Massachusetts Self-Guided Driving and Walking Tours Bundle

Massachusetts State House

The first stop along our red-bricked Freedom Trail tour is right at the corner of Boston Common: the Massachusetts State House! This building is both historic and architecturally beautiful.... and of course, we can't forget about it's eye-catching golden dome! We'll pause in front of the State House to catch up on a couple of key Revolutionary War characters (and soon-to-be American heroes) and a little colonial history. We'll also take a look at the Robert G Shaw and 54th Memorial, which stands opposite the State House. Who was Shaw and what made the 54th Regiment so significant? We'll get into all of those details right here.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Park Street Church

From the State House and Shaw Memorial, we'll continue following the Freedom Trail. That brings us through Boston Common and out to the Park Street Church. As we walk, we'll dive into the most important question of all: what prompted the Revolutionary War? As we peel back the layers, we discover that the battle for American Independence was one falling domino in a long chain of dominos stretching across multiple continents and older wars...

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Granary Burying Ground

This brings us to the truly ancient Granary Burying Ground! Established in 1660, this is only Boston's third-oldest burying ground. Can you imagine what's changed in the last 400 years? Well for one thing, this ground is so old it actually holds the grave of Mother Goose. We still hear her stories today! We'll also visit the graves of American legends like Paul Revere, Robert Paine, and James Otis. And we can't miss John Hancock and Sam Adams' graves either! Lastly, we'll visit the graves of those killed in the Boston Massacre, one of the stepping stones to the full-blown revolution. We'll be heading to the site of this Massacre later.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Boston Latin School

From the Granary, we'll continue following the Freedom Trail's red bricks. We'll check out the King's Chapel along the way and pause in front of the Latin School. This historic site contains a number of fun statues to pose with (including a donkey!) and quite a lot of rich history to dive into.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Boston Irish Famine Memorial

A few steps down from the Latin School, we'll find the Irish Famine Memorial. Here we'll jump a bit later into Boston history and talk about the new wave of immigrants after the revolution. We'll learn about the hardships they faced and overcame... and where these communities are today.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Old South Meeting House

Just across the street from the Irish Famine Memorial, we'll find the historic Old South Meeting House. This small, tucked-away building is easy to miss but we'll pause in front of it. Here, we'll be transported back in time to one of the most fateful events leading up the Revolutionary War... the Boston Tea Party. We'll learn all about the organizers, their motivations, and of course the consequences of their "tea party".

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

As we continue along the Freedom Trail, we'll learn more about the Tea Party and the Sons of Liberty who were behind it. We'll also pass the historic Old Corner Bookstore while walking and dive into it's connection to colonial Bostonians.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Old State House

Our red-brick road finally brings us to the one of the most popular stops along the Freedom Trail: the Old State House. We'll pause here to identify key architectural features and learn about it's significance (and long history!). Then, we'll walk around to the other side....

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Boston Massacre Site

... to see the site of the infamous Boston Massacre! But was it a massacre? Or just a rowdy riot, as the British said? We'll dive into the thrilling tale while standing at the very spot where history unfolded. We'll also learn about Crispus Attacuks, an honored American hero.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Faneuil Hall Marketplace

We'll follow the Freedom Trail to another popular resting spot: Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market! First we'll explore the site's fascinating history and then explore it's huge range of food options!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Haymarket

As we continue our journey along the red-bricked path of the Freedom Trail, we'll also dive into the story of the historic Haymarket, the new and striking Holocaust Memorial out in front, and the stunning view of the Custom House Tower a little beyond. We'll learn a bit about each of these sites as we make our way to another popular stop.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Paul Revere House

Our path brings us to another popular stop along the Freedom Trail: Paul Revere's House! Here we'll learn about Paul Revere's famous "Midnight Ride", it's immortalization in a poem by Henry Wadsworth-Longfellow, and the truths and myths behind this historic moment.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Old North Church & Historic Site

From Paul Revere's House, we'll make our way to the Old North Church. This is the iconic site where the "one if by land, two if by sea" lanterns were lit, silently signalling the British troops' movements to colonial revolutionaries.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Copp's Hill Burying Ground

From the Old North Church, we'll follow the Freedom Trail farther up to the historic Copp's Hill Burying Ground. This historic cemetery in Boston's North End is older than the Granary... but only by a year!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

USS Constitution Museum

Our last few stops are a little farther along, over the bridge and into the Charlestown Navy Yard. There we'll see the historic and impressive USS Constitution -- and learn all about her epic battle against the Guerriere. We'll explore the naval battles of the War for Independence in more detail while at this historic site.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Bunker Hill Monument

Finally we'll follow the Freedom Trail up to the Bunker Hill Monument, built to commemorate the Battle of Bunker Hill. We'll walk around this hill, exploring the site of this epic battle and getting an understanding of the brutality and intensity of the battle for freedom. This site is the last along our comprehensive tour along Boston's historic Freedom Trail.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Our tour continues past two picturesque student dorms - Mower and Holworthy. We'll learn about their significance and then continue to the famed Harvard Science Center.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Memorial Hall

Next up: the imposing High Victorian Gothic Memorial Hall. This is the most beautiful building on campus, without contest.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Our tour continues beyond the Library and towards more dorms. First up: Weld Hall, once home to President JFK. As we check out the beautiful architecture, we'll also learn about the dorm's other famous residents.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Then we continue to Wigglesworth Hall, Bill Gates' once-domain. We'll learn about Gates and other notable alumni who lived in this dorm.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Prefer someone more recent? Gray's Hall was home to Malia Obama.... and a couple other names you're sure to recognize.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

That brings us to Matthews Hall, where Matt Damon once lived!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

And we can't forget Straus Hall, once home to Mark Zuckerberg. And so many others too! Our tour continues through campus, exploring traditions and anecdotes until we're almost back to where we started: Johnson Gate.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Your tour through this quaint New England town begins at the Salem Visitor Center. From here, you'll embark on a journey which will peel back the seemingly pleasant exterior of Salem and reveal a dark, violent past which still haunts it to this day

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Salem Witch Trials Memorial

After that, make your way to the Samuel Pickman House, a creepy house with an even creepier history. Supposedly, a father chained his daughter up in the basement for days without food or water... and some say she still lingers to this day

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Old Burying Point Cemetery

Up next is the graveyard where most of the witch trial victims are buried. Ironically, this is also the final resting place of the chief investigator during those trials, who directly caused many deaths

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Salem Old Town Hall

The path takes you next to the old Town Hall. There's a little-known secret about this place, though--supposedly, it sits atop miles of secret underground tunnels!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

John Ward House

At the Joshua Ward House, up next, you'll get a glimpse of what remains of the residence once belonging to Sheriff George Corwin, who signed the arrest and execution warrants of those accused of witchcraft

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

After that, you'll arrive at St Peter's Episcopal Church, which sits on land the town confiscated after the owners, accused of witchcraft, skipped town

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The next cemetery is the Howard Street Cemetery, the final resting place of Giles Corey. Corey was another victim of the trials, and was later immortalized by Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Roger Conant Statue

Then you'll pass by an impressive statue of Roger Conant, Salem's founder and first governor, as well as the Witch Museum, filled with all sorts of deep-dive info about the trials and the surrounding mass hysteria

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Gedney House

One optional stop takes you to the Gedney House, a perfect example of the peculiarities of colonial architecture

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Broad Street Cemetery

Another detour brings you to the Broad Street Cemetery, where Sheriff Corwin ended up after suffering a mysterious heart attack

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Hamilton Hall

Then you'll see Hamilton Hall, a venue which has hosted esteemed figures like Alexander Hamilton, FDR, and the Marquis de Lafayette

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Ropes Mansion and Garden

The next optional stop is the Ropes Mansion, the former home of a wealthy Salem resident who became the center of a bitter distrust in the midst of a smallpox epidemic

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Witch House

After that is the so-called Witch House. Once home to Judge Jonathan Corwin, who presided over some of the witch trials, it is one of very few buildings still standing from that era

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Next on the optional route is the John Bertram House, one of the oldest assisted living facilities in the entire country

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

If you like hauntings, you'll have to stop at the Hawthorne Hotel, supposedly one of the most haunted buildings in town!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Nathanial Hawthorne Statue

Literature fans won't want to miss the Nathaniel Hawthorne statue, dedicated to one of America's greatest authors

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The next stop along the optional route is the Mercy Tavern, which has a seriously seedy history, including a whole lot of kidnappings!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Nathaniel Hawthorne Birthplace

You can also visit the birthplace of famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne, which has been preserved in its original condition

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The House of the Seven Gables

The final optional stop is the House of the Seven Gables, a dour building which inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's supernatural Gothic novel of the same name

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Our historic tour begins at one of Boston's most underappreciated marvels of architecture: South Station. We'll take a moment to analyze the enormous eagle and clock dominating the facade.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Right across the street, we'll find a stunning example of modern architecture with the Federal Reserve. As we walk past, we'll learn the intriguing stories behind the bland name.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

At Russia Wharf, we're officially at the start of our Harborwalk journey and our trip into the past. We'll learn about the booming international trade during the colonial era.... the foundation which would later lead to the epic Boston Tea Party.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum

As we walk along Boston's Harborwalk, we'll look out across the water for a glimpse of an actual blast from the past: a colonial ship packed with tea crates! We'll learn about the events of Boston's Tea Party but we'll also dive deeper: what really caused this riot? Why were taxes so high? What did a far-away international war have to do with the price of tea in Boston?

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Our journey brings us to Rowe's Wharf — named for one of the tea smugglers who encouraged the "Tea Party"! We'll learn about John Rowe and his adventures with the law as we walk through.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Harbor Hotel is a stunning piece of architecture, blending modern and colonial styles seamlessly. It's 80-foot copper dome contains a glass cupola. If you walk to the center of the archway and look straight up, you can see all the through the top of the dome to the glass cupola above.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

As we continue our walk along Boston's Harborwalk, our journey back in time takes us from the Boston Tea Party into a more recent era. As we walk, we'll admire the beautiful Moakley Courthouse across the water and learn about its significance to the city and its people.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Brutalist-style Harbor Towers are unmissable. Brutalism was all the rage in the 1970s. Today, the style polarizes observers. Some people see a kind of strange beauty in the sparse, overbearing structures. Others see, well, just plain ugly buildings! These days, you can always identify the style anywhere by its grim, fortress-like appearance. We'll learn about the towers, Boston's struggle between affordable and luxury living, and one of the city's most ambitious projects: cleaning up this very harbor.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

New England Aquarium

We're now approaching a popular stop in Boston and along the Harborwalk: the Aquarium! This huge attraction is partially built over the Harbor, allowing the aquarium access to the natural environment of Boston's Harbor.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Our tour along the scenic Harborwalk ends at one of Boston's most historic spots: Long Wharf. From colonial battles against the British to modern crowds of tourists, this Wharf remains a Boston hotspot. Enjoy the views and the history as we conclude our story at this scenic stop.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Plymouth Visitor Information Center

The MA Visitor Information Center is a major stop for visitors traveling to and from Boston, Plymouth, Cape Cod, and throughout all of New England.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Mayflower II

"Mayflower II is a reproduction of the 17th-century ship Mayflower, celebrated for transporting the Pilgrims to the New World in 1620. The reproduction was built in Devon, England during 1955–1956, in a collaboration between Englishman Warwick Charlton and Plimoth Plantation, an American museum. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

"Across the street and up the hill from Plymouth Rock is the historic Mayflower Society House – an 18th century home originally built by Edward Winslow, great-grandson of the Pilgrim Edward Winslow. The story of the Society House extends across three centuries. Experience its rich history on a tour where you will learn about the many influential Plymouth families who lived here and preserved this home over the years. Hear fascinating stories about the struggles of the Winslow family – Loyalists during the Revolutionary era; stand where Ralph Waldo Emerson and Lydia Jackson exchanged vows; relive the great restoration in 1898 by famous New England architect Joseph Everett Chandler, and imagine the hive of activity this peaceful house would have been when it was used as a Red Cross headquarters during World War II. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Plymouth Rock

Plymouth Rock is the traditional site of disembarkation of William Bradford and the Mayflower Pilgrims who founded the Plymouth Colony in December 1620.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Massasoit Statue

"Massasoit is a statue by the American sculptor Cyrus Edwin Dallin in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was completed in 1921 to mark the three hundredth anniversary of the Pilgrims' landing. The sculpture is meant to represent the Pokanoket leader Massasoit welcoming the Pilgrims on the occasion of the first Thanksgiving. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Brewster Gardens

The park up ahead and walks toward the center. This is Brewster Gardens, named for William Brewster, one of the original Mayflower passengers.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

"Brewster Gardens is a bronze statue, The Pilgrim Maiden by Henry Hudson Kitson (1922), and a stainless steel sculpture honoring Plymouth’s immigrant settlers from 1700 to 2000. The Pilgrim Maiden is dedicated to the intrepid English women whose courage and devotion brought a new nation into being. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Burial Hill

"Burial Hill is a historic cemetery or burying ground on School Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Established in the 17th century, it is the burial site of several Pilgrims, the founding settlers of Plymouth Colony. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2013. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Richard Sparrow House

"The Richard Sparrow House is a historic house at 42 Summer Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and the oldest surviving house in Plymouth. The house was built around 1640 by Richard Sparrow, an English surveyor who arrived in Plymouth in 1636. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Plimoth Grist Mill

The Plimoth Grist Mill is a working grist mill located in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is a reconstruction of the original Jenney Grist Mill, and it stands on the site of the original mill.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Pilgrim Hall Museum

The Pilgrim Hall Museum at 75 Court Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts is the oldest public museum in the United States in continuous operation, having opened in 1824.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

National Monument to the Forefathers

"The National Monument to the Forefathers, formerly known as the Pilgrim Monument, commemorates the Mayflower Pilgrims. Dedicated on August 1, 1889, it honors their ideals as later generally embraced by the United States. It is thought to be the world's largest solid granite monument. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Hedge House

"The Plymouth Antiquarian House is a historic house museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts owned by the Plymouth Antiquarian Society. The house was built in 1809 for William Hammatt, a New England sea captain. The Hedges, a family of entrepreneurs, purchased the house in 1830 and lived there until 1919. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Exhibits in the Interpretive Centre focus on the Pilgrims, stories of their faith and values, the abolitionists and slavery, the family – the cornerstone of society.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Jabez Howland House

"The Jabez Howland House is a historic house at 33 Sandwich Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The oldest portion of this two-story wood-frame house was built by Jacob Mitchell in 1667 and purchased by Jabez Howland, son of Mayflower passengers John Howland and Elizabeth Tilley Howland, two of the original Pilgrims. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Long Beach is a barrier beach– a peninsula that serves as a barrier between the open ocean and the mainland coast.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Plimoth Patuxet Museums

"Plimoth Plantation is a living history museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts, founded in 1947. It attempts to replicate the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony established in the 17th century by the English colonists who became known as the Pilgrims. "

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

We begin our journey into America's distant past at the Cape Cod Visitor Center. Prepare to dive into the Pilgrims, the nation's origins and the long history of the Cape. As we begin our drive through picturesque Massachusetts towns, we'll learn about the Nauset tribe, their legends and traditions, and why they were wary when strange ships appeared on the eastern horizon.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

An optional detour takes us past the fish-shaped Scargo Lake. According to Nauset legend, this lake was built by a great chieftan to comfort his daughter, who could not stop weeping over three dead fish. We'll also learn about the Nauset party who first spotted the Mayflower, and the fears they had about its approach.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Harwich

Another optional detour takes us to Harwich, a quaint Cape town known for its numerous beautiful beaches. If you fancy a swim, this is one of the best places on the Cape for it!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Cape Cod Lavender Farm

While in Harwich, we'll visit the Cape Cod Lavender Farm, a secluded estate that's just as gorgeous and fragrant as it sounds. Walk any of the woodland trails for free, soak up the smell of lavender, and pick up a few souvenirs!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Bank Street Beach

Next, our Harwich detour will take us to Bank Street Beach, the perfect place to relax or dip your toes into the Atlantic.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

As we continue our drive, we'll enter Eastham, a perfectly picturesque little Colonial town. We'll also hear about the embattled first encounter between the Pilgrims and the Nauset, the daring assistance offered by Squanto, and the very first Thanksgiving, where the Pilgrims and Nauset celebrated a truce.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

First Encounter Beach

Continuing down the Cape, we'll arrive at First Encounter Beach, where that dramatic skirmish between Nauset and Pilgrims took place. The beach now bears a plaque commemorating the encounter and the eventual truce.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Salt Pond Visitor Center

A little farther on, we'll arrive at the Salt Pond Visitor Center. This miniature museum is the perfect opportunity to catch up on some extra Cape history, use the bathroom, or just stretch your legs.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Nauset Lighthouse

As we continue our drive up the Cape, we'll spot the Nauset Light, the quaint little lighthouse that features in every quintessential Cape Cod photograph. We'll also learn about its importance, and how the Cape's rough waters earned the nickname of "ocean graveyard" before the lighthouse was built.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Three Sisters Lighthouses

Continuing our drive, we'll come to three squat white lighthouses called the Three Sisters Lighthouses. What's peculiar about these lighthouses is that they're not on the coast at all! They're actually nestled among a thicket of trees pretty far inland. Hear about why that is, and how they came to be there. We'll also learn about how the Cape transformed from Nauset land to Colonial fishing towns, and then from fishing towns to a tourist hotspot.

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Another optional detour takes us to the Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary. With five miles of trails through four different biomes, and more species of birds and other critters than you can count, this stop is bound to delight nature enthusiasts, bird watchers, and avid hikers alike.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

As we continue driving, we'll pass Marconi Station, the first radio station to ever send a wireless message across the Atlantic! The station also played a pivotal role in an infamous oceanic tragedy: the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. Learn how a radio station hundreds of miles away saved lives on that fateful day!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The next optional detour takes us to the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail, a perfect spot for hikers of all experience levels to stretch their legs and take in Cape Cod's varied terrain. Within a single, short mile lies a beach, a freshwater marsh, a deciduous forest, and a salt plain! Continuing our drive, we'll also hear about Cape Cod's former whaling industry.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

As we continue driving, we'll pass the Pilgrim Spring Trail, a short hike which leads to one of the first places the Pilgrims came after landing on the Cape. Here, the weary travelers found their first freshwater spring--an essential find in helping them survive. Afterward, we'll continue on toward Provincetown.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

As we drive through P-Town, we'll arrive at Macmillan Pier, where thousands of ships have launched over the years. Here, we get to see how past and present really intermingle on the Cape. These days, the pier is mostly used to launch whale watching expeditions.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Our penultimate stop is the Pilgrim Monument: the tallest all-granite monument in the entire country! Every year since its completion in 1910, thousands of tourists climb the steps of this 250-foot colossus to get a panoramic view of the ocean from the top. It's well worth the trek! Next, we'll hear about the Mayflower Contract, the rough set of laws the Pilgrims set for themselves upon landing in the New World.

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Finally, we'll end up where it all began: the site where the Mayflower first struck land. Explore the park and imagine what it must have been like for the settlers, after ten harrowing weeks at sea, to step onto Nauset soil right here on November 11th, 1620. Our tour officially ends at this historic stop.

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Our Cape Ann excursion begins at the Gloucester Visitor Information Center. We'll get our view breathtaking views of the waterfront from this point.

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Instead of setting off on our drive right away, we'll first check out the most striking feature of the scenery: the massive Tablet Rock. In 1907, the plaque the rock was unveiled to Commemorate the first settlers in this area.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Stage Fort Park and Beach

We can also choose to walk around this area before our driving, admiring the amazing views of the park, the ocean, and the city.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Our drive along Cape Ann's scenic harbor begins once we cross the canal. First, we'll admire Cape Ann's most famous momument: the Fisherman's Memorial. As we continue, we'll learn about the significance of fishing in Cape Ann's past — and the famous movie about it, "The Perfect Storm".

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Here we can choose to pause again to explore Cape Ann's Harborwalk. Along the path are 41 granite slabs containing pieces of the town’s long, odd, sometimes sad history. These “story moments,” as they are called, were put together by teams of volunteers eager to show the world what Gloucester is made of. Taken together, they form a mosaic of this strange, beautiful place.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Cape Ann and Glouchester’s whale watching industry guarantees whale sightings with every voyage. Their boats often take passengers to a marine wildlife preserve that’s been called one of the top five whale-watching destinations in the entire world!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Niles Beach

As we drive along scenic Cape Ann's waterfront, we'll discover beaches both big and small. We can choose to stop at one, some, or all, as we learn more about what's unique about each one.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Beauport, the Sleeper-McCann House

Beauport, also known as Sleeper–McCann House, Little Beauport, or Henry Davis Sleeper House, is a beautiful historic home tucked away on the Cape Ann waterfront. As we drive, we'll dive back into Cape Ann's history.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Eastern Point Lighthouse

During the early 1800s, maritime trade in Gloucester was booming. Ships traveling between these ports and China or India were turning enormous profits, and captains started to become especially anxious at the prospect of losing their extremely valuable cargo in a shipwreck. Enter: lighthouses!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Thacher Island is a small island off Cape Ann on the Massachusetts coast in the United States. It is a part of the Town of Rockport. It was a place where some naval confrontations, both minor and major, took place, which helped secure a victory for the colonists.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Rockport

Our scenic drive along Cape Ann now leaves Gloucester and brings us into Rockport. We'll learn more about Rockport and the region as we drive.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Motif Number 1

Our brings us to "the most painted building in America"!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Bearskin Neck

This land was once home to a large number of bears, but don’t worry! They’re long gone now. According to legend, one such bear was caught by the tide and killed in 1700, which is how this place got its name.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Granite Pier is one of the Rockport’s oldest piers. As you might have guessed, this used to be where ships would be loaded with granite for transport. As we explore the pier and nearby beaches, we'll get a better understanding of the Cape Ann of days past, and that of the present. Our drive then continues along Halibut Point and Harvey Reservation.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Annisquam Harbor Light Station is a historic lighthouse on Wigwam Point. As we approach, we'll learn more about shipwrecks, shipping, fishing, and maritime trade.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Our scenic drive along Cape Ann has finally looped back to Stop 1! We're nearly back at the Gloucester Visitor Information Center.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

North Bridge Visitor Center (174 Liberty St. Concord MA.) is located in a brick mansion built in 1911 by descendents of the Buttrick family (Major John Buttrick was the colonial officer who first ordered his militia to fire upon British soldiers.), the North Bridge Visitor Center features a short video about the North Bridge fight, a bookstore and exhibits.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Once you’ve parked, pick up the Battle Road Trail trail at the end of the lot farthest from the entrance. Once you walk a few hundred feet, you’ll come to Meriam’s Corner. It might not look like much, but this was the site of a disaster for the British.

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This is the site where Paul Revere was captured, and a great opportunity to reflect on how the British ended up in such a predicament. Remember, their mission to confiscate weapons was supposed to be secret.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Battles of Lexington and Concord left 73 British dead and 174 wounded. 49 Americans died and 39 were wounded. But the aftershocks of the battle went far deeper than that. The American victory was all the proof the colonists needed that they could win a war against Britain.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Almost in the Concord Museum’s backyard, you can find the former home of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

This museum’s collection explores the area’s revolutionary and literary history. If you want to learn more about the town and see some unique artifacts, be sure to stop by!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Many famous authors lived in Concord, and several found their final resting place here in Authors Ridge. Thoreau, Alcott family members, Emerson, Nathaniel, and Sophie Hawthorne, and others are buried there.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

This 1650 house is where Alcott wrote Little Women in 1868. At Orchard house, you can learn about Louisa May and the rest of her family, who were known for their commitments to abolition, women’s suffrage, and social reform.

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The Wayside, built-in 1700, became home to several of these famous figures. The Alcotts bought the house in 1845, naming it Hillside. The experiences of the Alcott sisters in the home were later written into her classic Little Women.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Just a mile outside of town, off Walden Street, is another site of literary history -- Walden Pond. This is where Thoreau lived for two years beginning in 1845, in a cabin he built, collecting his thoughts for his 1854 classic on self-reliance, Walden, or Life in the Woods.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Just ahead on the left is what remains of the home of Ephriam and Elizabeth’s son Samuel. Samuel was a sergeant in the Lincoln Minute Men on April 19 and saw action up to and down the road. His wife Mary is said to have helped bury dead British soldiers.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

At the far end of the visitor’s center parking lot is a path leading to Battle Road Trail, which runs the length of Minute Man park. It follows what remains of the original Bay Road, which is the route the British took to Concord and back. It passes many historic sites.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Martha’s Vineyard is famous for its gorgeous coastline and picture-perfect historic towns, but there’s much more to see on this beautiful island!

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Flying Horses Carousel is the oldest operating platform carousel in America. Located in the historic resort community of Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts, on Martha's Vineyard, the carousel was apparently first located in New York City before being moved to the island in the 1880s.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

These vibrant Victorian cottages are clustered together, each with a quaint and colorful design reminiscent of the house made of gingerbread and candy in “Hansel and Gretel.” These adorable homes are now exclusive summer cottages, but they come from humble origins.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

The Museum Shop has a wide selection of Campground-related souvenirs and gifts, including books, calendars, paper, and silk lanterns, sterling silver Campground charms, toys, postcards, and other interesting items.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Inkwell is a small beach located in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard. The name is pejorative; a name was given to white beachgoers in Martha's Vineyard in reference to this strip of beach that was visited by Black residents and tourists.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Caroline Tuthill Preserve is an expanse of over 150 acres of oak and pitch pine forest, wooded wetlands, salt marsh, and open meadow. Sengekontacket Pond and Beach Road flank the Preserve to the north; the Edgartown-Vineyard Haven Road flanks the Preserve to the south.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Chappaquiddick Island a part of the town of Edgartown, Massachusetts, is a small peninsula and occasional island on the eastern end of Martha's Vineyard. Norton Point, a narrow barrier beach, connects Martha's Vineyard and Chappaquiddick between Katama and Wasque. Occasional breaches occur due to hurricanes and strong storms separating the islands for periods of time.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The scenic oceanfront area features a sandy beach, lighthouse & open space for gathering/picnicking.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Edgartown Village Historic District is a historic district encompassing the traditional center of Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The district is roughly bounded by Water St. and Pease's Point Way and encompasses some 500 acres.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included

Picturesque ocean beaches are popular for large waves as well as shellfishing & birdwatching.

5 Minutes • Admission Ticket Free