From forested mountains to windswept shores, historic cities to picture-perfect small cities, Massachusetts packs loads of magnificence and attention-grabbing websites into a comparatively small space.
When you’re fortunate with site visitors (not at all a assure), you’ll be able to drive from Boston to the Berkshires or the tip of Cape Cod in a little bit over two hours, however the place’s the enjoyable in hurrying?
Take your time to meander alongside backroads and byways, admiring the ever-changing views. Cease to savor the state’s bounty, from farm-fresh vegetables and fruit to seafood straight from the ocean.
Wherever you go in Massachusetts, you’ll be surrounded by echoes of the state’s dramatic historical past and proof of its countless spirit of creativity and innovation. Listed here are six nice driving routes that showcase the most effective of the Bay State.
The Battle Highway Byway
Finest highway journey for historical past and literature
Arlington-Harmony; 15 miles; enable 1-2 days
This brief however jam-packed drive follows the approximate route British troopers took on April 18-19, 1775, as they marched from Boston aspiring to seize a rumored stash of weapons saved by colonial militia in Harmony. Alongside the way in which, they met with sudden resistance in a sequence of armed clashes that marked the beginning of the American Revolution.
The route runs by means of the cities of Arlington, Lexington, Lincoln, and Harmony, passing historic websites just like the Lexington Battle Inexperienced the place the primary photographs have been fired and Harmony’s North Bridge, the place a bigger skirmish happened.
Different sights within the space embody the houses of the Nineteenth-century authors Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Louisa Might Alcott, in addition to the Harmony Museum and the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park in Lincoln.
The Berkshire backroads
Finest highway journey for a mixture of nature and tradition
Williamstown-Nice Barrington; minimal 40 miles; enable 2-4 days
The Berkshire Hills in western Massachusetts are one of many state’s hottest year-round leisure locations. From summer time hikes to winter snowboarding, good fall foliage to world-class arts and tradition, the area reveals one thing attention-grabbing round nearly each flip.
Pack a picnic of native goodies from the Williamstown Farmers Market and hit the path. In the summertime, there are nice occasions in and round Lenox, together with Tanglewood Music Festival and Jacob’s Pillow dance competition, else you’ll be able to discover some top-notch museums just like the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown or the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge.
Route 7 is the principle north-south highway by means of the Berkshires however there are additionally worthy facet routes resulting in pure areas like Mount Greylock State Reservation – residence to Massachusetts’ highest level – and Hancock Shaker Village, a residing historical past website in Lee.
When you’re arriving in or leaving within the area alongside the Massachusetts Turnpike, get off the freeway to journey the roughly parallel 33-mile Jacob’s Ladder Scenic Byway (historic Route 20) between Russell and Lee.
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The Mohawk Path
Finest highway journey for dramatic views
Williamstown-Orange; 63 miles; enable 1-2 days
Gorgeous mountain views, speeding rivers, dense forest, rolling farmland, and idyllic small cities all unfold alongside the Mohawk Trail, New England’s oldest scenic byway. As you descend from the Berkshires to the Connecticut River Valley, panoramic vistas reveal themselves round nearly each bend, together with a dramatic hairpin flip at Clarksburg.
Highlights alongside the route embody Pure Bridge State Park, the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls, and the panoramic vistas of the Connecticut River from French King Bridge. Scenic at any time of 12 months, the drive is especially spectacular within the fall. Be ready to share the highway with many fellow leaf peepers on an October weekend.
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Pioneer Valley ramble
Finest highway journey for faculty cities and rural surroundings
Northfield to Springfield; roughly 60 miles; enable 1-3 days
New England’s longest waterway, the Connecticut River, meanders by means of Pioneer Valley, a scenic area of rolling farmland and faculty cities.
You possibly can zip by means of on Interstate 91, however getting off the freeway reveals an abundance of cultural and historic delights, in addition to alternatives to pattern the area’s agricultural bounty from a number of the valley’s many farmstands.
Go to greater than 800 prehistoric dinosaur footprints in Holyoke, swing by the preserved 18th-century village Historic Deerfield, and tour museums devoted to every little thing from basketball (invented in Springfield) to beloved youngsters’s guide illustrators like Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle).
As you journey by means of the valley, the forest-covered summits of Mount Sugarloaf and the Mount Holyoke and Mount Tom ranges rise on both facet of the river. All have glorious climbing trails resulting in panoramic viewpoints.
In case you have time, detour east of the Pioneer Valley to admire the scenic Quabbin Reservoir, Massachusetts’ largest supply of consuming water. Entry by way of Quabbin Park, on the reservoir’s south finish, for trails and an commentary tower.
Traditional Cape Cod
Finest highway journey for households and coastal pleasures
Bourne-Provincetown round-trip; 128 miles; enable 3-7 days
A famend summer time playground, Cape Cod attracts guests with its spectacular seashores, picturesque lighthouses, and seaside cities. Guests can savor recent seafood and flick thru quirky native bookstores, vintage retailers, and artwork galleries.
Beginning at Bourne, this highway journey takes you previous the elbow to the outer Cape the place issues turn out to be wilder – a world of huge skies and sandy dunes sloping all the way down to an countless sea. Route 6 takes you to the Cape’s tip however Route 6A is a extra scenic various between Sandwich and Orleans. For a quintessential Cape Cod summer time expertise, pull right into a drive-in theater or catch a free out of doors film on a village inexperienced.
When you’ve obtained extra time, catch the ferry from Woods Gap to Martha’s Winery or Hyannis to Nantucket (advance ferry reservations are important for each) and tour the pleasant spots on what locals name merely The Islands.
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Across the North Shore
Finest highway journey for a little bit of every little thing
Salem-Newburyport; 52 miles; enable 1-2 days
Wealthy in historical past and lovely ocean views, this coastal area north of Boston is a simple day journey from the town. The trick right here is to take your time, stopping to walk alongside sandy seashores and rocky shores, admire stalwart lighthouses and uncover the work of native artists.
Winding alongside the shore from Lynn, simply north of Boston, to Salisbury on the New Hampshire border, the Essex Scenic Coastal Byway – a linked sequence of secondary roads – passes by means of most of the most attention-grabbing and scenic communities.
Immerse your self in historic Salem, then observe the coast to Cape Ann, the place fishing has been a principal lifestyle within the Gloucester and Rockport communities for 4 centuries. You’ll want to cease at one of many many clam shacks to pattern a New England authentic – the fried clam, which originated in neighboring Essex.
As you make your approach north, you will discover nice seashore walks and birdwatching alternatives at Halibut Cove in Rockport, Crane Seashore in Ipswich, and Plum Island in Newbury.
