Massachusetts – the state of the famous Harvard University
Massachusetts is a small American state bordering with such states as New York, Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut. To date, the state’s economy is mainly based on industry, although in the old days it was more agricultural, and also commercial place. The capital of Massachusetts, Boston is the largest and most inhabited city, also is the most significant of the United States ports. The state is widely known all over the world for the presence of famous colleges, among which the most important is Harvard, which received 75 Nobel Prizes and other awards. Also popular is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Among the major cities, you should also mention Springfield and Worcester.
This land was one of the first colonies created by the pilgrim fathers who arrived from Great Britain in 1620 aboard the historic ship Mayflower.
You will not regret if you start your journey from the capital. In Boston a lot of interesting things are offered, from green parks and to numerous shops on main streets, from museums and art galleries and to typical urban areas with houses made of red brick, the University and many characteristic neighborhoods. Do not miss the chance to dine in one of the many restaurants and try local specialties, especially seafood.
The most interesting is the Museum of Fine Arts, where you can find works of such great masters as Gauguin, Van Gogh and Renoir, or the sculpture of the Madonna, one of the last masterpieces by Donatello. In the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum you can see works of the Renaissance, among which the works of Botticelli, Piero della Francesca and Raphael. In Boston, you can often visit various social events, performances and concerts, especially during the spring and summer periods.
Take a walk through the most famous university places in Boston during your trip to Massachusetts!
Further, continuing the trip to Massachusetts, you can visit Worcester, among which the most important attractions is the Worcester Art Museum, created in the late nineteenth century and representing the second largest state museum. Here, as in Boston, the works of many impressionists and such masters as Van Gogh, Renoir, Matisse and Monet are represented, among the contemporary artists you can see Pollock, Kandinsky and Kline.
The whole state is rich in spectacular natural landscapes. For example, in Edgartown you can see a typical white lighthouse, located in a truly romantic setting. Provincetown and Gloucester will offer you some wonderful beaches, and in Nantucket there is a museum dedicated to the largest sea cetaceans.
The state name comes from the ancient Indian word “Massachusetts”, which means “near the big hill”, referring to the Blue Hills area.