I'm originally from Massachusetts, so I thought I'd share my favorite place there as well as where I live now.
In Lowell you can visit the National Park
https://www.nps.gov/lowe/index.htm I spent my live looking at these old mills that at the time were run down. I am so happy they have created the National Park and preserved the history of the "mill girls". Oh, there are quilts there
I also love Rockport, MA which is a beautiful, small town in Cape Ann - the other cape. It is above Boston. There you can walk through town and visit all the little shops, ice cream shops, Top Dog for a hotdog or Roy Moore's for a lobsta or some chowda, smoked salmon, clams. You can sit out back on the fish crates to eat the goodies while the seagulls hope you will drop something. Stop in all the artists shops to see some beautiful paintings or photos and of course you can't miss the most often photographed spot - Motif One.
http://www.rockportusa.com/arts/motif-no-1/
Now you will certainly need something sweet, so head off to Tucks and check out the chocolates, taffy and fudge - MMMM Good! There is also a cupcake café where the treats are incredible!
Next door is Gloucester MA where you can walk along the waterway and see famous statues
https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/glo.htm and watch the fishermen go out to sea. Remember the movie " The Perfect Storm" ? Ok, you can drive by or stop in the Crow's Nest. Great shops in Gloucester and good eats. Must have the Chowda and Lobsta.
Ok, so that was "back home". Here where I live now, if you were to visit I would first suggest going to see what MSN.com today called "one of the most hated landmarks", our government center in Goshen, NY. What a disaster that thing is as well as an eye sore. Of course not everyone agrees with that last statement or it would have been torn down after hurricane Sandy. But while you are there, you can visit the famous Goshen trotter museum across the street and eat at Lemoncello's.
After that I would suggest visiting SUNY Orange's Morrison Hall Mansion where you can see the states oldest and one of the most beautiful campuses. I am a bit biased as I'm retiring this month from teaching there for 31 years
The mansion is amazing with Tiffany window and lighting and amazing bathrooms for the turn of the 1900's. Oh, you can also see Sugar, our mastodon in the BT building. And if you could get there on the 18th, you could join the star gazing evening atop the new Rowley center where two of our professors will have a giant telescope set up and tell us all about the wonderful planets and stars
The next day I would suggest going to New Paltz where you can see a quaint college town that is somewhat stuck in the 60's. There's a great restaurant there, a walking path - rail to trail and cute shops. Then we'd take a short ride to Mohonk Mountain House
https://www.mohonk.com/?nck=gbetri&g...FdBLDQodi8EJsg where one can take a stroll, or eat in one of the restaurants. OR we could to the Mountain Bauhaus in Gardner
http://www.mountainbrauhaus.com/ to have some German food. But don't forget your binoculars so you can watch the climbers on the world famous "Gunks".
Perhaps tomorrow we can take the Metro North into Hoboken, NJ and hop the Path into Manhattan.....
For now, have a good nights rest because we haven't even hopped over to visit my favorite quilt shops in PA !