10 Bucket List Ideas For First Time Visitors To New England

 Clam chowder, lobster rolls, summers at Cape Cod, covered bridges, and leaf-peeping in the fall these are a few reasons tourists flock to New England. This is just skimming the surface however, New England is the birthplace of the United States–think Paul Revere and his midnight ride and the Boston Tea Party, it’s the perfect place to uncover the deep history of America.

  There is a strong maritime culture and diverse geography– from the Atlantic Ocean and its barrier islands to the Berkshire Mountains and National Seashore. New England maintains its own unique identity and culture. It’s unlike anyplace else in the United States.

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New England is comprised of six states: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island, Vermont, and New Hampshire. Boston is the largest city in both the region and its home state, Massachusetts. Boston was the heart of many of the important events leading up to the American Revolution. You should plan to spend a weekend or a couple of days exploring. 

To gain a better understanding of New England, there are some major tourist attractions that should not be missed. After all, they are tourist attractions for a good reason. 

Visit Boston, Massachusetts 

Boston was the heart of many of the important events leading up to the American Revolution. Its location on the coast makes it a good place for getting on the water as well. You should plan to spend a weekend or a couple of days exploring. 

Explore the Freedom Trail

There’s no better way to immerse yourself in the history and culture of New England than by walking the Freedom Trail in Boston. There are sixteen official sites on the Freedom Trail, such as Boston Commons and Faneuil Hall, but the cool part is that it’s all just part of the fabric of the city of Boston. If you’d like to take a walking  tour, Get Your Guide has some great options. 

You can walk the trail in your own time, in any order you wish.  Another guided tour option is with the Freedom Trail Guides.  Dressed in period clothing, each person represents a historical figure of importance in the story of the American Revolution.

 

Visit The North End

 Built in 1680, Paul Revere’s home, the oldest in the North End, is now a museum and listed on the register of National Historic Landmarks.  You may recall the story of the midnight ride of Paul Revere to warn the colonists that the British were coming. This leads us to the next stop on the Freedom Trail, the Old North Church. the most popular tourist attraction in Boston.  It was here that the phrase “one if by land, two if by sea,” defined how many lanterns citizen Robert Sexton was to hang in the steeple of the church. Robert Sexton is buried in Copp’s Hill cemetery, the third stop on the Freedom Trail, located in the North End.

The North End neighborhood maintains its distinct Italian vibe, even if there aren’t many Italians currently living in the area. I spoke to a man who owns a barbershop that has been there since the 1930s. You’ll find quite a few family-owned businesses as well.  Depending on when you visit, you may also be able to catch an old-school Italian festival. Check out this website for dates and descriptions. 

Beacon Hill

Another neighborhood full of history and achingly pretty is Beacon Hill. It’s one of the few places in America where you will find cobblestone streets, gas streetlamp, and charming architecture. The Charles Street Meeting House is located in this neighborhood. It was an important site for the anti-slavery movement. 

 

 

Visit Lexington and Concord

Lexington and Concord are the places where the American Revolution began on April 19, 1775. As such they were revered as early as the 1790s, when President George Washington toured the “Battle Road”.  The countryside still evokes history. Much of Battle Road was set aside as a National Park.

In the 19th century, three Lexington buildings–the Buckman Tavern, the Hancock-Clarke House, and the Munroe Tavern–were among the country’s first “historic houses” to be preserved. The Buckman Tavern is the place where the Militia gathered before the battle on the Green. The Hancock-Clarke House is the site where Paul Revere alerted Hancock and Adams. and the Munroe Tavern was used by the British as a field hospital during their retreat. 

In Concord visit Sleepy Hollow Cemetery and pay your respects to some of the greatest authors in American history. On Author’s Ridge you’ll find the graves of Thoreau, Emerson, Hawthorne, the Alcotts, Margaret Sidney and Daniel Chester French. 

There’s a lot more to see in these two towns located in the countryside just west of Boston. Plan to spend the day there. 

Get Transcendental at Walden Pond

Plan time to visit Walden Pond while you’re in Concord, famously known as the home of transcendentalist author Henry David Thoreau. He retreated from society for two years and lived here in the woods.  It was at Walden Pond that he wrote his novel Walden, a reflection on living a simple life without much human contact.

Today, Walden is a national park and beautiful any time of year. With over 400 acres of open space and woods, you can fish, hike, ski, swim, and canoe at Walden Pond. In the fall when the leaves on the trees change color, it’s absolutely stunning. Walden Pond is only 15 miles from Boston.

I like this review of Thoreau’s book…

“In Walden, Thoreau … opens the inner frontier of self-discovery as no American book had up to this time. As deceptively modest as Thoreau’s ascetic life, it is no less than a guide to living the classical ideal of the good life. Both poetry and philosophy, this long poetic essay challenges the reader to examine his or her life and live it authentically.” – Kathryn VanSpanckeren

Experience Life in the New World

Experience what life was like at one of the first English settlements at Plimouth Village, in Plymouth, Mass.
Costumed actors reenact life down to the finest details. Tours are self-guided, but you can interact and ask questions of the actors. There are also modern-day docents on hand to help you get the most out of your experience. Get Your Guide also offers really interesting tours of Plymouth Village. 

Attractions at Plimouth Village include a reproduction of the Mayflower (the name of the ship on which the Pilgrims sailed), a Native American village, and the Plimouth Grist Mill, which even today, remains a working mill.

Sail Penobscot Bay, Rockland, Maine

Penobscot Bay is an inlet of the Bay of Maine and the Atlantic Ocean formed by the Penobscot River. It’s extremely scenic, with dozens of small, uninhabited islands and a few that are populated. The bay is known for pleasure cruising or sailing and fishing industry, especially lobster.  In the summer the bay is busy with scooners full of tourists. If you have a chance to sail on Penobscot Bay I highly recommend it. 

Stonington is one of the larger and more scenic islands. Stonington would be an excellent place to stop for lobster.

Eat All The Local foods.

With approximately 4000 miles of coastline, New England is a good place to eat fresh seafood. Local specialties include Maine lobster, seafood chowders, fried clams, fresh oysters, and cod.Other foods unique to New England are baked beans, maple syrup, cranberries, and Cabot cheeses. Be sure to try a Maine lobster rolls , Ben and Jerry’s ice cream, Boston cream pie, and fried clams. 

Architecture Tour Newport, Rhode Island

Newport, Rhode Island is a treasure trove of architectural history. There’s Newport Historic District, designated a National Historic Landmark. The city’s oldest house is here, along with the largest collection in the U.S. of intact colonial buildings dating from the early 1800s.

Don’t miss the Newport mansions, built during America’s “Gilded Age,” a time of rapid economic growth and prosperity. This is where the ultra-rich railroad tycoons making their fortunes in the late 1800s built their summer homes along the coast.
These houses reflect a very eclectic blend of architectural styles: Gothic Revival, Shingle Style, Beaux arts, and Colonial; the most impressive of all of the mansions is The Breakers.

The Breakers was built by the Vanderbilt family in 1893. It’s a seventy-room Italian Renaissance-style palazzo, inspired by the palaces of Genoa and Turin in northern Italy.

There are eleven houses in all, and each has different visiting hours. Be sure to check the website of the Preservation Society of Newport County for hours of operation

Visit Cape Cod National Seashore

Cape Cod has forty miles of pristine beaches, sand dunes, bogs, marshes, lighthouses, and plant and animal life to explore. It’s one of the largest barrier islands in the world. The six swimming beaches: Coast Guard, Nauset Light, Marconi, Head of the Meadow, Race Point, and Herring Cove, have lifeguards from June through August. Each beach has different facilities and hours, so be sure to check the website before you go.

Visit Nantucket

The entire town is a National Historic Landmark. Soak up the charm of this maritime village while strolling or biking the cobblestone streets. There are over 800 buildings built before 1850.

Learn about the whaling industry: this perfectly preserved town was originally a huge whaling port, and the Nantucket Whaling Museum was once a candle factory.

Take A Witchcraft Tour In Salem

In Salem, take a walking tour of the historic sites connected to the Salem Witch Trials. The tour includes a ferry ride and entrance to the Salem Witch Museum. If you’re on your own, visit the new age and witchcraft shops. The oldest is Crow Haven Corner. You can buy everything from crystal balls to tarot cards and schedule a psychic reading. Why not…You’re in Salem!

The Salem Heritage Trail connects all of the historical sites in Salem, just follow the red line.  The House of the Seven Gables is a mansion built in 1668 made famous in Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel of the same name. In 2007, the House of the Seven Gables and the surrounding area were named a National Historic Landmark. Salem is one of the maritime towns that are part of the North Shore, an area between New Hampshire and Boston.

With so much culture, history, and scenery to explore, delicious foods to sample, and opportunities for more active vacationers – why not book that New England vacation today?

How To Get There

Boston, Massachusetts’ Logan Airport is the point of entry for all flights. For most travelers, this is the most convenient airport no matter which part of the US you’re traveling from. Check airfare on kayak.com

There’s also an extensive bus and rail system in the northeast section of the United States connecting the major cities of Boston, New York, and Providence. Check out Amtrak.com