359 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Massachusetts - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Massachusetts

Boston, Massachusetts

Mapparium

An enormous, inside-out glass globe built in 1935.

Salem, Massachusetts

The Witch House of Salem

One of the only structures left with direct ties to the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692.

Boston, Massachusetts

Warren Anatomical Museum

This Boston medical museum features the skull of the famous medical case of Phineas Gage.

Boston, Massachusetts

Forest Hills Cemetery

A beautiful Victorian-era cemetery, complete with a miniature village.

Danvers, Massachusetts

Danvers State Hospital

The inspiration for H.P. Lovecraft's horror stories and Batman's Arkham Asylum is now a condominium complex.

Boston, Massachusetts

Bodega

This upscale streetwear store is hidden behind a fake Snapple machine in the back of a deli.

Boston, Massachusetts

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (The Gardner)

Two thousand artifacts from around the world collected by one woman with an addiction.

Boston, Massachusetts

Brattle Book Shop

One of the oldest used bookstores in the U.S. has been selling antiquarian treasures since 1825.

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Unique Food & Drink in Massachusetts

Sugar on Snow

Where maple sap flows, all one needs to make taffy is snow.

Coffee Gelatin

Leftover coffee plus Jello equals this vintage dessert.

Marlborough Pie

A custardy twist on apple pie finds delicious use for fruit reaching spoilage.

Clarified Milk Punch

Just so we’re clear, there is actually milk in this old English punch.

See all 25 things to eat in Massachusetts See all 25 things to eat in Massachusetts

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Stories About Massachusetts

Drone, meet tuna.

Scientists Tracked Truly Enormous Tuna From Way Up in the Air

Drones helped researchers keep up with fish that are longer than a person and as fast as a car.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

Meet Dave Remsen, director of Marine Research Services at the Marine Biological Lab, which was founded in 1888.

The Woods Hole Lab Where Mysteries of the Deep Are Solved

Nervous sharks, flight-risk octopuses, and fish that walk are just a few of Dave Remsen's cases.

by Lucy Sherriff

Dirty Water is one of hundreds of distilleries across the United States in manufacturing hand sanitizer.

Inside One Distillery’s Pivot to Hand Sanitizer

The small Massachusetts outfit supplies local police, firefighters, and hospitals.

An adult Kemp's ridley sea turtle heading to sea.

The World's Tiniest Sea Turtles Keep Getting Stranded on Cape Cod

Floating devices called "drifters" are helping oceanographers understand why.

by Sabrina Imbler

December 9, 2019

The grave of the remarkable Nancy Adams today.

The Grave of Nancy Adams, Who Thrice Escaped Slavery, Is Now a Symbol of Freedom

It has been designated as part of the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom.

by Sabrina Imbler

November 26, 2019

A detail of "Stockbridge Mainstreet at Christmas (Home for Christmas)" by Norman Rockwell. The center building is currently up for auction.

For Sale: A Quaint Building Straight Out of a Norman Rockwell Painting

A Victorian storefront made famous in a 1967 painting is on the market—winter wonderland not included.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

November 4, 2019

The Porcineograph: A pig-shaped map of the United States.

Why an 1875 Map Imagined the U.S as a Giant Hog

New York is the nose, Alaska the tail, and Cuba is a giant sausage.

by Reina Gattuso

October 28, 2019

“Your reputation relies upon making good boats that last,” McKay says. “And if you don’t adapt with the times, then you’ll go out of business. This place has always adapted with the times, which has kept it in business.”

America's Oldest Boat Shop Has Been Making Hunky Dories for 226 Years

Lowell’s preserves tradition—and maintains relevance—by adapting to the times.

by James Freitas

October 15, 2019