WHATS GREAT ABOUT
M ASSACHUSETTS?
AMANDA LANSER
Copyright 2015
by Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.
Content Consultant: Samuel Redman,
Assistant Professor, Department of History
and Center for Heritage and Society, University
of Massachusetts Amherst
All rights reserved. International copyright
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Main body text set in ITC Franklin Gothic Std
Book Condensed 12/15.
Typeface provided by Adobe Systems.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
Data
Lanser, Amanda.
Whats great about Massachusetts? / by
Amanda Lanser.
pages cm. (Our great states)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-4677-3331-1 (lib. bdg. :
alk. paper)
ISBN 978-1-4677-4710-3 (eBook)
1. MassachusettsJuvenile literature.
I. Title.
F64.3.L36 2014
974.4dc23 2013042392
Manufactured in the United States of America
1 - PC - 7/15/14
CONTENTS
MASSACHUSETTS FACTS
MASSACHUSETTS Welcomes You!
Thats the warm greeting youll see as you enter the Bay State. You may spot
the states official flower, the mayflower, on the welcome sign. Youll see
the states official bird, the black -capped chickadee, too. Massachusetts
has something for everyone. Grab your towel and sunscreen. Head to the
beaches on the Cape Cod National Seashore. Dont forget to try some of
the freshest seafood anywhere. Go for a drive on the Mohawk Trail. Take in
the beauty of the Berkshire Hills. Massachusettss culture and history are
older than the United States itself. That makes towns like Lexington and
Concord exciting places for history fans. Do you like city life? Youll fall in
love with hip and historic Boston. Read on to learn more about the top ten
things Massachusetts has to offer.
Explore Massachusettss
major cities and all the
places in between! Just turn
the page to find out all about
THE BAY STATE.
CAPE COD NATIONAL SEASHORE
Ready to dig your toes into the sand? Do you
want to feel the salt on your skin? Plan a trip to
Cape Cod National Seashore! A cape is a point
of land that extends out into a body of water.
In this case, the body of water is the Atlantic
Ocean. Cape Cod is at the easternmost tip of
Massachusetts. This -mile (64 kilometer)
coastline includes beaches, ponds, and woods.
Pedal to the beach on the Cape Cod Rail Trail.
It starts in central Cape Cod. You can bike all
the way to the visitor center at the Cape Cod
National Seashore. There are many places
you can stop. Take a dip. Have a picnic. Hike
or paddle to the seashores marshes and
lighthouses.
Make sure to treat yourself to some super -fresh
seafood along the way. Visit one of the Capes
many clam or lobster shacks. These roadside
restaurants are fun and delicious. Sink your
spoon into a bowl of clam chowder. Snack on
a tasty lobster roll.
Decide for yourself which Cape Cod lobster
shack has the best lobster rolls.
CAPE ANN
Did you know that Massachusetts
has not one but two capes? Cape
Ann is on the North Shore of
Massachusetts. Visit the fishing
village of Gloucester and go for a
whale watch. Or, take a short drive up
to Rockport. Walk along the pier at
Bearskin Neck. It got its name in the
year 1700 when a bear got caught in
the ocean tide.
TAKE A TRIP TO THE 1600s!
Do you wish you could travel back nearly
four hundred years? Step back in time
to Plimoth Plantation. Learn what life
was like for an English colonist in 1600s
Massachusetts. Plymouth was the first
permanent English colony in America. At
Plimoth Plantation, you can visit colonists
inside their homes. Share a meal with the
pilgrims at the first Thanksgiving. Hear
livestock braying and baaing. You can
visit a Wampanoag village too. Talk with
modern members of the Wampanoag
tribe about life in the 1600s.
You could arrive at Plymouth on the
Mayflower back in 1620. Come aboard
the Mayflower II. This replica is the same
size as the original Mayflower ship. It is
feet (32.3 meters) long, but it is only
feet (7.6 m) wide. Imagine how small
the ship must have felt to the pilgrims!
THE WAMPANOAG
The English were not the first
people to live in Massachusetts.
The Wampanoag had called
the area home for more than
ten thousand years. At first,
Wampanoag leader Massasoit
made a peace treaty with the
English. Years later, the English
intruded on the Wampanoags
lands. The Wampanoags new
leader, Metacom, tried to
drive the English out by force.
The violence resulted in many
deaths among the Wampanoag.
The Mayflower II is a replica of
the ship that brought the Pilgrims
to Massachusetts in 1620.
At Plimoth Plantation, actors role-
play English colonists who help
you experience colonial Plymouth.
WELCOME TO THE
PUBLIC GARDEN
Come smell the roses in the United
States first public botanical garden. The
city of Boston created the Public Garden
in 1837. It was created for the citys
citizens and visitors to enjoy.
Stroll the paths of the Public Garden. You
will notice many monuments, statues,
and fountains. Can you find the statue
of Mrs. Mallard and her eight ducklings?
They are characters from the famous
childrens book Make Way for Ducklings .
There is even a lagoon. Here ducks and
other waterbirds splash and paddle.