Most of my family lives in Mass.

So, I'm very familiar with things most others have never heard of like quahogs or quahog chow-dah, because it's wicked, even pissa good.

Massachusetts is gorgeous but for all practical reasons communist.

I lived there, for awhile as a kid living in the Onset, Buzzards Bay, and the Wareham area.

I love Massachusetts, but it lost it's way politically.

I bought my first gun at 11, (well technically my Dad bought it) a Remington, .22 cal., bolt action, single shot that I bought from the money I made shoveling snow.

Didn't live they-ah for very long.

Moved to Texas where later I bought a Remington .22 cal repeater at 14. And, I didn't need my Dad to buy it for me. In Texas, you could buy a gun at any age if you had the money.

Plus, there's an odd quirk in the Texas drinking law. You can drink in a bar at any age as long your parent buys it and gives it to you. Yes, we're a savage lot. This law remains on the books.

Except for various world travel journeys, which I've had the good fortune to do a lot of, I've spent my entire remaining life in Texas and wouldn't leave here now to go anywhere else.

P.S. Paris is overrated and the Caribbean and South America overall underrated.

quote:

Plymouth Plantation is pretty neat also

Every year it was a tossup as to where the school field trip was going to be. Plymouth Plantation or the Museum Of Science. I have been to each multiple times, but I think the people working at Plymouth Plantation got a little too much into character. Man they stunk!

Out of the way but we spent a night on the USS Massachusetts when I was in the Boy Scouts. That was fun.

Spencer Mass.
Not that close to Boston- Mass Turnpike is a toll road and not easy to navigate into Boston . Add Boston drivers and paying for parking . Be prepared for the drive into Boston- NOT during rush hour.
Boston is east. Just research your travel route into the city. Heading south on 395- Mohegan Sun and Foxwood casinos. Further south -Mystic Seaport. Heading West - Greenfield and the Berkshires. Great suggestions from the forum but you have to drive a bit.

quote:

Originally posted by Birdvol:
Listening to some of us from the South (in my case Texas) can be hard on the ears with the various hick dialects, but anywhere near Boston listening to the way people speak there would have me wearing range muffs...

This comment has nothing to do with the topic of the thread.

Someone wants to know what there is to see and do.

Whose accents sound funny, and other such things as whether the state is full of communists, are not particularly relevant to the discussion at hand.

We all live somewhere that someone somewhere else thinks is full of assholes. Let's not clutter the thread with that sentiment.

While in Brimfield go checkout treehouse brew, best beer I’ve ever had, they are on RT 20 in Charlton. http://treehousebrew.com/on-tap/

The Aquarium is interesting. What folks call Bunker Hill really isn't.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by Suppressed:

quote:

Originally posted by arcwelder76:
There are loads of things to see, but at #1 I'd put the USS Constitution.

Don’t bring a knife. When I visited the USS Constitution about five years ago, I had to go through a metal detector.

Don't bring a knife anywhere in the city of Boston. Their knife rules are a pain in the ass.

You are about 2 hours from the Sig Academy and Pro Shop. If you do head up, also make a stop at Kittery Trading Post. Their gun room is a great experience. It about 30 minutes from Sig.

I highly recommend the Sole Proprietor in Worcester for good food. They have great happy hour deals on food.

As for Brimfield, bring a cart and be prepared to walk. It is HUGE. Also, haggle on prices. I don't think I have ever paid the asking price.

Before you head to Springfield Armory, check and see what if anything is open to the public. They had a great facility that got shut down a few years ago after another round of Massachusetts common sense gun control.

Visit Provincetown where the Mayflower Pilgrims first landed. The Mayflower Compact was also written and signed there.

Five weeks later they sailed across the bay and landed in Plymouth.

https://www.capecod.com/lifest...-first-landing-spot/

I grew up out side of Boston and went to school in Boston driving in and out every day. I recommend to visitors that do not want to deal with driving in Boston to park at one of the satellite T stations. The Alewife T station is right off Rt2 an easy drive from the west where you will be. From there you hop on the red line and Boston is yours, no hassles. Part of the "charm" of Boston is mastering the T.

Do the freedome trail, Bunker hill, Fenway park, Constitution and great sea food. Fun day especially in the spring summer, not highly recommended in January.

Take a drive to Portsmouth, NH. Great seacoast city with some awesome food. Portsmouth is about an hour from Boston.
A couple things to check out while in Portsmouth..
- Tour of the USS Albacore ussalbacore.org
- Take a boat ride out to the Isle of Shoals and a Portsmouth harbor tour.
islesofshoals.com

As an FYI - Springfield Armory is open 7 days/wk and no longer has metal detectors in use. The rest of Springfield ain't worth seeing.

Boston is Boston - you don't need a local to tell you what to do there (Freedom Trail, Constitution, Aquarium).

I'll throw in some things that haven't been mentioned...

The "deal" tour in Boston few know about is the Umass Boston - Harbor Boat Tour - only $10 bucks and runs on Monday morning.

Salem Ma is a neat place to go if you want to get to the ocean.

If you're going to Brimfield to see gypsy's selling schlock - may want to catch the biggest flea market for "locals" not too far from Spencer - Rietta flea market in Hubbardston MA (Sunday morning - ends at noon).

Continue West on Rt. 2, see the prettiest part of the state. Take a walk over the French King Bridge for a scenic view of the Ct. River.

If you want a nice place to kick around for lunch to checkout a good used bookshop and record shop- Montague Bookmill is a neat place.

I happen to Like Turners Falls - nice little mill town with some interesting shops and the "Great Falls Discovery Center".

Stop in Shelburne Falls to see some nice artisan shops and scenery and Josh Simpson's (Glassblower) Salmon Falls Gallery.

Pretty hike to nowhere hidden gem that few know about - Tannery Falls in Savoy.

Head all the way out to Adams, and drive to the top of Mt. Greylock or checkout the Mass MoCa museum.

Freedom Trail for sure. I went on to Cape Cod and did whale-watching with the family. Really cool if you are into that sort of thing.