Travel Oracles 50 States: Massachusetts

As part of my summer series - Travel Oracles 50 States - I am revisiting each os the fifty American states as an overview on travel culture and history. Today: Massachusetts

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Joined: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts became the sixth state to join the new independent union in 1788. One of the original 13 colonies and one of the six New England states, Massachusetts is known for being the landing place of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims. English explorer and colonist John Smith named the state for the Massachuset tribe.

Original Indigenous Peoples: There are two federally recognized tribes within Massachusetts: the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) and the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribes. The Massachusett tribe are the descendants of the original people that the English invaders first encountered in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

First Settlers: The first settlers in Massachusetts were the Pilgrims who established Plymouth Colony in 1620 and developed friendly relations with the Wampanoag people. This was the second permanent English colony in America following Jamestown Colony.

History moment: One of the original 13 colonies and one of the six New England states, Massachusetts (officially called a commonwealth) is known for being the landing place of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims. English explorer and colonist John Smith named the state for the Massachuset tribe. Boston, the state capital, was a hotbed of activity, including the Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party, during the American Revolution. Nineteen people were hanged at Gallows Hill in 1692 for worshipping the devil and practicing witchcraft, and close to 200 others were similarly accused. In 1711, after judge Samuel Sewall and others involved in the Salem witch trials had admitted wrongdoing, the colony restored the good names of all accused and granted restitution to their heirs. After a harsh winter that claimed the lives of half of the Mayflower’s original immigrants from England in 1620, the Pilgrims were taught to plant corn and survive in the wilderness by Native American Indians. In November of the following year, the Pilgrims organized a harvest feast in Plymouth to celebrate their new crop—an event widely regarded as America’s “first Thanksgiving.”

Known for: The landing place of the Mayflower and the Pilgrims. Salem Witch Trials. The Boston Massacre and the Boston Tea Party. Massachusetts is known for its many colleges and universities, including Harvard University, the first institution of higher learning in the country (founded in 1636). Also the accent, the large Irish-catholic population, the first Thanksgiving, the first telephone, the first post office, and the first subway system to name a few.

Places: Boston, Cape Cod, Provincetown, The Berkshires, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket

Movie setting: Little Women, Good Will Hunting, The Town, The Departed, The perfect storm, The Fighter, Social Network, Knives Out, Coda (Loads of actors from these parts: Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Chris Evans, Conan O’Brien, Jenny Slate, just to name a few)

Musicians from: Donna Summer, James Taylor, Aerosmith, Mark Walhburg, Bo Burnham

Surprising facts: Bay State residents value education: Massachusetts has the highest percentage of residents with a college degree in the nation. The first-ever Dunkin Donuts opened in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1948. Established in Cambridge in 1636 by vote of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Harvard University was the first institution of higher education in the United States.

Massachusetts is far more than just Boston, but the capital city is a great place to start. Sports, culture, and tourism come together here, where you can eat a Fenway Frank while watching the Boston Red Sox, or follow the red line of the Freedom Trail to Paul Revere’s House. In the Back Bay, do some retail therapy on the city's most famous shopping boulevard, Newbury Street. Continue into the impeccable Boston Public Garden, where you can catch a ride on the Swan Boats, or take your photo at the beloved Make Way for Ducklings statue. Visit Faneuil Hall, where crowds of tourists venture for shopping, street performers, and history in the hallowed halls of Quincy Market. Follow it up with a visit to the Museum of Science or the New England Aquarium. Let’s travel to Massachusetts

My Experience: I used to go to Boston often for business when I lived in NYC, and always and a good time - and especially loved going to the Cape in the summer months

Boston: Boston has come a long way from 1773, when a band of revolutionaries tossed 342 chests of tea into the harbor. But the Massachusetts capital maintains that rebellious spirit to this day, and the city draws tourists in droves. Visitors can catch a Red Sox game at Fenway Park while munching on a Fenway Frank, or head over to one of the neighborhood’s stellar museums, like the Museum of Fine Arts or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Cape Cod, Provincetown, The Berkshires, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket: All top destinations for summer travel, from low key to eclectic to luxury chic

Nature: There are 16 national parks situated in Massachusetts. They vary widely, from the sandy horizons of Cape Cod's National Seashore to a 17th-century iron foundry on the banks of the Saugus River to the mountainous Appalachian National Scenic Trail.

Ranking in US: Per the annual US News report, Massachusetts is currently ranked #9 out of 50 in 2021, down from #8 in 2019.