History buffs rejoice! As one of the first areas populated by European settlers during the early 17th century, New England is a region teeming with historic sites and museums that showcase its heritage. Planning a visit and want to get your history on? Here are 25 of the best historic sites and museums in New England.
1. Plimoth Patuxet Museums | Plymouth, MA
Upward of a million visitors flood into Plymouth every year to experience firsthand what life was like in one of America’s first colonies, and for good reason. Plimoth Patuxet provides an immersive, 360-degree view of history thanks to its recreation of a 17th-century English village filled with Pilgrim actors and the Wampanoag Homesite, populated not by reenactors but by members of the Wampanoag Nation and other indigenous peoples. The museum also boasts a full-scale reproduction of the Mayflower II in nearby Plymouth Harbor. grist mill
2. Hildene | Manchester, Vermont
Abraham Lincoln’s first son, Robert Todd Lincoln, had vacationed in Manchester as a boy, and came decades later to build Hildene in 1905. By then he had become a wealthy lawyer and railroad executive, and this 24-room Georgian Revival summer home reflects the success he found. There are many original furnishings and Lincoln family effects, and the 412-acre grounds offer walking trails, magnificent formal gardens, and a lovely Taconic Range backdrop. A sumptuously restored 1903 Pullman sleeping car is also preserved on-site.
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3. Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum | Boston, MA
It may be 244 years later, but let’s face it: Reenacting one of the American Revolution’s best-known acts of rebellion just never gets old. On the authentically renovated wooden ships, visitors can soak up the cathartic thrill of dumping tea overboard after a quick history lesson via the holographic displays and films, then peruse the authentic tea chests from the original protest.
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4. Freedom Trail | Boston, MA
Sometimes, a collection of New England historic sites and museums join forces to create a mega-historic attraction, which is why no trip to Boston is complete without a few stops on the Freedom Trail, the 2.5-mile route past 16 of the city’s best-known historical landmarks. And while you can certainly navigate it on your own, you’ll learn a lot more about Boston’s role in the Revolutionary War and the growth of a new nation during the dramatic 90-minute Freedom Trail tours led by rangers from Boston National Historical Park, which encompasses several of the most famous sites, including the Old North Church and Faneuil Hall.
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5 & 6. Shaker Villages | Canterbury, NH and Pittsfield, MA
With their belief in simplicity, equality of the sexes, communal, living, pacifism, celibacy, and respect for nature, the Shaker way of life continues to fascinate and inspire us today. New England is fortunate to have two Shaker Village museums, and so much care has been paid to their preservation that the men, women, and children who lived and worked there two centuries ago would still feel at home today. You can experience the living endurance of history in a stunning setting at Canterbury Shaker Village in Canterbury, New Hampshire. And don’t miss the baby animals, and round stone barn at Hanco*ck Shaker Village in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
7. Mashantucket Pequot Museum & Research Center | Ledyard, CT
Count on the tribal nation that brought you Foxwoods Resort, one of the world’s largest casinos, to do preservation and education on an equally grand scale. Opened in 1998, its $135 million state-of-the-art museum and research center span some 20,000 years of Mashantucket Pequot history. The exhibits, stunning dioramas, and re-created Pequot Village will enhance both your awareness of the natural world and appreciation for this remarkable nation’s story. Don’t miss the 50-foot-long diorama depicting a Caribou hunt 11,000 years ago.
8. Touro Synagogue | Newport, RI
Dedicated in 1763, America’s oldest standing Jewish synagogue is a reminder that Colonial Newport not only tolerated this religious minority, but also welcomed its members into the ranks of its prosperous citizens. The Georgian architecture and stately interior ad to the allure of this site, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the 35,000 annual visitors are impressed by the building itself and the 500-year-old deerskin Torah housed there. But perhaps even more impressive is the way the synagogue still speaks to the enduring American dream.
9. Old Sturbridge Village | Sturbridge, MA
A perennial family favorite when it comes to New England historic sites and museums, this outdoor attraction, filled with historic buildings and costumed interpreters, depicts daily life in a rural New England village during the 1830s. See grain being ground into flour and a blacksmith at work; test your skills at milking a cow, husking corn, or spinning. Heirloom gardens feature fruits, vegetables, herbs, and ornamental flowers.
10. Newport Mansions | Newport, RI
Attracting more than a million annual visitors, Newport Mansions — the name given to a curated collection of 11 historic properties — is the undisputed grand dame of the local architectural scene. Its holdings include turn-of-the-century “summer cottages” such asThe Breakers, an 1895 mansion where the Vanderbilt family lived and entertained on a grand scale and the 1892Marble House, inspired by Marie Antoinette’s private palace at Versailles.
11. The Mark Twain House & Museum | Hartford, CT
It’s easy to imagine the humor, happiness, and hard times in Mark Twain’s family life when you visit the magnificent 25-room mansion where he wrote his famed novels, stories, essays, and travel commentary. Guided tours and related exhibits deepen the experience.
12. Mystic Seaport Museum | Mystic, CT
The state’s no. 1 attraction continues to pack ’em in. It’s a living museum, re-creating a 19th-century seafaring village with restored houses, all manner of shops, and tall ships. What makes it all work are the interpreter-cheerleaders in period dress who staff the shops, do hearth cooking, and lead sea chanteys.
See More: Weekend Away in Mystic, Connecticut
13. Castle in the Clouds | Moultonborough, NH
Of all the New England historic sites and museums with a view, this one might literally be tops. When it was the home of manufacturing tycoon Thomas Plant in the first half of the 20th century, this mountain top baronial estate was called Lucknow. Today it’s better known as Castle in the Clouds, and the home, along with its 5,380 acres and 28 miles of trails, is meticulously maintained by the Castle Preservation Society and the Lakes Region Conservation Trust. The Tiffany glass, the well-stocked library, the big billiard table, the guest room Teddy Roosevelt slept in – it’s all still there, along with the finest views from any house in New Hampshire.
14. Billings Farm and Museum | Woodstock, VT
Frederick Billings’s model farm, established by the railroad magnate when he returned to his native Woodstock in 1871, still showcases champion Jersey cows, Southdown sheep, and magnificent draft horses. Visit the 1890 farm manager’s home and creamery, learn about farm work of yesteryear and today, and climb aboard for horse-drawn wagon and sleigh rides. Interactive farm programs change with the seasons.
15. New Bedford Whaling Museum | New Bedford, MA
Founded to preserve the history of the New Bedford whaling industry, this museum is home to the world’s most extensive collection of scrimshaw, the largest library of whaling logbooks and journals, and the biggest model ship (not to mention four complete whale skeletons). And it continues to think big, as it recently unveiledThe Grand Panorama of a Whaling Voyage ’Round the World, an extensively restored 1,275-foot-long 19th-century painting that clocks in as the longest in North America.
If you find yourself on Nantucket island, we also highly recommend the Nantucket Whaling Museum.
16. Yale University Museums | New Haven, CT
Originally 3 historic buildings now laced together by a recent renovation, the Yale University Art Gallery showcases classic canvases by Hals, Trumbull, and van Gogh, among others. World-class art, all for free. Across the street, and also free to enjoy, is the Yale Center for British Art, the premier collection of British art outside of the United Kingdom. Rounding out the cultural three-fer is the Peabody Museum of Natural History, located to the north on Science Hill. Its cache of over 1.2 million objects includes the skeleton of the largest turtle species ever known, 11 feet long from snout to tail. You’ll need to pay a small admission fee to see the natural wonders here, but it’s worth it.
17. Norman Rockwell Museum | Stockbridge, MA
There’s something special about viewing Rockwell’s iconic images of American life, including full-size original paintings and all 323 of his The Saturday Evening Postcovers, in the idyllic little town where many of them were created. But it’s not all Rockwell all the time. Temporary exhibitions delve into all facets of illustration, from comic books and cartoons to animation.You can also tour the carriage barn that became Rockwell’s Artist Studio.
18. Peabody Essex Museum | Salem, MA
Surrounded by the bustling attractions of spooky Salem, the oldest continuously operating museum in the U.S. is also one of the most ambitious. In addition to an array of African and Native American art and three centuries of New England art, the PEM boasts a cache of Asian art and cultural artifacts that includes the only complete Qing dynasty house located outside China.
19. Harvard Museum of Natural History | Cambridge, MA
At the Harvard Museum of Natural History, visitors can peruse specimens collected from each of Harvard’s scientists since the university’s beginning. And what plunder there is to behold: rare prehistoric creatures, a stuffed buffalo, intricate glass flowers, and entire halls filled with gems and minerals bigger than many people.
20. Shelburne Museum | Shelburne, VT
A landlocked steamboat and lighthouse are only the tip of the iceberg at this collection of collections, which ranges from a miniature circus to duck decoys to hooked rugs to paintings by Monet, Degas, and Cassatt. Uniting them all is an unerring eye for timeless design and artistry in even the humblest medium.
21. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum | Boston, MA
Housed in a striking I.M. Pei–designed tower rising from the waterfront, theJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museumbrings to life the excitement and tensions of the Camelot years. Next door is theEdward M. Kennedy Institutefor the U.S. Senate, where visitors can explore the younger Kennedy’s political legacy and try their hand at being legislators in a full-scale reproduction of the U.S. Senate chambers.
22. Victoria Mansion | Portland, ME
Widely considered the most magnificently ornamented dwelling of its period remaining in the country, the mid-19th-century Victoria Mansion retains about 90 percent of designer Gustave Herter’s original furnishings. Jaw-droppers include a 6-by-25-foot stained-glass ceiling window, mind-boggling trompe l’oeil wall and ceiling flourishes, and the dizzying colors and patterns of the Turkish Smoking Room.
See More: How the Victorian Became the Official House of Halloween
23. Strawbery Banke Museum | Portsmouth, NH
Of all the places to stroll in one of the best walking towns in the country, the 10 acres of Strawbery Banke Museum deserve top billing. Here, Portsmouth’s earliest settlers built houses and businesses, and the more than 30 preserved structures now tell local stories across different eras. Admire the grounds and architecture, then enjoy the sights and tastes of downtown Portsmouth.
24. Minuteman National Park | Concord & Lexington, MA
The history of the American Revolution comes alive on the five-mile Battle Road Trail between Concord and Lexington, thanks to educational plaques that spark the imagination. Highlights include the North Bridge, where the famous “shot heard ’round the world” was fired, and the park headquarters at Buttrick House, whose exhibits include the Hanco*ck Cannon, a piece of artillery that the British were looking for when they marched into Concord.
See More:Spring Weekend in Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts
25. Maine Maritime Museum | Bath, ME
Flying along Route 1 at 50 mph, it’s easy to forget that the sea was the original highway when ships carried freight and passengers. Be reminded in a big way at the engaging Maine Maritime Museum, which offers everything from paintings of regal ships scudding before the wind to boat exhibits to workshops where you can see boats being built today.
How many of these have you visited and what other New England historic sites and museums would you add to the list?
