In the heart of New England, Massachusetts is a building block in American history. Find out more at two of the best ‘living history’ museums in the USA. But, it is also a vacation state, with great beaches in the east and rolling hills in the west, plus the vibrant city of Boston and lovingly-preserved Colonial towns and villages. You can sit outdoors and listen to the finest orchestras in the world or spend time in world-class art galleries; you can hunt for antiques on quiet back roads or cycle along trails through unspoiled countryside. Escape to the islands, where time passes slowly and sunsets are spectacular.

TERRIFIC TOWNS
Although Boston is far and away the biggest city, Massachusetts has a series of contrasting communities. To the south, Quincy (pronounce it Quin-zee) claims not just one American president, but two. See the birthplaces of John Adams, the second president, and his son, John Quincy Adams, the sixth president. In western Massachusetts, the main town is Springfield. The home of basketball also boasts the Quadrangle, with four museums.

SCENIC ROUTES
One of the first designated ‘scenic drives’ in the USA, the Mohawk Trail is a 63-mile stretch of Route 2 running between Greenfield and Williamstown. Along the way are small towns such as Shelburne Falls, with its famous Bridge of Flowers, and North Adams, a former mill town transformed into an arts destination, thanks to MASS MoCA. This museum exhibits stunning contemporary art in an enormous 19th-century factory.

In the Berkshire Hills, Route 7 runs between Williamstown and Sheffield. With state parks and forests on either side, this road links historic communities: Pittsfield, Lenox, Stockbridge and Great Barrington. Down on Cape Cod, Route 6A is better known as the Old King’s Highway. To Brits, familiar sounding names, such as Sandwich, Barnstable, Yarmouth, Dennis, Brewster and Orleans, turn out to be picturesque villages. Along the way are sea captains’ houses, salt marshes, tiny harbors and antiques shops.

VERY MASSACHUSETTS
When US presidents go on holiday, the White House goes with them. During John F Kennedy’s administration, Hyannis on Cape Cod, hosted the ‘summer White House’. See photos of the Kennedy clan at the John F Kennedy Hyannis Museum, as well as the Kennedy Memorial. America’s Industrial Revolution began in New England and in the 19th century, the mills thundered in Lowell. Hear the noise, see the looms and learn about the workers at the Boott Cotton Mills Museum, part of Lowell National Historical Park. This former mill town also boasts artists’ studios, boat rides on the canals and walking tours. The Salem witchcraft trials continue to fascinate us. Find out more at the excellent Salem Witch Museum, where the hows and whys of the events of 1692 are explained. In summer, the audience is the jury in the play Cry Innocent! based on the trial of Bridget Bishop.

LOCAL KNOWLEDGE
As well as Boston’s world-class shopping, check out the bargains at outlet malls, such as Wrentham Village Premium Outlets (45 minutes south of Boston). Its 170 stores range from the Ann Taylor Factory Store and DKNY Jeans to Timberland and Tommy Hilfiger. Or, stop at Sagamore’s Cape Cod Factory Outlet Mall, with 20 nationally known brand name factory outlet stores. In the Berkshires, find over 60 stores at the Prime Outlets in Lee: Banana Factory Store, Baby Gap and more. Fans of the book and film The Perfect Storm should head for Gloucester. Founded in 1623, this is still a working fishing port. Tour Cape Pond Ice, the company that featured in Sebastian Junger’s book and still provides ice for the local fishing fleet.

Nearby is one of the popular photo spots in New England is a red-painted fishing shack in Rockport. Known as Motif #1, this shack is festooned with colorful fishing buoys. In the Berkshires, Mount Greylock, at 3,491 feet, is the highest point in the state. The road is under repair, so you have to hike or ride up on a mountain bike, but the reward is a 70-mile view, reaching five states. What was life like in New England in the 1830s? Find out in Sturbridge, where costumed role players work at blacksmithing, woodworking, rug-making and more in Old Sturbridge Village. Massachusetts’ waters are among the best whale watching sites in the world. Take a cruise from ports such as Boston, Gloucester, Plymouth and Provincetown. As for Moby-Dick, Herman Melville wrote the story at Arrowhead, his home near Pittsfield. But, he sailed on a whaler from New Bedford, where the Whaling Museum even has the skeleton of a sperm whale!

FAMILY FUN
To travel back to 1627, head for Plymouth and Plimoth Plantation, to see how the Pilgrims – and their Native American neighbors – lived. Nearby, board Mayflower II, a recreation of the ship that took 102 men, women and children, from England to the New World. Basketball, the world’s most popular indoor sport, was invented in Springfield. At the exciting Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, enthusiasts can shoot baskets, test their vertical jumps and watch videos. In Agawam, Six Flags New England is known for its thrill rides. But 2007 saw the opening of Wiggles World, where the rides and attractions are designed for children under six.

FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD
North of Boston, in the small coastal town of Essex, is Woodman’s restaurant, where crispy fried clams were invented. As for ice cream, New Englanders eat more of it than any other Americans. In Cambridge, the flavors at Christina’s range from cardamom to fresh mint and from Mexican chocolate to green apple. Also in Cambridge is Herrell’s, famous for its trademarked ‘smoosh-ins’, candy additions to the super-smooth ice cream. Four Seas Ice Cream in Centerville is a Cape Cod summer tradition; they have been scooping ice cream here since 1934! And look out for Massachusetts’ own award-winning bubbly, from Westport Rivers Winery, near Fall River.

ART, MUSIC AND MORE
Boston may be known as ‘the Hub’, but it does not have a monopoly on the arts. In western Massachusetts, Williamstown is known for the fabulous Clark Art Institute and the Williams College Museum of Art. Nearby, in North Adams, the exciting MASS MoCA showcases contemporary works in the country’s largest arts centre. In Springfield, the Quadrangle is home to museums of art, science, local history, armor – and a sculpture garden honoring Dr Seuss and his lovable characters! The Worcester Art Museum’s collection ranges from early American painting to artifacts from India, while in Salem, the Peabody Essex Museum is the nation’s oldest. Founded in 1799, it offers a window into the cultures of Asia and the Pacific Northwest, but it also looks back to Salem’s seafaring past.

As for the performing arts, the Berkshire Hills provide some of the best summer festivals in the USA. Most famous is the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s season at Tanglewood (June-Aug). Dance is the theme at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival in Becket, while the Bard rules in Lenox, thanks to Shakespeare & Company.

CAPE COD AND THE ISLANDS
Cape Cod has long been a vacation destination. ‘The Cape’, as everyone calls it, has historic villages, charming B&Bs and restaurants. With 560 miles of shoreline, there is a beach for every taste. Most dramatic are the Atlantic beaches protected as the Cape Cod National Seashore. Rated in the top ten of America’s Top Beaches (2007) is Coast Guard Beach, in Eastham, where the broad sands are backed by high dunes. At the far tip of the peninsula is Provincetown, long an artists’ colony and summer getaway. Sandwich, nearer to the mainland, was founded back in 1637 and boasts a Glass Museum and the Heritage Museum & Gardens, dedicated to antique cars and folk art, set in stunning surroundings. Just off the Cape are two very different islands.

Closest to the mainland is Martha’s Vineyard, with half-a-dozen photogenic villages, sandy beaches, B&Bs, cliffs and lighthouses. Smaller than ‘the Vineyard’ and further out to sea is Nantucket. It has only one town, but this is picture-perfect – with cobblestones and handsome buildings, but no fast food or neon signs. Pick a beach, any beach, but be at Madaket Beach to watch the sunset. Whichever island you choose, leave your car on the mainland in summer. Take the ferry as a foot passenger, and then get around by bike, local bus or taxi. To find 200 local artists and galleries, pick up the book, Arts & Artisans Trails of Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.