Massachusetts is full of spots that will make you stop and check that you didn’t just fall through a wardrobe into Narnia. These places are gorgeous, sure, but they also have that special touch of magic that makes them stand out as truly enchanting. Check out the most beautiful places to visit in Massachusetts.
- Hammond Castle, Gloucester
Newsvine
Hammond Castle John Hays Hammond, Jr. built his medieval-style castle between the years 1926 and 1929 to serve both as his home and as a home for his collection of Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance artifacts. The castle was constructed as a wedding present for his wife Irene Fenton Hammond as a testament of his love.
Today, the castle is a museum. Self-guided tours will lead you through areas such as the great hall, indoor courtyard, Renaissance dining room, two guest bedrooms, the inventions exhibit room, the library, the war room, the kitchens, the Natalie Hays Hammond exhibit room, servants quarters, as well as several smaller rooms and passageways including a secret passageway. Click here for the official website of Hammond Castle.
- Mytoi Japanese Gardens, Chappaquiddick
Flickr/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism Enter a secluded world of almost otherworldly elegance in this meticulously designed Japanese garden that encircles a serene pond. The preserve includes a small pond and island, non-native and native flowers and plants, footpaths leading past a birch walk and stone garden, and a trail winding toward Poucha Pond and the salt marsh. This place definitely feels like stepping into a different realm. Click here for the official website of Mytoi Japanese Gardens.
- Santarella Gingerbread House, Tyringham
Wikimedia Commons/John Phelan
Santarella Santarella’s fanciful buildings were designed by Henry Hudson Kitson as the realization of his childhood fantasies. A perfect place for a wedding or maybe just a weekend of making childhood daydreams come true. Click here for the official website of Santarella.
- Ashintully Gardens, Tyringham
Massachusetts Office Of Travel & Tourism/Flickr The 30-year project of contemporary composer John McLennan, Ashintully Gardens are a beautiful spot in the Berkshires surrounded by woodland, rollings hills, and rushing streams. The design of the gardens is inspired by music and melody. Click here for the official website of Ashintully Gardens.
- White Marble Falls, Clarksburg
Flickr/Timothy Valentine These falls look like a painting in motion. The way the water descends in sprays of white and blue makes for an enchanting scene. That makes these waterfalls a definitely must add to any bucket list.
- The White Cedar Swamp, Wellfleet
Wikimedia Commons/Tr!sie A part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, the White Cedar Swamp is the perfect place to take a meditative walk surrounded by nature. Follow the 1.2-mile Atlantic White Cedar Trail, which takes about an hour, to drink in the spellbinding natural scenery.
- Heritage Museums and Gardens, Sandwich
Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism/Flickr If I were a fairy, this is definitely where I’d settle down. Heritage Museums & Gardens offers 100 spectacular acres of trees and shrubs, designed gardens, exquisite flowers and sweeping lawns. And it’s not just a summer destination! Winter showcases beautiful heathers, bright berries, and noble evergreens. When you’re done strolling among the flora, check out the antique car museum or fun historical crafts for kids. Click here for the official website of Heritage Museums & Gardens.
- Bash Bish Falls
Flickr/OtroPX These falls in the Taconic Mountains are the highest in the state. The falls feature a number of cascades, nearly 200 feet in total, with the last cascade dividing into two streams and dropping 80 feet over boulders and into a calm pool. Definitely a sight worth seeing. Click here for the official website of Bash Bish Falls State Park.
- Glacial Potholes, Shelburne Falls
Flickr/Paul Cooper About 14,000 years ago, the glacier that created nearby Lake Hitchcock also began eroding “glacial potholes” through the bedrock in the Deerfield River. These odd geologic formations can be found all throughout town and along local riverbanks. Click here for the official website of the Village of Shelburne Falls.
- Common Ground Cafe, Hyannis
Common Ground Cafe This restaurant in Hyannis is definitely a departure from the usual. The interior is designed so that you feel like you’re dining in a cozy woodland cottage or maybe even inside a giant tree. Check this place out for its incredible atmosphere and delicious homemade bread. Click here for the official website of Common Ground Cafe in Hyannis.
- Garden in the Woods, Framingham
Flickr/mwms1916 This woodland botanical garden is carefully nurtured by the New England Wild Flower Society and features more than 1,500 varieties of plants, some of which are rare and endangered. This is the perfect escape for a busy urbanite, as it’s a mere 20 miles from Boston! Click here for the official website of Garden in the Woods.
- Quabbin Overlook, New Salem
Flickr/Random Duck This spot is even more magical with the fall foliage. Whenever you visit, don’t forget to bring your camera, and plan to spend enough time just breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the scenery.
- Halibut Point State Park, Rockport
Flickr/Harvey Barrison Wildflowers, clear blue waters, and tall grasses swaying in the breeze. If you’re looking for a perfect spot to splash around in a fairy stream, look no further. Click here for the official website of Halibut Point State Park.
You don’t have to look far for beautiful places in Massachusetts that seem to have leapt out of a storybook. What are your favorite enchanting spots? Let us know in the comments! Then check out these 12 unimaginably beautiful places in Massachusetts that you really have to see to believe.
Newsvine
Hammond Castle
John Hays Hammond, Jr. built his medieval-style castle between the years 1926 and 1929 to serve both as his home and as a home for his collection of Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance artifacts. The castle was constructed as a wedding present for his wife Irene Fenton Hammond as a testament of his love.
Today, the castle is a museum. Self-guided tours will lead you through areas such as the great hall, indoor courtyard, Renaissance dining room, two guest bedrooms, the inventions exhibit room, the library, the war room, the kitchens, the Natalie Hays Hammond exhibit room, servants quarters, as well as several smaller rooms and passageways including a secret passageway. Click here for the official website of Hammond Castle.
Flickr/Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
Enter a secluded world of almost otherworldly elegance in this meticulously designed Japanese garden that encircles a serene pond. The preserve includes a small pond and island, non-native and native flowers and plants, footpaths leading past a birch walk and stone garden, and a trail winding toward Poucha Pond and the salt marsh. This place definitely feels like stepping into a different realm. Click here for the official website of Mytoi Japanese Gardens.
Wikimedia Commons/John Phelan
Santarella
Santarella’s fanciful buildings were designed by Henry Hudson Kitson as the realization of his childhood fantasies. A perfect place for a wedding or maybe just a weekend of making childhood daydreams come true. Click here for the official website of Santarella.
Massachusetts Office Of Travel & Tourism/Flickr
The 30-year project of contemporary composer John McLennan, Ashintully Gardens are a beautiful spot in the Berkshires surrounded by woodland, rollings hills, and rushing streams. The design of the gardens is inspired by music and melody. Click here for the official website of Ashintully Gardens.
Flickr/Timothy Valentine
These falls look like a painting in motion. The way the water descends in sprays of white and blue makes for an enchanting scene. That makes these waterfalls a definitely must add to any bucket list.
Wikimedia Commons/Tr!sie
A part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, the White Cedar Swamp is the perfect place to take a meditative walk surrounded by nature. Follow the 1.2-mile Atlantic White Cedar Trail, which takes about an hour, to drink in the spellbinding natural scenery.
Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism/Flickr
If I were a fairy, this is definitely where I’d settle down. Heritage Museums & Gardens offers 100 spectacular acres of trees and shrubs, designed gardens, exquisite flowers and sweeping lawns. And it’s not just a summer destination! Winter showcases beautiful heathers, bright berries, and noble evergreens. When you’re done strolling among the flora, check out the antique car museum or fun historical crafts for kids. Click here for the official website of Heritage Museums & Gardens.
Flickr/OtroPX
These falls in the Taconic Mountains are the highest in the state. The falls feature a number of cascades, nearly 200 feet in total, with the last cascade dividing into two streams and dropping 80 feet over boulders and into a calm pool. Definitely a sight worth seeing. Click here for the official website of Bash Bish Falls State Park.
Flickr/Paul Cooper
About 14,000 years ago, the glacier that created nearby Lake Hitchcock also began eroding “glacial potholes” through the bedrock in the Deerfield River. These odd geologic formations can be found all throughout town and along local riverbanks. Click here for the official website of the Village of Shelburne Falls.
Common Ground Cafe
This restaurant in Hyannis is definitely a departure from the usual. The interior is designed so that you feel like you’re dining in a cozy woodland cottage or maybe even inside a giant tree. Check this place out for its incredible atmosphere and delicious homemade bread. Click here for the official website of Common Ground Cafe in Hyannis.
Flickr/mwms1916
This woodland botanical garden is carefully nurtured by the New England Wild Flower Society and features more than 1,500 varieties of plants, some of which are rare and endangered. This is the perfect escape for a busy urbanite, as it’s a mere 20 miles from Boston! Click here for the official website of Garden in the Woods.
Flickr/Random Duck
This spot is even more magical with the fall foliage. Whenever you visit, don’t forget to bring your camera, and plan to spend enough time just breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the scenery.
Flickr/Harvey Barrison
Wildflowers, clear blue waters, and tall grasses swaying in the breeze. If you’re looking for a perfect spot to splash around in a fairy stream, look no further. Click here for the official website of Halibut Point State Park.
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Address: Hammond Castle, Gloucester, MA 01930, USAAddress: Mytoi Japanese Garden, 41 Dike Rd, Edgartown, MA 02539, USAAddress: 75 Main Rd, Lee, MA 01238, USAAddress: North Adams, MA 01247, USAAddress: Atlantic White Cedar Swamp Trail, Wellfleet, MA 02667, USAAddress: Heritage Museums & Gardens, 67 Grove St, Sandwich, MA 02563, USAAddress: Bash Bish Falls, Mt Washington, MA 01258, USAAddress: Taylors Falls, MN 55084, USAAddress: Common Ground Cafe, 420 Main St, Hyannis, MA 02601, USAAddress: 180 Hemenway Rd, Framingham, MA 01701, USAAddress: 26 S Main St #32, New Salem, MA 01355, USAAddress: 5 Gott Ave, Rockport, MA 01966, USA
The OIYS Visitor Center
beautiful places to visit in massachusetts May 28, 2020 Beth Price-Williams Are there any castles in Massachusetts? If you’re on the hunt for fairytale-like places in Massachusetts, consider hitting the road on an epic road trip. The road trip leads to eight castles dotted throughout the state. Your adventure will begin at Herreshoff Castle, where you can spend the night. It will continue to Hammond Castle in Gloucester and Crane Estate at Castle Hill in Ipswich. Your road trip will end at Venfort Hall in Lenox. You might also want to check out the Castle Restaurant in Leicester. The enchanting setting is made even more charming by the delightful menus at the two dining rooms. For a casual experience, dine in the Crusader Room. The Camelot Room, on the other hand, offers a more sophisticated dining experience. Can I spend the night in a caste in Massachusetts? Step into your very own fairytale when you check into Herreshoff Castle in Marblehead. When you shut the door to your private room at this B&B, you’ll feel as though you have entered one of the most whimsical places in Massachusetts. The majestic castle dates back to the 1920s and is reminiscent of the castles in England. Overnight guests are welcome in the castle’s carriage house which boasts a full menu of amenities, including stained glass windows, a bedroom, a sitting room, and a bathroom. The décor, of course, is fit for royalty. It includes armor suits and carousel horses. Does Massachusetts have any natural wonders? Massachusetts lays claim to a full menu of natural wonders, including Walden Pond. The pond, in fact, is the deepest natural pond in the state at 107 feet. It dates back more than 10,000 years and is a popular spot with locals and tourists. Because it boasts cool and clean water, it beckons those who like to spend time in the water. Spend a day swimming in the pond, sitting beside it and admiring the views, go kayaking, or relax while waiting for the fish to bite as you fish.
The OIYS Visitor Center
beautiful places to visit in massachusetts
May 28, 2020
Beth Price-Williams
Are there any castles in Massachusetts? If you’re on the hunt for fairytale-like places in Massachusetts, consider hitting the road on an epic road trip. The road trip leads to eight castles dotted throughout the state. Your adventure will begin at Herreshoff Castle, where you can spend the night. It will continue to Hammond Castle in Gloucester and Crane Estate at Castle Hill in Ipswich. Your road trip will end at Venfort Hall in Lenox. You might also want to check out the Castle Restaurant in Leicester. The enchanting setting is made even more charming by the delightful menus at the two dining rooms. For a casual experience, dine in the Crusader Room. The Camelot Room, on the other hand, offers a more sophisticated dining experience. Can I spend the night in a caste in Massachusetts? Step into your very own fairytale when you check into Herreshoff Castle in Marblehead. When you shut the door to your private room at this B&B, you’ll feel as though you have entered one of the most whimsical places in Massachusetts. The majestic castle dates back to the 1920s and is reminiscent of the castles in England. Overnight guests are welcome in the castle’s carriage house which boasts a full menu of amenities, including stained glass windows, a bedroom, a sitting room, and a bathroom. The décor, of course, is fit for royalty. It includes armor suits and carousel horses. Does Massachusetts have any natural wonders? Massachusetts lays claim to a full menu of natural wonders, including Walden Pond. The pond, in fact, is the deepest natural pond in the state at 107 feet. It dates back more than 10,000 years and is a popular spot with locals and tourists. Because it boasts cool and clean water, it beckons those who like to spend time in the water. Spend a day swimming in the pond, sitting beside it and admiring the views, go kayaking, or relax while waiting for the fish to bite as you fish.
The OIYS Visitor Center
The OIYS Visitor Center
If you’re on the hunt for fairytale-like places in Massachusetts, consider hitting the road on an epic road trip. The road trip leads to eight castles dotted throughout the state. Your adventure will begin at Herreshoff Castle, where you can spend the night. It will continue to Hammond Castle in Gloucester and Crane Estate at Castle Hill in Ipswich. Your road trip will end at Venfort Hall in Lenox.
You might also want to check out the Castle Restaurant in Leicester. The enchanting setting is made even more charming by the delightful menus at the two dining rooms. For a casual experience, dine in the Crusader Room. The Camelot Room, on the other hand, offers a more sophisticated dining experience.
Can I spend the night in a caste in Massachusetts?
Step into your very own fairytale when you check into Herreshoff Castle in Marblehead. When you shut the door to your private room at this B&B, you’ll feel as though you have entered one of the most whimsical places in Massachusetts. The majestic castle dates back to the 1920s and is reminiscent of the castles in England. Overnight guests are welcome in the castle’s carriage house which boasts a full menu of amenities, including stained glass windows, a bedroom, a sitting room, and a bathroom. The décor, of course, is fit for royalty. It includes armor suits and carousel horses.
Does Massachusetts have any natural wonders?
Massachusetts lays claim to a full menu of natural wonders, including Walden Pond. The pond, in fact, is the deepest natural pond in the state at 107 feet. It dates back more than 10,000 years and is a popular spot with locals and tourists. Because it boasts cool and clean water, it beckons those who like to spend time in the water. Spend a day swimming in the pond, sitting beside it and admiring the views, go kayaking, or relax while waiting for the fish to bite as you fish.
