Massachusetts attractions cover a huge range of activities

Massachusetts > State > Things to Do and See > Attractions

From the Berkshire Hills to Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts’ attractions are second to none. Cities, towns, and villages have historic pedigrees. America started here with the landing of the Pilgrims in Plymouth, and burst forward with the “shot heard ‘round the world” in Concord, MA. Championship sports teams, outdoor recreation, fairs and festivals , zoos, and parks abound. Lodgings cover every preference, from the causal to the luxurious. Some of the world’s finest art, music, and theater are here, along with ships and ship museums and the homes of three American presidents. There are islands and great marketplaces to explore and the Basketball Hall of Fame to dribble by. Stay nearby .

Old Sturbridge Village

1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, off Route 20 Sturbridge, MA, 01566 Phone: 508-347-3362 Toll-Free: 800-733-1830

See what early 19th century was like at this living history museum

Old Sturbridge Village is open! Advanced ticketing required is required. Please visit our updated policies & procedures before reserving your visit.

Your epic adventure into the past begins when you walk on to the 200 acres of living history that Old Sturbridge Village represents. The village will take you back to the 1830s and what a rural New England village would look and feel like. Costumed historians at the cider mill, printing office, bank, district school, sawmill and pottery shop will demonstrate and answer questions about the crafts and daily life of their era. The 40 historic buildings have assembled from throughout the region, added to the museum’s over 40,000 historical artifacts from firearms to clocks. The grounds are spectacular, with several gardens, a working farm with animals, and three nature walks.

Mayflower Photo - Plymouth 400 - Plymouth, MA - Photo Credit: Katie Mclaughlin

Plymouth 400 Inc.

6 Main Street Ext. - Post Office Square Plymouth, MA, 02360 Phone: 508-812-2020

Plymouth’s 400th Anniversary Replays Our National Legacy

A major chapter of the American story opened in November 1620 when a band of Englishmen and -women stepped off the shockingly small sailing ship Mayflower near present-day Plymouth, Mass. Their ideals of freedom and self-determination became the foundation of American political life. The 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims’ arrival will be celebrated through 2021 with exhibits, festivals, arts and educational events, organized through Plymouth 400. A traveling exhibit about the Native Wampanoag people, who greeted the English and helped save their lives in their first winter, is now underway. Coming up are Embarkation and Youth Festivals, Sunrise and Thanksgiving celebrations, and many other opportunities for Americans to appreciate the idealism and physical grit of a legendary band of our founders. Photo Credit: Katie McLaughlin

Battleship Cove

5 Water Street Fall River, MA, 02721 Phone: 508-678-1100 Toll-Free: 800-533-3194

America’s naval history comes alive and inspires

Battleship Cove is now open from 9am-5pm daily! Please remember to follow our safety & social distancing guidelines!
This living history museum is a must-see for every child and family to understand the magnitude of America’s wartime naval history. The world's largest collection of US naval ships is here including the USS Massachusetts, the destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., and PT Boats used in the South Pacific theater. A comprehensive women’s exhibit illustrates the contributions made by women during World War II and the role they have played in America’s wars, beginning with the Revolutionary War. The state-of-the-art special effects Pearl Harbor Experience is the only outdoor multimedia reenactment anywhere. Scouts and youth groups can participate in a year round maritime camping program, girl scout overnights, and the whole family will enjoy family nautical nights with affordable camping on site.

Southwick’s Zoo

2 Southwick Street Mendon, MA, 01756 Phone: 800-258-9182

If you could talk to the animals….you can

Southwick’s Zoo in historic Blackstone Valley is surrounded by 300 shady acres. The zoo is home to over 850 animals representing 152 species. You can also soar above the zoo on the Skyfari Sky Ride. Get up close with many of the animals in the petting zoo and Deer Forest. Southwick’s offers food venues, picnic grounds, shows, rides and a play park. Visit Parakeet Landing a walk-thru Aviary or learn about different birds at Avian Adventures, an interactive show. Southwick’s Zoo also offers presentations at the Earth Discovery Center. The Woodlands Express takes you through the North American Wetlands Habitat. Enjoy animals in large, naturalistic habitats. Operating hours for Southwick’s Zoo are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 days a week, mid–April to mid-October, with limited operations to Christmas.

Coming to Southwick's Zoo this September thru January 3, 2022 - The Festival of Illumination "World of Lights" 2021! Take a trip across continents and explore hundreds of hand-crafted Chinese paper lanterns!

Explore New England TV - New Episodes Premiering June 6 on NESN!

Power your own Zip Line & Rafting Adventure at Zoar Outdoor - Just 3.5 hours from New York City and 2 hours from Boston!

EcoTarium, New England's Leading Museum of Science and Nature

222 Harrington Way Worcester, MA, 01604 Phone: 508-929-2700

Worcester’s Museum of Science and Nature

EcoTarium is closed for the fall and winter - see you next year!
Set in a beautiful, urban oasis on 55 acres, the EcoTarium offers a unique indoor-outdoor experience of exploration and discovery. Take a thrilling multimedia journey in the Alden Digital Planetarium: A National Geographic Theater, meet live animals, stroll nature trails, “experience” the wild weather of Mount Washington, get hands-on with lots of family-friendly exhibits, and enjoy endless play in the expansive outdoor exhibit, Nature Explore®. To complete your visit, take a trek through the treetops on the Tree Canopy Walkway (seasonal). Rain or shine, summer or winter, there’s always something fun for the whole family to discover at the EcoTarium!

Visit the EcoTarium website for directions, an events calendar, exhibit information and more.

Island Queen

75 Falmouth Heights Road Falmouth, MA, 02540 Phone: 508-548-4800

This ferry ride is a fun part of your Martha’s Vineyard, Cape Cod experience

There’s fun to be had at the beginning, middle and end of your trip aboard the Island Queen. On either end of the 35-minute sailing to and from Martha’s Vineyard, there are attractions to take in. In Falmouth, there are great beaches for surfing, fishing and swimming, tree-lined streets with boutique shops and restaurants and nearby bike paths. In Oak Bluffs, on the Vineyard, you can visit the “Flying Horses,” the country’s oldest carousel, or the colorful gingerbread houses of the Campground. And the passenger-ferry ride itself, across sparkling Vineyard Sound, affords breathtaking views from the picture-window lounge and decks. There’s a full-service snack bar, and you can bring your bike, paddle board – or family pet!

Peabody Museum of Archaeology & Ethnology

At Harvard University - 11 Divinity Avenue Cambridge, MA, 02138 Phone: 617-496-1027

A journey into New England & America's legacy

Explore the enduring importance of rivers and canoes in Penobscot tribal life. See the archaeology of Harvard Yard, how students lived at colonial Harvard, and the role of the 17th-century Indian College in Harvard’s early years. Trace the birth of American anthropology through the China trade, the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, the Javanese Village at the Fair, expeditions to the Arctic and the American Southwest, and more in the museum’s 150th anniversary exhibition. Visit the website for special exhibitions. Admission to the connected Harvard Museum of Natural History and its famed Glass Flowers is included. Open daily 9:00 AM–5:00 PM.

Franklin Park Zoo

One Franklin Park Road Boston, MA, 02121 Phone: 617-541-5466

Animal magnetism: There is so much to attract visitors at this active zoo

How would you like to hang out with a two-toed sloth? Stare into the eyes of a tiger through a glass wall? Feed a budgie from a seed stick? You can do all this and more at the Franklin Park Zoo, the amazing attraction nestled in Boston’s historic Franklin Park. Animals include everything from African lions and pygmy hippos to ocelots, ostriches, kangaroos and giraffes. Immerse yourself in the wonderfully noisy Bird’s World or in the lush greenery of the Tropical Forest with its lemurs, gorillas, hyenas and other surprises. At the Franklin Farm petting zoo, get to know friendly goats; at the Children’s Zoo, laugh at the prairie dog pop-up. There’s also a great outdoor, wildlife-inspired playground.

Old Sturbridge Village - More than a Museum!

Science & Culture Museum - Harvard Museums - Cambridge, MA

Harvard Museum of Natural History

26 Oxford Street Cambridge, MA, 02138 Phone: 617-495-3045

Just an eight-minute walk from the Harvard Square T Station through Harvard Yard, the Harvard Museum of Natural History is the university’s most-visited museum and a popular destination for travelers from around the world. Visit the Harvard’s Glass Flowers, find your birthstone gem in our expansive mineral gallery, see large Tigers, and view dinosaurs in the paleontology gallery, including the first Triceratops skull ever discovered. The Great Mammal Hall features a giraffe, zebra, sloths, lemurs, and six whales hanging from the ceiling. Recently added permanent exhibits include The Rockefeller Beetles, Sea Creatures in Glass Evolution, Climate Change, and Marine Life. All exhibits draw from Harvard University collections and reflect the most current scientific research.

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Beanstalk Adventure Ropes Course

50 Walkers Brook Drive Reading, MA, 01867 Phone: 781-942-9816

Make some memories as you maneuver through this exhilarating ropes course

Make some memories and have a blast at Jordan’s Beanstalk Adventure Ropes Course. The course, which features a 12- and 24-foot level, is comprised of 30 challenging obstacles, from angled rope ladders and spaghetti hand lines to zig-zag beams and crisscross walks. Plus, there’s a Sky Rail zip line! You’ll be secure and connected in a full-body harness and sling line as you climb and maneuver through the course. For little kids, those under 48 inches tall, there’s the just-as-exciting BeanSprout course, with platforms less than three feet above the ground. They can climb and romp through the course, building their coordination and confidence, while an adult chaperone stands nearby to assist if needed.

Stone Zoo

149 Pond Street Stoneham, MA, 02180 Phone: 617-541-5466

Animal exhibits, activities guarantee you’ll have a wild time at this zoo

Let your imagination run wild at the Stone Zoo, where animals rare and familiar are featured in a variety of natural habitats. Flamingos frolic in the Caribbean Coast, roadrunners zip through the Sierra Madre, gibbons call to each other in Treetops and Riverbeds, black bear and arctic fox roam the Yukon Creek. Special programs (some for groups) include behind-the-scenes tours, breakfast with the animals and chats with zookeepers. There’s an Animal Discovery Center where learning is brought to life with hands-on activities, a nature play area with an oversized bird’s nest perfect for climbing, a children’s train and playground and plenty of places for picnicking or grabbing a burger from the grill. Strollers are available for rent.

Kingston Collection

101 Kingston Collection Way Kingston, MA, 02364 Phone: 781-582-2445

Your premier destination for entertainment, shopping and dining

Kingston Collection is home to an impressive selection of traditional retail, entertainment experiences and dining, which include Bar Rustic, Macy’s, Target, PiNZ and Regal Cinemas. National brands include Victoria’s Secret, Hollister, American Eagle, Yankee Candle Company, Billy Beez and Sky Zone. Kingston Collection is strategically located just off Route 3, on Exit 8 in Kingston MA. Visit our website and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for a complete directory of stores, ongoing specials, promotions and a calendar of events.

Plimoth Patuxet

137 Warren Avenue Plymouth, MA, 02360 Phone: 508-746-1622

Inspiring Journeys Begin Here

Plimoth Patuxet Museums creates powerful encounters with history built on thorough research about the Indigenous and European people who met along these shores of change. At our immersive, outdoor living history sites you’ll encounter costumed actors portraying iconic figures such as William Bradford and Myles Standish, as well as contemporary interpreters who discuss the Indigenous heritage of the Northeast and 17th-century life-ways of a culture that continues to thrive today. Permanent exhibits that tell the complex and interwoven stories of two distinct cultures – Indigenous and English – include the 17th-Century English Village, Patuxet Homesite, Plimoth Grist Mill, and Mayflower II.

Worcester Art Museum

55 Salisbury Street Worcester, MA, 01609 Phone: 508-799-4406

At this welcoming museum, visitors are invited to not only observe art but to experience it

At the Worcester Art Museum, the idea is not to just observe art but to experience it. That’s why the museum, with a collection of 38,000 objects representing 51 centuries, has chosen pieces to delight and engage, from suits of armor worn by Medieval knights in the Higgins Armory Collection to Greek and Roman coins to paintings by Hogarth and Monet to the ceramic model of a ball game from the Art from Ancient Americas collection. Special exhibits range from baseball jerseys (through mid-September) to an upcoming exhibit on love stories from London’s National Portrait Gallery (coming in November). Art carts, touch carts, and scavenger hunts are just a few of the museum’s interactive opportunities, with more activities coming in the fall.

Attractions 500x250 - Crab Apple Whitewater - Charlemont, MA

Crab Apple Whitewater (MA)

Route 2 Charlemont, MA, 01339 Phone: 800-553-7238

Let this family take your family on a rafting adventure

This family owned business knows families and has been providing outstanding whitewater fun and adventure to kids and families since 1983. You’ll find a wide range of trips from full day rafting trips for kids 8 and up on Class 1-3 rapids, for teens on more aggressive Class 3-4 rapids, and half-day trips on mild whitewater in guided rafts or inflatable kayaks for kids ages 5 and up. The dam controlled Deerfield River has spectacular scenery, rich history, and frequent sightings of bald eagles, beavers and other critters are common. All trips are led by family members with a personal touch and feature great food and service plus excellent equipment and knowledgeable guides. You’ll find the riverside base camp to be comfortable and convenient.

Summer Shopping 500x250 - Destination Plymouth - Plymouth, MA

See Plymouth

4 North Street Plymouth, MA, 02360 Phone: 508-747-0100 Toll-Free: 800-872-1620

History is just the beginning!

In Plymouth, we’re well known for our role in American history, but history is just the beginning of what you’ll find when you visit! Plymouth is the perfect blend of fun family attractions and educational historic sites. In fair weather you’ll find whale watching, harbor cruises, lobster excursions and pirate adventures. The Waterfront is also home to Jet Ski and kayak rentals as well as the full-scale reproduction of the Mayflower II. In fall and winter enjoy the foliage or stay warm with a visit to an historic home or museum, ride the train through miles of cranberry bogs at Edaville USA, or cozy up to the fireside at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum depicting life in Plymouth in 1627. Remember to take advantage of all the fabulous dining available in Plymouth too!

Pilgrim Hall Museum

75 Court Street Plymouth, MA, 02360 Phone: 508-746-1620

The possessions and artifacts of the Pilgrims tell the story of brave and determined families

PILGRIM HALL, built in 1824, is a gallery museum in the center of historic Plymouth, Massachusetts. The nation’s oldest continuously–operating public museum, Pilgrim Hall houses an unmatched collection of Pilgrim possessions. Among its irreplaceable treasures are William Bradford’s Bible, Myles Standish’s sword, the only portrait of a Pilgrim (Edward Winslow) painted from life, the cradle of New England’s first–born, Peregrine White, the great chair of William Brewster, and the earliest sampler made in America, embroidered by the teenage daughter of Myles Standish.

Colony Place

174 Colony Place Plymouth, MA, 02360 Phone: 508-746-7663

The largest outdoor shopping and entertainment center in the region

An exceptionally designed lifestyle destination for the entire family, Colony Place has more of what you want. And all in one place. With special events, specialty retail, restaurants, home furnishings, services, electronics and even groceries. Colony Place is located ½ way between Boston and Cape Cod just off Route 3.

Download the free app to enjoy great savings at over 25 stores and restaurants every time you shop or dine.

Springfield Museums & Dr Seuss Nat’l Memorial Sculpture Garden

21 Edwards Street Springfield, MA, 01103 Phone: 413-263-6800

The Springfield Museums consists of five institutions at one location: the D'Amour Museum of Fine Arts, the Smith Art Museum, the Springfield Science Museum, the Connecticut Valley Historical Museum and the Museum of Springfield History. In addition, the property includes the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden, with life-size statues of Springfield native Dr. Seuss and his favorite characters including Horton, the Grinch and the Lorax.
IN the five art, science and historical museums, guests can find Samurai armor and weaponry; an internationally-acclaimed collection of Oriental bronze, jade and porcelain; intricate Middle Eastern rugs; fine American and European paintings and sculpture; a savannah of animals in the R.E. Phelon African Hall; Dinosaur Hall with its towering Tyrannosaurus Rex; Astronomy Hall complete with a planetarium; and exhibits about Connecticut River Valley history. Curriculum-based tours and programs are available.

Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield MA-credit-Explore Western Mass and Greater Springfield CVB

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

1000 Hall of Fame Avenue Springfield, MA Phone: 877-446-6752

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is home to more than 300 inductees and more than 40,000 square feet of basketball history. Hundreds of interactive exhibits share the spotlight with skills challenges, live clinics, and shooting contests. Basketball fans will find exhibits, interactive kiosks, memorabilia, and hands-on activities. Children and adults can spend the day in the 80,000-square-foot facility shooting baskets on a regulation court, measuring their skills against sports legends in an interactive game. Kids are invited to coaches’ clinics on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Hours vary by season

Cape Cod National Seashore

Salt Pond Visitor Center at Nauset Road and Route 6 Eastham, MA, 02642 Phone: 508-255-3421

Magnificent national park encompasses all shoreline and interior features of Cape Cod

This national park offers a full summer’s worth of fun for people of all ages. Six ocean beaches (lifeguarded) offer play in the surf; there are many walking and biking paths through inlands dunes, woodlands, and around cranberry bogs and small freshwater “kettle” ponds. Explore the first lighthouses in the country (commissioned by President George Washington). Historic sites, like the place where the first trans-Atlantic telegraph was sent.
See full description for Cape Cod National Seashore.

Boston Harbor Islands National Park Area

Islands in Boston Harbor, and easy ferry ride from downtown. Swimming, hiking, picnicking. A fun day trip

Let yourself slip back in time with guided lighthouse tours (June-October) and ranger-narrated Discovery and Sunset Cruises (summer). There are also frequent special events and activities held on some islands for people of all ages. Sail the waters that conceal old shipwrecks and histories of war, pirates, and spooks! Find a ferry to the islands.
See Boston Harbor Islands for full description of this park.

Franklin County Chamber of Commerce

5 Main Street Greenfield, MA, 01301 Phone: 413-773-5463

Downshift off Interstate 91 and travel one of the country's original highways - through the surprisingly unspoiled time warp that is Franklin County. Its countryside is beautiful, its history rich and its culture eclectic. Franklin County is the most rural county in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and it shows! Farms, Farms, and valleys form our historic villages and bustling towns. There is so much to do here - in our fine museums, educational institutions, and cultural centers - but most of all, in our great outdoors! If you like New England, you'll love Franklin County!

Rockport Chamber of Commerce

22 Broadway Rockport, MA, 01966 Phone: 978-546-6575 Toll-Free: 888-726-3922

Fall in love with Rockport

Rockport, Massachusetts is a charming seaside village on Cape Ann; an hour North of Boston by car or train. This historic Art Colony is home to a number of internationally acclaimed artists and photographers along with their galleries. Rockport also offers numerous unique shops, restaurants, and accommodations, and boasts a magnificent rocky coastline. It is known for fresh seafood and world-renowned "Motif #1". Rockport further delights with its seven beaches, a state park, coastal walks, bird and whale watching, kayaking, scenic day and evening sailing tours, golf, diving and a number of historical attractions. Rockport harbor is listed as one of the top 10 most scenic places in the country by Walt Disney Productions. Come visit scenic Rockport, you'll be glad you did!

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