Exploring Massachusetts Music Festivals

From well known festivals like Tanglewood (June 28) and the Lowell Folk Festival (July 23), to newer options like Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival (September 24), the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) has compiled a list of popular and unique music events that are taking place throughout 2011.

The Berklee Beantown Jazz Festival has become a leading celebration of jazz, Latin, blues, and groove acts. More than 80,000 visitors enjoy exceptional jazz and cultural food in Boston's historic and hip South End. Over 100 vendors will take part in 2011, securing Boston as a prominent influence on the jazz scene.

Low-key events include the Blues �n� Brews festival in Westford that pairs regional craft breweries with top blues bands. Great eats like Oktoberfest food and a homebrew competition make this a quality day for locals and out-of-towners. Raffles and games take place throughout day while craft and vendor booths are also stationed at the festival selling local creations.

Leading the band is the Salem Jazz and Soul Festival on April 9 at the Peabody Essex Museum, East India Square, Salem. The Salem Jazz and Soul Festival is growing into a premier music festival on the North Shore, adding to the region�s creative economy through tourism, music and education. Last years family-friendly event featured two days of live music, music education classes, an arts and crafts fair, and a children�s play tent. 

For more information about top events in Massachusetts take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Massachusetts. 

If you're looking for more musical festivals taking place in Massachusetts, go to massjazz.com to check out events, festivals and nightclubs, as well as hotel packages, jazz brunches, classes and other resources.

Your Favorite Childhood Stories in Massachusetts

Experience Christmas from the pages of your favorite, classic children�s storybooks! From Dr. Seuss books recreated in dazzling lights to reliving Louisa May Alcott�s �LItle Women� in her childhood home, Massachusetts offers a wealth of holiday delights to tempt families during the Christmas season.  Here are just a few highlights and possible itinerary stops in Massachusetts.


Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas, Stockbridge: Nestled in the beautiful Berkshires, the town made famous by Norman Rockwell becomes an enchanting New England storybook setting decorated with holiday wreaths and festive lights. Experience Christmas of long-ago as the town recreates Rockwell�s evocative Stockbridge at Christmas painting, complete with vintage automobiles and stunning holiday decorations. Fun-filled family activities include holiday house tours, horse drawn carriage rides, caroling, concerts and visits with Santa.

Bright Nights at Forest Park, Springfield: One of New England's most popular holiday destinations and largest holiday lighting display, historic Forest Park is illuminated with hundreds of spectacular Christmas lights. The park pays tribute to hometown children�s author Theodore Seuss Geisel with Seuss Land, a glittering panoramic light display featuring Cat in the Hat, Horton and other beloved characters. 

Higgins Armory Museum, Worcester: Celebrate the season with the revelry of the Middle Ages and recreate the fantasy world of Chronicles of Narnia! Featuring arms and armor ranging from ancient Greek Corinthian helmets to suits of armor crafted during the Renaissance, this one-of-a-kind museum displays artifacts and more than 35 suits of armor amidst tapestries, stained glass and soaring ceilings. 

Orchard House, Concord:  This authentically-preserved historic house was home to Louisa May Alcott and her family. See Louisa�s bedroom where she wrote Little Women and other stories that would captivate children. The Orchard House features a Christmas shop brimming with terrific gift ideas.
 
For more information about top events in Massachusetts take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Massachusetts.

For more information visit: www.massvacation.com.

Freedom Trail Foundation Brings British Back to Boston

The Freedom Trail Foundation will host the Second British Encampment where more than 20 companies of 18th century British army re-enactors will create an exact replica of the original camp on Boston Common�s Trayning Ground during the Siege of Boston in 1776.

The Foundation expects more than 80 tents to be pitched, housing re-enactors who will sleep overnight during the weekend of August 13, 14 and 15. While these encampments took place in various Massachusetts towns, the largest contingent of Red Coats were stationed in Boston.

The campsite will become a living history site where children and families can participate in the daily life of an 18th-century British soldier. There will be activities and demonstrations scheduled throughout the weekend which will include: drills, cooking, clothes-making, shoes and equipment, surgeon�s tent, musket firings, suttler tents (tradespeople who traveled with the army), skirmish with Colonists, music, dancing, and a chance to meet and greet re-enactor soldiers.

This is a unique opportunity for interpretive educational activities for children and families, exactly at the spot where the British held Bostonians in a vice-like blockade from 1775 through 1776.

The Freedom Trail is a 2.5-mile path that leads to 16 of the country�s most significant historical landmarks. Each played a pivotal role in America�s rebellious beginning � familiar events such as the Boston Tea Party, the Boston Massacre, Paul Revere�s role in the first battle, the Battle of Bunker Hill. The Trail weaves its way through Boston marked by a red brick path or a painted red line.

For more information about top events in Massachusetts take a look at the Top Events USA selection of the annual main festivals and events in Massachusetts

For more information on the Freedom Trail Foundation visit http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/