12 Picture-Perfect Towns in Massachusetts
Massachusetts has a quiet superpower: it changes its face every few miles. The light that bounces off Nantucket’s weathered shingles isn’t the same light that slides through Shelburne Falls’ glacial potholes, and it’s definitely not the glow that turns Newburyport’s brick into warm copper at dusk.
These twelve picture-perfect towns are photogenic for reasons you can actually point to: coastlines that sharpen horizons, rivers that carve drama into stone, streets laid out when walking was the only commute, and architecture that seems designed to flirt with your lens. Consider this your invitation to travel like a collector of angles, textures, and the kind of small surprises that make you look up from the viewfinder and laugh a little before you click!
Nantucket
The name Nantucket refers to Nantucket the town, Nantucket the county, and Nantucket the island. This southernmost Massachusetts town has between eight and ten thousand permanent, year-round residents. Yet, this number climbs to around seventy thousand people each summer due to the island’s premier location on Nantucket Sound, on the edge of the vast Atlantic Ocean. Along with several pristine beaches, like Siasconset Beach, Madaket Beach, and Surfside Beach, which are all situated on the southside of the island, Nantucket is known for several famous lighthouses, including Brant Point, Great Point, and Sankaty. Both Great Point and Sankaty reach an approximate height of seventy feet, while Brant Point is just under fifty feet in height. All three lighthouses are well-known for obtaining that perfect picture to take back home.
Sturbridge
Situated between Springfield and Worcester, less than ten miles from the Connecticut border, the town of Sturbridge is a novice photographer’s dream. Old Sturbridge Village, showcasing a rural New Englander’s life from the early eighteen hundreds, Wells State Park, with a variety of natural animal habitats along Walker Pond, and the Quinebaug River Water Trail, five miles of river paddling fun for the whole family, all offer a plethora of great photographic opportunities. Plus, south of Sturbridge and west of Southbridge, summer visitors can experience kayaking, canoeing, fishing, hiking, and picnicking at the Westville Lake Recreation Area. Plus, if history is more to your liking, the Sturbridge Historic District and the Salem Towne House are great for that hard-to-obtain, historical photo.
Shelburne Falls
Situated in Franklin County, far to the northwest of Sturbridge, the town of Shelburne Falls has a plethora of historical and natural attractions that are perfect for the professional and the novice photographer. While the Bridge of Flowers, currently closed for repairs, is perhaps the best known attraction in town, Shelburne Falls is also well known for the Salmon Falls and Glacial Potholes area and for the High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary. Salmon Falls dates back to the early eighteenth century and contains approximately fifty glacial potholes ranging from six inches to almost forty feet in diameter. The High Ledges Wildlife Sanctuary is also a great choice for many different nature experiences and is popular to visitors for its breath-taking, picturesque vistas of the Deerfield River Valley.
Newburyport
The town of Newburyport, located far to the east of Shelburne Falls, is about ten miles south of the New Hampshire border. Situated in Essex County, Newburyport has a variety of photographic opportunities available to visitors and residents alike. Along with a multitude of brick mansions from the early nineteenth century, there are several parks in the area, including Maudslay State Park, Waterfront Park, and Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on nearby Plum Island. There are also several other picturesque attractions in town, like the Newburyport Powder House, which was constructed after the War of 1812, utilized continually during the American Civil War, and is now a standing remembrance to the eastern U.S. by showcasing Civil War reenactments every summer.
Oak Bluffs
Located on the edge of Dukes County, on the northeastern side of Martha’s Vineyard Island, the town of Oak Bluffs presents exhilarating views of South Cape Beach State Park and Nantucket Sound. Yet, this is not the only thing this quaint town of around five thousand people has going for it. Along with awe-inspiring vistas of the ocean and panoramic sun-soaked spots, like Joseph Sylvia State Beach and Inkwell Beach, Oak Bluffs lays claim to the oldest platform carousel in the United States, which was built in 1876 and acquired by Oak Bluffs in 1986. Plus, uncommon anywhere else in America, this quaint town is home to over three hundred gingerbread cottages. These houses, painted pastel colors, were first constructed for a Methodist retreat and are now heralded as one of the best attractions in town.
Provincetown
Provincetown, located on the tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, is a great place for experiencing the raging power of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as an excellent spot for utilizing a camera. Along with Race Point Beach, Herring Cove Beach, and Long Point Light, a lighthouse that was first constructed in 1827, Provincetown also offers MacMillan Wharf, the Cape Cod Provincelands Trail, the Provincetown Causeway, and Beech Forest. Beech Forest is a part of the Cape Cod National Seashore and offers a one-mile trail that is welcoming any time of the year, even in the winter. Plus, being situated right on the Atlantic Ocean, the dining choices of Provincetown, like the Lobster Pot and Pepe’s Wharf Restaurant, both located on Commercial Street, offer up some of the freshest seafood possible.
Lenox
Far to the east of Martha’s Vineyard and Provincetown, almost to the New York border, the town of Lenox is perhaps best known for The Mount, Frelinghuysen House, and the Ventfort Hall Mansion. Yet, this quaint town of around five thousand residents is also home to Shakespeare & Company, one of the largest Shakespeare Festivals in America, and Tanglewood, the summer home to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. On the natural side of things, the Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, which features eleven hundred acres of wilderness, Lenox Mountain, and Kennedy Park keep visitors coming back every year. Plus, downtown, visitors and residents alike can enjoy taking a stroll through the Lenox Village Historic District, which was first established in the seventeen hundreds.
Stockbridge
Stockbridge, south of Lenox and just north of Beartown State Forest, close to a portion of the Appalachian Trail, is home to approximately two thousand people. It is also home to several natural and historic locales, including the Norman Rockwell Museum, Chesterwood, and the Gardens of Naumkeag. The Norman Rockwell Museum has been in existence since 1969 and displays the largest collection of Norman Rockwell prints known. Chesterwood was constructed in 1896 for Daniel Chester French, the sculptor perhaps best known for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. The Gardens of Naumkeag began as the home of Joseph Choate, a prominent New York lawyer. This forty-four room home was constructed in the 1880s, while the gardens, which were started by Choate, were made even more magnificent by Mabel, his fourth daughter, almost fifty years later.
Concord
The town of Concord, to the northeast of Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge and north of Pantry Brook Wildlife Management Area, is stocked full of natural amenities that provide some great photographic opportunities. This town of barely eighteen thousand residents is a haven for historic attributes as well. First settled in 1635, Concord holds the site of the first battle of the American Revolutionary War, and is now home to a variety of historical sites like Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, Old North Bridge, and The Old Manse, which was home to writers like Hawthorne and Emerson. Old North Bridge, the bridge spanning the Concord River, was where the minutemen from the area fired back at the British troops and caused them to retreat.
Williamsburg
Located in Hampshire County, on the western side of Massachusetts, the town of Williamsburg is a haven for natural and historic attractions, making it a great place to explore, with or without a camera. On the natural side, there are three hills that rise approximately a thousand feet above this quaint town of just under three thousand residents. These three hills, Scott Hill, Unquomonk Hill, and Petticoat Hill, make up a sixty-acre nature reserve. Petticoat Hill, the best known of the three, first received its name due to seven daughters who used to wind-dry their petticoats atop the hill every Monday. On the historic side, Williamsburg faced its own version of horror when, in 1874, a reservoir burst and destroyed much of the town.
Wellfleet
Located about fifteen miles south of Provincetown, between Cape Cod Bay and the Gulf of Maine, Wellfleet combines cultural, natural, and historical elements. Notable for Marconi Beach, Wellfleet Harbor, and the Wellfleet Audubon Wildlife Sanctuary, it also offers a taste of the Atlantic through various restaurants like Pearl Restaurant, Moby’s Fish & Chicken, and Wicked Oyster. Historically, Wellfleet, in Barnstable County, was first incorporated in 1763. Several historic buildings, including the Atwood-Higgins House on nearby Bound Brook Island, are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Rockport
Rockport, a scenic coastal port in Massachusetts, is best known for Cape Ann, Halibut Point State Park, and the historic Halibut Point Tower— a sixty-foot WWII structure once used for fire protection and as a lookout for Germans. Located in Essex County, Rockport also features Front Beach, the Twin Lights on Thatcher Island, and the Paper House, built from newspaper in 1922 by Ellis Stenman. Additionally, Bearskin Neck, a charming area extending into Rockport Harbor, hosts boutique shops, art studios, galleries, and local restaurants such as My Place By The Sea and 7th Wave Restaurant.
Parting Notes
From Brant Point Lighthouse in Nantucket Harbor to Halibut Point Tower in Rockport, Massachusetts has some of America's most stunning locations. Although this article features only a dozen picturesque towns, there are many more across the Bay State that inspire photography. Whether exploring historic sites in Concord or experiencing the artistic culture in Lenox, Massachusetts offers countless opportunities for captivating photographs.
