Massachusetts Street

Massachusetts Street — universally called "Mass Street" — is the spine of downtown Lawrence, a well-preserved commercial strip that runs from the Kansas River south toward the University of Kansas campus. Independent shops, bookstores, cafes, bars, and live music venues occupy the Victorian and Edwardian storefronts, and the street stays lively on weekends with a mix of students, locals, and visitors.

It's a genuinely good street for wandering. The Raven Bookstore at 6 East 7th Street is a beloved independent shop with strong local history and fiction sections. Several record shops cling on. At night the bar scene picks up significantly — Lawrence has a live music reputation that outstrips its size, with venues like the Granada Theater regularly hosting national touring acts.

things to do sight neighbourhood
A story
Massachusetts Street got its name from the abolitionists who founded Lawrence in 1854, who came from the New England Emigrant Aid Company and named their main street after their home state — a political statement as much as anything else. Most of the buildings lining it today date from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, built after William Quantrill's guerrillas burned the original town to the ground in 1863.