Boston, first incorporated as a town in 1630, and as a city in 1822, is one of America's oldest cities, with a rich economic and social history. What began as a homesteading community eventually evolved into a center for social and political change. Boston has since become the economic and cultural hub of New England.

New England Aquarium
The Aquarium was designed with the intention of providing an underwater experience for the visitor and of being a cultural institution that would reconnect Boston to its waterfront. In its more than 30 years of existence the Aquarium has grown a lot.
http://www.neaq.org


USS Constitution
USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world. It was first launched in 1797. Constitution is one of six ships ordered for construction by George Washington to protect America's growing maritime interests.
http://www.ussconstitution.navy.mil/

The Freedom Trail
The Freedom Trail offers an introduction to Colonial Revolutionary Boston. The Trail takes the visitor to 16 historical sites in the course of two or three hours and covers two and a half centuries of America's most significant past. A red brick or painted line connects the sites on the Trail and serves as a guide.
http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/



Quincy Market / Faneuil Hall
In the heart of Boston, Faneuil Hall Marketplace is adjacent to historic Faneuil Hall and is bordered by the financial district, the waterfront, the North End, Government Center and Haymarket. It is a well-traveled part of Boston's "Freedom Trail." The Marketplace is a five-minute walk to the New England Aquarium, The Children's Museum, The Old State House, and Paul Revere's House. Other attractions that are between 7-15 minutes away include The New State House, The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Public Garden, Old North Church, The USS Constitution, and Fenway Park.
http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/



Mass State House
The magnificent setting of our state government for over two centuries has become an outstanding museum reflecting the history of Massachusetts since colonial times. Its spacious marble-floored corridors are lined with the portraits of Massachusetts governors and murals depicting the state's unique heritage.
http://www.sec.state.ma.us/trs/trsbok/trstour.htm

Swan Boats
The Swan Boats are as much a part of Boston as the bean and the cod. They are the harbinger of Spring to native Bostonians. Famed in the stories Make Way For Ducklings and The Trumpet of the Swan, the Swan Boats are the only boats of their kind in the world!
http://www.swanboats.com/

Boston Symphony Orchestra
Now in its 126th season, the Boston Symphony Orchestra gave its inaugural concert on October 22, 1881, and has continued to uphold the vision of its founder, the businessman, philanthropist, Civil War veteran, and amateur musician Henry Lee Higginson, for well over a century.
http://www.bso.org



Museum of Fine Arts
Today the MFA is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world; the collection encompasses nearly 450,000 works of art. We welcome more than one million visitors each year to experience art from ancient Egyptian to contemporary, special exhibitions, and innovative educational programs.
http://www.mfa.org/

Boston Harbor Islands
Collection of islands with structures and natural life on the harbor islands.
http://www.bostonislands.org/

Museum of Science
In 1830, six men interested in natural history established the Boston Society of Natural History, an organization through which they could pursue their common scientific interests. Devoted to collecting and studying natural history specimens, the society displayed its collections in numerous temporary facilities until 1864, when it opened the New England Museum of Natural History at the corner of Berkeley and Boylston Streets in Boston's Back Bay. That museum is now known worldwide as the Museum of Science.
http://www.mos.org/

The North End
Boston's North End is the city's oldest residential community, where people have lived continuously since it was settled in the 1630s. It has been home to a number of immigrant populations. Known for push carts and top notch Italian resteraunts.
http://www.northendboston.com/

Harvard Square
Harvard Square began in 1630 as the Colonial village of Newtowne, which was chosen by the Proprietors of Massachusetts Bay to be the capital of their new colony. The village was the first planned town in English North America, and the streets laid out in 1631 are still in use today. Important structures survive from almost every period since the early 18th century. Harvard Square is of course the home of Harvard University.
http://www.harvardsquare.com/

The Prudential
The Prudential Tower, also known as the Prudential Building or, colloquially, as The Pru,[1][2], part of the Prudential Center complex, is Boston's second-tallest skyscraper (after the John Hancock Tower). Views of the entire city of Boston are visible from The Top of the Hub.
http://www.prudentialcenter.com/



Newbury Street
Boston's most enchanting street. Eight blocks filled with salons, boutiques, and fabulous dining. Boston's Newbury Street has something for everyone.
http://www.newbury-st.com/

Copley Place
Copley Place is an enclosed shopping mall located in the Back Bay section of Boston, Massachusetts. It is part of a complex that includes office buildings, two hotels, and a parking garage. The mall is noted for its upscale stores such as: Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior, Gucci, Porsche Design, Tiffany & Co., Jimmy Choo, Louis Vuitton, and Salvatore Ferragamo.
http://www.simon.com/mall/default.aspx?ID=784


More Boston Attractions

Quincy
This is the location of the hotel which has Trolley

Just minutes south of Boston Quincy, called the "City of Presidents" and "Birthplace of the American Dream", Quincy is the birthplace of the second and sixth U.S. Presidents, John Adams and his son, John Quincy Adams.


Adams National Park
Adams National Historical Park tells the story of four generations of the Adams family (from 1720 to 1927). The park has two main sites: the Birthplaces of 2nd U.S. President John Adams and 6th U.S. President John Quincy Adams, and Peacefield including the “Old House,” home to four generations of the Adams family, and the Stone Library which contains more than 14,000 historic volumes.
http://www.nps.gov/adam/index.htm

USS Salem
The USS Salem has several interesting exhibits to see on 3rd deck.
http://www.uss-salem.org/
*note if you use the Harbor Express from the airport this is very close!

More Quincy Attractions (pdf)

Surrounding Areas

Plymouth
About 45 minutes south of Boston, Plymouth is a thriving historical coastal town.


Plimoth Plantation*
Recreation of 17th century Plymouth. Includes a Wapanoag home site and colony. The 1627 English Village is a re-creation of the small farming town built by English colonists in the midst of the Wampanoag homeland. Find yourself immersed in the year 1627, just seven years after the voyage of the Mayflower. In the village you will be surrounded by the modest timber-framed houses, fragrant raised-bed gardens, well-tended livestock and fascinating townspeople of Plymouth Colony, the first permanent English settlement in New England. The people you will meet are costumed role players who have taken on the names, viewpoints and life histories of the people who actually lived in the colony in 1627, popularly known as the "Pilgrims" today.
http://www.plimoth.org/



Mayflower
The details of the ship, from the solid oak timbers and tarred hemp rigging, to the wood and horn lanterns and hand-colored maps, have all been carefully recreated to give you a sense of what the original 17th-century vessel was like. Come aboard and learn about the 1620 voyage of the Mayflower, the perils of maritime travel, and the tools of 17th-century navigation.
http://www.plimoth.org/features/mayflower-2/



Pilgrim Hall Museum
The story of the Pilgrims and early Plymouth, illustrated by the 17th century artifacts - genuine possessions of the Pilgrims.
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/



Jenny Grist Mill
John Jenney established America's first grist mill on this historic site in 1636. From the waterfront your journey into history begins at Brewster Gardens, follow the walking path along beautiful Town Brook to the Jenney Grist mill where you will see the huge water wheel turning.
http://www.visit-plymouth.com/jenneygristmill.htm

Deep Sea Fishing/Whale Watching
Departing from Plymouth Harbor, the whale excursion gives you the chance and the opportunity to experience sights that you will never forget. Stellwagen Bank is a marine sanctuary and one of the primary feeding grounds for Humpback Whales, Dolphins, Fin Whales, Minke Whales, and Harbor Porpoises.
http://www.captjohn.com/WhaleWatching/index.htm


More Plymouth Attractions

Salem
You will need a vehicle to visit Salem.

North of Boston Salem is a coastal town and the home of the famous Witch Trials.


House of Seven Gables
The House of the Seven Gables has an 18th century granite sea wall, and two seaside Colonial Revival Gardens. The museum houses more than 2,000 artifacts and objects, more than 40 framed works, 500 photographs and glass plate negatives, and more than 650 volumes in our research and rare book library.
http://www.7gables.org/



Witch Dungeon Museum
The mood is set from the moment you enter the Witch Dungeon Museum. You are there - in Salem Village in 1692, and you are guaranteed a unique educational experience with a chill or two. You'll experience the acclaimed performance of a Witch trial adapted from the 1692 historical transcripts.
http://www.witchdungeon.com/witchdungeon.html

WitchHouse
The Witch House, home of Judge Jonathan Corwin, is the only structure still standing in Salem with direct ties to the Witchcraft Trials of 1692.
http://www.salemweb.com/witchhouse/

More Salem Attractions

Cape Cod
Cape Cod (or simply the Cape) is an arm-shaped peninsula that forms the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts. The Cape's small town character and beachfront property brings heavy tourism during the summer months.

Barnstable County Fair
A true country fair with animals, rides and game booths!


Heritage Plantation & Gardens
Heritage Museums & Gardens consists of one hundred spectacular acres of labeled trees and shrubs, beautiful flowers and sweeping lawns. The gardens are a delight any time of year.
http://www.heritagemuseumsandgardens.org

Sandwich Glass Museum
Collects, preserves and interprets the history of the Town of Sandwich, the oldest town on Cape Cod. A large part of Sandwich history is involved with American glass production. This short presentation is culled from the collection of glass and historic images of the Museum and Historical Society.
http://www.sandwichglassmuseum.org



Woods Hole Oceanagraphic Institute
WHOI is dedicated to research and higher education at the frontiers of ocean science.
http://www.whoi.edu/

More Cape Cod Attractions

Concord
Concord, signifying agreement and harmony, was incorporated as the first inland settlement in Massachusetts through a grant from the Massachusetts General Court dated September 12, 1635. As the scene of the first battle of the American Revolutionary War (War for Independence) on April 19, 1775, it is considered the birthplace of the nation, where the “shot heard ‘round the world” for liberty and self government was fired.

Concord Museum
Why Concord? is a six-gallery exhibition at the Concord Museum that explores the people, events, and ideas in Concord’s past from Native American settlement to the 20th century. Renowned as the site of the battle that began the American Revolution and as the home of Thoreau, Emerson, and the Alcotts, Concord is a community rich in association.
http://www.concordmuseum.org/ .

More Concord Attractions

Beaches

Nantasket Beach*
Hull - One of the best beaches on the South Shore. Located on a Penisula it is a great beach particularly at low tide. Be sure to check a tide chart before going!
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/metroboston/nantask.htm

Powder Point Duxbury*
Duxbury - Duxbury Beach is a unique and ever-shaping natural resource of the entire South Shore of Massachusetts. This specialized barrier beach serves as a recreational area, a scenic area, a conservation area, and a natural breakwater for the towns of Duxbury, Kingston, and Plymouth.
http://duxburyharbormaster.org/beach/beach.htm

*recommended