You can see, hear, feel, and sometimes even smell the history throughout Massachusetts. Check out the very rock where the Pilgrims landed, and visit Plimoth Patuxet Museums to see what life was like in the 1600s. Or experience life in the 1830s over at Old Sturbridge Village, one of the country’s oldest and largest living history museums. Walk the Freedom Trail in downtown Boston, where every step tells a story of the American Revolution or listen for the famous “shot heard round the world” on Lexington Green, where the first shots of the Revolutionary War were fired. Sit where the giants of the abolitionist movement sat in the brilliantly restored African American Meeting House. Feel the hull of Old Ironsides, otherwise known as the USS Constitution.

Sign up to receive emails about Massachusetts history.

Looking for a National Park in Massachusetts? visit nps.gov.

Be sure to visit our war memorials page

  • Boston National Historical Park

    Boston

    Explore historic Boston on the Freedom Trail, a 2.5 mile walking trail stretching from the Boston Common to Bunker Hill in... more

  • Essex Heritage Area

    Salem

    500 square miles of historic, cultural, and natural sites... unique and irreplaceable treasures that tell our history. more

  • Faneuil Hall

    Boston

    For 275 years, Faneuil Hall remains a site of meetings, protests, and debate right up to this very day. Because Revolutionary-era... more

  • Fitchburg Historical Society

    Fitchburg

    Founded by James F.D. Garfield in 1892, the Fitchburg Historical Society is an independent non-profit that was created to collect,... more

  • Forbes Library

    Northampton

    more

  • Freedom Trail - Boston National Historical Park

    Boston

    Three hundred fifty years of American history along an outdoor 2.5-mile red brick trail; begin at Boston Common (or anywhere... more

  • Gloucester Maritime Trail

    Gloucester

    Four self-guided trails through America's first seaport. Call for map or pick one up at Stage Fort Park Information Center. more

  • Irish Heritage Trail

    Boston

    Self-guided, three mile walking tour through Boston's downtown, North End, Beacon Hill and Back Bay; 20 public landmarks honor famous Irish... more

Epic History: it's all here

Looking for fun things to do and see in Massachusetts?

Get some Epic History ideas