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CAMBRIDGE
Just across the Charles from Boston, Cambridge is an eclectic community of numerous residential neighborhoods, shopping areas, museums, high tech research facilities and centers of higher education, of which Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are the best known. A good place to spend a day or two visiting the Harvard museums (Peabody, Fogg, Sackler, Busch-Reisinger, Semetic, Natural History), hanging out in Harvard Square, browsing through bookstores, shopping at the Cambridgeside Galleria, viewing films to the Brattle and theatre at the Rep, and dining on burgers at Mr. Bartley's.
Be sure to see the Glass Flower collection at the Harvard Natural History Museum and the Hartt Ship Model Collection at MIT.
Cambridge is served by the MBTA's Green Line (Lechmere) and Red Line (Kendall/MIT, Central, Harvard, Porter Sq). |
Harvard Square |
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PLYMOUTH
.Located 40 mi (64 km) south of Boston, Plymouth is the traditional landing place of the Pilgrim Fathers (though Provincetown claims an earlier landing). Its foundation in 1620 makes it the oldest continually inhabited English speaking settlement in the Americas. A pleasant town of nearly 60,000, it is known mainly as the site of Plymouth Rock, which is enshrined beneath a stone portico overlooking the beach and is said to mark the actual site of the landing. Mayflower II, a replica of the Pilgrim ship, is moored nearby, and Plimouth Plantation, a re-creation of the original settlement, is a short distance away.
Plymouth can be reached by car from Exit 6 off Route 3 or by the Plymouth & Brockton Bus from Boston |
Plymouth Rock |
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NEW BEDFORD
When whaling was New England's primary maritime industry, New Bedford was New England's foremost whaling port. Today, it is a moderate size city of 94,000 and one of the few remaining ports in New England that still supports an active fishing fleet. Reminders of the city's whaling past can still be found in the restored 19th century waterfront buildings of the New Bedford Whaling National Historic Park, where one can visit the Whaling Museum and the Seaman's Bethel with its ship-shaped pulpit.
New Bedford can be reached from Boston by car via I-93 and state Rte 24. |
New Bedford's skyline |
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FALL RIVER
Just west of New Bedford where the Taunton River empties into Mount Hope Bay lies Fall River, which rose to prominence in the early 19th century as one of New England's first industrial cities. From 1847 until 1937, steamships of the Fall River Line ran regularly to and from New York City, allowing passengers to connect here for train service to Boston. Decline of New England's textile industry in the 1960's spurred efforts to revitalize the city, leading to the introduction of superhighways, widespread demolition of the city's old industrial core, and several unfortunate urban renewal projects. This same spirit, however, also led in 1965 to the redevelopment of the old Fall River Line piers at the foot of the Braga Bridge as the new home of the Battleship Massachusetts, the centerpiece of "Battleship Cove", which has become one of the state's most popular tourist attractions. Today, this city of 92,000 still retains much of its Victorian architecture, including the home of famed axe murderer Lizzie Borden. The vintage Al Mac's Diner is a great spot for lunch.
Car access from Boston (46 mi / 74 KM south) via I-93 and state Rtes 24 and 79. Also I-193 west from New Bedford. |
Fall River's Durfee Courthouse |
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LEXINGTON
On 19 April, 1775, the first shots of the American Revolution were fired on the green of this small farming community 21 miles (33 km) west of Boston. British Regulars sent to seize Colonial stockpiles of arms at nearby Concord were met at dawn by local militia alerted by patriot express rider Paul Revere. The brief skirmish left eight of the militia dead and won Lexington a place in the history books. Today, this town of 30,000 has preserved several of the sites associated with the "battle" including the Town Green with its famous "Minute Man" statue, Buckman's Tavern, Munroe Tavern and the Hancock-Clarke House. Every Patriot's Day the battle is re-enacted by volunteers in period dress attended by enthusiastic spectators.
The "Paul Revere Trail" can still be followed by car out of Boston along portions of state routes 60 and 2A through Medford and Arlington into Lexington. |
Minute Man statue, Lexington Green |
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CONCORD
It was in Concord, at North Bridge on 19 April, 1775, that the first actual battle of the American Revolution was fought. The route taken by British troops marching from Lexington can still be traced along the 8-mile Battle Road, which has been preserved much as it was in the 18th century. Concord later became an important center of the American Transcendental Movement, attracting many of the leading literary figures of the early 19th century. Today, Concord has kept much of its 19th century charm and one can still visit Ralph Waldo Emerson's Old Manse, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Wayside and Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House, as well as Henry David Thoreau's Walden Pond.
Concord can be reached by car following Route 2A west from Lexington. |
North Bridge |
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SALEM
This city of 40,000 on the Massachusetts North Shore 20 miles from Boston continues to capitalize on its fame as the site of the notorious Witch Trials of 1692. Several historic houses still survive from that period, the most notable of which is the House of the Seven Gables, made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne, who began his literary career as a clerk in Salem's Custom House. It was its role in the opening of the China Trade in the years following the American Revolution, however, that gave Salem its true place in history and made it for a brief time the foremost seaport in the United States. Between 1787 and 1807, Chinese porcelain, silks and tea filled the warehouses lining the mile long Derby Wharf, fueling a prosperity that gave Salem some of the finest domestic architecture of the period.
Salem is served by MBTA commuter rail and can be reached by car via I-95/Rte 128/Rte 114 north from Boston. MBTA bus service is also available. |
Salem's Custom House and Derby Wharf |
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MARBLEHEAD
Bordering Salem to the east, Marblehead faces the Atlantic on two rocky peninsulas enclosing a cosy harbor that once sheltered a sizeable fishing fleet but now serves as home to numerous pleasure boats. It is one of the most picturesque seacoast towns in New England, with most of its 18th and 19th century buildings and narrow, crooked streets lovingly preserved. In 1775, under orders from General Washington, Marblehead mariners armed and manned the Beverly sloop Hannah to support the Continental Army surrounding Boston, giving Marblehead a claim as the birthplace of the U.S. Navy (a claim still contested by neighboring Beverly), and during the Revolution, Col John Glover's Marblehead troops served as Washington's amphibious wing. The famous painting "Spirit of 1776" is on display in Marblehead's 19th century Abbot Hall
Marblehead can be visited by MBTA bus from Boston and by car via Rte 1A (from Boston) and 114 (from Salem). |
Marblehead's waterfront |
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IPSWICH
Founded in 1634, Ipswich is one of the oldest towns on the North Shore and, together with neighboring Essex,remains famous for its shellfish, particularly clams. It was at Woodman's Restaurant, still operating in Essex, that fried clams were first served commercially in 1916. Among the areas historic homes are the John Whipple House (1642) and the palatial Castle Hill (1928) overlooking scenic Crane's Beach.
Ipswich can be reached by the MBTA Commuter Rail from Boston and via Rte 1A by car. |
John Whipple House |
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GLOUCESTER
The largest community on the North Shore's Cape Ann, Gloucester bills itself as America's oldest seaport. Along with New Bedford, Gloucester still maintains an active fishing industry thanks to the proximity of George's Bank and provided the setting for Kipling's Captains Courageous and more recently for the film The Perfect Storm. Gloucester's scenic qualities have attracted numerous artists over the years including Winslow Homer, Fitzhugh Lane and Edward Hopper, and the nation's oldest art colony can be found on Gloucester's Rocky Neck.
Gloucester is 25 mi (30km) NE of Boston and can be reached by MBTA Commuter Rail and by I-95/Rte 128. |
Gloucester from Rocky Neck |
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ROCKPORT
Scenic Rockport lies right at the tip of Cape Ann and is a favorite destination for artists and tourists. Its small harbor is dominated by the rustic fishing shack known as "Motif Number 1", the subject of many an aspiring artist.
Rockport borders Gloucester to the northeast and is reached from there by car via Rte 127. It is also the terminus of the MBTA's Commuter Rail Rockport line. |
Motif No. 1 |
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NEWBURYPORT
Once a leading shipbuilding center, Newburyport remains a small but active city of 17,000 at the mouth of the Merrimack River. many of its Federal style homes from the early 1800's have been preserved and its waterfront is home to numerous shops and restaurants.
Newburyport can be reached by MBTA Commuter Rail as well as by I-95, Rte 1 and Rte 1A. |
Downtown Newburyport |
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PORTSMOUTH, N.H.
The home of New England's last remaining Navy Yard (actually across the Piscataqua River in Kittery, ME), Portsmouth anchors New Hampshire's small coastline. Its bustling downtown of brick Victorian buildings, shops and restaurants is surrounded by historic homes, notably the John Paul Jones House (1758) where he lived while supervising construction of the 74-gun America in 1780-82. The original settlement of "Strawberry Banke" has been restored as a museum of a dozen Colonial period homes not far from downtown, and one can enjoy dinner at the Library Restaurant in the former Rockingham Hotel, where the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War was signed in 1905. |
Downtown Portsmouth | |
Beyond Boston
