South of Boston: Visit the homes and histories of sailors, whalers, and pilgrims.

Southeastern Massachusetts

Enjoy the sun at Bristol County's Demarest Lloyd State Park or Horseneck Beach State Reservation Campground, a two-mile sandy barrier beach at the western end of Buzzards Bay.

Explore the region's whaling history at New Bedford Whaling Museum or Seamen's Bethel, featured in Moby Dick. Or visit Fall River's Battleship Cove, home port of the WWII battleship USS Massachusetts, and the Fall River carousel, built in 1920. Make new friends among nearly 200 species of wildlife at the 1895 Olmstead-designed Buttonwood Park Zoo. Enjoy a free night of arts and culture every month at AHA! (art, history, architecture) in New Bedford. Or attend a larger-than-life outdoor concert at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield.

Wine lovers take the tour and the taste test at Running Brook Vineyards, Westport Rivers Vineyard and High Hill Vineyard and Winery.

Plymouth County

Step into the recreated 1627 Pilgrim community at Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum and the home site of the Native American Wampanoags. Round out your Pilgrim history with a visit to legendary Plymouth Rock, the enduring symbol of the Pilgrims' arrival in the New World. Just a stone's throw away is the Mayflower II, a replica of the famous Pilgrim ship Mayflower, at State Pier. Edaville USA's amusement rides, set among cranberry bogs, and the Brockton Rox minor-league baseball games are also can't-miss attractions.

Nostalgic Nantasket Beach in Hull has an ever-exciting oceanside boardwalk with local performers, the Paragon Carousel (featuring 66 wooden horses from 1928), and classic fairgrounds fare. If you want to get on the water, Capt. John Boats and Lobster Tales will satisfy your whale-watching and fishing urges.

Cranberry is king in Plymouth; enjoy the nectar of this and other local fruit in the wines at Plymouth Bay Winery, Plymouth Colony Winery, or Plymouth Winery.

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