Maria Olia - Insiders Guide® to Massachusetts

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INSIDERS GUIDE

Copyright 2013 Morris Book Publishing, LLC

Insiders Guide is a registered trademark of Morris Book Publishing, LLC.

Editor: Kevin Sirois

Project Editor: Lynn Zelem

Layout: Joanna Beyer

Text Design: Sheryl Kober

Maps: Alena Joy Pearce Morris Book Publishing, LLC

ISBN 978-0-7627-8645-9

Printed in the United States of America

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Maria Olia is a freelance travel and parenting writer. Her work has appeared in dozens of newspapers and magazines including the Boston Globe and Working Mother. She has also written Day Trips New England for Globe Pequot Press. Maria has called Massachusetts home for the last three decades. She lives in Newton with her husband and is the mother of three grown sons and a teenage daughter. When not writing, she can be found going for long walks or frequenting her favorite Boston museums and restaurants.

The love and support of my husband Masoud and my children, Bijan, Kian, Cameron, and Leda, made this book possible. They deserve my heartfelt thanks for accompanying me on endless excursions throughout the state and then allowing me time to disappear into my garret office to write it all down. Thanks also to my parents, Robert and Josephine Dascanio, for a childhood of wonderful travel memories.

Welcome to Massachusetts.

There may be no better place to experience American history than here, where the Pilgrims landed to create the settlement known as Plymouth Colony, where Boston patriots Sam Adams, Paul Revere, and John Hancock launched the American Revolution; where a host of intellectual and literary lights, including Ralph Waldo Emerson, flourished in Concord.

The Bay State, so named for its Atlantic gulf formed by the flexed arm of Cape Cod, has quite a lot to offer visitors. Besides the well-known historic sites of Boston, Massachusetts is very much a destination for appreciating the outdoors in every season. Across the state, from the densely forested Berkshire Hills to the lush Pioneer Valley to the tip of Cape Cod, there are breathtaking hiking and biking trails, mountains for skiing, and pristine ocean beaches for relaxing.

Located in the center of New England, Massachusetts is not only the regions geographic heart, but also in many ways its cultural heart. Youll discover a dizzying array of art, music, and theater from one end of the state to the other. Theres high art at Bostons Museum of Fine Art and at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. In North Adams, MASS MoCA galleries are full of exciting, provocative works. The Boston Symphony performs at Bostons Symphony Hall, and in the summer classical music lovers follow the orchestra to Tanglewood in the Berkshires. The theater scene is centered in Boston and Cambridge (and the Berkshires in the summer), but theatrical richness can also be found throughout the state in places as far-flung as Watertown, Stoneham, and Cape Cod.

Massachusetts is steeped in history and tradition but is surprisingly modern. In 2004 the state was one of the first in the nation to legalize same-sex marriage. And the states pioneering state-mandated universal health care plan legislation of 2006 was the model for the federal 2010 Affordable Care Act. Massachusettss progressive attitudes are no doubt energized by its college and university communities and keep the state at the crossroads of the countrys intellectual and moral conversation.

Massachusetts is home at the table, too. Boston is the hub of the states food scene, from celebrated kitchens and hip watering holes to quirky neighborhood bistros. But you can find great dining experiences just about anywhere you look in the state these days, from ethnic eateries in Cambridge (and Somerville, too), to the locavore-focused Berkshires, to superb seafood including chowders, lobster rolls, and baskets of whole-belly fried clams all along the coast.

Geographically, it is not a large state. But nearly 400 eventful years have left their mark here. Visiting Massachusetts will breathe life into those dusty elementary school history lessons. Discover, too, the endlessly fascinating Massachusetts of the present, its geographic diversity and cultural richness. Take the time to experience it in person. Youll see.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book is not only a handy on-the-ground guide to Massachusetts for the independent traveler, but with its tons of listings on everything from restaurants, entertainment, and shopping to health clubs, hiking trails, and even farmers markets, it is also an invaluable tool for local residents or those contemplating moving to the state.

The format is organized in such a way that it leaves virtually no travel stone unturned.

While including all the expected vacation sites, such as the Freedom Trail and Cape Cod beaches, this book also mixes in a good number of lesser-known destinations. Such places as the home of architect Walter Gropius in Lincoln and Lowells Boat House in Amesbury, as well as wonderful and unexpected hidden treasures like the Berkshiress Bash Bish Falls and Rockports Paper House, are worth going out of the way to visit and can make your vacation an adventure.

The Area Overview chapter provides context for your trip, with sections on the states landscape, cuisine, people, and the arts. The Getting Here/Getting Around chapter provides the nuts-and-bolts details you need to begin planning your visit to Massachusettseverything from navigating your way through Logan Airport to an overview of the Massachusetts highway system to a rundown of the states excellent public transit options, including the MBTA (or T) subway and commuter rail lines. The History chapter makes for good pre-trip reading and presents a broad survey of Massachusettss rich history, highlighting must-see sites and explaining why they are important.

This book is organized to make it as easy as possible to find what you are looking for and plan your perfect trip. The main part of the book is divided into seven chapters that correspond to a Massachusetts region: Boston & Greater Boston, Merrimack Valley & North Shore, Southeast Massachusetts & South Shore, Cape Cod & The Islands, Worcester County, Pioneer Valley, and The Berkshires. Within each regional chapter there is an overview of the area along with an easy-to-read map, which is followed by main sections devoted to describing Attractions, Activities & Events, Shopping, Accommodations, and Restaurants. At the end of each chapter there is also a detailed Day Trip itinerary that takes you from stop to stop with simple route directions accompanied by an easy-to-use bullet map with details of the most interesting places to visit along the way.