10 Places to Travel on a Budget: Massachusetts

Save some money and visit the 10 places to travel on a budget in Massachusetts. The key to traveling on a budget in Massachusetts is to visit popular destinations off season. In addition to getting better deals on lodging, you'll have the added benefits of avoiding traffic and teeming masses of tourists.  

1. Cape Cod is a popular destination in the summer, but for travel on a budget experience it before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. Enjoy off season hotel rates and nearly empty beaches. Explore the cranberry bogs and salt marshes. In Spring take advantage of low prices on prix fixe meals during Restaurant Week and embrace yourself in the rich sailing history of the Cape with Maritime Days.
2. The Berkshires, a beautiful mountain range in Western Massachusetts offers a variety of activities. Explore the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge or just wander through the many towns that gave him inspiration. Visit Edith Wharton's home in Lenox. View contemporary art at MASS MoCA in North Adams. On summer evenings pack a picnic dinner and grab a seat in the grass at Tanglewood Music Festival.
3. The Pioneer Valley is home to the Five Colleges: Amherst, Hampshire, Mount Holyoke, Smith, and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Because of the college presence there are a plethora of restaurants and activities. Sports enthusiasts may want to check out the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield. Outdoorsmen can go hiking at the Quabbin Reservoir, which is one of the largest man-made sources of water in the United States.
4. The Johnny Appleseed Trail runs across North Central Massachusetts and is a hidden gem for Fall. Enjoy leaf peeping or pick your own apples at one of the many orchards. Skiing is available in winter.
5. Boston is known for good food but you don't have to dine at pricey restaurants to experience it. There are hidden local eateries in every corner. Lodging can be expensive, but there are many quaint guest houses as well as bare bones Inns that offer affordable accommodations. The city also offers many free activities, from window shopping on Newbury Street, to wandering the Freedom Trail, to exhibits at the Boston Public Library. Or spend a few dollars on a ferry ride and take a day to explore the trails and beaches of the Boston Harbor Islands.
6. Sturbridge is home to Old Sturbridge Village, a living history museum where you can experience hands on experience early New England life from 1790-1840. Enjoy a variety of outdoor activities like hiking, biking, and cross-country skiing at the Tantiusques Reservation. Skip the hotel and camp at Wells State Park.
7. Cohasset is a small coastal town south of Boston and the filming location for the movie "Witches of Eastwick." Watch the waves crash on the rocky shore, relax at the beach, and hike and camp at Wompatuck State Park, formerly the Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot Annex.
8. Hull, Cohasset's neighbor, is a series of islands connected by sand bars. The main attraction is the soft sand and retro boardwalk of Nantasket Beach. For those with a passing interest in marine biology it's worth noting that at low tide acres of tide pools emerge. It's easily accessible by ferry from Boston.
9. Plymouth is home to the famed landing spot of the Pilgrims, Plymouth Rock, but it also offers a quaint downtown with shops and cafes, as well as an array of historical sites. You can spend the day at the beach or actually on the water with whale watching and fishing tours. Or go back to the 17th century at Plimoth Plantation.
10. Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket may be known as Presidential vacation destinations and summer retreats for politicos and Hollywood A-listers but that doesn't mean they are completely out of reach for travel on a budget. Travel in the off-season for lower rates on lodging. Skip the fancy restaurants in lieu of grabbing a sandwich or grocery store provisions and heading to the beach. Martha's Vineyard offers a much larger range of prices for accommodations but Nantucket is home to a hostel. Leave your car on the mainland and bring your bike.