photo: Cherylynn Tsushima/Jacob's Pillow
Massachusetts is a melting pot of cultures. From Native American pow wows to Saint Patrick's Day Parades to the Black Heritage Trail, It's All Here in Massachusetts.
MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL CENTERS
Museum of African American
History:
Boston & Nantucket: The Museum of African American History is
dedicated to preserving, conserving and accurately interpreting the
contributions of African Americans in New England from the colonial
period through the 19th century.
Museum of Russian
Icons
Visit the largest collection of Russian Icons in North America
Worcester African
Cultural Center
The permanent exhibit, “Discover African Art,” features
items from all areas of the African continent. Exhibit items
include: ceremonial masks, divination sculptures, decorative arts,
musical instruments, jewelry, furniture and everyday objects.
HERITAGE TRAILS, TOURS AND MORE...
Second Saturday
Walking Tour of Florence Abolition Era Sites
Visit the homes of Sojourner Truth, Samuel Hill and fugitive slave
Basil Dorsey. See the Mill River dam where David Lee and Lydia
Maria Child processed sugar beets as an alternative to slave-grown
sugar cane. Stand in the Pine Grove where William Lloyd Garrison
and Wendell Phillips spoke before members of the Northampton
Association "utopian" community . Hear about David Ruggles' Water
Cure and the visits of Frederick Douglass. Donations benefit the
David Ruggles Center. These tours are offered the second Saturday
of the month from June through November. All tours meet at the
Sojourner Truth Memorial Statue, 10:00 am, corner of Park and Pine
Streets, Florence.
Discover
Roxbury
Discover Roxbury's mission is to build community pride and create
bridges of understanding by increasing knowledge of Roxbury’s
historic and cultural contributions promote participation in the
cultural and historic life of the community, and foster economic
empowerment by increasing support for Roxbury businesses and
institutions. We seek to overcome racial and class stereotypes of
Roxbury and the lack of knowledge about the community. We also
advocate for the preservation of Roxbury’s historic and
cultural assets. Discover Roxbury designs, organizes and conducts
tours of Roxbury’s historic sites, arts community, cultural
institutions and businesses. We nurture and encourage the community
voice by developing Roxbury residents as tour leaders and acting as
a resource that helps sustain community memory. We collaborate
proactively with community-based institutions, businesses, and
organizations. We foster cultural equity so that Roxbury’s
rich heritage and vibrant present become an integral part of
Boston’s cultural landscape.
Native Plymouth
Tours
The first organized walking tours of historical Plymouth presented
through the eyes of Native American Guides. Learn the shared
history of the Wampanoag and Pilgrims. Available year round by
appointment. Touring Time: 1 and ½ hours. Handicapped
accessible.
The Black Heritage Trail,
Boston
A walking tour that explores the history of Boston's ninetieth
century African American community that lived primarily on the
north slope of Beacon Hill. The tour consists of 14 historic sites
including the 54th Regiment Memorial and the African Meeting House.
The Boston African American Historic Site, a unit of the National
Park Service, located at 46 Joy Street, offers guided tours and
information for self-guided tours. Both services are free to the
public.
The Black
History Trail, Nantucket
Presented by the Museum of Afro-American History and the Friends of
the African Meeting House on Nantucket, the Black History Trail
features 10 sites that reveal the heritage of African Americans
living on Nantucket, especially in the nineteenth century.
The African
American Heritage Trail, Martha’s Vineyard
This physical entity comprised of 16 sites is dedicated to the
formerly unrecognized contributions made by people of African
descent to the history of the island. At each of these sites a
descriptive plaque has been placed.
The
Cambridge African American Heritage Trail
This self-guided walking tour through Cambridge was created to
highlight 20 historic sites throughout the city. These sites serve
as important reminders of the history that surrounds the social,
political and economic development of Cambridge.
The Upper
Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail, Great
Barrington
This trail presents a rich history of African Americans who played
pivotal roles in key national and international events and made
significant contributions to our culture. Blacks in the region
spent their lives defining the tenets of freedom and democracy,
hoping to claim the "unalienable rights" our founding fathers
deemed "self-evident." The trail celebrates the lives,
accomplishments and contributions of African Americans who made
their mark in Western Massachusetts and beyond.
The Parting
Ways Story in Plymouth
The Parting Ways story reopens the history books to tell a tale of
four former slaves who were the first African American veterans in
America. Parting Ways township in Plymouth, founded by these men,
was one of the very first African American settlements in North
America. Today this small acreage is in the process of being
redeveloped into a place of beauty and education. The gravesites of
these individuals await your visit. Your support will help bring
attention to this little-known but important story.
Black
Heritage Trail, New Bedford
The trail commemorates some of the significant landmarks of African
American history in New Bedford. This classic Massachusetts fishing
village is home to the Old Dartmouth Historical Society-New Bedford
Whaling Museum which has revolving historical exhibits.
CULINARY
Ahla Food Tour: Walking
Tour of Jewish Cuisine
What is Jewish cuisine? Find out under expert guidance while
tasting authentic Jewish food - matzo ball soup, latkes, falafel,
kosher wines, noodle kugel ice cream and more. Hear unique
anecdotes about the welcoming Brookline purveyors and savor the
rich history of Jewish Brookline.
Ahla Food Tour: From
Russia with Love
A Walking Tour of Russian Cuisine where you can find the best
Russian borsch, pirozhki, and caviar. What is the Russian way to
drink tea and vodka? Discover the answers at our culinary adventure
while tasting delicious Russian specialties.
NEIGHBORHOODS
The North End
Boston's Little Italy
Chinatown
Boston:
The first Chinese immigrants arrived to Boston in the 1880s. They
pitched tents in what is today known as “Ping on
Alley”. Today, Chinatown in Boston has grown to be the
central hub to Chinese families in Massachusetts and all of New
England. Located between Downtown Crossing and the South End,
Chinatown offers a variety of historical attractions, events, and
traditional Chinese cuisine.
EXPERIENCES
Boston Irish Tourism
Association
A unique community of cultural, social and genealogy groups, dance
studios, academic programs, and annual events that emphasize the
Irish-American community of Massachusetts and the state cultural
community at-large.
FILM
Boston Latino Film
Festival (BLIFF),
Our mission is to bring communities together through film by
increasing intercultural awareness thereby combating stereotypes.
Our goal is to help non-Latino Bostonians to better understand
their neighbors, colleagues and friends.
The Boston International
Film Festival
The Boston International Film Festival was created to celebrate the
art of filmmaking and to honor the filmmakers who make it all
possible. This is a festival dedicated to rewarding artists for
their individual talents and for their creative expression through
the medium of film. The festival strives to bring together in
Boston local, national and international filmmakers by promoting
the world’s most artistic and creative independent and
experimental films.
Roxbury International
Film Festival
The Roxbury International Film Festival takes place over 4 days,
with workshops and film screenings taking place at the Museum of
Fine Arts Boston, Massachusetts College of Art, Wentworth Institute
of Technology, Roxbury Center for the Arts at Hibernian Hall, and
other locations throughout Boston.
Boston Jewish Film Festival
New England’s largest Jewish cultural event. This critically
acclaimed festival features more than 50 independently produced
films, shown in 7 locations and reflects the work of film artists
from 16 countries in 18 languages.
Martha's Vineyard African American
Film Festival
Boston Irish Film
Festival
The Irish Film Festival Boston (IFFB) was founded in 1999. In 2003,
the festival inaugurated the annual IFFB Awards, offering
filmmakers awards in four categories: Best Film, Best Documentary,
Best Short Fiction/Animation, and Director's Choice. The IFFB
Awards also include the annual Excellence Award, which honors those
filmmakers whose work brings the very best of Ireland and the Irish
to audiences around the world.
Berkshire International Film
Festival
The Triplex Cinema
70 Railroad Street, Great Barrington, MA 01230
A world-class festival celebrating independent, feature,
documentary and short films
EVENTS
Irish & Celtic events in Massachusetts
Click Here to search for multicultural events.
Map of the Regions in Massachusetts
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Win a Prize Package |
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Mass Jazz |
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- Where to Go
- Things to Do
Getting to the shops is easy - you can take the MBTA, rent a Zipcar, or even take the bus from various Boston hotels to Wrentham Village Premium Outlets. Don't miss Boston's world famous Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Essex's charming antique stores, and Yankee Candle's flagship store in South Deerfield.
- Plan Your Trip
- 50 Under $50
- Getting Around
State and regional resources, including air, land, and water transportation; Boston public transit info; detailed info on travel to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Island
