Welcome to Lynn – the City of Firsts

Posted by Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism

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Visitors to Massachusetts take great pleasure in our history, culinary riches, scenic beauty and ethnic communities. One city that boasts all of these assets is the City of Lynn, located 10 miles north of Boston. In fact, the boots worn by George Washington’s Continental Army during the Revolutionary War were made right in Lynn.
Check out the visitor’s center at Lynn Heritage State Park for exhibits on, developments in electronics, shoe manufacturing industry, and the settlers from the 19^th century who lived in Lynn. Lynn’s innovative tradition including the first jet airplane engine in the U.S., built at Lynn’s General Electric plant in 1942, earned it the nickname “City of Firsts.”
Today, Lynn is a vibrant city of 90,329 residents, and is also the largest city in Essex County.

Scenic Beauty

Lynn is proud of its scenic and historic land and seascapes. Highlights include the Lynn Woods Reservation, designed by famous American landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted, famed designer of Central Park in New York and Boston’s Emerald Necklace.

High Rock Tower, photo source: City of Lynn

Another must-see is the Diamond Historic District, listed on the National Register. The High Rock Tower, built in the 1840’s, was owned by the well-known Hutchinson Family Singers. Today the tower is home to the Meade Telescope with lenses powerful enough to view the rings of Saturn, Jupiter and her moons, galaxies, star clusters, nebulae and wonders of the night sky.

Beaches

A coastal city, Lynn has three beautiful beaches aligned next to each other: Nahant Beach, Lynn Shore Reservation and King’s Beach.

Coastal walkway in Lynn, photo credit: North of Boston CVB

Amenities range from a children’s playground to picnic areas and plenty of sandy beaches.  Don’t be surprised to find yoga classes and family activities taking place along the picturesque shore in the nice weather.

Culture Riches

There are several festivals and events that happen year round in Lynn.  One of the most popular is the Khmer Cambodian New Year with a Blessing Dance. Lynn is proud to have the third largest Cambodian community in the nation – Lowell, MA and Long Beach, CA are the first two positions. Just about one out every five people in Lynn are Hispanic, the most common are Dominicans. Dominican businesses are easy to find, from restaurants, salons, barbershops, and several corner stores referred to as “bodegas.”  Another popular event that happens every Labor Day weekend is the annual St. George Greek Orthodox Festival, which includes Greek music, dancing and delicious food.

Cuisine

Lynn is becoming a culinary destination on the North Shore, thanks to a wide-range of dining options. Start with Rossetti’s for an excellent Italian meal, or the Blue OX, a stylish award-winning restaurant that serves authentic, American style cuisine. The Capitol Diner is a step back in time, offering home style American dishes at great prices. The Capitol is located across from the Lynn Museum and near the Central Square Transportation Center.
Adjacent City Hall, the CM Bistro Café is a Latin American Restaurant serving several types of Hispanic cuisines including, Dominican, Venezuelan and Cuban.

Finally, don’t leave the City of Lynn without finding about Fluff, the wildly popular dessert spread created in the 1920s by two local veterans.  The factory, located in East Lynn, continues to churn out the iconic treat that has won the praise of sweet teeth worldwide.
Feature photo of Lynn by Darcy Peguero 

TOPICS: Culinary, Historic Massachusetts, Outdoors