" to the nation's largest exhibit of endangered farm animals and part of a seven generation family farm, operating in Sterling since 1846. Farmland features discovery learning.

Eco Tarium - EcoTarium is an environmental science museum set on 60 scenic acres just two miles from downtown Worcester, Massachusetts. Visit EcoTarium and explore exhibits on water, energy, ecosystems and more. a planetarium, wildlife, nature trails, the Express Train, special programs and more.

Higgins Armory Museum - The Higgins Armory Museum enjoys the distinction of being the only museum in the Western Hemisphere entirely devoted to the study and display of arms and armor. Artifacts ranging from Corinthian helmets of ancient Greece to ornate suits of armor from the height of the Renaissance give visitors an exciting glimpse into the past.

Western

Berkshire Scenic Railway Museum - Excursion train rides between Lenox and Stockbridge two times per operation day. 20 mile, 2 1/2 hour round trip plus new permanent Gilded Age exhibit. Open Saturdays, Sundays and summer holidays from June through October.

Berkshire Museum - The Berkshire Museum, recognized as one of the finest small museums in the nation, is one of the few museums where art, history and the natural world are displayed in one place.

Hancock Shaker Village - Hancock Shaker Village is an outdoor history museum of Shaker life on 1,200 acres in the scenic Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. Its twenty original buildings and historic working farm and gardens preserve and interpret the life of America’s most successful communitarian society.

Basketball Hall of Fame - Visit the birthplace of Basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Historic Deerfield - Historic Deerfield is a museum of New England history and art within the carefully preserved 330 year old western Massachusetts village of Deerfield. See a collection of 18th and 19th century houses and the Flynt Center of Early New England Life filled with some of the great decorative arts treasures of early America.

Children's Museum at Holyoke - Located in the Heritage State Park Complex, the museum enhances the educational and cultural awareness of all children in the arts, the sciences, and the world around them in a museum environment which features participatory exhibits that invite the interaction of children and adults.

The Zoo in Forest Park - Visitors can see over 200 domestic and exotic animals. The zoo also features a Discovery Room, train rides, gardens, duck ponds, paddle boats, and picnicking.

Springfield Science Museum - The museum features a Dinosaur Hall; the multi-level R.E. Phelon African Hall, exhibits on African cultures; the Solutia Eco-Center, an aquarium and live animal center; Mineral Hall; hands-on exhibits; Native American Hall; a 100-seat planetarium; an observatory; and an exhibit on the Springfield-based aviation pioneers, the Granville Brothers.

Nash Dinosaur Tracks - Collection of bones and fossils found on site. South Hadley. South Hadley, (413) 467-9566

National Parks

Adams National Historic Park - Adams National Historical Park is located in the City of Quincy, Norfolk County, Massachusetts, approximately ten miles south of Boston. The site comprises 11 historic structures and a cultural landscape totaling almost 14 acres. The site provides a unique opportunity for preservation, education and participation in the history and development of the United States, the Revolutionary War, and the United States Presidency.

Appalachian National Scenic Trail - The Appalachian National Scenic Trail is a 2,167-mile (3,488 km) footpath along the ridge crests and across the major valleys of the Appalachian Mountains from Katahdin in Maine to Springer Mountain in north Georgia. The trail traverses Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia.

Boston National Historic Park - Discover the revolutionary generation of Bostonians who blazed a trail from colonialism to independence. Boston National Historical Park is an association of sites that together give the visitor a coherent view of the city's role in the nation's history.

Boston African American National Historic Site - Located in the heart of Boston's Beacon Hill neighborhood, the site includes 15 pre-Civil War structures relating to the history of Boston's 19th century African-American community, including: the African Meeting House, the oldest standing African-American church in the United States.

Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area - Boston Harbor Islands national park area includes 30 islands situated within the Greater Boston shoreline. The islands are rich in natural and cultural resources.

Cape Cod National Seashore - Cape Cod National Seashore comprises 43,604 acres of shoreline and upland landscape features, including a forty-mile long stretch of pristine sandy beach, dozens of clear, deep, freshwater kettle ponds, and upland scenes that depict evidence of how people have used the land. A variety of historic structures are within the boundary of the Seashore, including lighthouses, a lifesaving station, and numerous Cape Cod style houses. The Seashore offers six swimming beaches, eleven self-guiding nature trails, and a variety of picnic areas and scenic overlooks.

Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site - Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is recognized as the founder of American landscape architecture and the nation’s foremost parkmaker. Olmsted moved his home to suburban Boston in 1883 and established at “Fairsted” the world's first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. Over the course of the next century, his sons and successors expanded and perpetuated Olmsted's design ideals, philosophy, and influence.

John F. Kennedy National Historic Site - John F. Kennedy National Historic Site preserves the birthplace in 1917 and boyhood home of the 35th President of the United States. The modest frame house in suburban Boston was also the first home shared by the president's father and mother, Joseph P. and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, and represents the social and political beginnings of one of the world's most prominent families.

Longfellow National Historic Site - Longfellow National Historic Site is an outstanding example of a historic site representing the themes of arts and literature. For almost half a century (1837-1882) this was the home of one of the world's foremost poets, scholars and educators, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Lowell National Historic Park - The history of America's Industrial Revolution is commemorated in Lowell, Massachusetts. The Boott Cotton Mills Museum with its operating weave room of 88 power looms, "mill girl" boardinghouses, the Suffolk Mill Turbine Exhibit and guided tours tell the story of the transition from farm to factory, chronicle immigrant and labor history and trace industrial technology. The park includes textile mills, worker housing, 5.6 miles of canals, and 19th-century commercial buildings.

Minute Man National Historic Park - The events of April 19, 1775 were a turning point in the long struggle between Mother England and her American colonies. In a march of protest and petition turned independence and revolution, the fighting on April 19, 1775 would foreshadow the rebellious action of the American colonies to ultimately create a new nation, the United States of America.

New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park - New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park commemorates the heritage of the world's preeminent whaling port during the 19th century. A variety of cultural landscapes, historic buildings, museum collections, and archives preserve this history and collectively recount the stories of a remarkable era. Whaling, a leading 19th century enterprise, contributed to America's economic and political vitality.

Salem Maritime National Historic Site - Salem Maritime, the first National Historic Site in the National Park System, was established to preserve and interpret the maritime history of New England and the United States. The Site consists of about nine acres of land and twelve historic structures along the waterfront in Salem, Massachusetts, as well as a Visitor Center in downtown Salem. The Site documents the development of the Atlantic triangular trade during the colonial period, the role of privateering during the Revolutionary War, and the international maritime trade, especially with the Far East, which established American economic independence after the Revolution.

Saugus Iron Works National Historic Site - This is the site of the first integrated ironworks in North America, 1646-1668. It includes the reconstructed blast furnace, forge, rolling mill, and a restored seventeenth century house.

Springfield Armory National Historic Site - Established on March 21, 1978 to preserve the history of the first National Armory, 1794 - 1968. Springfield Armory technology profoundly affected the lives of soldiers and civilians. Armory arms decided battle tactics. They were essential in all major conflicts in U.S. History. Armory inventions revolutionized the manufacture of consumer products like keys, shoes, baseball bats and furniture. Housed in the original Main Arsenal, the museum maintains one of the most extensive and unique firearms collections in the world. Special exhibits, events and film. Public and school programs. Springfield Armory National Historic Site encompasses approximately 55 acres and several buildings of the original armory complex.