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March 2017
Massachusetts is rich in arts & culture, so it's no surprise that exciting events, exhibits and festivals are held in the state's 16 regions all year long. Find out more!
Farewell Winter, Hello Spring!
After every winter, Massachusetts trades its white and salty streets for flower-filled parks and fresh starts. The spring story in Massachusetts is all about regeneration, from nature's warming welcome to the re-opening of the Bay State's most beloved attractions. Try blossom-peeping on for size with a garden show, peruse the works of Mary Cassatt, and celebrate 200 years of Thoreau. We find our groove with a boost of daylight and a burst of exciting experiences waiting to be had. Put a little spring in your step at massvacation.com/spring.
 
Plan your next getaway to Massachusetts.  
Featured region: Southeastern Mass

Once again, the New Bedford Art Museum is partnering with local crotcheters and knitters for Fiber Month, held throughout March! The annual community celebration of fiber artists and their work draws together a month-long mix of exhibits, events and public art, all focused on art made in the many diverse mediums of fiber. The community is invited to be part of a public art project; come and weave on hula hoops all month long in front of the Museum to create colorful weavings to brighten downtown New Bedford!  Head to visitsemass.com/events to plan your trip. Find more information on Southeastern Massachusetts
The Berkshires

Check out all the great workshops that are happening at the Berkshire Botanical Garden this March! Come and learn about organic veggie gardens, beekeeping, wild perennials and so much more.  You can also enroll the kids (ages 5-14) in the summer Farm in the Garden Camp. Public display gardens are open May to mid-October and their collections emphasize plants that are indigenous to or thrive in the Berkshires. F
ind more information on The Berkshires
Greater Merrimack Valley

 
Join us as we begin our second century & find your story at Lowell National Historical Park during National Park Week, April 15 & 16 and April 22 & 23. Celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Tsongas Industrial History Center. Connect. Create. Discover. #FindYourPark. For a schedule of events, visit nps.gov/lowe or call 978-970-5000. For more things to see & do in the Greater Merrimack Valley, visit merrimackvalley.org. Find more information on  Greater Merrimack Valley. 
Central Massachusetts

Discover fun in Central Massachusetts this March! Kick-off the month by joining the Salisbury Signers with a cabaret-style concert featuring Irish folk tunes with A Celtic Celebration on March 4. Celebrate Massachusetts' maple season by digging into delicious pancakes and local maple syrup and exploring the Global Village, to learn about other cultures, at Heifer Farm during their Annual Breakfast at the Farm on March 4, 5, 11 & 12. If you want to rock n roll then make your way to Mechanics Hall on March 12 to rock out with Burton Cummings and his band during a Classic Rock Concert. End the month with a wonderful performance of Beethoven & Mozart by the Worcester Chorus at Mechanics Hall on March 24. Find more information on Central Massachusetts.
Franklin County
Piti Theatre's SYRUP: One Sweet Performing Arts Festival celebrates spring, sap and the arts at Memorial Hall in Shelburne Falls on Saturday, March 18. Two-time Grammy winner Bill Harley headlines the Festival at 4 pm, performing his own set and narrating stories performed by Piti's Youth Troupe. "Sammy and the Grand Buffet" - a solo physical comedy performance by Jonathan Mirin - kicks off at 2 pm. Also enjoy syrup tasting, free pickles, workshops and more! Find more information on Franklin County.
Greater Boston
How about a Super Bowl for Foodies? Make plans for DINE OUT BOSTON, March 5-10 and 12-17, when area chefs stir things up with specially prepared prix fixe meals. Choose from the latest culinary hot spots, nationally known chain restaurants or local chef-owned bistros. Over 150 exceptional restaurants in the Greater Boston area are ready to serve you delicious meals at equally delicious prices. Check dineoutboston.com for participating restaurants, menus and reservations. Add to your experience by taking in a play, a concert, an exhibition o a game at the Garden before or after dining. Find more information on Greater Boston
Cape Cod
Hailed by The Boston Globe as "beautifully finished, but richly emotional," Gloriae Dei Cantores presents a weekend of Lenten Concerts March 10-11 at The Church of the Transfiguration at Rock Harbor in Orleans. And Yarmouth embraces the spirit of the Irish during its annual Cape Cod St. Patrick's Parade, kicking off at 11 am on Saturday, March 4 with New England Patriots safety Brandon King as the grand marshal. Come witness Cape's largest celebration of the green, drawing upwards of 45,000 spectators! Find more information on Cape Cod.
Greater Springfield
Holyoke St. Patrick's Parade: Mark your calendar for Sunday March 19 at 11:30 am. This spectacular parade (one of the largest St. Patrick's parades in the nation!) showcases scores of prize-winning floats, marching units, championship bands, celebrities and much Celtic cheer each year. Musical units include the famed and elaborately costumed Philadelphia Mummers string band - an annual favorite since 1967. For best parking and viewing, arrive plenty early, as the parade route requires some road closures and detours. Find more information on Greater Springfield.
Hampshire County
The Spring Bulb Show at the Smith College Botanic Garden is an annual tradition that's lasted more than a century! Over 5,000 bulbs, which ordinarily bloom at different times, are coaxed into a simultaneous blooming for this spectacular burst of spring featuring crocuses, hyacinths, narcissi, irises, lilies and tulips. The Bulb Show is open to the public daily March 4-19, 10 am to 4 pm, with extended hours until 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Find more information on Hampshire County.
Johnny Appleseed Country
Everyone's Irish on St. Patrick's Day in Johnny Appleseed Country. Clinton's Leprechaun Convention and Parade will bring throngs of the "wee ones" to town on March 11. On March 15, the Lunenburg Library hosts a Celtic concert with the Gloucester Hornpipe and Clog Society, and the Bull Run Restaurant in Shirley presents the Kelley Girls on March 17. Another great event is the Great Wolf Lodge's St Patrick's Day Beer Dinner . And for a full day of St. Paddy's fun, head to Wachusett Mountain Ski Area - wearing green, of course! Find more information on Johnny Appleseed Country.
Martha's Vineyard 
The 17th Annual Martha's Vineyard Film Festival will be March 16-19! Join us in a collective vision to connect a community through discussion and debate, through education more than movies, with delicious local food, music, films that will touch your heart and feed your soul.  For more information, including schedule and tickets, visit http://tmvff.org/festival/; for information to plan your trip to the Vineyard, please visit www.mvy.com. Find more information on Martha's Vineyard  .
Mohawk Trail Region
Travel back in time and rediscover the history behind the Patriot's Day holiday! Historic Deerfield will hold the 2017 Patriot's Day Revolutionary Muster on Saturday, April 22 from 10 am to 4 pm. Revolutionary times will come to life through demonstrations of period crafts and activities, fife and drum music, and a muster. Historic Deerfield guides and cooks will interpret open hearth cooking, chocolate's role in the military, and powder horn carving in the 1786 Hall Tavern. Horse-drawn wagon rides will transport visitors through the village, and all historic houses will be available for touring. Find more information on The Mohawk Trail Region
MetroWest

There's only one way to get a full "taste" of the region, and that's at the 7th Annual Taste of MetroWest on March 21 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel, 5 to 8 pm. More than 70 exhibitors offer free, unlimited tastes at this culinary extravaganza. Local restaurants, caterers, markets, wineries, brew houses and purveyors include Springdale by Jack's Abby, Skybokx 109 GastroSports, and Coach Grill.  A program of the MetroWest Chamber of Commerce, Taste of MetroWest info and tickets can be found here! Find more information on MetroWest.
Nantucket Island

Our 43rd annual Daffodil Festival promises to banish your winter "doldrums." From early April to mid-May, daffodils burst forth across the island, adorning roadsides, gardens, and window boxes.  This beloved event is a jubilant tribute to the advent of spring, and features an Antique Car Parade, Tailgate Picnic, and more.  Humans and hounds "strut their stuff" for coveted awards at the whimsical Daffy Hat and Daffy Dog Parade, while little tykes star in their own procession, decorating bikes and hats Daffy-style. Find more information on Nantucket Island.
North of Boston
Salem Film Fest, happening March 2-9, is one of New England's largest documentary film festivals and presents a rich and diverse collection of the year's best work from all over the world. And be sure to check out Charles Movalli: Cape Ann & Beyond at the Cape Ann Museum from March 4-May 21. Charles Movalli (1945-2016) was a distinguished landscape and marine painter and a prolific writer.  Find more information on North of Boston.
Plymouth County

"31 Women Reception" is on view March 3-31 at James Library & Center for the Arts  in Norwell. In January of 1943, Peggy Guggenheim shocked the art world by devoting an entire exhibition at her Art of This Century Gallery to women artists only. "31 Women" was the first of its kind, devoting the gallery space exclusively to modern women artists, most of whom were operating in New York. The James Library & Center for the Arts is reinterpreting this revolutionary exhibition as a fundraiser for 2017. Tickets are $25. Find more information on Plymouth County.
Regional Tourism Councils  
   
Funded by the Massachusetts Office of Travel & Tourism