Stay Massachusetts Rentals, Vacation Rentals in Massachusetts

If you are a fan of early American history, Massachusetts is the state for you. Visit Plymouth, where the Pilgrims settled in 1620. The Mayflower Compact, the first constitution in America, governed them; it was named for the ship aboard which they sailed to the New World. Only half of them survived the first harsh winter, but the Pilgrims persevered and became the second permanent English settlement in America. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in the Plymouth Colony in 1621 when the Pilgrims and 90 Indians feasted on wild turkeys, deer, and Indian corn. Speaking of Thanksgiving, Massachusetts is the nation's leading producer of cranberries. Massachusetts has several nicknames. Because early settlers built their colony in a bay area, the state is known as the "Bay State." Massachusetts has also been called the "Pilgrim State" and the "Puritan State." The word "Massachusetts" comes from an Indian tribe named after "large hill place."

Massachusetts is steeped in history. It was the home of many of America's foremost religious, literary, cultural, and political leaders throughout the centuries and remains proud of its heritage and its contributions to the founding and growth of America. In 1620, the Pilgrims landed south of Boston to escape religious persecution in Europe and to found their city on a hill. Their ensuing struggles and eventual triumph, achieved with the help of Native Americans, led to the creation of Thanksgiving. The first American female writer was Puritan Anne Bradstreet, who wrote "To My Dear and Loving Husband." In 1636, Harvard College was founded to train boys for the ministry. As it grew, the City on a Hill faced internal struggles regarding the piety of its members and the right way to worship. Dissenter Roger Williams moved south and founded Rhode Island.

Although Massachusetts is a relatively small state, there are significant climatic differences between its eastern and western sections. The entire state has cold winters and moderately warm summers, but the Berkshires in the west have both the coldest winters and the coolest summers. The normal January temperature in Pittsfield in the Berkshires is –6°C, while the normal July temperature is 20°C. The interior lowlands are several degrees warmer in both winter and summer; the normal July temperature is 22°C. The coastal sections are the warmest areas of the state; the normal January temperature for Boston is –1°C, and the normal July temperature is 23°C. The record high temperature in the state is 42°C, established at Chester and New Bedford on 2 August 1975; the record low is –37°C, registered at Chester on 12 January 1981. Precipitation ranges from 39 to 46 inches annually, with an average for Boston (1971–2000) of 42.5 inches. The average snowfall for Boston is 42 inches, with the range in the Berkshires considerably higher. Boston's average wind speed is 21 kilometer per hour.

Boston: Having found itself at the heart of a number of cultural revolutions over the years, and a centre of anything from religious freedom to philosophy.

Cambridge: Cambridge, MA, is home to Harvard and MIT universities, and a really good branch of Newbury comics. There are some shops, some really good live music venues, and some restaurants.

Salem: Salem, MA is usually associated accosicated for its tourism and cultural aspects typically associated with the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. This aspect of the city is embraced highly.

Plymouth: What a great day trip for the family!! Especially during the Fall, Plymouth is the ideal destination. With the nearby annual "King Richard's Faire".

Gloucester: Gloucester is a city located on Cape Ann in Essex County, Massachusetts, roughly 40miles northeast of Boston. Gloucester was founded in 1623 by the "Dorchester Company".

Lexington: Lexington is a town with a rich history. It is where the American Revolutionary war began with "the shot heard round the world" on April 19, 1775.

New Bedford: With a population of approximately 100,000, the City of New Bedford is the world’s most famous whaling era seaport and the number one fishing port in America.

Brighton: Brighton is a small suburb about six miles west of downtown Boston. It is easily accessible from Boston via car, bus or the T (Boston's light rail network).

If you like sightseeing, Massachusetts is a good place to go. Cape Cod and Martha's Vineyard are popular tourist attractions; artists often try to capture their charm. See the "House of Seven Gables," made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was born in Salem. Speaking of Salem, visit the city's Witch Museum; twenty alleged witches were executed in the city after the famous witchcraft trials in 1692. Do you like to fish? Commercial fishermen go to New Bedford and Gloucester for great catches.

Rail Service: Amtrak operates inter-city rail, including the high-speed Acela service to cities such as Providence, New Haven, New York City, Washington, D.C. and Charlotte, NC.

Regional Services: The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority operates public transportation in the form of subway, bus and ferry systems in the Metro Boston area. It also operates longer distance commuter rail services throughout the larger Greater Boston area, including service to Worcester and Providence, Rhode Island. Fifteen other regional transit authorities provide public transportation in the form of bus services in their local communities. Two heritage railways are in operation: the Cape Cod Central Railroad and the Berkshire Scenic Railway.

Air Service: The major airport in the state is Logan International Airport. The airport served over 28 million passengers in 2007 and is used by around 50 airlines. Logan, Hanscom Field in Bedford, and Worcester Regional Airport are operated by Massport, an independent state transportation agency. Massachusetts has approximately 42 public-use airfields, and over 200 private landing spots. Some airports receive funding from the Aeronautics Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration; FAA is also the primary regulator.

Road: Interstate 495 forms a wide loop around the outer edge of Greater Boston. Other major interstates in the commonwealth include I-291, I-391, I-84, I-195, I-395, I-290, and I-190. Major non-interstate highways in Massachusetts include U.S. Routes 1, 3, 6, and 20, and state routes 2, 3, 24 and 128. A great majority of interstates in Massachusetts were constructed during the mid 20th century, and at times were controversial, particularly the routing of I-95 through central Boston. Opposition to continued construction grew, and in 1970 Governor Francis W. Sargent issued a general prohibition on most further freeway construction within the I-95/Route 128 loop in the Boston area.[138] A massive undertaking to depress I-93 in downtown Boston, called the Big Dig, has brought the city's highway system under public scrutiny over the last decade.