With the arrival of autumn, color and warm scents fill the air of the Greater Merrimack Valley, making it the ideal destination for those seeking to explore the outdoors, visit a site that made history, have fun at a festival or just stroll through shops and galleries. You’ll find all of that and more in this vibrant region in northern Massachusetts, home to Lowell and Concord, MA and more than 20 other unique and welcoming towns and villages. Whether you want to reconnect with the Revolution by visiting Concord’s North Bridge or Lexington Battle Green or float down a canal at Lowell National Historical Park; shop in outdoor markets or artist studios; listen to a symphony, a rock concert or folk music; dine on ethnic food or lobster rolls – you’ll discover you have welcoming hosts in the artists, farmers, entrepreneurs, restaurateurs and residents of the Greater Merrimack Valley.
Foliage season in the Greater Merrimack Valley is a great time for hiking, boating, fishing and visiting farms and gardens. You'll also find many outstanding opportunities for shopping - Cities like Lowell and Concord, MA feature bustling downtown areas with a mix of local boutiques, antique shops, and national retailers, and local farmstands will have the fruits of the year's harvest on display, along with locally-produced goods using their bounty.
The Merrimack Valley is home to dozens of galleries, theaters, studios, and concert halls. Organizations like the Lowell Philharmonic Orchestra and the Lexington Symphony perform music throughout the year. There is something in the Greater Merrimack Valley for every type of art enthusiast, whether you prefer consuming the arts or creating your own. Visitors can take music lessons via the Groton Hill Music Center or a ceramics workshop at Pottery Mill Clay Studio.
The Greater Merrimack Valley is home to some of the most important historical sites in New England history, including the Minute Man National Historical Park, birthplace of the American Revolution, in Concord. Moreover, the Lowell National Historical Park preserves the beginnings of America’s Industrial Revolution. Other notable sites include Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House and the historical homes of Lexington.
The Merrimack Valley is also sprinkled with several amazing museums – the Fruitlands Museum, the Museum of Printing, and the Whistler House Museum of Art, to name a few. Visitor centers in Concord and Lexington, MA are friendly places where you can learn more about the start of the American Revolution and its impact on early Americans. The centers can direct you to just where iconic events occurred nearly 250 years ago. Many of them are within easy walking distance.
For everyone who appreciates America’s classic authors, many of them lived and wrote from their historic homes and estates in the Greater Merrimack Valley. Such icons of writing as Henry David Thoreau, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Jack Kerouac all practiced their literary craft here, drawing inspiration from the Valley’s rich beauty and hard-working inhabitants. You are sure to be inspired touring the grounds where they walked and the homes where they composed.
Throughout the Greater Merrimack Valley, you'll find a wide variety of lodgings including classic New England inns and bed & breakfasts, to luxurious upscale resorts, to hotels that serve families, day trippers or business travelers. Many such places will also offer on-site dining, from traditional New England fare to meals prepared by nationally-known culinary leaders.
Depending on the reason for your visit, you might lean toward a more romantic lodging experience like at the Chateau Merrimack, a landmark historic hotel like Concord’s Colonial Inn, or one of the 418 recently-renovated rooms at the luxurious Boston Marriott Burlington. Wherever you decide to stay, you will inevitably be close to plenty of the Merrimack Valley’s delicious breweries and restaurants. Lowell, especially, is home to some of the region’s best food. Be sure to check out Cobblestones, Four Sisters Owl Diner, and Athenian Corner Restaurant.
For food enthusiasts, the Greater Merrimack Valley presents a diverse culinary scene, with a wide range of cuisines to satisfy any palate. Local restaurants, cafes, farms, and food trucks offer everything – classic New England seafood, international dishes, farm-to table dining, prepared meals – ensuring there's something for everyone to enjoy.
You’ll find it all here in Greater Merrimack Valley. To make your own history and your perfect summer adventure here in Greater Merrimack Valley, visit merrimackvalley.org for more information.
