Winter has arrived — turning North Central Massachusetts into a wonderland of outdoor activities for all ages! Sparkling snow on the slopes at Mt. Wachusett Ski Area; peaceful trails ideal for hiking, snow-shoeing and cross country skiing; and ice-covered ponds that are perfect for skating and ice-fishing all await visitors anxious to enjoy Nature’s playground. Enjoy a sleigh ride through frosty fields, or simply marvel at stunning vistas glistening in the sun. Want to get away from it all? Johnny Appleseed Country is home to dozens of state and local parks, providing both winter playgrounds and serene settings for a quiet retreat. When it’s time to warm up and relax, local restaurants and brew barns offer perfect settings to wrap up your day. Celebrate winter in Johnny Appleseed Country! 

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Photo credit: Peter Simon

Martha’s Vineyard needs no snow to dazzle in January! But what a fabulous time to be here — hundreds of hiking paths — yours alone. Easy dinner reservations; lodging at year’s lowest prices, yet cozier than ever. Bring your car inexpensively and see every nook and cranny. Go to a Film Center movie, dance at The Ritz, shop the island, stroll to Edgartown Light at night, hit every beach. In January, it’s easier to dream you live here!

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Shake off your winter blues and head to North Adams for the annual WinterFest celebration, taking place the weekend of February 19 and 20. Activities include ice carving along Main Street, sledding and playtime fun in the snow at Colegrove Park, the WinterFest Crafts and Farmers Market, horse-drawn wagon rides and, of course, the heated annual Chowder Cook-off competition! Visit explorenorthadams.com for an updated full schedule for WinterFest and event days, times, and locations.

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Jazz up your January in MetroWest! Sunday Jazz Jam at Hopkinton Center for the Arts on Sunday, January 9 at 11am is the perfect Sunday morning retreat. Bring a cup of coffee and enjoy a free 1-hour concert by the Metrowest Jazz Band, followed by a public jam session open to professionals and beginners. Then head to atac: downtown music + arts in Framingham on January 13 at 8pm for their Jazz Jam + Show!

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January’s Nantucket is peacefully beautiful. Wide-open fields, beckoning hiking-paths, the sea calls pilgrims to walk, and wait, for spring. It’s not hard — there is much to enjoy. Imagine bracing, beautiful trail walks. Coskata-Coatue’s 1,117-acres are yours—seals and all. See a Dreamland movie, shop mid-winter sales, walk the gorgeous 28-block Cultural District, take a class, star-gaze at Maria Mitchell observatories, cycle to ‘Sconset or Madaket. Take a flight or ferry to the Faraway Land, book your room, bring a Nantucket-worthy book along.

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The Joshua Tree, the nation’s premiere tribute to U2, performs January 8 at 8 pm at the Larcom Theatre in Beverly. Lift your spirits and laugh the cold away at Salem’s Comedy and Spirits Festival January 13–15, featuring top local and national performing comedians locally crafted spirits, beers, and cider at a variety of renowned venues. Start the new year off right with MarketStreet Sweat, powered by PNC Bank, every Sunday in January at MarketStreet Lynnfield. For more information and events visit northofboston.org.

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Heat things up in Plymouth County this month! Rescheduled to May 22, 2022: The Plymouth PHIL presents BETTE, BABS & BEYOND – A Tribute to Bette Midler, Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Cher & more (originally set for January 8 and 9). Escape the winter blues with Lifesaving Sangha and Hull Lifesaving Museum’s Mindfulness Meditation Group, Wednesdays through mid-January. There’s so many reasons to stay and play in Plymouth—visit SeePlymouth.com or download the #SeePlymouth app for a full calendar!

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When the desire to ESCAPE hits, we have just the place for you. Scenic views and space to breathe are here for you. You can have dinner by the ocean, with the freshest seafood and veggies possible. Memories for a family getaway, or a romantic outing. It’s all right here waiting for you. Take a lot of photos to remember your Great Escape. “All Here, and All Near” means more than ever. Escape is here waiting for you in Southeastern Massachusetts.

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The Berkshires is made for winter! Get outside with us at one of our many ski areas and find a fun way to embrace the cold this season. Visit Jiminy Peak, the largest ski area in MA, or check out all the upgrades at Berkshire East, Catamount and Bousquet. If you are new to skiing, Ski Butternut has just added a new lift to make the learning process even easier. Come ski with us #intheberkshires.

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First Winter Walk Of The New Year at deCordova will be held January 1 at 1 pm at deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum. The Harlem Globetrotters come to the Tsongas Center in Lowell January 2 at 2 pm. And Frozen Over: Boston’s Nineteenth Century Ice Age will be held at Concord Museum January 25 at 7 pm. The Boston area, and Concord in particular, became a key center of ice production and trade in the nineteenth century. As ice became a pervasive commodity, it remade everyday life in important ways. Andrew Robichaud, (Assistant Professor of History, Boston University) explores those transformations in and around Boston in what was Boston’s economic and cultural “ice age,” and considers its lasting implications.

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Join us in celebrating the Worcester Tercentennial, a 300th year commemoration of the city's history, innovations and culture! In January, have fun with The Railers on Marvel Super Hero Night and Star Wars Night at the DCU Center. The newly-engaged must visit the Worcester Wedding and Bridal Expo downtown on Jan. 22-23. If you’re seeking more entertainment, book tickets to STOMP at The Hanover Theatre or The Knights, a Brooklyn-based orchestral collective, at Mechanics Hall.

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Enjoy winter at Berkshire East Mountain Resort! Spend less time driving and more time skiing! Berkshire East in Charlemont is one of the largest ski resorts in southern New England, and boasts the steepest expert terrain and the longest beginner trails south of Vermont. Discover New England’s outdoor adventure center, featuring skiing and snow tubing on 45 trails with 100% snow making. This full service mountain offers equipment rental and lessons as well as indoor/outdoor dining. An easy drive - why go further than you have to?

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Winter Wonder in Boston is here! From cozy firesides to fun ice skating and sledding on the Common, diverse performing arts, and amazing concerts and sporting events at the Garden, Boston is the place to be this winter season. Whether you prefer Van Gogh or Banksy, or perhaps a food and wine festival, find a full lineup of seasonal acts and festive fun at bostonusa.com/winter.

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The arts are alive this January on Cape Cod! Opening January 22 and running through March 5, the Cotuit Center for the Arts will host the winter art exhibit "In a Mood". The interactive exhibit will feature artists' interpretation of this theme - literally and figuratively, and is accompanied by an interactive activity for children! Then don your green as the Cape Symphony Orchestra presents "Passport to Ireland" January 29-30 at the Barnstable Performing Arts Center in Hyannis. Grammy-winning Eileen Ivers is the world’s pre-eminent Irish fiddler today and will join the orchestra for this special performance.

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The newly renovated Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Western Mass is a must-see for hoop fans but it’s also a ‘wow’ for visitors who’ve never even seen a game! The shrine is completely interactive - learn how to shoot the perfect 3 pointer, broadcast a game alongside some of the greatest play callers in the field and take a deep-dive into the amazing life of Kobe Bryant. Open Wednesdays through Sundays in January. 

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It’s a new year in Hampshire County! Kick off 2022 with Ranky Tanky’s infectiously upbeat, jazz-inflected Gullah music. Travel to a magical world in Alice in Wonderland: An Original Ballet, on the historic Academy of Music stage in Northampton. Or if a winter wonderland is more your speed, try snowshoeing or cross-county skiing at Cherry Hill Golf Course. Need a laugh? Check out Tig Notaro’s one-person show Hello Again in Amherst. If you’ve got the kids in tow (or not!) celebrate the life and work of artist Eric Carle at an exhibition featuring dozens of never-before-seen works.

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