MASSACHUSETTS: THE BAY STATE
In Discover New England The Guide (2007)

Ever since the Pilgrims arrived in New England, Massachusetts and its capital, Boston, have been at the heart of the action: the first university (Harvard) and the start of both the political and industrial revolutions. Even the cultural revolution started here, led by writers such as Thoreau and Emerson. The Bay State stretches from the Atlantic, with Cape Cod and the rocky North Shore, past the broad Connecticut River valley to the rolling Berkshire Hills. Attractive villages are everywhere, both inland and by the sea.

My kind of town
At the tip of Cape Cod is Provincetown, a popular resort with beaches and whale watching. Crammed with inns, galleries, restaurants and bars, it has a Bohemian atmosphere, with a long-established community of artists and writers. On the island of Martha’s Vineyard, elegant Edgartown boasts brick sidewalks and the handsome homes of sea captains, many dating from the early 19th-century. Yet, this is no museum: there are lively pubs and cafés, the harbour is crammed with yachts and the shopping is city chic. Walk to the lighthouse, visit the old churches and then cycle off to the beach.

Somewhere special
Just west of Boston are Lexington and Concord, famous as the towns where the American Revolution began. Photograph the statue of Captain John Parker on Lexington Green, delve into the background at The Minute Man National Historical Park, then head for the classic town of Concord, again with a village green, to visit the nearby homes of 19th-century writers such as Louisa May Alcott (Little Women) and Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter).

Highways and byways
North of Boston, the towns and villages of the North Shore and Cape Ann have familiar names. But, this Manchester has a Singing Beach; Essex is known for antiques and fried clams; Ipswich has houses dating back to 1640; and Gloucester is the fishing port that inspired the film, The Perfect Storm, and offers whale watching trips. Don’t miss Marblehead, with its yachts, Newburyport’s historic homes or pretty Rockport, an American St Ives. As well as its famous Salem Witch Museum, the historic town of Salem also boasts two other unique attractions. The Peabody Essex Museum is not only America’s oldest museum, but thanks to a stylish extension, one of its best. With its costumed interpreters, The House of the Seven Gables offers an insight into everything from naval history and architecture to literature in what was author Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birthplace 200 years ago.

Culture club
You are never far from a top-class gallery. Apart from Boston, art lovers head for Williamstown, for the world-class Clark Art Institute and the Williams College Museum. Nearby, in North Adams, MASS MoCA showcases contemporary works in America’s largest arts centre, while Salem, Springfield and Worcester all have fine museums. New Bedford, with its Whaling Museum links directly to Herman Melville, author of Moby-Dick. The Berkshire Hills are renowned for their summer-long programmes of dance, theatre and, in particular, the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s classical concerts at Tanglewood, near Lenox.

Only in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has two of America’s best living history museums. Between Boston and Cape Cod is Plimoth Plantation (Plymouth), where latter-day Pilgrim families recreate life as it was in 1627. In central Massachusetts, the era is the 1830s in Old Sturbridge Village (Sturbridge), with craftsmen and farmers hard at work. By contrast, 330-year-old Historic Deerfield is real, with 65 lovingly-preserved 18th- and 19th-century houses, several open to the public.

Away from it all
The name is a clue: the Mohawk Trail. Once a Native American route through the Berkshire Hills, this is now a 100-mile drive, particularly stunning in autumn. Between Shirley and Williamstown, you can find local crafts in Shelburne Falls, with its Bridge of Flowers; photograph the famous Hail to the Sunrise statue; puzzle over a hamlet called Florida; and stop by fine museums in North Adams and Williamstown. To the south, Stockbridge, with its much-photographed white fences, wooden homes and 1773 inn, is an ideal base for exploring the Berkshire Hills.

Fascinating facts
British visitors love the rural charm of the 47-mile-long Blackstone River Valley, winners of the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s first-ever Ulysses Award for Innovation in Tourism Destination (2006). Slanting south-east from Worcester into Rhode Island, this was the birthplace of America’s Industrial Revolution back in 1790, when waterpower was used to spin cotton. Follow the story in restored buildings, such as River Bend Farm, the Museum of Work and Culture and Slater Mill. You can even stay on a canal boat B&B! Invention is second nature in Massachusetts. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell developed the telephone, and out at Gloucester, one Clarence Birdseye launched the frozen food industry in 1924 – that’s how those Bird’s Eye fish fingers were born. The future has always been just around the corner, thanks to leading edge medical and computer technology: anaesthetics and kidney transplants, microwave ovens and even the @ in emails all come from the Bay State!