Things to Do in Massachusetts

Encounter maritime history at the Charlestown Navy Yard, one of the most prolific naval facilities in US history. This Boston yard served ships for more than 175 years, and now hosts the USS Constitution—and its museum—and the USS Cassin Young. Commercial business stopped in 1974; it's now a National Park Service site and free to visit.

At the Salem Witch Museum, relive the tragic Salem witch trials of 1692 through a series of life-size stage sets. See and hear how neighbors turned against neighbors, and learn more about everyone involved. You’ll also get an overview of the evolving perception of witches throughout history.

The Boston Public Garden is a 24-acre (10-hectare botanical oasis of Victorian flowerbeds, verdant grass, and weeping willow trees shading a tranquil lagoon. It is a respite from the bustling city all year round, and is awash in either seasonal blooms, gold-toned leaves, or untrammeled snow. Adjacent to Boston Common, the garden is part of the city’s Emerald Necklace system of parks that connect via parkways and waterways.

Built in 1713, Boston's Old State House is the city’s oldest public building and considered pivotal to prerevolutionary US history. Dwarfed by Boston’s skyscrapers and a fixture on its revolution-tracing Freedom Trail, the onetime government building is now a museum to the city’s revolutionary era and the events that kindled the American Revolution.

Home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Boston Pops Orchestra, the Boston Symphony Hall is considered one of the top classical music venues in the United States. A US National Historic Landmark, the hall is also known for its beautiful interior and is considered to have one of the best acoustics of any music hall in the world.

Dating from 1729, Boston’s Old South Meeting House was a congregational church and a gathering place for protestors who sparked the American Revolution with the 1773 Boston Tea Party. A key site on Boston’s Freedom Trail, the brick building is now a museum where visitors can chart the beginnings of the country’s 1776 revolution.

The Boston Athenaeum, founded in 1807, is one of the country's oldest independent libraries. This historic cultural institution dedicated to literary and scientific pursuits is a must-see for bibliophiles interested in visiting Boston's historic spaces. You can find hundreds of thousands of books, exhibitions, and peaceful reading rooms.

Located in the North End and built around 1680, the Paul Revere House is the oldest building in downtown Boston. It is famous for being the house Revere left from on the night of his famous “midnight ride” to warn his compatriots that the British were coming to arrest them in 1775. He lived there with his family from 1770 to 1800.

Built in 1797 and named by George Washington, the 3-masted USSConstitution frigate in Boston is the US Navy’s oldest commissioned ship and one of the world’s oldest warships. Visitors can go aboard the ship, docked at Boston’s Charlestown Navy Yard and restored to its original glory, to explore an important slice of US history.

The main hub of Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Quincy Market has attracted locals and visitors alike for nearly 200 years. The historic food hall located within a Greek Revival-style building is packed with more than 50 shops, 14 restaurants, and 40 food court stops—plus stalls and pushcarts selling everything from exotic coffee to fresh seafood and artisanal bread.

Located in Lappin Park in Salem, the Bewitched Statue is a tribute to actress Elizabeth Montgomery, the star of the popular 1960s show, Bewitched. Unveiled in 2005, the 9-foot (2.7-meter tall bronze statue features Montgomery’s character, the fictional witch Samantha Stephens, sitting on a broomstick in front of a crescent moon.

Home to the Massachusetts State House, Boston’s historic Beacon Hill neighborhood is reminiscent of 19th-century London—replete with cobbled streets, brownstone buildings, and flower-filled window boxes. At night, gas lanterns flicker to life and create a romantic atmosphere for fine dining and bar-hopping.

In the heart of downtown Boston, Copley Square is a public park flanked by some of the city’s most notable buildings. Composed of lawns, a fountain, and the imposing 19th-century Trinity Church, it serves as the finishing point for the Boston Marathon and a relaxation, shopping, and dining hub for locals and visitors.

Taking in 16 of Boston’s most famous cultural and historical sites, the 2.5-mile-long (4-kilometer) Freedom Trail winds through downtown Boston, from southerly Boston Common, the nation’s oldest public park, to the Bunker Hill Monument on the north side of the Charles River. The red-brick path and its designated stops, including colonial-era churches, museums, and meeting houses, make for an excellent introduction to Boston and its role in the American Revolution and United States history.