Boston makes an excellent base for exploring New England. Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, and Nantucket are all reachable by ferry or car. Inland, the historic towns of Concord, Lexington and Plymouth offer a window into the country's founding. Old Sturbridge Village, one of the largest living-history museums in the United States, is about an hour west.
Destinations
Day Trips from Boston
01
Cape Cod
Hook-shaped Massachusetts peninsula of dune beaches, cranberry bogs, and weathered Route 6A villages.
02
Martha's Vineyard
New England island off Cape Cod, long shaped by summer residents and ferry-bound towns.
03
Nantucket
Massachusetts island resort with whaling-era streets, grey-shingled houses, and beaches off Cape Cod.
04
Concord
Historic Massachusetts town where Revolutionary battlefields sit beside the homes of Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Alcott.
05
Lexington
Boston-area town where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired on the green.
06
Plymouth
Historic Massachusetts coastal town where the Pilgrim colony began beside Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower story.
07
Sturbridge
Small Massachusetts town known for Old Sturbridge Village and early New England history