340 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.

Danvers, Massachusetts

Danvers State Hospital

Basis for H.P. Lovecraft's horror stories and Batman's Arkham Asylum, now a horrifying condo.

Boston, Massachusetts

Forest Hills Cemetery

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

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.

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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.

Clarified Milk Punch

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

Canned Bread

A New England tradition of steaming bread in coffee tins gave rise to this niche snack.

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

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Brookline, Massachusetts

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Post	Replies	Views	Activity
New England Road Trip	26 September 16, 2019	1863	September 16, 2019
Liederkranz Cheese	10 August 29, 2019	1038	August 29, 2019
Try our NYC culinary scavenger hunt!	4 July 18, 2019	1147	July 18, 2019
Road Trip Creepy/ Cool things to see Traveling from New York to Salem, MA	7 August 18, 2019	1369	August 18, 2019
Chop Suey Sandwich	4 August 14, 2019	675	August 14, 2019

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Stories
About Massachusetts

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

Chef Deon in his restaurant.

How a Caribbean Chef Is Unearthing the Hidden Stories of Martha's Vineyard

Deon Thomas's unique eatery showcases another side of the island.

by Merissa Nathan Gerson

A balloon photo of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, string clearly visible at left.

Bringing Aerial Photography to the Masses—One Squid Kite at a Time

Public Lab's DIY tools help communities keep tabs on the environment.

Taxidermied frogs spend a day on the lake at Froggyland.

9 of the Strangest and Loveliest Dioramas You'll Ever See

Behold the intricate detail of these exquisite miniature worlds.

"Edgar Allan Poe Square" in the Boston Common, near the place where Poe was born.

10 Places That Rejected Poe in Life But Celebrate Him in Death

Edgar Allan Poe gets the recognition he deserves in the afterlife.

by Molly McBride Jacobson

February 9, 2017