Massachusetts mountains and nature centers are primed for outdoor adventure

Massachusetts > State > Outdoor Activities > Outdoor Adventures

The beauty of nature in the Berkshires Mountains of western Massachusetts – think, for example, of the views from Mount Greylock – gets the heart racing, especially for people who love to throw themselves into the outdoors to play. Ski mountains in the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley will keep the whole family – from kids to grandparents – busy and tired during cold-weather and warm-weather vacations. Naturally, the ski areas will have snow sports and lessons and rentals. In the summer and fall foliage seasons, come to enjoy zip lines and canopy tours and other aerial adventures, mountain coasters and mountain biking, white water rafting, and water sports. Tired muscles? It is not hard to find a spa with massage and fitness rooms, and game rooms for the kids.

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Distinctive Inns of New England

Luxurious Accommodations throughout New England , CT Phone:

Massachusetts inns are in the heart of fun outdoor activities from strolls to sails

There are so many things to do outside in Massachusetts – and three lovely inns are in the heart of it all. The Deerfield Inn is the perfect place to launch a tour of this historic area, visiting the Hancock Shaker Village or Sturbridge Village. Explore Cape Cod from your fireplaced room or suite at The Captain’s House Inn in Chatham. Nearby activities include fabulous beaches, the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge, Chatham Lighthouse and fish pier. Stroll the shops and galleries of Marblehead’s harbor district after you check in to the Harbor Light Inn, close to everything from whale-watching, harbor cruises and fishing charters to historic sites like Fort Sewall and Old Burial Hill. You can also rent paddle boards and arrange for private sailing charters.

Autumn Boat River - Old Sturbridge Village - Sturbridge, MA

Old Sturbridge Inn & Reeder Family Lodges

369 Main Street Sturbridge, MA, 01566 Phone: 774-304-1011

Let this outdoor living history museum help you launch your 1830s adventure

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

Begin your 19th century adventure at Old Sturbridge Village, the largest outdoor living history museum in the Northeast. Go back in time to a New England rural village, circa 1830, as you stroll by shops, schoolhouses, a cider mill, printing office, bank and other historic homes and buildings. Costumed historians demonstrate everything from how the sawmill operated and how cooking was accomplished to how shoes (human and horse) were made. Many displays are currently outside. At the farm, animals – sheep, cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys – await your visit. There are gardens to admire, covered bridges to enjoy, and nature trails offer walks through pastures, woodland and along the banks of the Quinebaug River.

American Heritage Museum

568 Main Street Hudson, MA, 01749 Phone: 978-562-9182

Learn to drive a tank under the auspices of the American Heritage Museum

The museum is now open! Wednesdays-Sundays from 10am-5pm. Advance ticketing is preferred - Please call or visit our website.

If you’re amazed at the collection of tanks assembled at the American Heritage Museum in Stowe, prepare to be doubly amazed at the museum’s tank training grounds in Hudson, where you can actually learn to drive one. The Tank Driving Experience Program lets you feel what it was like to drive an M24 Chaffee Light Tank, used in World War II and Korea, or the famous M4 Sherman Medium Tank, the workhorse of the Army during World War II. Instructors will lead you through basic procedures and driving skills in a one- or two-hour program, then you will be ready to drive the tank. At the end of the immersive program, you’ll have a greater appreciation for what went into maneuvering these metal beasts.

Whitewater Splash 500x250 - Crab Apple Whitewater - Charlemont, MA

Crab Apple Whitewater (MA)

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

Family Owned and Operated Whitewater Rafting Outfitter

Add whitewater rafting to your outdoor adventures this year. Crab Apple offers outings on the Deerfield River in Massachusetts and the Kennebec and Dead Rivers in Maine. You’ll enjoy full day rafting trips on mild Class 1-3 rapids or more aggressive Class 3-4 rapids. Or take a mild half-day trip in guided rafts or inflatable kayaks. Friendly and knowledgeable guides share information and stories about local history, wildlife and hydrology all with a personal touch. There’s great food and excellent equipment. Maine location includes riverside lodging, pub and heated pool. Massachusetts location sits along historic Mohawk Trail.

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Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort

37 Corey Road -- Route 43 Hancock, MA, 01237 Phone: 413-738-5500 Toll-Free: 800-882-8859

Outdoor adventures at every turn at this scenic resort in the Northern Berkshires

There’s an outdoor adventure everywhere you turn at the Jiminy Peak Mountain Resort in the beautiful Berkshires. There’s great skiing for all abilities, of course, on 45 trails, three exciting snowboarding parks and a network of snowshoeing trails. At the Mountain Adventure Park, there’s an alpine roller coaster and alpine slide (you control the speed for each), a giant swing, rock-climbing wall, Euro Bungy Trampoline and Kid Climb ropes course. Over at the Aerial Adventure Park, nestled in the forests surrounding the resort, is a self-guided elevated ropes course through the trees, complete with rope bridges, swinging logs, zip lines and cargo nets. Plenty of places to eat at this scenic resort, or just to relax with a cocktail or craft brew.

Discover Quincy

Adams National Historical Park Visitor Center - 1250 Hancock Street Quincy, MA, 02169 Phone: 617-471-1700

Revel in this city’s history, recreation spots and natural surroundings

With 27 miles of coastline, including 11 beautiful beaches and miles of trails bordering rivers and marshes, Quincy is all about the outdoors. But there’s plenty of fun away from the water, too, since the city also boasts 52 parks, three golf courses, baseball fields, tennis and bocce courts, bike and jogging trails and a plethora of picnic places. Launch your boat off the public ramp at Houghs Neck Maritime Center, pitch your umbrella on spacious Wollaston Beach, go birding or rock-climbing at Blue Hills Reservation or check out the Boston skyline from the Neponset River Walk. Even the city’s history is outdoors, including a Native American campsite at Moswetuset Hummock and the site where Abigail Adams watched the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Campfire Treats - Briarclif Motel - Great Barrington, MA

Briarcliff Motel

Route 7 - 306 Stockbridge Road Great Barrington, MA, 01230 Phone: 413-528-3000

Berkshires inn a great headquarters for a huge variety of outdoor adventures

Outdoor fun begins at The Briarcliff Motel and extends into the beautiful, breathtaking Berkshires. At the inn, at the foot of Monument Mountain, there are lawns suitable for volleyball, badminton and lawn darts. Hop in the car and take a short drive to every outdoor adventure you can imagine: hiking, kayaking, skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, swimming and golf. There are trails perfect for mountain biking and easy cycling, nature preserves and parks where you can hike all day or do a short, relaxing loop through meadows. Go tubing down a mountain or ziplining through a forest canopy. Canoe along the shores of a pond or whoosh through river rapids. Come back to the inn to relax in your comfy room, with plush-top mattresses, wifi and refrigerator.

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Charles River west of Boston

via properties of Trustees of Reservations Milllis, Medfield, Needham, MA Phone: 508-785-0339

The Charles River west of Boston is a welcoming place for kayakers and canoeists. Several nature preserves run by the Trustees of Reservations along this 20-mile paddling route allow you to touch land, explore, and have a picnic. You can put in at Cedariver , a former farm in Millis, which has a state-run boat launch. Map.
Moving downstream, paddlers encounter Shattuck Reservation, which is old pasture land, with nice views and trails. map. Next, watch for Bridge Island Meadows, accessible only when the water is flowing in Bogastow Brook. Map.
Next on Charles River float is Rocky Narrows in Medfield, with incomparable views of the Charles River as it winds between granite walls. Peters Reservation in Dover, has a mix of natural flora, designed landscape and plantings, and two miles of trails.
Take out can be at Charles River Peninsula in Needham, a great picnic spot surrounded on three sides by the river, with access to a state-run boat launch. Map. It is about a 20-mile float from Cedariver to the Charles River Peninsula -- prepare accordingly and take a map!

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