Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Harbor on Tudor Wharf
34-44 Charles River Avenue
Boston, MA  02129
Phone: 617-242-9000
Toll-Free: 866-296-2297
Fax: 617-242-5554

History at your doorstep

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The Residence Inn by Marriott Boston Harbor on Tudor Wharf is Boston's premier all-suite, waterfront hotel. Nestled in historic Charlestown, Massachusetts, the hotel is conveniently located a half-mile from downtown Boston. Embrace the best of both worlds as you enjoy easy access to the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston's world-renowned hospitals and the scenic waterfront while surrounded by all of the comforts of home. All 168 of our spacious suites feature full kitchens and complimentary high-speed and wireless Internet access. A daily hot breakfast buffet is included in the price of each guest suite! Enjoy lunch or dinner at the waterfront Harborwalk Cafe on Tudor Wharf, or relax in our indoor heated pool and spa. Corporate or social functions of up to 300 guests can also be hosted on our Pier overlooking Boston Harbor.

Rockport, Massachusetts

The flavor of old New England

Located on the tip of Northeastern Massachusetts, eight miles out in the ocean with over 13 miles of natural Atlantic coastline is Rockport. Settled in 1639, incorporated in 1840, Rockport is known for its winding streets, fine old houses, stone wharfs, sandy beaches, art galleries, museums, shops, fine restaurants and distinctive inns. Enjoy the sight of the sailboats sailing in the breeze; explore Halibut Point State Park, or a walk along Atlantic Coastline, stroll historic Bearskin Neck or listen to wonderful musical concerts. With the flavor of old New England, Rockport is a place of unpretentious, informal and relaxing living. Come visit "a crown jewel of the Massachusetts coastline", only 45 minutes north of Boston.

Saybrook Point Inn
Two Bridge Street
Old Saybrook, CT  06475
Phone: 860-395-2000
Toll-Free: 800-243-0212
Fax: 860-388-1504

Celebrating Over 130 Years Of Hospitality

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The tranquil waterfront elegance of Saybrook Point Inn & Spa is just one welcoming feature of this spectacular New England treasure. As a guest of our Connecticut luxury hotel you'll enjoy an abundance of thoughtful comforts - from private spa treatments and a state-of-the-art health club to wireless Internet access and flawless event support. Enjoy a soothing dip in our heated outdoor pool. Sample gourmet cuisine, surrounded by stunning views of Long Island Sound, in Terra Mar Restaurant, our AAA Four Diamond restaurant. Sneak off to the spa for a indulgent deep-tissue massage or a rejuvenating steam. Leave the usual New England luxury hotels behind and enter the realm of the extraordinary with a pampering array of features.
Discover the magnificence of the New England waterfront at Saybrook Point Inn & Spa. Overlooking Long Island Sound for over 130 years, this storied retreat showcases a breathtaking blend of historic elegance and modern luxury.

Scenic Drives Massachusetts

Berkshires Region

Williamstown, Mohawk Trail and Savoy State Forest Loop ---------- (55 miles)

-- Via Williamstown, North Adams, Charlemont, Shelburne Falls, Greenfield, Drury, Savoy Center, Adams, North Adams, Williamstown

■ Williamstown is the starting place for a tour of the northern section of Berkshire County. Starting from Williamstown, proceed east on Route 2 into and through North Adams. Natural Bridge State Park is located east of North Adams off Route 2 and 8. This natural bridge of white marble was created by the waters of Hudson Brook.
■ East of North Adams, Route 2 is also named the Mohawk Trail. The road follows the old trail Native Americans of the Five Nations used to pass between the Connecticut and Hudson Valleys. First point of interest on the trail is the Hairpin Turn, where the trail rises sharply to the Western Summit. There is an observation point to view the mountains of southern Vermont and northwestern Massachusetts, including Mount Greylock, Mount Prospect, and Mount Williams.
■ Continuing on Route 2 / Mohawk Trail, the next stop is Whitcomb Summit, the top of the trail, with an elevation of 2,173 feet.
■ Further along, the trail crosses a bridge and turns sharply to the left. Another road leads to the right. Here the visitor has a choice of three routes.
■ The first is to continue along the Mohawk Trail to Charlemont, Shelburne Falls, and Greenfield.
■ The second is to retrace the route back to North Adams.
■ The third is to turn into Savoy Mountain State Forest for a visit to Tannery Falls. To reach Tannery Falls, pass through Drury on Route 2, then turn right on Black Brook Road, right on Adams Road, and left on Bannis Road into Savoy Center.
■ From Savoy Center, proceed west on Route 116 to Adams. Pass through Adams and head northbound on Route 8 to North Adams.
■ Also, East Road, which runs parallel to Route 8 from Adams to North Adams, gives a commanding view of Greylock Mountain, towering over Adams, a charming Victorian town with an elegantly restored Main Street.
■ To complete the tour, turn west on Route 2 when leaving North Adams and return to Williamstown.

Nearby Points of Interest:

♦ Williamstown -- Williams College Museum of Art, 15 Lawrence Hall Drive, 413-597-2429
♦ North Adams -- MASS MoCA, 1040 Mass MoCA Way, 413-MoCA-111
♦ North Adams -- Western Gateway Heritage State Park, 115 State Street, 413 663-6312

Jacob's Ladder Trail From Westfield to Lee (Route 20) ---------- (33. miles)

-- The Jacob's Ladder Trail originated centuries ago when people from the Mohican and Woronoake tribes walked between Connecticut and the Hudson River Valleys. Extending through the Berkshire Hills, it is one of the most beautiful roads in the United States.

■ Travel Route 20 from Westfield to Russell, Huntington, Chester, West Beckett, ending at Lee

Nearby Points of Interest:

♦ Westfield -- Stanley Park , 400 Western Avenue, 413-568-9312
♦ Lee -- October Mountain State Forest, 317 Woodland Road, 877-422-6762

Boston Region

Boston Revolutionary History Trail ---------- 125 miles

-- This drive in eastern Massachusetts starting in Boston and traveling west and then northwest, takes visitors through sites of the American Revolution at Boston, Cambridge, Lexington, and Concord, and scenes of the American industrial revolution, at mills along Merrimack River at Lowell and Lawrence.

■ Start in Boston and take Route 3 across the Charles River in the adjacent city of Cambridge
■ Leaving Cambridge, follow Massachusetts Avenue (Route 2A) into Arlington
■ From Arlington, continue on Route 2A into Lexington
■ From Lexington, take Route 2A into Concord
■ Leaving Concord, take Route 126 south to Wayland
■ In Wayland, pick up Route 20 (the Mohawk Trail) headed west
■ About five miles west of Wayland, take the turnoff to the Wayside Inn
■ Backtrack to Wayland along Route 20 and take Route 27 north to Sudbury and Maynard
■At Maynard, head west on Route 117 toward Stow and Bolton
■At Bolton, take the Harvard/Bolton Road into the town of Harvard
■ From Harvard, follow Littleton Road and King Street into Littleton
■ From Littleton, follow Route 110 northeast through Chelmsford to Lowell
■ Leaving Lowell, follow Route 110 east along the Merrimack River to Lawrence

Nearby Points of Interest:

♦ Boston – Freedom Trail , The Boston Common, 617-357-8300
♦ Boston – Faneuil Hall, 1 Faneuil Hall Square, 617-635-3105
♦ Charlestown -- U.S.S. Constitution, Charlestown Navy Yard, 617-426-1812
♦ Cambridge -- Harvard Square , Brattle Street, 617-491-3434
♦ Lexington -- Minute Man National Historical Park, 174 Liberty Street, 978-369-6993
♦ Concord -- North Bridge
♦ Concord – Walden Pond, 915 Walden Street, 978-369-3254
♦ Sudbury -- Wayside Inn , 72 Wayside Inn Road, 978-443-1776
♦ Harvard -- Fruitlands Museums , 102 Prospect Hill Road, 978-456-3924
♦ Lowell -- Lowell National Historical Park , 67 Kirk Street, 978-970-5000
♦ Lawrence -- Lawrence Heritage State Park, 1 Jackson Street, 978-794-1655

Cape Cod Region

Old King's Highway (Route 6A) through Cape Cod ----- 34 miles

-- Travelers on Old King's Highway, Route 6A can see hundreds of historic sites. These range from sea captain houses, to pilgrim churches, to other historic buildings. Other points of interest include cranberry bogs, salt marshes, and preserved farmlands. The present day byway was once an Indian trade route, traveled on for thousands of years. When the pilgrims arrived, they used it for their carts and wagons, which widened the path. This byway is also well suited for bicyclists. It often follows along the coast.

■ From the Sagamore Bridge, take Route 6A, the Old King's Highway, which winds through the historic villages of Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster and Orleans.

Nearby Points of Interest:

♦ Sandwich -- Heritage Museums & Gardens , 67 Grove Street at Pine and Grove Streets, 508-888-3300
♦ Sandwich -- Sandwich Glass Museum, 129 Main Street, 508-888-0251
♦ Brewster -- Nickerson State Park, 3488 Main Street / Route 6A, 877-422-6762
♦ Brewster -- Cape Cod Museum of Natural History , 869 Route 6A, 800-479-3867
♦ Eastham -- Nauset Light Beach (Cape Cod National Seashore), Ocean View Drive, 508-349-3785
♦ Dennis -- Cape Cod Museum of Art, Route 6A, 508-385-4477
♦ Eastham -- Nauset Light , Ocean View Drive, 508-240-2612

Central Massachusetts Region

Route 128 to Quabbin Reservoir through Apple Country

-- Enjoy superb color at a relaxed pace when you drive along the less frequently traveled routes to the Quabbin Reservoir. This route begins near the town of Waltham on Route 128, the right road that surrounds Boston and its western suburbs. The route travels westward through farm and orchard country to the Quabbin Reservoir in the heart of Central Massachusetts via Waltham, Stow, Hudson, Berlin, Clinton, Sterling, Princeton, North Rutland, Barre, Barre Plains, Hardwick, Templeton, Gardner, Ashburnham, Ashby, Townsend, Littleton.

■ Starting on Route 128 near the town of Waltham, follow Route 117 to Stow.
■ Take Route 62 in a southwesterly direction through the towns of Hudson, Berlin, Clinton, and Sterling, arriving in Princeton
■ Turn north on Mountain Road to Wachusett Mountain Reservation. There you can drive, hike or take a skyride (check on scheduling) to the summit for a sweeping view of the countryside
■ Return to Route 62 and head west through North Rutland to Barre
■ From Barre, take South Street through the town of Barre Plains, to Barre Road to the town of Hardwick
■ Turn north on Route 32A, which runs along the Quabbin Reservoir to Petersham.
■ At Petersham follow Route 101 East through Templeton, Gardner and Ashburnham to the junction with Route 119
■. Head east on Route 119 through the Willard Brook State Forest in Ashby and Townsend
■ Follow route 119 back to I 495 near Littleton

Nearby Points of Interest:

♦ Princeton -- Wachusett Mountain State Reservation, Mountain Road, 978-464-2987
♦ Belchertown – Quabbin Reservoir and Visitor Center, 485 Ware Road (Route 9), 413-323-7221

North of Boston Region

Essex National Heritage Area Scenic Byway ---------- (24 miles)

-- The 24-mile Essex National Heritage Area Scenic Byway is a showcase for New England’s historic seaports, Colonial era farms, village centers, and period architecture. Set against the backdrop of The Great Marsh, New England's largest salt marsh, the byway traverses six communities and is anchored at each end by the cities of Gloucester, a large active fishing community founded in 1623, and Newburyport, a historic shipbuilding and trade port. Along the way the route passes through Essex, a small community with extensive farmland, woodlots, marsh views, and a thriving antiques trade.

■ Start in the city of Gloucester at the intersection of Routes 127 and 133. Travel northerly along Route 133 through the town of Essex and into the town of Ipswich
■ Merge with Massachusetts Route 1A. Follow Route 1A northerly through the towns of Ipswich, Rowley, and Newbury, and into the city of Newburyport, terminating on High Street and the Newburyport downtown loop.

Nearby Points of Interest:

♦ Gloucester -- Maritime Heritage Center, 23 Harbor Loop, 978-281-0470
♦ Gloucester -- Annisquam Light, Wigwam Point, 978-281-8865
♦ Essex -- Essex Shipbuilding Museum, 66 Main Street, 978-768-7541
♦ Ipswich -- Castle Hill, 290 Argilla Road, 978-356-4351
♦ Newburyport -- Custom House Maritime Museum, 25 Water Street, 978-462-8681
♦ Newburyport – Parker River Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island, 978-465-5753

South of Boston Region

South Shore from Quincy to Fall River ---------- (100 miles)

-- This drive coasts along Cape Cod Bay and Buzzards Bay, passing by the historic town of Plymouth and through cranberry farming country and lots of whaling and seafaring history. Via Quincy, Cohasset, Scituate, Marshfield, Duxbury, Plymouth, Wareham, New Bedford, and Fall River.

■ Starting from the town of Quincy, travel south on Route 3A, a road from Colonial times that hugs the shore past or through the towns of Cohasset, Scituate, Marshfield, Duxbury, and Plymouth
■ Leaving Plymouth, the drive continues in a southwesterly direction via Route 44 to Route 58 and Route 28 to Wareham, on Buzzards Bay
■ Follow Route 6 south and west along Buzzards Bay through Marion, Mattapoisett and Fairhaven to New Bedford
■ continue on Route 6 to the city of Fall River

Nearby Points of Interest:

♦ Quincy -- Adams National Historic Site, 1250 Hancock Street, 617- 770- 1175
♦ Plymouth -- Cranberry World Visitor Center, 225 Water Street, 508- 747-2350
♦ Plymouth -- Plymouth Rock, Water Street, 508-830-1620
♦ Plymouth -- Plimoth Plantation, Plimoth Plantation Hwy, 508-746-1622
♦ New Bedford -- New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, 508-997-0046
♦ Fall River – Battleship Cove, 5 Water Street, 508-678-1100

New Bedford to Plymouth through Cranberry Country

-- Via New Bedford, Rochester, Lakeville, Bridgewater, Kingston, Plymouth, Halifax, Carver, Wareham.

■ Leaving New Bedford and driving east on I-195, take the exit for Route 105.
■ Travel north through Rochester, past the Quittacas ponds, Long Pond and Assawompset Pond to Lakeville.
■ Leave Lakeville by going north on Routes 28 / 18 to Bridgewater.
■ In Bridgewater pick up Route 104 to Route 106 going east. You can take this all the way to the shoreline town of Kingston, just north of historic Plymouth.
■ Or just before Halifax turn right on to Route 58 South, which will take you through Carver and to I-495 just outside of Wareham.

Nearby Points of Interest:

♦ New Bedford -- New Bedford Whaling Museum, 18 Johnny Cake Hill, 508-997-0046
♦ Carver -- Flax Pond Farms, Pond Street, 508-866-3654.
♦ Plymouth -- Cranberry World Visitor Center, 225 Water Street, 508- 747-2350
♦ Plymouth -- Plimoth Plantation, Plimoth Plantation Hwy, 508-746-1622

Shui Spa At Crowne Pointe
82 Bradford Street
Provincetown, MA  02657
Phone: 508-487-6767 x525
Fax: 508-487-5554

Indulge, you deserve it!

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This elegant spa is located at the Crowne Pointe Historic Inn, a AAA Four Diamond Intimate 40 Room Inn. The spa offers guests a tranquil, intimate environment featuring full service treatment rooms with innovative Murad Inc. and Bath Bloomers Products and licensed therapists. At the center of the spa is a therapy tub set in a relaxing understated meditative environment. The space is intimate and unisex and the facilities include a lounge area, as well as a sauna and steam room. The spa also features a finishing area for manicures and pedicures as well as a retail area for you to take your spa experience home with you. Services range from hot rock massage, to a full line of facials and body wraps.

Solid Sound Festival
MassMOCA, 87 Marshall Street
North Adams, MA

August 13 - 15, 2010

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Wilco will be headlining and curating the Solid Sound Festival at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, featuring performers such as Vetiver, The Books, Avi Buffalo, Mavis Staples, and several of Wilco’s side-projects. The weekend also includes comedy, theatre, and admission to all of MassMOCA’s art exhibits. Time: Friday, 8 p.m. - midnight; Saturday, 1 p.m. - midnight; Sunday, 1 - 8 p.m. Cost: $91 per weekend pass. Information: visit www.solidsoundfestival.com.

Southeastern Massachusetts Convention & Visitors Bureau
70 North Second Street
New Bedford, MA  02741
Phone: 508-997-1250
Toll-Free: 800-288-6263
Fax: 508-997-9090

Beaches, Dining, Wineries, Maritime History and Entertainment await you.

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A great destination for a getaway or a family vacation. Explore two port cities rich in maritime and industrial heritage. Visit the Whaling Museum, Seamen’s Bethel, Battleship Cove and the Marine Museum. Enjoy live performances at Zeiterion Theatre and the Comcast Center. Enjoy our charming seaside towns along Buzzards Bay. Tour our wineries, visit our museums, take a stroll or a swim at one of our beautiful beaches and go shopping. From unique to boutique to antique, add factory outlets, and you’re sure to find a bargain in Southeastern Massachusetts. You’ll also find an array of lodging choices from full service hotels to cozy B&Bs. Seafood is king in the nation’s number one fishing port – add 2 culinary schools and dining is a delight!

Stevens Farm Inn
749 Old Cold Brook Road
Barre, MA  01005
Phone: 978-355-2227
Fax: 978-355-2234

Award for the Oldest Working Farm - Mass Department of Food & Agriculture. Hospitality Award winner - Mass Governor's Conference on Travel & Tourism

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Circa 1789. Family Friendly. Guests enjoy an old-fashioned country experience at Stevens Farm. The 18th-century farmhouse has been in the innkeepers’ family for nine generations. Guests can take tours of the 350-acre working farm, or just relax and enjoy the view from the gazebo. In summer you can hike, bike, fish, shop for antiques and local crafts. In the winter sleigh rides are available and you can cross country ski and skate on the farm. The innkeeper is a former cook and professional baker - Breakfast and Afternoon Tea are prepared daily. Dinners (byob) and picnic lunches are available upon request.

The Liberty Hotel
215 Charles Street
Boston, MA  02114
Phone: 617-224-4000
Toll-Free: 866-507-5245
Fax: 617-399-4259

Be captivated.

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The Liberty Hotel is a blend of history, high-style luxury and hometown warmth—the ideal place for a quintessential Boston experience. Located at the foot of Beacon Hill, The Liberty Hotel is steps away from outdoor fun on the Esplanade, posh shopping boutiques along Charles Street, one of the world’s best medical complexes, the financial district, and Cambridge technology centers. The property, a national historic landmark and architectural gem built in 1851, is the imaginative transformation of the storied Charles Street Jail into a 298-room luxury hotel. The hotel offers sweeping views of the city skyline and the Charles River with three distinct food and beverage venues and 6,000 square feet of meeting space.

The White Barn Inn & Spa
36 Beach Avenue
Kennebunkport, ME  04046
Phone: 207-967-2321

“An achingly romantic destination...”

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The White Barn Inn continually strives to surpass guests' needs and offer world-class service. In keeping with this philosophy, numerous amenities await guests throughout our 25 rooms and beautifully landscaped grounds. Every White Barn Inn guest room is appointed with fresh flowers and fruit, plush terry cloth robes, CD system, voice mail and Molton Brown toiletries. All accommodations include a bountiful continental breakfast and afternoon tea. The White Barn Inn's outdoor heated swimming pool is available for all guests in season. Pool side massage therapy and spa treatments are offered in private cabanas and can be scheduled through the innkeeper. Touring bicycles and canoes are complimentary to all guests in season.

Tomasso Nature Park
Granger Lane
Plainville, CT
Phone: 860-747-6022

Open: March 15 - November 15, dawn to dusk

This 11 acre nature park includes 4 acres of wetlands. Visitors can observe varieties of animals, birds and fish. Walking trails provide ample views of native flora. Free admission.

Western Massachusetts

Discover the country life. The natural lakes, rivers and mountains of the Berkshires, charming historic towns and villages, and the outdoor adventure and scenery along the Mohawk Trail. Discover Western Massachusetts!

Western Massachusetts

Colorful tours through small villages and college towns await you. Massachusetts Routes 116 and 9 wind through rolling country hills and towns. Take Rte. 116 through scenic Conway and AshfieId. Pittsfield, on Rte. 9, is the first of several picturesque villages you'll travel through, including Amherst, Northampton, Goshen, and Cummington. Whatever you do, don’t put down that camera.

Western Massachusetts and the Berkshires

Discover the country life: The natural lakes, rivers and mountains of the Berkshires. Charming historic towns and villages. The outdoor adventure and scenery along the Mohawk Trail. Discover Western Massachusetts!

Westward Orchards Farm
178 Mass Avenue
Harvard, MA
Phone: 978-456-8363

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PYO Produce: Pick your own blueberries starts in mid-July; pick your own apples from early September to mid-October.
Hours: June through December; open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For PYO apples, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.
Also: Converted turn of the century dairy barn is filled with gourmet food, fresh fruits and vegetables, cider, cheeses, baked goods, lunch sandwiches and soups, as well as a wide selection of gifts. Lunch served daily, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.; breakfast served on weekends, 9 a.m.-11 a.m.Handicap access. Wagon rides to the pumpkin patch. Live bluegrass music the covered porch every Sunday June to Columbus Day.

Wolfe Adventures & Tours
29 Groton Road
Shirley, MA  01464
Phone: 978-448-3600
Toll-Free: 888-449-6533

It’s your vacation and you should do what you want to do!

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Wolfe Adventures & Tours is primed and ready to take you wherever you want to go! Experienced and fun local guides help you on your search for great travel memories to share. We can create a customized tour for groups from 2 to 222, or you can personalize your adventure and we’ll step on your motor coach for local guiding. Half, full or multi-day planning is available. Experience local cuisine, walking the streets, hiking, kayaking, and schooner sails. From Maine’s lighthouses to Rockport’s artist community, Gloucester’s seaport, Salem’s historic past, shots heard ‘round the world, and Boston’s tea party, we get our groups everywhere. We also know Plymouth, Cape Cod, Rhode Island, Vermont and New Hampshire. We look forward to showing you our neck of the woods!

Lake Massabesic
Route 121
Auburn, NH

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Parking: trailers, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., no fee. No skicraft, 35 mph limit. Restroom: none. Information: New Hampshire Fish & Game Department at 603-271-3511.

Lexington Farmers Market
1561 Mass Avenue
Lexington, MA  02420

Dates in 2010:
Tuesdays, 2-6:30 p.m.; June 1-end of October

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In addition to the fresh produce you expect to find at a farmers’ market, Lexington offers herbs, flowers, herbal vinegars and other herb-based products, beef, pork, lamb and poultry, sheep’s milk, fresh fish, mozzarella cheese, dips, sauces, dressings, black bean salsa, bread, pies, tarts, quiche, cakes, honey, beeswax and other honey-based products, jams, jellies, applesauce, apple butter, cranberry sauce, relishes, cider doughnuts, chocolate, gelato and sorbet, dessert sauces, homemade cookies, biscotti, granola, scones, and more.

Mary Baker Eddy Library™
200 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA  02115
Toll-Free: 888-222-3711

Home of the world-famous Mapparium®

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The Mary Baker Eddy Library features some of the most thought-provoking and fun exhibits in the city, exploring the life and achievements of Mary Baker Eddy. She was a controversial New England woman who defied conventional 19th-century thinking to become an influential religious leader, author, teacher, and founder of the Christian Science Monitor at age 87. The museum also houses the world-famous Mapparium®, an achievement in art and architecture from 1935 giving visitors a unique look at how ideas have the power to change the world. The Lending & Reference Services and Research Room provide access to further subject reading, books, archival documents, photographs, and artifacts of the Mary Baker Eddy Library Collections.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Phone: 617-722-3200

Commuter rail service is available from Boston to Haverhill, Ipswich, Rockport and Lowell. Connections are easily made directly from Logan Airport from incoming flights.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority

Phone: 617-222-3200

The MBTA runs daily train, bus and trolley service through the Greater Boston Area. That system is called the "T." Tokens for a ride on the "T" cost $1.25 a piece. Extended passes are also available. Call for more information.

Massachusetts Literature

From John Winthrop’s 1630 sermon exhorting fellow Puritans to create a “City on a Hill” in their new land to Lowell native Jack Kerouac charting a course for the 1950s Beat Generation, Massachusetts is a cradle of original thinking and expressive writing. One hub of Massachusetts-based literature is the Boston-Cambridge-Concord circuit, where the literary and political awakening known as the American Renaissance flowered in the four to five decades bracketing 1850. The renaissance was driven by luminaries like poet and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson, novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne, and philosopher-essayist Henry David Thoreau. Other thinkers and writers of the time who also shared the ideas, publishers, and even the houses of these men included novelist Herman Melville, the Alcott family of educators and writers, the essayist and women’s right advocate Margaret Fuller, the abolitionist writer Harriet Beecher Stowe, and many others.

Common ground for many of these thinkers was the philosophy of Transcendentalism, pioneered in this country by Emerson. Transcendentalism asserted that divinity is inborn in the human soul and that an individual’s own perceptions and intuitions were the most legitimate path to religious truth. (The definition was so vague, however, that Charles Dickens wisecracked during a visit to New England in 1842 that he was “given to understand that whatever was unintelligible would be certainly transcendental.”) Another topic that found common ground among these writers was the abolition of slavery, a fiery issue whose literary epicenter, in fact, was further north, in Brunswick, Maine, where Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin, an important spark of the Civil War.

The connections among the Transcendentalists and other orbiting writers were many: Hawthorne met Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Calvin Stowe, husband of the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, as a student at Bowdoin College in Maine. Hawthorne purchased his home, Wayside, in Concord from the Alcott family, which had called the house Hillside. Longfellow’s poem Evangeline was based on a theme that Hawthorne proposed and handed over to him. Melville dedicated Moby Dick to “the genius of Nathaniel Hawthorne.” Hawthorne rented the Old Manse in Concord from Emerson. Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, and Alcott are all buried at Authors’ Ridge in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord.

Many of the homes and workplaces of these authors still exist and are open to the public.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1883)
Sometimes called the Sage of Concord and the éminence grise of the mid-19th century American Renaissance, Emerson was a preacher, philosopher, and poet. He wrote and preached on the harmonic connection between people and nature, and the relationship between the human soul and the Divinity, which he called the Over Soul. He was an abolitionist, a crusader for justice, and utopian, and a loyal supporter of other artists and crusaders of the time. The Emerson House, where he lived from 1835 to 1889, located at 28 Cambridge Turnpike in Concord, is now a museum.

The Old Manse
269 Monument St.
Concord, MA 01742-1837
Phone: 978-369-3909

The Old Manse was built about 1770 by The Rev. William Emerson, grandfather of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Now a National Historical Landmark, it sits alongside the Concord River near the North Bridge, where armed resistance of the Revolutionary War took place on April 19, 1775. Ralph Waldo Emerson drafted his famous essay “Nature” at the Old Manse. Nathaniel Hawthorne and his wife, Sophia, rented the house as their residence in the mid-1840s. Hawthorne named the house in 1846 to commemorate a newly published collection of his short stories titled Mosses from an Old Manse. The house includes two centuries of family furnishings, including Nathaniel Hawthorne’s writing desk. A self-guided tour offers views of a vegetable garden based on one planted by Henry David Thoreau as a wedding gift to the Hawthornes. Guided house tours are offered. A self-guided landscape tour brochure is sold in museum shop.

Ralph Waldo Emerson House
28 Cambridge Turnpike
Concord, MA 01742-3700
Phone: 978-369-2236
Hours: Mid-April to October — Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2 to 4 p.m. Closed November to mid-April
Fee charged

Emerson lived in this home from 1835 until the time of his death in 1882. Touring the home offers an intimate view of Emerson’s life and times.

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
Born in Salem, Hawthorne attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he met Calvin Stowe, husband of Harriet Beecher Stowe, and became lifelong friends with Franklin Pierce, the future president, and the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. His writing successes acquired a strong foothold with the publication in 1837 of Twice-Told Tales, followed by Mosses from an Old Manse (1846), The Scarlet Letter (1850), and The House of the Seven Gables (1851). The seven-gabled house in Salem that inspired the story is open to the public. The Nathaniel Hawthorne House, where the writer was born, has been moved to the seven gables property and also is open to the public. Hawthorne became acquainted through his wife, the former Sophia Peabody, with the Emerson and Alcott families. In 1842 the Hawthornes rented the Old Manse in Concord, an Emerson family home. Hawthorne, in fact, named the house in honor of a collection of his stories written there. In 1852, the Hawthorne family purchased a home in Concord from Bronson Alcott and moved there, renaming it The Wayside (the Alcotts had called the house “Hillside”). The third literary inhabitant of Wayside was Harriett Stone Lathrop, who wrote the Five Little Peppers series of children’s books in the early 20th century under the pen name Margaret Sidney.

House of the Seven Gables
54 Turner St.
Salem, MA 01970-5633
Phone: 978-744-0991
E-mail: info@7gables.org
Hours: January 13 to June 30 — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; July 1 to October 31 — 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; November 1 to December 31 — 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free parking and continuous guided tours.

The House of the Seven Gables — which constitutes its own national historic district on The National Register of Historic Places — also is called the Turner-Ingersoll Mansion. Built in 1668, it is the oldest wooden mansion that survives in New England. The grounds of the house also contain Hawthorne’s birth home, which was moved there from its original site a few blocks distant.

The Nathaniel Hawthorne House

The Nathaniel Hawthorne House, a modest structure of Georgian style, was built in about 1750 and was originally located on Union Street in Salem. It was moved in 1958 to the property that contains the House of the Seven Gables. It was in this modest home that Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804 to Elizabeth and Nathaniel Hathorne. (The author added a ‘w’ to the spelling of his name as a young man.)

The Wayside
455 Lexington Road
Concord, MA 01742-3727
Phone: 978-318-7826
Hours: May through October. Call Minute Man National Historical Park at 978-318-7826 for days and hours of operation.

Located on the Battle Road in Concord, The Wayside was home to the Louisa May Alcott and her parents and sisters, who called the home Hillside. Bronson Alcott sold the house in 1852 to Nathaniel Hawthorne. A later literary resident was Harriet Stone Lathrop (Margaret Sidney). A free exhibit called “The House, Its Authors and the Creation of an American Literary Heritage” provides a good general overview of the people and events of this time and place.

Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888)
A child of the gifted and nonconformist Alcott family, Louisa May Alcott is best known for her novel Little Women (1868). She was also the daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott, an experimental educator of that time, and Abigail May Alcott, one of the first professional social workers in Massachusetts. Her sisters, Anna, Louisa May, Elizabeth, and May, were the models for Alcott’s famous novel for girls. Little Women, however enduring its appeal, was only part of Louisa May Alcott’s output as a writer. She undertook a considerable amount of serious work for adults, including poetry, stories, and nonfiction reporting, abolitionist treatises, and sensationalistic thrillers – albeit published under a pseudonym. The Alcott family’s most permanent home was Orchard House in Concord, where the family lived from 1858 to 1877, and where Louisa wrote Little Women. This home, virtually unchanged from the time the family lived there, is open to the public.

Orchard House
399 Lexington Road
PO Box 343
Concord, MA 01742-3712
Phone: 978-369-4118
E-mail: info@louisamayalcott.org
Hours: April 1 to October 31 — Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 pm. November 1 to March 31 — Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4:30 p.m. The house is shown by guided tour only.

Orchard House is a combination of two houses dating to the early 1700s that Bronson Alcott bought and remodeled by attaching the smaller to the larger. At the time, the property was covered with apple orchards, leading to the choice of the name of the house. Lousia May Alcott wrote Little Women in this house and also set the scenes of the novel there. This often prompts visitors to exclaim that a walk through the house is like a walk through the novel. The house is virtually unchanged since the time of the Alcotts’ residence and it looks almost exactly as they would have known it.

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Even casual readers of American literature are familiar with the credo of Walden, “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” An American essayist, poet, and philosopher, Henry David Thoreau was influenced by the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and he ultimately became one of the central figures in the Transcendentalist group of writers and thinkers of the mid-1800s. He is best know for Walden (1854), a description of his time living simply in a cabin on the shore of Walden Pond. Thoreau was born in Concord, graduated from Harvard University, and then taught school. His life took a decisive turn when he met Emerson. In 1845 Thoreau built a home on the shores of Walden Point and described his observations in A Week On The Concord And Merrimack Rivers (1849). His essay, Civil Disobedience (1849), was a result of a overnight visit in 1846 to a jail when he refused to pay his taxes as a protest against the Mexican War. He was a committed abolitionist. Although Thoreau never earned a substantial living by his writings, his works fill 20 volumes.

Walden Pond State Reservation
915 Walden Street/Route 126
Concord, MA 01742-4511
Phone: 978-369-3245
Fee charged

Walden Pond has been designated a National Historic Landmark and is considered the birthplace of the conservation movement. The reservation covers 400 acres. Mostly undeveloped woods called Walden Woods surround the reservation. The area is popular for fishing, swimming, and walking. To protect the natural resources of the area the number of visitors is limited to no more than 1,000 people at a time. Visitors are encouraged to call the park in advance and check on parking availability. A replica of Henry David Thoreau’s house is available for viewing by the public. Year-round interpretive programs and guided walks are offered.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1837-1882)
Possibly the most popular American poet of the 19th century, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his works are still studied and copied. His most famous pieces include Evangeline (1847), The Song Of Hiawatha (1855), and The Courtship of Miles Standish (1858). He was born in 1807 in Portland, Maine. His father, Stephen Longfellow, was a lawyer and congressman, and mother was a descendant of John Alden of the Mayflower. After university and some travel in Europe, Longfellow returned to Maine to work as a professor and librarian in Bowdoin College, where he became acquainted with Nathaniel Hawthorne. During a later European trip he became enamored of German Romanticism. Longfellow’s later poetry reflects his interest in establishing an American mythology. His 70th birthday was celebrated around the United States. Longfellow died in Cambridge. His image in marble is located in Westminster Abbey, London, in the Poet’s Corner.

Longfellow National Historic Site
105 Brattle St.
Cambridge, MA 02138-3407
Phone: 617-876-4491
Hours: check Web site for seasonal hours of operation.

For almost half a century, from 1837 to 1882, this was the home of one of the world’s foremost poets, scholars, and educators. The house is also significant in America’s Colonial history. As commander-in-chief of the new Continental Army, Gen. George Washington planned the siege of Boston from a headquarters at this house between July 1775 and April 1776. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime and he played a central role in the intellectual life of 19th-century America. His residence was a favorite gathering place for philosophers and artists like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Julia Ward Howe, and Charles Sumner.

Herman Melville (1819-1891)
The grandson of two Revolutionary War heroes, Herman Melville enjoyed a privileged childhood in New York City, where he was born in 1819. But when he was 11, his father went bankrupt, forcing the family to flee creditors and move to Albany. At age 22, he signed on the whaler Acushnet for a whaling voyage. Later he joined the U.S. Navy. Urged by his family, the young man began to write down the stories of his seafaring adventures, which led to the publication of Typee (1846), Omoo (1847), and other adventure stories. In 1850, while on a picnic excursion south of Pittsfield, he was introduced to Oliver Wendell Holmes and Nathaniel Hawthorne, both of whom lived in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. Melville and Hawthorne became instant friends. Melville moved to the Berkshires, bought a farm, and named his house Arrowhead. Features and images of his beloved Arrowhead figure in many of his stories. There he wrote some of his finest works, among them his masterpiece, Moby-Dick. The book was not well received by critics, but a few lines of high praise from Hawthorne buoyed Melville’s spirits enormously. During 13 years of work at Arrowhead, he failed to earn sufficient income from his writing, so he moved his family to New York City and began work as a customs inspector. His last published work was Billy Bud, published decades after his death.

Arrowhead
780 Holmes Road
Pittsfield, MA 01201-7152
Phone: 413-442-1793
E-mail: info@mobydick.org
Hours: Open daily from Memorial Day Weekend to Columbus Day from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tours begin every hour on the hour. Tours are available in the off-season by appointment only. Fee charged.

Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst to a highly educated and politically dynamic family. She began writing poems at about the age of 20, first in a conventional style and later in more experimental ways. She was exceedingly private, spending most of her time after the age of 23 alone in her bedroom. Of the 1,800 poems she wrote, only seven were published while she lived. Nonetheless, her letters show her familiarity with the works of John Keats, John Ruskin, and Sir Thomas Browne. Her sister began to get Dickinson’s poems published after Dickinson’s death. Her work is believed to have heavily influenced modern poetry, particularly through its irregular rhymes, broken meter, and unusual metaphors. She is considered among the most innovative of American poets.

Emily Dickinson Museum
280 Main St.
Amherst, MA 01002-2349
Phone: 413-542-8161
Hours: Open March through mid-December. Admission to the museum beyond the Tour Center is by guided tour only.

Emily Dickinson Museum consists of two historic houses in the center of Amherst. The Homestead was the birthplace and home of Emily Dickinson. The Evergreens, next door, was home to her brother Austin and his family. The tour begins at the Homestead and continues to The Evergreens. In addition to the library, parlor, dining room, and kitchen, visitors may see the children’s nursery, home to Emily Dickinson’s beloved nephews and niece.

Edith Wharton (1862-1937)
Edith Wharton was born into privileged society in New York City, but she cast off the strictures of a limited life bound for marriage and society. She wrote 40 books in 40 years, including The Age of Innocence, Ethan Frome, and The House of Mirth. She wrote authoritatively on many subjects, including architecture, gardens, interior design, and travel. She was the first woman to received the Pulitzer Prize for fiction; an honorary doctorate of letters from Yale University; and membership in the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

The Mount
Route 7 and Plunkett Street
Lenox, MA 01240
Hours: May 6 to October 29 — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fee charged.

Edith Wharton designed the house and the gardens of the Mount in 1902, using the principles she declared in her book The Decoration of Houses (1897). She believed the design of a house should respect the principles of proportion, harmony, simplicity, and usefulness. She also thought of gardens in architectural terms. She thought of her gardens as outdoor rooms and she created unique compositions suited to the house and the natural surroundings.

Concord Museum
200 Lexington Road
Concord, MA 01742-3711
Phone: 978-369-9763
E-mail: cm1@concordmuseum.org
Hours: January to March — Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 to 4 p.m. April to December — Monday to Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. June through August — Sundays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Concord Museum, across the street from the Emerson House in Concord, presents a wide assortment of history an artifacts of New England from Colonial times, touching on such subjects as the American Revolution, Native Americans, abolitionism, industries and crafts, religion, and literature. The museum collection began in 1850 and the museum was formally founded in 1886. One of the museum’s greatest collections is a reassembly of Emerson’s study, with all his possessions in place as they would have been when he wrote his masterworks on the need for religious inquiry, lessons of nature, and the central of personal responsibility for the soul.

Sleepy Hollow Cemetery
Bedford Street
Concord, MA 01742
Phone: 978-318-3233
E-mail: thopkins@concordnet.org

Sleepy Hollow, the largest cemetery in Concord, contains 10,000 gravesites. It was one of the first U.S. cemeteries to be designed with a wooded character and it is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. “Authors Ridge,” a hilly crest in the cemetery, is the burial place of Henry Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, and her father, Bronson Alcott. (Emerson, a member of the Cemetery Committee, served as orator during the consecration of the cemetery in 1855.) They are all buried in family plots marked by simple stones. A popular attraction of the cemetery is the sculpture Mourning Victory, also known as the Melvin Memorial. Commissioned in memory of three brothers who died during the Civil War, the memorial was created by Daniel Chester French, who also designed the Minuteman Statue at Concord’s North Bridge and the Lincoln Statue at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.’s.

Boston Athenaeum
10 1/2 Beacon Street
Boston, MA 02108-3703
Phone: 617-227-0270
Hours: Monday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Boston Athenaeum, one of the oldest independent libraries in the United States, was founded in 1807 by 14 Boston men who edited The Monthly Anthology and Boston Review. The library and its art gallery grew rapidly, through purchases and donations. Through the mid-1800s the Athenæum was the center of intellectual life in Boston. Today it owns more than 500,000 books, with particular emphasis on history, biography, English and American literature, and the arts.

Old Corner Bookstore
School and Washington Streets
Boston, MA 02119

Typical of the buildings of Boston in Colonial days, the Old Corner Bookstore was built as an apothecary for druggist Thomas Creese in 1718, and it became a literary center in the mid-19th century. The work of writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and others were published by Ticknor and Fields Co., whose offices was located here. Now called the Globe Corner Bookstore, the business specializes in New England and travel books and maps.

Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991)
Theodor Seuss Geisel was born in Springfield in 1904 and grew up in the city’s Forest Park neighborhood. His father was a parks commissioner and was in charge of the Forest Park Zoo, a regular playground for young Theodor. In later years, Geisel, as Dr. Seuss, credited his mother with his love for rhyming because she had often talked her children to sleep with chanted rhymes. Images of Springfield can be found throughout Dr. Seuss’s work. His first children’s book, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, shows a man resembling the city’s mayor and police officers riding red motorcycles, typical of the Indian brand motorcycles for which the city became famous. Geisel left Springfield as a teenager to attend Dartmouth College, where he became editor-in-chief of the university’s humor magazine. Here he first began using his pen name, Dr. Seuss. Geisel continued his studies at Oxford University in England, then toured Europe and met his future wife, Helen Palmer.

Back in the United States, Geisel began working as a cartoonist and his work was published in The Saturday Evening Post. He also produced advertising art for Standard Oil for more than 15 years. During World War II, Geisel contributed political cartoons to the liberal magazine PM and made training movies with the Signal Corps of the U.S. Army. Later, Viking Press offered him a contract to illustrate a collection of children’s sayings. The first book that Geisel wrote and illustrated, And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street, was rejected 27 times before being published by Vanguard Press. Later, with the publication of The Cat in the Hat, Geisel became an established and popular children’s book author and illustrator. When he died in 1991, Geisel had written and illustrated 44 children’s books. More than 200 million copies have been sold.

Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden
Springfield Museums
State and Chestnut Streets
Springfield, MA 01103
Phone: 800-625-7738

The Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden is now open at the Springfield Museums in Springfield, Theodor Seuss Geisel’s home town. Lark Grey Dimond-Cates, Geisel’s step-daughter, sculpted the large bronze sculptures of Dr. Seuss and his most beloved characters. Clustered together at the corner of the Quadrangle green near the Springfield Library are several large groupings: Theodor Geisel at his drawing board with the Cat in the Hat at his side; a 14-foot Horton the Elephant stepping out of an open book, accompanied by Thing One, Thing Two, Sam-I-Am, Sally, her brother, and Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose; and a storytelling chair, backed by a 10-foot-tall book with the text of Oh, the Places You'll Go! with Gertrude McFuzz perched on top and the Grinch and his dog, Max, peeking around the side.

Massachusetts Lodging Association
7 Liberty Square
Boston, MA  02109
Phone: 617-720-1776
Fax: 617-720-1305

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Don't miss visiting the Massachusetts Lodging Association website for the most detailed listings of 400 + lodging properties in Massachusetts. Massachusetts has so much to offer. Whether you are looking for a small B&B nestled in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts, a grand hotel in the historic and cultural Hub of the Universe, Boston, or a seaside inn on the shores of Cape Cod, Cape Ann or the Islands, www.masslodging.com can help you plan your stay!

Massachusetts Moon Handbook

Moon Handbooks: Massachusetts gives you the insider's edge to the entire state, from Provincetown beaches to Williamstown summer theater. Whether you're looking for the best cafes around Harvard Square or the cheapest campgrounds in the Berkshires, if it's in Massachusetts and worth your time, you'll find it here

Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA)
87 Marshall Street
North Adams, MA
Phone: 413-662-2111

Hours: Regular Hours, September-June 25, 11 a.m.–5 p.m., closed Tuesdays; Summer Hours, June-September, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily

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Since opening in 1999, MASS MoCA has become one of the world's premier centers for making and showing contemporary art. MASS MoCA exhibits work by many of the most important artists of today, focusing on large-scale and complex installations that are impossible to realize in conventional museums. MASS MoCA hosts more than 75 performances year-round, including popular music, contemporary dance, alternative cabaret, world music dance parties, outdoor silent films with live music, documentaries, and avant-garde theater.

Massachusetts Sheep and Woolcraft Fair
Cummington, MA  01026
Phone: 413-774-3386

May 29 - 30, 2010

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Vendors, sales of animals, fiber, garments, workshop, competitions, demos, kids' activities, a sheep show, and sheepdog trials make this a fantastic and educational weekend. Time: Saturday,m 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Cost: $8.00 per vehicle. Information: 413-774-3386 or visit www.mashpeewool.org.

Massasoit State Park
Middleboro Avenue
Taunton, MA
Phone: 508-822-7405

This 1,500 acre park features canoeing and boating areas, swimming and fishing. Hiking and cross-country ski trails are also available. There are picnic areas as well as a public campsite.

Middlesex County 4-H Fife & Drum Corps
Concord and Eastern Massachusetts, MA

The Middlesex County 4-H Fife & Drum Corps was formed in 1972 in anticipation of that town’s celebration America's bicentennial. The corps primarily plays music of the 1700s. The style of the uniform --tri-corn hats, relatively short vented waistcoats, gathered shirtsleeves, fall-front breeches, buttoned haversacks, and leather garters-- is based on styles of the 1770s. The corps plays at musters, parades and civic ceremonies. E-mail Contact: mc4hfd@yahoo.com. Appearances in 2009:
USS Constitution Sunset Parade, July 5, Boston
Sudbury Muster, September 26, Sudbury
Woburn Halloween Parade, October 25, Woburn
Veteran’s Day, November 11, Concord
Merrimac Holiday Parade, December 6, Merrimack
First Night, December 31, Boston

Munroe Tavern
1332 Massachusetts Avenue
Lexington, MA
Phone: 617-674-9238

On April 19, 1775 -- the day the American Revolution began, this tavern was the headquarters for General Earl Percy. Open seasonally. There is an admission charge.

Old Burying Ground
Garden Street and Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA

Historic cemetery features the graves of eight Harvard presidents, and Cato Stedman and Neptune Frost -- both African-American veterans of the Revolution.

Quiet Places of Massachusetts

A backroads ramble along the New Hampshire border; Bash Bish Falls; Bartholomew's Cobble. With directions, what to see, where to stay & eat. Phone numbers, maps, drawings. Local authors reveal their favorite spots.

"[The book] describes some of the most beautiful, remote locations in the state. Tougias writes in a clear, down-to-earth style and with plenty of practical information. More than 40 separate walkways... are described with just the right amount of information." --Boston Globe

Deer Neck Boat Landing at Lake Massabesic
Route 28 Bypass
Auburn, NH

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Parking: roadside, daylight, no fee. No skicraft, 35 mph limit. Restroom: none. Information: New Hampshire Fish & Game Department at 603-271-3511.

Farmington Canal Heritage Trail
New Haven through Farmington to Massachusetts border

Trail Length: 40 miles

Running north from the Yale University campus in New Haven through the heart of Connecticut, the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail comprises several distinct segments totaling 40 miles of rail-trail. The trail follows the corridor of the defunct Farmington Canal.

New Haven section. The trail's southern terminus is Yale's new Malone Engineering Building. The start of the trail is a 1.25-mile urban path. There is no designated trail parking, but on-street or garage parking is available. Starr Street marks the trail's end. To continue to the Hamden to Cheshire section, riders need to travel 4 miles on lightly trafficked roads. Turn right on Starr, travel one block, turn left on Newhall Street, and continue about a mile through the Putnam Avenue intersection; Newhall becomes Leeder Hill Drive. Follow Leeder Hill to Treadwell Street, take a right, then take an immediate left on Martin Terrace. At the road's end, turn left on Mather Street, followed by a right on Waite Street. Take the first left on Coram Street, then left again on Beverly Road. Follow Beverly around, then bear right on Woodbine Street. Make the third left on Elgin Street, go one block, then continue straight on Connolly Parkway. At Wilbur Cross Parkway (State Route 15), turn right to pick up the Hamden to Cheshire section.

Hamden to Cheshire section. A prominent sign for the New Haven & Northampton Railroad Canal Line marks the trailhead of this northbound segment at the Connolly Parkway in Hamden. Approaching Cheshire, you'll reach Lock 12 and keeper's house, now a historical park. Here you'll find trailhead parking, picnic tables, toilets, a drinking fountain, and a phone. Trail's end lies 1.6 miles north at a parking lot on Cornwall Avenue in Cheshire.

Southington section. From a trailhead parking area on West Main Street in downtown Southington, this 2-mile asphalt trail bridges the Quinnipiac River and passes through the heart of a restored mill section starting at Center Street. From here, turn right on Center Street and continue north to the trail's end on Hart Street.

Farmington to the Massachusetts border section. The 22-mile northern section of the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail shares its Tunxis Meade Park trailhead with the 8.5-mile Farmington River Trail. Within the first mile, you will cross a high bridge over the Farmington River. The trail first leaves the corridor 5.8 miles along in Avon, meandering a mile along surface streets and beneath Route 44 before rejoining the corridor at Sperry Park. Continue north through East Granby. Reaching a small bridge on Route 10, briefly follow the sidewalk, then turn right on Drake Hill Road and look for the trailhead to the right of Iron Horse Boulevard; turn left here to rejoin the corridor.
The trail continues north, paralleling the boulevard and passing Drake Hill Road Park. The trail continues 4 miles to a major break at Wolcott Road. From here, you can either backtrack to the closest trailhead at Route 315 or continue to the border. At Wolcott Road, turn right and travel a mile to a three-way intersection. Take another right, go about 100 yards, and turn left on Route 189. The trailhead lies a mile down this road on your right. From here, the trail continues 4 miles to the Massachusetts border.

Parking and Trail Access:
To reach the southern trailhead on the Yale campus, take Interstate 91 to Exit 3/Trumbull Street. Drive straight on Trumbull for three blocks to Hillhouse Avenue and look for on-street or garage parking. On weekends and after 4:30 p.m. on weekdays, Yale’s parking lots are open to the public for free.
To reach the Cheshire trailhead, take Interstate 691 to Exit 3 and head south on State Route 10/Highland Avenue through town. Turn right on Cornwall Avenue and proceed to the trailhead and adjacent parking. To drive to the southern access point, leave Route 15 (Wilbur Cross Parkway) at Exit 60 and drive north on Route 10 (Dixwell Avenue) for a quarter mile. Take the first entrance to the mall on your right and proceed to the large parking lot on the south side of the mall, which is adjacent to the trail.
To reach the West Main Street trailhead, take Interstate 691 to Exit 3 and head north on State Route 10/South Main Street to West Main. Turn left on West Main and proceed to the trailhead parking area.
To reach the southern trailhead in Farmington, take Interstate 84 to Exit 38 (from the south) or Exit 39 (from the north). Once in town, drive a mile west of Route 10 on Meadow Road to Tunxis Meade Park.
To reach the State Route 315 trailhead, take I-84 to Exit 38 (from the south) or 39 (from the north). Once in Farmington, head north on Route 10 through Avon and Simsbury. The Route 315 trailhead parking area lies 2 miles beyond the Iron Horse Boulevard trailhead.

Foliage Drives in Massachusetts

The foliage season starts in late September and peak color often coincides with Columbus Day weekend. Foliage drives in Massachusetts can also do double duty as tours of the state’s many themes of history and culture. For instance, the Boston / Lexington / Concord area is the epicenter of the American Revolution in the northern colonies. Northwest of Boston are the cities of Lowell and Lawrence, which preserve the history of the early industrial revolution in America. To the northeast of Boston are the fishing communities of Gloucester and Newburyport, made famous in movies like “The Perfect Storm.” South and east of Boston are lakes and cranberry bogs, historic Plymouth Rock, and the lovely towns of Cape Cod. In the center and western parts of the state are small towns, small farms, big mountains, and ravishing views.

Golden Eagle Resort
511 Mountain Road
Stowe, VT  05672
Phone: 802-253-4811
Toll-Free: 800-626-1010
Fax: 802-253-2561

Sample the best of Stowe Vermont

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Enjoy one of New England's most affordable resorts. Family owned and operated for over 35 years, the Golden Eagle is ideally located on 80 acres of lawns, ponds, walking trails and forest land at the edge of historic Stowe Village. You can conveniently walk to village shops and restaurants, and at the same time enjoy our quiet country setting. On-site amenities include a beautiful fitness center with indoor pool, tennis court, fishing ponds, lawn games, playground and children's programs. In the winter, ice skating, snowshoeing and sleigh rides are available. Beautifully appointed accommodations range from spacious guest rooms to luxurious suites and apartments with fireplaces.

Golden Eagle Resort Health Spa & Fitness Center
511 Mountain Road
Stowe, VT  05672
Phone: 802-253-4811
Toll-Free: 800-626-1010
Fax: 802-253-2561

Relax with a therapeutic massage

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The Golden Eagle Resort Health Spa & Fitness Center offers a wide range of facilities for guest enjoyment, exercise and relaxation. The heated indoor 20 x 50 foot indoor pool is popular with all guests as well as the state of the art exercise machines. Guests can enjoy a soak in the huge hot tub or a pampering massage. The spa offers a variety of massages – Swedish, therapeutic, couples, herbal wrap, and “la stone,” to name a few. The spa also has a beautiful new sauna and a newly enlarged and renovated women's locker room.

Hampton Inn & Suites Plymouth
10 Plaza Way
Plymouth, MA  02360
Phone: 508-747-5000
Fax: 508-747-0082

The Perfect Choice for Your Stay in Historic Plymouth, Massachusetts

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Located at the junction of Route 44 (at exit 7) and Commerce Way, our traditional, 122 rooms offer everything you need for a pleasant, comfortable stay. Amenities include complimentary "One the House" hot breakfast, wireless high-speed internet access, laundry facility, a convenience shop, an indoor pool and spa, and a fitness room. There are also 2 hospitality suites, ideal for small gatherings of family and friends or business meetings, And our King Suites offer a separate living and sleeping area and in-room kitchen amenities; refrigerator, microwave and a wet bar. You’ll also enjoy a coffee maker, full size iron and ironing board and 2 line phones with voice mail in every room.

Hampton Inn New Bedford-Fairhaven
1 Hampton Way
Fairhaven, MA  02719
Phone: 508-990-8500
Fax: 508-990-0183

A Perfect Way to Explore Southeastern Massachusetts

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Hampton Inn New Bedford-Fairhaven is conveniently located off Route 240 at Exit 18 east of New Bedford. Area attractions include the Martha's Vineyard Ferry, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and Museum, several gorgeous beaches, and loads of dining options. The hotel features a spacious lobby, three floors, interior corridors, 107 rooms, including 2-room suites and studio suites with microwaves and refrigerators. Meeting Rooms are available for up to 75 people with A/V and catering. Amenities include complimentary hot breakfast, high-speed wireless internet service, voice mail, cable television with free HBO, USA Today newspaper, a fitness center and a seasonal outdoor pool. Just minutes from our doors are dining options ranging from fast food to fine dining.

Hardwick Fair
On the Common
Hardwick, Massachusetts, MA

August 15-16, 2008

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An old-fashioned country fair. Exhibits and events include fair supper, book sale, quilt exhibit, lumberjack contest, mountain bike ride/race, pancake breakfast, tennis tournament, pony rides, blacksmith exhibition, hay rides, stone cutting, dance demonstration, children’s parade, chicken barbecue, frog jumping contest, horse show pitching contest. Entertainment by Dave Pike & the Good Ol' Boys, Rachel Landry & Western Partners. Information: www.hardwickfair.com

Harvard Farmers’ Market
Harvard Elementary School, 27 Massachusetts Avenue
Harvard, MA  01451
Phone: 978-790-4429

Dates In 2010:
Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; August 28-October

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Organic produce, Asian vegetables, grain-fed beef, herbs, cut flowers, lamb, sheep and goat products, organic stone ground chocolate, rustic breads and baked goods, jams, jellies, chutneys and more.

Hiking Massachusetts

Features more than 50 of the state's best hikes, combining detailed hiking information with a fascinating education on the ecology of the region. This volume features the GPS-quality relief maps.

Hotel Marlowe
25 Edwin H. Land Boulevard
Cambridge, MA  02141
Phone: 617-868-8000
Toll-Free: 800-825-7140
Fax: 617-868-8001

A Cambridge, Massachusetts Hotel Overlooking Boston

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Set on the Charles River across from downtown Boston, the Hotel Marlowe is an eclectic, vibrant luxury hotel in Cambridge, Massachusetts offering a kaleidoscope of experiences. The hotel's focus on "discovery" sparks creativity and celebrates forward thinkers. Throughout the hotel, inviting textures and colors awaken the senses. The sophisticated accommodations and amenities with highly personalized service make the Hotel Marlowe the perfect choice for upscale travelers seeking a truly distinctive Boston boutique hotel. Located just minutes from Harvard Square and the MIT campus, the Hotel Marlowe also offers easy access to Boston's financial district and exclusive Beacon Hill neighborhood. Many of our 236 guestrooms boast views overlooking the park-lined Charles River, along with the Boston skyline. Along with all the services and amenities you expect from a four diamond boutique hotel, we also offer free wireless Internet access, a hosted evening wine tour, pet friendly rooms, and a highly acclaimed dining experience at Bambara.

*Click here for more Massachusetts books from the Globe Corner Bookstore.

1886 House Bed & Breakfast
202 East Street
Chesterfield, MA  01012
Phone: 413-296-0223
Toll-Free: 800-893-2425 +44

Only 12 Miles from Northampton!

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The 1886 House Bed & Breakfast is an authentic New England country farmhouse situated on 5 acres at the top of a high ridgeline in historic Chesterfield. The 1886 House is small and intimate which allows the innkeepers, Carol & Joe Lingg to provide individualized attention to your needs. The bed & breakfast has three guestrooms that are tastefully decorated and furnished with antiques. Two of the guest rooms have private baths. Guests can enjoy TV or a movie in the entertainment room or relax with a book in the reception room. A hearty breakfast is served each morning in the dining room using fresh locally produced products. Other amenities include robes, slippers and extra towels. The 1886 House is close to dining, shopping, historic Deerfield, and fishing, hiking, skiing and snowmobiling.

Adventure Guide to Massachusetts and Western Connecticut

Cape Cod, the Berkshires, the Litchfield Hills, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Boston, Quabbin Reservoir, and along the Housatonic these are just some of the places covered in this unique guide. Take to the trails in state forests, splash around in a rowboat on a quiet inland lake, or get serious with some of the best whitewater rafting opportunities in the country. An added dimension in these states is the sense of Colonial and Revolutionary history. Maps, photos, index.

Back Road Inns of Central Massachusetts

Discover the six hidden gems here on the Back Roads.

The picturesque towns of Barre and Petersham, on the east side of the vast Quabbin reservoir, have six {6} wonderful Inns and Bed & Breakfasts located in the very center of Massachusetts, which is also the heart of New England, a charming and largely undiscovered spot with much to offer.  Each of the Six Inns is unique. You are sure to find something inviting and wonderful.  Looking for a place to host a wedding or family reunion? Looking for a Victorian Inn?.....or A farm?......Have you ever visited an Herb Farm, Cattle Farm or an Alpaca Farm? Are you searching for a quiet weekend in an Inn with a fabulous restaurant?  Seek no further..... anything that you could possibly want is right here.

Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival
Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, 1040 Mass Moca Way
North Adams, MA  01247
Phone: 413-MOCA-111

July 10-26, 2008

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The will be held at the. Don’t miss some of the leading composers and performers of experimental music working today. Daily recitals in the galleries and around the campus start July 10. Purchase a festival pass for $50 per person and receive tickets to the concerts on July 19 and July 26, plus admission for all recitals. For tickets, contact 413-MOCA-111.

Battleship Massachusetts
Battleship Cove
Fall River, MA
Phone: 508-678-1100

The battleship Massachusetts, submarine Lionfish, destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., are among the World War II vessels docked at this location. Visitors will enjoy tours of the vessels and related exhibits. There is an admission fee.

Berlin Farmers Market
154 Porters Pass at Massirio Drive
Kensington, CT
Phone: 860-828-5548

Saturdays from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.; May 23 through September 26, 2009

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This market has organic and non-organic produce, eggs, fruits and berries and a variety of gorgeous flowers and plants for sale by local growers. Additionally, artisan breads and honey are available. Different local artists display and sell their wares each week. Local musicians entertain and you can learn about the business of local non-profits or have a massage while you shop. Learn new recipes for your market purchases at the cooking demonstration tent. Come join us and support your local farmers at this summer’s market.

Best Western Roundhouse Suites
891 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston, MA  02119
Phone: 617-989-1000
Toll-Free: 888-HOTELMA
Fax: 617-541-9588

Great rates

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The Best Western Roundhouse Suites is an award winning, all-suites hotel and is just 1.5 miles south of Fenway Park, Copley Square and Hynes Convention Center. We offer complimentary deluxe continental breakfast, shuttle service to the airport/T-subway stations/Copley and nearby hospitals, free parking and use of the fitness and business centers, as well as complimentary wireless Internet service. All the suites feature a refrigerator, microwave, coffeemaker, in-room safe, iron & board, and hair dryer. The Junior Suites are equipped with two double beds and a double-sized sofa bed, which is great for families.

Blackstone River National Heritage Corridor
Broadmeadow Brook Visitors Center
4414 Massosoit Road
Worcester, MA
Phone: 508-754-7363

The northern end of this historic region, which extends southward into Rhode Island. Considered the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution, the Blackstone River Corridor features numerous historic mills and sites. This visitors' center details many of them, in addition to a look at the evolution of this important developmental stage in American history.

Borderland State Park
Massapoag Avenue
North Easton, MA
Phone: 508-238-6566

1,772 acre park offers fishing areas, hiking, cross-country ski trails, full rest facilities and scheduled visitor programs.

Boston Massacre Site
Next to the Old State House
Boston, MA

On March 5, 1770, British Redcoats fired on a mob of colonists at this site. Five were killed, among them Crispus Attucks, the first African-American patriot to be killed in the Revolution. The massacre was a watershed event in the period leading up to the American Revolution.

Campus Center Hotel
Murray D. Lincoln Campus Center
University of Massachusetts
Amherst, MA  01003
Phone: 413-549-6000
Fax: 413-545-1210

A great place to stay

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The Campus Center Hotel is centrally located on the University of Massachusetts, Amherst campus. We are open year round and offer competitive season and off-season rates. The property offers 116 air-conditioned guest rooms that include king and full size beds, and two suites with kitchenettes. All rooms are equipped with cable TV, free HBO, high speed internet access, iron and ironing board, and coffee makers. Health club facilities are also available nearby. There are dining alternatives located within the Campus Center Complex and hotel guests have access to indoor parking with special rates. Within the Campus Center Complex are a University Store, travel agency, Peter Pan Bus Ticket office and a barber shop. We are located within walking distance to Mullins Center, Fine Arts Center, and downtown Amherst. Free local PVTA transportationis also available.

Centennial House
94 Main Street
Northfield, MA  01360
Phone: 413-498-5921
Toll-Free: 877-977-5950

A celebration of New England

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Welcome to Centennial House Bed and Breakfast, a rambling 17-room estate built by master craftsmen in 1811 that offers spacious guest rooms, comfortable beds, private baths and ample country breakfasts with homemade baked goods. You’ll love our proximity to mountains and strikingly beautiful sections of the historic Connecticut River, not to mention the comfortable beds, private baths and ample country breakfasts with homemade baked goods. Centennial House, like its surroundings in one of New England's best-preserved villages, is rich in history and perfect for school and college visits, vacations, romantic weekend getaways and special occasions. Flexible lodging options include single rooms and two-room suites. Call us today for dates, rates, theme weekends and discount packages that highlight all there is to see and do in every season!

Central Massachusetts

Central Massachusetts is the Heart of the state. It's farmland and rolling countryside, the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, and home to the second largest city in New England!

Clair's Landing at Lake Massabesic
Route 121
Auburn, NH

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Parking: trailers, daylight, no fee. No skicraft, 35 mph limit. Restroom: none. Information: New Hampshire Fish & Game Department at 603-271-3511.

Colonial Navy of Massachusetts
P.O. Box 1775
Fall River, MA

This group, honoring the Massachusetts Colonial Navy, the commonwealth’s naval militia of the American Revolution, performs extensively at parades and musters throughout New England.Appearances in 2009:
Independence Day, July 4, Martha’s Vineyard
Deep River Muster, July 18, Devitt Field, Deep River, Connecticut
Sudbury Muster, September 26, Sudbury

Crowne Pointe Historic Inn & Spa
82 Bradford Street
Provincetown, Cape Cod, MA  02657
Phone: 508-487-6767
Toll-Free: 877-276-9631
Fax: 508-487-5554

Just the right touch of sea and sand

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The Crowne Pointe Historic Inn & Spa is a classic 140 year old Cape Cod Sea Captain's estate. This unique luxury hotel is comprised of 40 rooms situated in six large fully restored historic buildings with a spacious main mansion, spa and fine dining restaurant. This landmark Provincetown hotel features spacious guestrooms, luxury suites wrapped around a beautifully landscaped courtyard and our award winning, full service, in-house spa. Many of our rooms feature fireplaces and whirlpool tubs. Add a romantic touch to your Provincetown evening with a bottle of wine and a luxurious soak in your private whirlpool tub. Natural materials with fine craftsmanship abound throughout the hotel including hardwood floors, soothing wall colors and gently rotating ceiling fans. The interior design compliments the spectacular Cape Cod landscape of sand dune vistas, marsh grass, blue-green waters and sandy shoreline.

Cultural Survival Bazaar
Cambridge College, 1000 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA

November 24-25, 2007

Join a preview of select vendors and be the first to purchase the perfect holiday gifts: unique, fairly traded products hand-crafted by indigenous artisans from Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Items include Afghan and Tibetan tribal hand-knotted rugs, beautiful hand-woven rebosos (shawls), wide selection of jewelry, clothing, decorative pieces such as carvings & masks, weavings, art, pottery, tribal antiques, Equal Exchange coffee and chocolate, and much more. Time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Information: www.cs.org or http://www.culturalsurvival.org/events/bazaar/index.cfm.