This C-shaped protruberance, connected to the mainland of Massachusetts by canal bridges, offers an amazing array of experiences for the vacationer. The beaches and dunes are, of course, beautiful and appealing, but there is also an unknown and unheralded countryside to explore. Antique stores, fine dining, traffic jams and souvenir shops give way to country roads, cranberry "farms," fishing villages and beech forests. In other words, it isn't just Hyannis and Provincetown. See MAP.

Home to Worcester, the second largest city in Massachusetts, and Old Sturbridge Village, a "living history museum;" home also to the Johnny Appleseed Trail, the Blackstone River Valley Heritage Corridor, rolling meadows and farmland. The Central Region is a great mid-point between the natural wonders of rural Massachusetts and the historic significance and activity of Boston and its suburbs. See MAP.

The area of Western Massachussetts known as The Berkshires provides a year-round draw to visitors. Fall foliage season is the most popular tourist time, but with its proximity to several ski areas and lakes, and with the festivals offered during the spring and summer months, The Berkshires and surrounding locations are busy, and accommodations often book out months in advance. Within just a two-plus-hour driving distance of both New York and Boston, and an hour or less from Hartford, many of the pastoral communities in western Massachusetts provide a perfect country getaway for urban types seeking fresh air and open spaces. See BERKSHIRE MAP.