Massachusetts

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With 1500 miles of wide sandy beaches beckoning along the eastern seaboard, green mountains inland, rich culture, amazing history and some of America's oldest architecture, Massachusetts' offerings to groups are seemingly endless!

Bounded by the states of Vermont and New Hampshire to the north, New York to the west, Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south, and the boundless Atlantic Ocean to the east, Massachusetts enjoys a pivotal location in the center of New England. The Bay State is  accessible by motorcoach from all points of New England. The Massachusetts Turnpike (Interstate Route 90) runs east to west from Boston to New York and beyond. Routes I-495, I 195, I-91 and I-93 provide convenient multi-lane access to most points of the state.
 
Just a 2 1/2-hour drive from its rugged Atlantic coast to its western border, the Bay State has many attractions and activities for your group. Revolutionary battlefields and venerable edifices define Massachusetts as much as its state-of-the-art museums, thrilling professional sporting events and cultural icons. From the intriguing whaling capital of Nantucket Island off Cape Cod,
to the mountains and meadows of Central Massachusetts, magnificent scenery and quaint New England towns that dot the western region of the state, traveling through Massachusetts is like traveling through time. This, after all, is the state that inspired famous illustrator Norman Rockwell (many of his Saturday Evening Post cover illustrations feature the town of Stockbridge.) It’s also the state where remnants of the international whaling community of the 19th century still linger; where the haunting history of the 17th-century Salem Witch Trials continues to be re-enacted; and where the experiences of the earliest European settlers still play out at the remarkable Plimoth Plantation, an historical settlement where history comes alive.
 
And nowhere is this sense of time travel more poignant than in Boston, the state capital. It’s
often remarked that the six-square-mile city, with its countless Colonial landmarks reflected in the windows of its modern skyscrapers, is the quintessential example of the Old World 
successfully bridging the New World. A city synonymous with culture (think the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Museum of Fine Arts), Boston is the historical seat of the state and New England at its best.

State Icons
State Nickname - Bay State
State Marine Mammal - Right Whale
State Bird Black-  Capped Chickadee
State Fish - Cod
State Flower - Mayflower
State Insect - Ladybug
State Tree - American Elm
State Rock - Roxbury Puddingstone
State Dog - Boston Terrier
State Heroine - Deborah Samson
State Folk Hero - Johnny Appleseed
State Beverage - Cranberry Juice
State Song - “All Hail to Massachusetts”
State Motto -  “Ense Petit Placidam Sub Libertate Quietem” (meaning By the Sword We Seek Peace, But Peace Only Under Liberty)

The birthplace of a nation
There’s no other place in America that has a history trail longer than New England.  It is where freedom and liberty were invented in this country, and Massachusetts was instrumental and invaluable in its beginnings and development.

So if you’re looking for some insight on the country’s early days, you’ve come to the right place. 
There are a variety of tours and historic sites that focus on keeping Massachusetts’ history alive, and they do it very well.  While visiting the Bay State, be sure to delve into the past with the help of some friends.

The Freedom Trail
This historical 2.5-mile walking tour routes you through some of the oldest and most significant sites in Boston.  As you stroll  along the Trail, you will not only learn about the city’s fascinating history, but it is also one of the best ways to get acquainted with Boston, and learn your way around. The Trail is clearly marked along the way with a red brick or painted line, and at each of the 16 stops there are signs to keep you informed and oriented.

Your tour begins on the Boston Common, the one-time training grounds for red-clad British troops, now a 50-acre oasis of a park located in the middle of Boston.  It covers 16 stops in total, and ends at the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, a 221-ft granite obelisk that was erected in 1843 and commemorates the first formal battle of the American Revolution, the Battle of Bunker Hill.

For more information on the Freedom Trail in Boston, visit www.thefreedomtrail.org  or call 617-357-8300.

Black Heritage Trail®
The Black Heritage Trail® is a wonderful walking tour that explores the history of Boston’s African American community in the 19th century.  The National Park Service offers guided tours daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend or other times by special request.  Or groups can pick up a walking tour map and do a self-guided tour at their leisure.

The Trail consists of 14 historic buildings, starting at the Robert Gould Shaw and 54th Regiment Memorial on the Boston Common, winding through the downtown, and looping back to its final site at the African Meeting House on Smith Court.  It’s important to note, however, that the historic homes on the Black Heritage Trail® are private residences and are therefore not open to the public, with the exception of the African Meeting House (site 14) and the Abiel Smith School (site 13).

For more information on the Black Heritage Trail®, go online to www.afroammuseum.org
or call 617-725-0022.

Salem Heritage Trail
An engaging self-guided walking tour around Salem, one of America’s oldest and most fascinating cities.  Settled in 1626, Salem is most famous for its witch history, because of the infamous Salem Witch Trials of 1692 that sent 20 innocent people to execution.  But Salem is much more than witches!  The city also boasts a long and steady history of seafaring, pirates, and pioneers, to name a few.

The Salem Heritage Trail winds through 10 of the most fascinating historical sites in the city.  Included along the way are the House of the Seven Gables, Pioneer Village or Salem in 1630, Salem Witch Museum and the Salem Maritime National Historic Site.  It is easy to follow and marked by a red trail to keep you on track.  While on the Trail be sure to look up occasionally as some of Salem’s greatest treasures lie in the stones and peaks of their architecture.

For more information on the Salem Heritage Trail go online to www.salem.org or call 978-744-3663.

Pilgrims of Days Past
What better place to explore Massachusetts’ history than where it all began?  In 1620 a group of 102 British Pilgrims set sail on the Mayflower for the Virginia Colony, and were blown off course.  Forced to land farther north, the Pilgrims came ashore and started their colony at Plymouth.  It was the first permanent English settlement in North America.

The Plimoth Plantation is a notable attraction because of its accurate re-creation of the 1627 Pilgrim village.  Tour thatched dwellings, chat with costumed interpreters and gain a full knowledge of the life of the Pilgrims. 

The Mayflower II, is a full-scale reproduction of the type of ship that brought the Pilgrims in 1602.  The Pilgrim Hall Museum is America’s oldest public museum and displays the most complete collection of authentic Pilgrim possessions.  Plymouth Rock is the traditional landing place of the Pilgrims, bringing visitors to the place where it all began!

For more information on Plymouth call 508-747-0100 or go online to  www.seeplymouth.com.