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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.

Home to Paul Revere for 30 years, this 17th-century clapboard house is the only surviving home of any of Boston’s revolutionary heroes. A place of pilgrimage for history buffs, it provides an intriguing glimpse into the domestic life of Revere’s family with displays of their furniture and possessions including silverwork made by Revere, who was highly regarded as a metalsmith. Well-trained staff perpetuate the tale of Revere’s legendary midnight ride (see Paul Revere’s Ride (1775))

The North End’s history as both revolutionary stronghold and Italian immigrant neighborhood comes together along this tree-lined mall, which old-timers persist in calling the Prado. Created in 1933, the pedestrian mall connects Hanover Street to the rear of Old North Church. Bronze plaques lining the walls capture snippets from the lives of former Bostonians, while an equestrian statue of Paul Revere surveys it all. Today, the mall is a social center, where mothers convene with baby carriages, kids play frisbee, and old men hunker over checkerboards.

Its ongoing commitment to research aside, the Peabody excels at illustrating how interactions between distinct cultures have in turn affected peoples’ lives and livelihoods. Its North American Indian exhibit displays artifacts that reflect the aftermath of encounters between white Europeans and Native Americans. Meanwhile, the university’s Natural History museum delves even deeper in time, exhibiting eons-old natural wonders (see Harvard University).

In the late 19th century, the HQs of leading piano makers Steinert, Vose, Starck, Mason and Hamlin, and Wurlitzer were located on the section of Boylston Street facing Boston Common, giving the block (now a historic district) its nickname as Piano Row. Nearly a century later, those Beaux Arts buildings still echo with music. The Colonial Theatre, its ornate interior fully restored to the sumptuous 1900 original, is an active venue for drama and musicals, while Boylston Place is a small-scale club and nightlife center.

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.