355 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

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (The Gardner)

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

Boston, Massachusetts

Bodega

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

Boston, Massachusetts

Boston Athenaeum Skin Book

A morbid secret lies hidden within the beautiful walls of the Boston Athenaeum.

See All 355 Things to Do in Massachusetts See All 355 Places

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.

Clarified Milk Punch

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

Marlborough Pie

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

See all 26 things to eat in Massachusetts See all 26 things to eat in Massachusetts

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Stories
About Massachusetts

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

The dendrometer tracks the way the trunk and branches swell or contract.

The Tree That Is Live-Tweeting Climate Change

With a little help from scientists, an oak in the Harvard Forest is sharing updates about its life.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

England, But New: How John Smith's 1616 Map Helped Define America

The name "New England" was like a colonial real estate ad.

by Sarah Laskow

November 20, 2018

The ripples are plainly visible beside dinosaur tracks. A new mural above showcases both.

Prehistoric Sand Is Full of Secrets

Petrified wave ripples can tell us about the weather that dinosaurs saw.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

October 18, 2018