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Packed to its dusty rafters with oil paintings, tarnished silverware, and mismatched china – nothing quite beats that thrill of discovery you’ll find here.

Recent renovations brought this hotel right up-to-date. The waterfront location means most of the bright, spacious rooms have superb harbor or city skyline views.

Ferries to the 100 sq mile- (160 sq km-) island stop at Vineyard Haven. From here it’s a short drive to old-fashioned Oak Bluffs with its gingerbread cottages and historic carousel. Venture south to Edgartown and the magnificent 19th-century homes of the rich whaling captains. The nearby 3-mile (4.8-km) Katama Beach is also a magnet for sun worshipers. On the southwest of the island, Menemsha remains a picturesque fishing village and Gay Head’s cliffs offer dramatic hiking.

One of the city’s most comprehensive wine and liquor stores, Martignetti imports wines from many small producers in Italy, Spain, and Portugal. The store is particularly known for its broad selection of Nebbiolo-based wines of the Piemonte.

After recovering from a major accident, Eddy wrote Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures , the basis of Christian Science. She founded a church in Boston in 1879, and in 1892 reorganized it as the First Church of Christ, Scientist (see Christian Science Center). Eddy also established the Pulitzer prize-winning Christian Science Monitor newspaper in 1908.

This fine Greek Revival house between Harvard and Porter squares has just 20 guest rooms, all delightfully decorated in traditional “historic B&B” style. Some rooms have wood-burning fireplaces and whirlpool tubs and there’s a beautiful outdoor terrace.

Refined New American dishes with southwestern accents are complemented by killer margaritas, colorful decor, and good wines.

The Huntington and Bakalar galleries in the South Building of the Massachusetts College of Art mount some of Boston’s most dynamic exhibitions of contemporary visual art. It is the only independent state-supported art college in the US and exhibitions tend to emphasize avant-garde experimentation as well as social commentary and documentary.

A 200-year-old codfish, a statue memorializing a licentious Civil War General, and a 23-carat gold dome crowned with a pine cone – such are the curious eccentricities that distinguish Beacon Hill’s most prestigious address (see Massachusetts State House).