Vital Statistics

Population: Massachusetts - 6.4 million
Area: 10,555 sq miles
Language: English
Religion: As with much of the United States, New England is predominantly a mixture of Protestant faiths. The immigrant population has bought many faiths with them. Thus, Catholics with Irish and Italian descent live here and in Boston's immigrants, nearly any faith can be found
Time Zone: GMT -5 hours
Currency: US dollar
Electricity: 110/220 volts
Weights & Measures: Imperial/Metric
International Dialling Code: +1

The Place

New England is the first old civilisation and the first permanent civilization in America and has a rich endowment of many of the nation's most cherished memories: Paul Revere's midnight ride, the Battle of Bunker Hill, the charisma of the Kennedys. It was here that the first cries of American independence were heard, here that the movement to abolish slavery found fertile ground, here that education achieved its fullest flowering, here that American art and literature attained their greatest refinement.

An alluring variety of nature embraces New England. Maine's coast, with rocky promontories pointing to adventure; New Hampshire's lakes, deep with silent wonder; Vermont's mountains, shimmering in spring's verdant cloak and majestic in winter whiteness; Berkshires captivating forests and Connecticut's celebrated colonial heritage; Newport's well preserved luxury and Cape Cod's charming villages and rolling dunes; Matha's Vineyard's quirky vision of quaintness and finally, Boston's vibrant cityscape.

Highlights

Boston

Boston's tangled streets change so abruptly in mood and nuance from one street to another that it cries out to be explored on foot. The city is charmingly, perversely bereft of a main drag, amd its streets practice the old European vices of waywardness and digression. The picturesque old neighbourhood of the North End is Boston's original heart: once Irish, then Jewish, and now Italian. Walk at a leisurely pace and take in the sights - and smells - of Old World Italy

Freedom Trail, Boston

A cleverly designed two-and-a-half mile footpath, the Freedom Trail, invites visitors to experience Boston as it was in the revolutionary era, to visit historical sites associated with the war, and to walk where the founders of the country walked more than 200 years ago.

Lexington

At the heart of Lexington a statue of Captain John Parker stands on Battle Green, where on April 19, 1775, the first shot of the American Revolution was fired. The Battle Road Visitor Center has a movie showing the events of 1775, and there are talks and guided walks. The Museum of Our National Heritage exhibits items of American history, including a section on Lexington.

Cape Cod

Shaped like a body builders flexed arm, Cape Cod extends 31 miles eastward into the Atlantic Ocean, then another 31 miles to the north. This sandy peninsula is lined with more than 310 miles of beaches. The crook of the arm forms Cape Cod Bay, where the waters are placid and free of often treacherous ocean surf.

Nantucket

Time has stood still on Nantucket, and the intimate scale and refined taste of its heyday have survived to the present day to endow the island with its beauty and magnetic appeal. Nantucket's moors and miles of beautiful unspoilt beaches are open to visitors, most of whom use the preferred mode of transport, bikes.

Festivals & Events

Spring

Spring officially arrives with the Boston Marathon, held on Patriot's Day (the third Monday in April). Meanwhile, modern-day Minutemen stage Revolutionary War Re-enactments in Boston at the Paul Revere House and in Lexington and Concord.

In late April, a colourful Daffodil Festival on Nantucket marks the first stirrings of summer

Summer

Summer is music time, beginning in mid-June with the Boston Globe Jazz Festival. From mid-June to late August, the Boston Symphony Orchestra presides over the world famous Tanglewood Music Festival in Lenox. Following roughly the same schedule are two fellow Berkshires institutions; the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in nearby Becket, and the outstanding Williamstown Theatre Festival.

While the BSO is off to the country, the Boston Pops wow the masses with a free Fourth of July Concert (with fireworks) at the Hatch Shell on the Charles River Esplanade. Later in July, the Lowell National Historical Park holds the Lowell Folk Festival, a melange of traditional music and ethnic foods.

Autumn

Harvest Festivals mark the foliage season, including large-scale extravaganzas such as the Springfields Big E, and one of the nation's oldest country fairs, the Topsfield Fair. Also in October, college crew teams and specatators come to Cambridge for the Head of the Charles Regatta, while in Salem, the annual Haunted Happenings week climaxes on Halloween

Winter

Communities across Massachusetts ring in the New Year with First Night festivities. Started by Boston artists in 1977, First Night has spread to more than 70 communities nationwide and offers a moveable feast of music, theatre, ice sculptures, parades and fireworks.

Tourist office website - www.massvacation.com