Places to Visit Along Interstate-90 in Massachusetts From East to West

by​
Marilyn and Elizabeth Roy

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Summer is the peak season for tourism in Massachusetts. So, to avoid crowds, try visiting in the spring or fall. Naturally, winter can be cold and the amount of snowfall varies. In autumn, you'll enjoy the added bonus of the colorful fall foliage. The best time to view the fall colors is from mid-September until Columbus Day/Indigenous People's Day which is the second Monday in October.

If you want to see the historic sites in Massachusetts, you might think your trip would be more meaningful around Independence Day, but you're more likely to be able to take your time exploring at other times of the year.
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Boston Duck Boats
 
The Boston Duck Boats are a fun way to see both historic and modern sites around Boston. The duck boats are amphibious vehicles that can travel on land and water. Your ConDUCKtor will provide information on the driving tour. Then, the ConDUCKtor will drive the duck boat into the Charles River to view the Boston and Cambridge skylines from the river. Check the Boston Duck Boats website for times. The 80-minute tours depart from the New England Aquarium, the Prudential Center, and the Museum of Science.
 
Boston Pedicabs
 
Another fun way to explore Boston is the  pedicabs. Travel through historic neighborhoods or Fenway Park. You choose the sites you want to see. Book a tour advance, call for a pedicab when your ready to go, or flag down one of the pedicabs as it passes by. The pedicabs are available daily in the summer from 11 am to 11 pm and later on Fridays and Saturdays. During the fall and winter, hours change during inclement weather. 
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New England Aquarium
​Boston, Massachusetts 

Prudential Center 
​Boston, Massachusetts

Museum of Science 
​Boston, Massachusetts

Revolutionary War Soldier 
Deborah Sampson Gannett
 
Deborah Sampson Gannett served for 18 months as a Revolutionary War soldier in the 4th Massachusetts Regiment under the name of Robert Shurtliff. During that time, two musket balls hit her in the leg. To avoid  discovery, she left the hospital before surgery and eventually removed one bullet herself. However, after she became ill, a doctor discovered her identity, and she received a discharge. She got married, raised a family, and received a military pension. 

Rock Ridge Cemetery
Sharon, Massachusetts

​When she died, her husband received the payments. You can find her grave in the southeast corner of the Rock Ridge Cemetery in Sharon.
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Governor of Massachusetts
Oliver Ames
​Oliver Ames Estate
 
Oliver Ames served as Governor of Massachusetts from 1897 until 1900, but his family business contributed more to the US than his governorship. The Ames shovel manufacturing company supplied shovels for the Union Army during the Civil War, Later, the company manufactured the shovels used in the building of the Transcontinental Railroad.  

​Explore the 19th-century stone stable, the manicured lawns, the centuries-old trees, the meadows, the brook, the garden pond, 

Governor Oliver Ames Estate Community Park
​35 Oliver Street
North Easton. Massachusetts

and the agricultural field on the estate. You can even enjoy a picnic on the grounds. The estate is located at 35 Oliver Street in North Easton and opens from sunrise to sunset.
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Oakes and Blanche Ames Mansion
 
Follow up your exploration of the Ames estate with a visit to the mansion of Oakes and Blanche Ames, the next generation of the Ames family. Oakes was the son of Governor Oliver Ames. A Harvard professor, Oakes was known for his study of orchids.

Blanche was an inventor, artist, agriculturalist, engineer, and political activist. She illustrated Oakes' botanical books and helped develop a larger, more disease-resistant turkey. She also co-

Oakes and Blanche Ames Mansion
259 Massapoag Avenue
​Boston, Massachusetts

founded the Birth Control League of Massachusetts and served from 1915 to 1918 as the Treasurer of the League of Women Voters. In addition, she drew political cartoons supporting Women's Suffrage, invented a hexagonal lumber cutter in 1939, designed and patented a method to capture enemy airplanes during WWII, and in 1970 patented a water anti-pollution device.

Oakes and Blanche Ames were the grandparents of the multi-talented George Plimpton.
 
The stone mansion, known as Borderland, was built in 1910 and was part of a 1,200-acre estate. The house was fireproof. After firing the original architect, Blanche hired the Concrete Engineering Company to create the building plans according to her wishes. Then, she managed the construction. She also designed a system of dams, causeways, and ponds on the estate.
 
The three-story house had a full-size studio and workshop on the third floor, which she shared with her brother. Together, they created a scientific color system for mixing paints.
 
Both a one-story and three-story tour are available. Tickets for a same-day, three-story visit are available at the gift shop when it opens at 11:30 am. Tours are scheduled every 30 minutes with a maximum of 15 people per tour. The park is located at 259 Massapoag Avenue and is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.
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 Toll House Inn Commemorative Sign
 
Time for a snack break with a Toll House cookie, but you'll have to bring your own. The Toll House Inn
burned down in 1984. Ruth Wakefield created the cookies at the Inn in Whitman. When she ran out of nuts, she substituted chocolate pieces. The chocolate softened but didn't melt, as Wakefield had hoped. Nevertheless, the new cookies became so popular with the Inn's guests and the public that newspapers across the country 

Toll House Inn Commemorative Sign
370 - 372 Bedford Street
Whitman, Massachusetts

​published her recipe. Then, Wakefield and Andrew Nestlé reached a deal, and her recipe has been printed on the back of semi-sweet chocolate pieces ever since. Although the Inn is gone, there is a sign where it stood at 370 to 372 Bedford Street in Whitman. Take some Toll House cookies with you and take a picture of your family with the plaque.
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Harvard University

Harvard University, located in Cambridge, was established in 1636. The university is named after it's first benefactor, John Harvard, who earned his M.A. at Cambridge University. The town of Cambridge. Massachusetts was, at first, named Newetowne. It was renamed in 1638.

The university held its first commencement in 1642 with a class of nine graduates. In 1775, some Harvard buildings housed soldiers from the Continental Army. Harvard graduates include 

Harvard University,
​Cambridge, Massachusetts

eight men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Presidents John Adams (1773), John Quincy Adams (1787), and Rutherford B. Hayes (1845) graduated from Harvard. Hayes graduated from Harvard Law School, which was established 1817. Writers Ralph Waldo Emerson (1821) and Henry David Thoreau (1937) also graduated from Harvard. Thoreau published Walden just two years after graduation. 

The first known Native American to attend Harvard was John Sassamon. A Massachusetts Indian, he studied at the university for a term or two beginning in 1653. By 1675, Sassamon was believed to be an English informant. His murder resulted in King Philip's War between New England's Native Americans and British colonists. 

In 1870, Richard T. Greener became the first African American to graduate from Harvard. However, the first African American admitted to Harvard was Beverly Garnett Williams. Williams would have begun his studies in 1847, but he died before the academic year began. 

Radcliffe College began with Arthur Gilman. Gillman founded the Gilman School for Girls. In 1878, he authored a plan to offer women the same courses that were offered to Harvard's male students. The same faculty members would teach the courses. Elizabeth Cary Agassiz chaired the seven women appointed to oversee the project. She persuaded 44 professors to teach the classes. In 1879, 27 female students began attending The Harvard Annex, which became Radcliffe College. Radcliffe College was officially established in 1894, and Agassiz served as president from 1894 to 1899. In 1898, Alberta Virginia Scott became the first African American woman to graduate from Radcliffe College In 1918, Alice Hamilton became the first woman appointed to Harvard's faculty. .

​In its first intercollegiate sports event in 1852, Harvard challenged Yale in a boat race held on Lake Winnipesaukee. The first football game between Harvard and Yale was played in 1875. Harvard won both.
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Both in-person and self-guided tours are available\. 

​Cambridge
 
Cambridge is a historic, residential district northwest of Boston. It is just across the Charles River. It has a mixture of buildings from the 1700s, 1800s, and 1900s. The layout of Cambridge follows the Watertown Path, originally a Native American trail and a colonial road. During the American Revolution, Loyalists owned many of the mansions in one area called Tory Road. Take a walk through some of the neighborhoods and imagine yourself back in the early days of the country.
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​Faneuil Hall
 
Faneuil Hall is associated with the American Revolution as a meeting place for patriots. After the American Revolution, it was still a meeting place for those supporting abolition, women's suffrage, and other causes. The Hall was built and gifted to the city by Peter Faneuil as a marketplace with the second-floor meeting hall as an added bonus. The original secondary nature of the meeting hall is not the only incongruity in the lore of Faneuil Hall. As a symbol of the American Revolution, it must be noted that 

Cambridge, Massachusetts

Faneuil Hall
​4 S. Market Street
Boston, Massachusetts

Peter Faneuil earned much of his wealth in the slave trade. However, its history and importance in promoting various causes shouldn't be devalued.
 
Today, Faneuil Hall still serves as a marketplace and a symbol of the importance of promoting causes. Quincy Hall on the first floor and the Food Colonnade provide shopping and dining opportunities for visitors. Street performers add to the festive nature of Faneuil Hall.
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The Freedom Trail
 
The 2.5-mile Freedom Trail includes 16 historical sites. You can receive a map of the trail at Faneuil Hall for a self-guided tour or check the website for available guided tours. You will visit the Boston Common, the Bunker Hill monument, churches, graveyards, and a navy frigate. Most sites on the trail are free, but a few charge admission.
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Liberty Hotel
 
Enjoy a unique experience when you stay at the Liberty Hotel. The renovators of the Charles Street Jail built in 1851 retained many of the architectural features of the jail with a beautiful and unique result. Other décor items also contribute to the former jail theme.
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John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
 
The John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site​ is the home at 83 Beals Street in Brookline that was the birthplace of President John Kennedy. Check the website for the latest information on hours of operation.

Ahla Brookline Food Tour
 
Explore Jewish and Russian food and culture on the three-hour, walking Ahla Brookline Food Tour. You'll learn about kosher foods, Jewish traditions and holidays, and Jewish history in Brookline.
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Liberty Hotel
215 Charles Street
​Boston, Massachusetts

John Fitzgerald Kennedy
National Historic Site
​83 Beals Street
Brookline, Massachusetts  

Bites of Boston Food Tours
 
Continue your exploration of the food and restaurants around Boston with the Bites of Boston Food Tours. You can choose among four tours -- the Classic Boston tour, the Sweet and Savory South End Tour, the Chinatown Culture and Cuisine Tour, and the Alston Arts & Eats Tour. The Classic Tour features seafood, baked beans, and Boston Cream Pie. You will learn how these foods became Boston classics. The Sweet and Savory South End Tour features the tastiest foods in the neighborhood. The Chinatown Tour is both a food and cultural tour of traditional and modern Chinatown. The Allston Tour shares the fun of the student residential neighborhood with its street art. All the tours cover the history, architecture, and culture of the neighborhoods. You will also learn about the chefs and owners of the restaurants.​ 
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Boston College

The Society of Jesuits founded Boston College in 1863. Originally, it was located in a building on Harrison Street in the South End. It opened on September 5, 1864 with a mission of reaching out to serve and educate Boston's Irish Catholic immigrants. As the college transformed into a university, it added professional schools and graduate programs. In 1909, it broke ground on a new campus built on 31 acres of land purchased by  president Reverend Thomas I. Gasson, S.J.  

Boston College
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts 

The land had been part of the Lawrence Farm in Chestnut Hill Massachusetts and is now known as "the Heights."

As Boston College continues to reach out and serve a community that extends into today's world, it has become an internationally respected research university. Interdisciplinary teams of faculty, graduate students, and undergraduates collaboratively explore new perspectives on and new solutions for the world's problems today and for potential problems in the future. 

Boston College offers an audio tour of the campus, but if you download the app from the App Store or  Google Play or by scanning the QR code on the audio tour page, you'll get the latest information plus you'll be able to chat with current students, enjoy photos of the campus, and more.
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Individual students considering attending Boston College can participate in the two-hour long, student-led, outdoor Eagle Eye Campus Visit. the more in-depth, personalized Eagle for a Day campus visit, or the 30-minute Eagle for a Discussion virtual chat with a current Boston College student. Groups of 10 or more students or organizations of college-ready students can participate in a 60-minute campus tour. ​

Old Sturbridge Village
 
Old Sturbridge Village is a 40+-building living history museum displaying traditions and life from the 1700s to the 1850s with costumed presenters. The Village includes homes, trade shops, and farm buildings. Lodging, shopping, and dining are available. Check the website for hours and the availability of celebrating Thanksgiving at Old Sturbridge Village.
 
Armenian Museum of America
 
The Armenian Museum provides an opportunity to learn about the history and culture of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian people through artifacts, images, and art. It is located at 65 Main Street in Watertown and is open Thursday through Sunday from 12 pm to 6 pm
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​Old Sturbridge Village, Massachusetts

Armenian Museum of America
65 Main Street
​Watertown, Massachusetts

Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation
 
The Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation features displays on technical and business innovations that occurred in Massachusetts. The museum is housed in the former Francis Cabot Lowell Mill in Waltham. The mill helped develop the New England textile industry. The displays include artifacts, personal stories, and images. It is located at 154 Moody Street in Waltham.
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Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation
154 Moody Street
Waltham, Massachusetts

The Golden Ball Tavern
 
Not everyone in the colonies supported the American Revolution. The owner of The Golden Ball Tavern was, at first, a Tory, loyal to England. The tavern was opened in 1770 and continued to sell tea after the colonists opposed the sale of British tea in the colonies. He also sheltered two of General Gage's spies. Most Tories had to flee to Canada or England, but by 1777, Isaac Jones had changed his allegiance to working with the revolutionaries. 
 
When the tavern was being restored, care 

Golden Ball Tavern Museum
​662 Boston Post Road
Weston, Massachusetts

was taken to cover the 250-year history of the​ building by preserving décor such as layers of wallpaper. The tavern museum is located in Weston. Check the website for hours of operation.
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Garden in the Woods
 
The 45-acre Garden in the Woods preserves plants native to New England. As the seasons change, different plants emerge. The grounds were sculpted by the glaciers. You will view a pond, a brook, and wetlands that are home to a variety of plants, animals, and insects. The Curtis Woodland Garden grows in the shade of the trees. The Gardens are located at 180 Hemenway Road in Framingham and are open daily from 10 am to 5 pm through mid-October. Guided walking tours of the one-mile loop last 60 to 90 minutes but are subject to the availability of tour guides.. Check the website for times. 

Garden in the Woods
​180 Hemenway Road
Framingham, Massachusetts

Callahan State Park
 
The 800-acre Callahan State Park provides seven miles of trails for fishing, hiking, dog walking, horseback riding, and mountain biking through open fields and by ponds. It is located at 1048 Edmands Road in Framingham and is open daily from 7 am to 6:30 pm.

Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Sanctuary
 
The 400-acre Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Refuge offers self-guided trails. The rope-guided Sensory Trail offers audio tours, Braille, tactile, and large print formats. The trails travel through fields, woods, streams, and a marsh. The refuge is home to a variety of wildlife, 164 bird species, 80 species of butterflies, and 700 plant species. A kids Nature Play Area offers large logs to climb, gnome homes to design, and a two-person wooden swing. It is located at 414 Massasoit Road in Worcester and is open daily from dawn to dusk. The Visitor Center and restrooms are open Tuesday through Sunday from noon to 4 pm. 
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Callahan State Park
​1048 Edmonds Road
Framingham, Massachusetts

Broad Meadow Brook Conservation Center and Wildlife Refuge
​414 Massasoit Road
Worcester, Massachusetts

 
​Annual Events to Visit in Massachusetts
 
Patriot's Day
 
The first battles of the American Revolution occurred in Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. On the third Monday in April, Massachusetts celebrates Patriot's Day to commemorate these battles. There is a parade and reenactments of Paul Revere's and William Dawes' rides. The Boston Marathon is also held on Patriot's Day.
 
Boston Marathon
 
The Boston Marathon is run annually on Patriot's Day. The 26-mile race starts in Hopkinton and ends at the Boston Public Library on Copley Square. It attracts elite runners from all over the world and a massive crowd of spectators.
 
Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular
 
The Boston Pops Spectacular Fireworks display is held annually on the Fourth of July at the Hatch Shell Esplanade by the Charles River. The Boston Pops Symphony plays Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture as real cannons are fired during the grand finale.
 
 Next, we will explore sites along Interstate-90 in New York.
 
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If you have locations or routes you would like us to explore, please list them in the comments.
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