Massachusetts destinations, parks and attractions

Are you going on a road trip to Massachusetts, looking for tips about the destinations so you and your party can enjoy it, be comfortable and not spend a fortune?

Here are some of the top destinations in Massachusetts and tips about visiting them

Top Massachusetts destinations

1. Boston - there is so much to see and do here. See this page!
2. Plymouth - 137 Warren Avenue, Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Plymouth Rock is here, of course as well as the Plimouth Plantation, a living history museum that shows how the Pilgrims lived in the 1600's. Also is The Mayflower II at Plymouth Plantation (aka, Plimoth Plantation) - The Mayflower and Plymouth Plantation should require no introduction. This stop has a living history museum ( Plimoth Plantation). demonstrating daily life, including gardening, building, cooking, and military training. There is also a  full-scale reproduction of the Mayflower, docked nearby.
3. Martha's Vineyard - Famous as the summer playground of the rich, like the Obama's and other celebrities, the first Jaws movie was filmed here in 1974. It is just  off Cape Cod, take a public ferry
4. The Berkshires - A beautiful hilly region of western Massachusetts with rolling hills and hiking trails, including the Appalachian Trail.
   
5. Salem - Known for the Salem witch trials, there is a witch museum, this quaint town is also home to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables.
   
6. Cape Cod - This famous fisherman's peninsula is located on the easternmost part of Massachusetts. Besides the docks, there are lighthouses, cranberry bogs, beaches, and trails along the Cape Cod National Seashore. Also on Cape Cod is Provincetown (the site of the first landing of the Pilgrims), Hyannis, Barnstable and other quaint towns. See the Cape Cod National Seashore website here.
7. Nantucket -  Yes, there once was a man from Nantucket, who had so many things to see, he said... well, never mind what he said, today it is the home of ultra wealthy liberal New Englanders, but is also a popular summer destination with harbors, cliffs, sandy beaches, lighthouses, and an annual summer music festival.
8. Cambridge - Home to 2 Ivy League universities, Harvard University and MIT (the Massachusetts Institute of Technology), the city dates back to 1630 and has many interesting historical buildings, such as the Church of St. Mary the Great, Holy Sepulchre, Ely Cathedral, and All Saints’ Church and many s museums

National parks and monuments in Massachusetts

• Adams National Historical Park:, Quincy, MA.
  

  From the sweet little farm at the foot of Penn’s Hill to the gentleman’s country estate at Peace field, Adams National Historical Park is the story of “heroes, statesman, philosophers … and learned women” whose ideas and actions helped to transform thirteen disparate colonies into one united nation.

  
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• Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Maine to Georgia, CT,GA,MA,MD,ME,NC,NH,NJ,NY,PA,TN,VA,VT,WV.
  

  The Appalachian Trail is a 2,180+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by private citizens, and completed in 1937, today the trail is managed by the National Park Service, US Forest Service, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, numerous state agencies and thousands of volunteers.

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• Blackstone River Valley National Historical Park:, RI,MA.
  

  The Blackstone River powered America's entry into the Age of Industry. The success of Samuel Slater's cotton spinning mill in Pawtucket, RI touched off a chain reaction that changed how people worked and where they lived, and continues to reverberate across the nation to this day. Come visit and see how this revolution transformed the landscape of the Blackstone Valley and then the United States.

  
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• Cape Cod National Seashore, Wellfleet, MA.
  

  The great Outer Beach described by Thoreau in the 1800s is protected within the national seashore. Forty miles of pristine sandy beach, marshes, ponds, and uplands support diverse species. Lighthouses, cultural landscapes, and wild cranberry bogs offer a glimpse of Cape Cod's past and continuing ways of life. Swimming beaches and walking and biking trails beckon today's visitors.

  
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• Frederick Law Olmsted National Historical Site:, Brookline, MA.
  

  Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903) is recognized as the founder of American landscape architecture and the nation's foremost parkmaker. Olmsted moved his home to suburban Boston in 1883 and established the world's first full-scale professional office for the practice of landscape design. During the next century, his sons and successors perpetuated Olmsted's design ideals, philosophy, and influence.

  
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• John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historical Site:, Brookline, MA.
  

  As a boy, JFK’s parents never expected he would grow up to be president. Yet in his birthplace home he learned values that inspired a life in public service. His mother, Rose Kennedy, recreated her family’s first home to share her memories of those early years with visitors. We commemorate not only his early life, but the ideas and principles he left behind.

  
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• Longfellow House Washington's Headquarters National Historical Site:, Cambridge, MA.
  

  Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site preserves the home of Henry W. Longfellow, one of the world’s foremost 19th century poets. The house also served as headquarters for General George Washington during the Siege of Boston, July 1775 - April 1776. In addition to its rich history, the site offers unique opportunities to explore 19th century literature and arts.

  
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• Lowell National Historical Park:, Lowell, MA.
  

  Discover the Continuing Revolution. Lowell’s water-powered textile mills catapulted the nation - including immigrant families and early female factory workers - into an uncertain new industrial era. Nearly 200 years later, the changes that began here still reverberate in our shifting global economy. Explore Lowell, a living monument to the dynamic human story of the Industrial Revolution.

  
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• Minute Man National Historical Park:, Concord, Lincoln, Lexington, MA.
  

  At Minute Man National Historical Park the opening battle of the Revolution is brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the American revolutionary spirit through the writings of the Concord authors.

  
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• New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park:, New Bedford, MA.
  

  "The town itself is perhaps the dearest place to live in, in all New England..nowhere in all America will you find more patrician-like houses, parks and gardens more opulent, than in New Bedford…all these brave houses and flowery gardens came from the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans. One and all, they were harpooned and dragged up hither from the bottom of the sea." H. Melville, "Moby-Dick"

  
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• New England National Scenic Trail, MA,CT.
  

  From the Sound to the Summits: the New England Trail covers 215 miles from Long Island Sound across long ridges to scenic mountain summits in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The trail offers panoramic vistas and close-ups of New England’s natural and cultural landscape: traprock ridges, historic village centers, farmlands, unfragmented forests, quiet streams, steep river valleys and waterfalls.

  
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• Salem Maritime National Historical Site:, Salem, MA.
  

  Established on March 17, 1938 as the first National Historic Site in the United States, Salem Maritime National Historic Site consists of nine acres of land and twelve historic structures along the Salem waterfront, as well as a downtown visitor center. Located in the urban setting of Salem, the park preserves and interprets over 600 years of New England's maritime history and global connections.

  
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• Saugus Iron Works National Historical Site:, Saugus, MA.
  

  In the 1600's, on the banks of the Saugus River, something extraordinary happened! Explore the place where European iron makers brought their special skills to a young Massachusetts colony. Saugus Iron Works is a twelve-acre National Historic Site that includes working waterwheels, forges, mills, a historic 17th century home, and a lush river basin.

  
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• Springfield Armory National Historical Site:, Springfield, MA.
  

  For nearly two centuries, the US Armed Forces and American industry looked to Springfield Armory for innovative engineering and superior firearms. Springfield Armory National Historic Site commemorates the critical role of the nation’s first armory by preserving and interpreting the world's largest historic US military small arms collection, along with historic archives, buildings, and landscapes.

  
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• Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail, MA,RI,CT,NY,NJ,PA,DE,MD,VA,DC.
  

  In 1781, General Rochambeau’s French Army joined forces with General Washington’s Continental Army to fight the British Army in Yorktown, Virginia. With the French Navy in support, the allied armies moved hundreds of miles to become the largest troop movement of the American Revolution. The effort and cooperation between the two sides led to a victory at Yorktown and secured American independence.

  
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Massachusetts State parks and historic sites

• Alewife Brook Reservation
  Cambridge, MA
• Ames Nowell State Park
  Abington, MA
• Appalachian Trail
  Lanesborough, MA
• Ashland State Park
  Ashland, MA
• Ashuwillticook Rail Trail
  Lanesborough, MA
• Bash Bish Falls State Park
  Mt. Washington, MA
• Beartown State Forest
  Monterey, MA
• Beaver Brook Reservation
  Belmont, MA
• Belle Isle Marsh
  East Boston, MA
• Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park
  Uxbridge, MA
• Blue Hills Reservation
  Milton, MA
• Borderland State Park
  North Easton, MA
• Boston Harbor Islands
  Boston, MA
• Bradley Palmer State Park
  Topsfield, MA
• Breakheart Reservation
  Saugus, MA.
• Brimfield State Forest
  Brimfield, MA.
• Bristol Blake State Reservation
  Norfolk, MA.
• Brook Farm Historic Site
  West Roxbury, MA.
• C.M. Gardner State Park
  Huntington, MA.
• Callahan State Park
  Framingham, MA.
• Camp Nihan Education Center
  Saugus, MA.
• Cape Cod Rail Trail
  Brewster, MA.
• Castle Island, Pleasure Bay, M Street Beach and Carson Beach
  Boston, MA.
• Charles River Reservation
  Boston, MA.
• Chestnut Hill Reservation
  Brighton, MA.
• Chicopee Memorial State Park
  Chicopee, MA.
• Clarksburg State Park
  Clarksburg, MA.
• Cochituate State Park
  Natick, MA.
• Connecticut River Greenway State Park
  Northampton, MA.
• Constitution Beach Park
  Boston, MA.
• Cutler Park Reservation
  Needham, MA
• Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) State Forest
  Goshen, MA.
• Demarest Lloyd State Park
  Dartmouth, MA.
• Dighton Rock State Park
  Berkley, MA.
• Douglas State Forest
  Douglas, MA.
• Dunn State Park
  Gardner, MA.
• Ellisville Harbor State Park
  Plymouth, MA.
• Elm Bank Reservation
  Wellesley, MA.
• Erving State Forest
  Erving, MA.
• F. Gilbert Hills State Forest
  Foxborough, MA.
• Fall River Heritage State Park
  Fall River, MA.
• Farnham-Connolly State Park
  Canton, MA.
• Federated Women's Club State Forest
  Petersham, MA.
• Fort Phoenix State Reservation
  Fairhaven, MA.
• Fort Revere Park
  Hull, MA.
• Francis D. Martini Memorial Shell Park and Moynihan Recreation Area
  Boston, MA.
• Franklin State Forest
  Franklin, MA.
• Freetown-Fall River State Forest
  Assonet, MA.
• Georgetown-Rowley State Forest
  Georgetown, MA.
• Granville State Forest
  Granville, MA
• Great Brook Farm State Park
  Carlisle, MA.
• Great Falls Discovery Center
  Turners Falls
• Halibut Point State Park
  Rockport, MA.
• Hammond Pond Reservation
  Newton, MA.
• Hampton Ponds State Park
  Westfield, MA.
• Harold Parker State Forest
  North Andover, MA.
• Hemlock Gorge Reservation
  Newton, MA.
• Holyoke Heritage State Park
  Holyoke, MA.
• Hopkinton State Park
  Hopkinton, MA.
• Horseneck Beach State Reservation
  Westport, MA.
• Houghton's Pond Recreation Area
  Milton, MA.
• Jug End State Reservation and Wildlife Management Area
  Egremont, MA.
• Kenneth Dubuque Memorial State Forest
  Plainfield, MA
• Lake Dennison Recreation Area
  Winchendon, MA.
• Lawrence Heritage State Park
  Lawrence, MA.
• Leo J. Martin Memorial Golf Course
  Weston, MA.
• Leo J. Martin Ski Track
  Weston, MA.
• Leominster State Forest
  Westminster, MA.
• Lowell Heritage State Park
  Lowell, MA.
• Lowell-Dracut-Tyngsboro State Forest
  Lowell, MA.
• Lower Neponset River Trail
  Boston, MA.
• Lynn Shore and Nahant Beach Reservation
  Nahant, MA.
• Manuel F. Correllus State Forest
  Edgartown, MA.
• Mary O'Malley State Park
  Chelsea, MA.
• Massasoit State Park
  Taunton, MA.
• Maudslay State Park
  Newburyport, MA.
• Melnea A. Cass Recreational Complex
  Roxbury, MA.
• Middlesex Fells Reservation
  Stoneham, MA.
• Mohawk Trail State Forest
  Charlemont, MA.
• Monroe State Forest
  Monroe, MA.
• Moore State Park
  Paxton, MA.
• Mount Everett State Reservation
  Mount Washington, MA.
• Mount Grace State Forest
  Warwick, MA.
• Mount Greylock State Reservation
  Lanesborough, MA.
• Mount Holyoke Range State Park
  Amherst, MA.
• Mount Sugarloaf State Reservation
  South Deerfield, MA.
• Mount Tom State Reservation
  Holyoke, MA.
• Mount Washington State Forest
  Mount Washington, MA.
• Myles Standish Monument State Reservation
  Duxbury, MA.
• Myles Standish State Forest
  Carver, MA.
• Mystic Lakes State Park
  Medford, MA
• Mystic River State Reservation
  Medford, MA
• Nantasket Beach Reservation
  Hull, MA
• National Monument to the Forefathers
  Plymouth, MA.
• Nashua River Rail Trail
  Ayer, MA.
• Nasketucket Bay State Reservation
  Mattapoisett, MA.
• Natural Bridge State Park
  North Adams, MA.
• Neponset River Reservation
  Boston, MA.
• Nickerson State Park
  Brewster, MA.
• Norwottuck Rail Trail
  Northampton, MA.
• October Mountain State Forest
  Lee, MA.
• Otter River State Forest
  Baldwinville, MA.
• Pearl Hill State Park
  Townsend, MA.
• Pilgrim Memorial State Park
  Plymouth, MA.
• Pittsfield State Forest
  Pittsfield, MA.
• Ponkapoag Golf Course
  Canton, MA.
• Pope John Paul ll Park Reservation
  Boston, MA.
• Purgatory Chasm State Reservation
  Sutton, MA.
• Quabbin Reservoir
  Belchertown, MA.
• Quincy Quarries Reservation
  Quincy, MA.
• Quincy Shores Reservation
  Quincy, MA.
• Quinsigamond State Park
  Worcester, MA
• Rehoboth State Forest
  Rehoboth, MA.
• Revere Beach Reservation
  Revere, MA.
• Robinson State Park
  Feeding Hills, MA.
• Roxbury Heritage State Park
  Boston, MA.
• Rumney Marsh Reservation
  Saugus, MA.
• Rutland State Park
  Rutland, MA.
• Salisbury Beach State Reservation
  Salisbury, MA.
• Sandisfield State Forest (York Lake)
  Sandisfield, MA.
• Sandy Point State Reservation
  Ipswich, MA.
• Savoy Mountain State Forest
  Florida, MA.
• Scusset Beach State Reservation
  Sagamore, MA.
• Shawme-Crowell State Forest
  Sandwich, MA.
• Skinner State Park
  Hadley, MA.
• South Cape Beach State Park
  Mashpee, MA.
• Southern New England Trunkline Trail
  Douglas, MA.
• Southwest Corridor Park
  Boston, MA.
• Spencer State Forest
  Spencer, MA.
• Squantum Point Park
  Quincy, MA.
• Stodder's Neck and Abigail Adams Park
  Hingham, MA.
• Stony Brook Reservation
  Hyde Park, MA.
• Sudbury Reservoir
  Southborough, MA
• Tolland State Forest
  East Otis, MA.
• Upton State Forest
  Upton, MA.
• Wachusett Mountain State Reservation
  Princeton, MA.
• Wachusett Reservoir
  West Boylston, MA.
• Wahconah Falls State Park
  Dalton, MA.
• Walden Pond State Reservation
  Concord, MA.
• Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
  East Falmouth, MA.
• Watson Pond State Park
  Taunton, MA.
• Webb Memorial State Park
  North Weymouth, MA
• Wellfleet Hollow State Campground
  Wellfleet, MA.
• Wells State Park
  Sturbridge, MA.
• Wendell State Forest
  Millers Falls, MA.
• Western Gateway Heritage State Park
  North Adams, MA.
• Whitehall State Park
  Hopkinton, MA.
• Willard Brook State Forest
  Townsend, MA.
• Willowdale State Forest
  Topsfield, MA.
• Wilson Mountain Reservation
  Dedham, MA.
• Windsor State Forest
  Windsor, MA.
• Winthrop Shore Reservation
  Winthrop, MA.
• Wompatuck State Park
  Hingham, MA.
• Wrentham State Forest
  Wrentham, MA

Many DCR facilities have a parking fee. Massachusetts residents pay lower fees than non-residents. Resident and non resident status is determined by the vehicle license plate. Some parks only charge fees during certain times of the year. Click the link below to view the most recent parking fees schedule for every state park.

Parking fee locations and schedule

Annual Parking Pass

You can save money on park visits by getting an annual ParksPass. A ParksPass waives the daily parking fee for most DCR parks. The parking pass costs $60 for Massachusetts residents.

Senior ParksPass

Massachusetts residents aged 62 and older can buy a lifetime parking pass. The lifetime Senior Parks Pass costs $10. Senior Parks passes may only be bought in person or by mail.

Learn how to get a lifetime Senior ParksPass

Massachusetts Seasons, bugs, topography and climate

Massachusetts is mainly a humid continental climate, with hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters and plenty of precipitation. The state does have extreme temperatures from time to time with 100 °F or 37.8 °C in the summer and temperatures below 0 °F or −17.8 °C in the winter not being unusual. Bugs... near stagnant lakes and marshes black flies, no-see-ums and mosquitos.

Massachusetts Camping tips

Massachusetts has accessible tent sites, too, with hard-packed level ground, pedestal grills, and accessible picnic tables. All our accessible sites are marked on Reserve America with a figure in a wheelchair.

You'll always find accessible restrooms in the same loop as accessible sites, though there usually isn't an accessible pedestrian route between the sites and the restrooms. Before you make a reservation, you should contact the park to see if their cabins, yurts, or tent sites fit your specific needs. Also, be sure to learn about DCR campground regulations before you reserve your campsite.

If you have questions about accessible camping in general, please contact the Universal Access Program.

There are both state parks and private campgrounds in Massachusetts.