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Interpreters in period costume go about their daily lives in a typical 1830s New England village. This large living history museum has more than 40 buildings on 200 acres (83 ha). Get a sense of the era by visiting the village, common, mill district, and the traditional family farm.

George Parkman – once a prominent physician at Harvard Medical School – lived in this house during the mid-19th-century. In 1849, in one of the most sensationalized murder cases in US history, Parkman was killed by a faculty member over a financial dispute. Both the crime and its aftermath were grisly – in the ensuing trial dental records were entered as evidence for the first time.

Best known for his “midnight ride” to forewarn the rebels of the British march on Concord, Revere served the American Revolution as organizer, messenger, and propagandist. A gifted silversmith with many pieces in the Museum of Fine Arts (see Museum of Fine Arts), he founded the metalworking firm that gilded the State House dome and sheathed the hull of the USS Constitution.

The recreated historic village of Plimoth Plantation (137 Warren Ave) gives a full immersion in to the lives of the first English settlers in Massachusetts. At the harbor, tour the Mayflower II (State Pier) and imagine the perilous crossing of the pilgrims in 1620. On Thanksgiving, the town celebrates its pilgrim heritage with a parade in period dress and also opens many historic buildings.

Founded in 1623 as Strawbery Banke, the historic houses on Marcy Street document three centuries of city life from early settlement through 20th century immigration. Picturesque shops, pubs, and restaurants surround Market Square and line the waterfront, and the surrounding leafy streets boast fine examples of Federal architecture.

A Harvard team built the first programmable digital computer, Mark 1, in 1946. Its 750,000 components weighed about 10,000 lb (454 kg).

Providence is a great walking city: stroll Benefit Street’s “mile of history” to see an impressive group of Colonial and Federal houses; or visit Waterplace Park with its pretty walkways along the Providence River. Atwells Avenue on Federal Hill is Providence’s Little Italy, bustling with restaurants and cafés.

Poet and philosopher, Emerson (1803–82) espoused transcendentalism and pioneered American literary independence.

Lowell’s (1917–77) “confessional poetry” influenced a generation of writers.

Scholar of mystery literature, Parker (b.1932) is best known for his signature detective Spenser.