Greetings! Massachusetts is rich in arts and 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 below! 

Massachusetts' museums are developing imaginative new ways to look at their permanent collections. The DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park opened up its collection of modern and contemporary American art to six artists; Wall Works displays the resulting site-specific wall installations (through April 15th). At the Concord Museum, guest curators - historians, authors, journalists, craftsmen - selected their favorite objects for Crowdsourcing a Collection (through March 18th). Visitors create their own virtual exhibitions at the Clark Art Institute's Clark Remix, a physical and virtual exhibition of highlights from the museum's permanent collection (opens February 12th). Photo by Natalie Lanese, DeCordova Museum & Sculpture Park

Plan your next cultural getaway to Massachusetts!

Wintertime has never been more fun!  Lowell's annual WinterFest Celebration is new and expanded for 2012. From February 9-11, the outdoor festival will include human dogsled races, fashion show, live music, kids' activities, and soup and microbrew competitions. Chelmsford's Winterfest is February 3-5, giving families the chance to celebrate winter two weekends in a row! Trails are open at Nashoba Valley Ski Area, just 40 minutes west of Boston. The Fruitlands Museum will host its Winterfest Weekends every weekend in January and February, opening their grounds for sledding, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. Cross-country skiers will also want to check out Great Brook Farm State Park Ski Touring Center for great skiing and snowshoeing. For more events and things to do this winter, visit www.merrimackvalley.org.

For more information on Greater Merrimack Valley, click here.

The 10th Annual Flora in Winter  takes place at the Worcester Art Museum (WAM) and Tower Hill Botanic Garden on January 26-29! This extravaganza features riveting floral designs. Skilled floral designers from across New England create clever and provocative arrangements in interpretation of works from the Museum's collection, and at Tower Hill discover how their masterful designers interpret the theme "A Floral Feast."  For ongoing special events, visit www.centralmass.org.

 

For more information on Central Massachusetts, click here.

The NEW Boston Wine Expo is an entire week of festivities celebrating wine, food and culture! The Wine Expo will be held January 16-22 at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston. Over 450 wineries from around the globe pour over 1,800 wines for you to sample. New this year is a Chefs' Grand Benefit Dinner on Saturday evening with the region's top chefs, including Jasper White, Jody Adams, Lydia Shire! For tickets and info, visit www.wine-expos.com/boston!

For more information on Greater Boston, click here.

The Arts Foundation of Cape Cod and Cotuit Center for the Arts announce the sixth year of their collaborative winter exhibit from January 9-February 10. This year's interactive art exhibit - "Wild Things: A Safari of the Mind" - will feature local artists' favorite wild things! Keeping younger patrons in mind, artwork will be displayed at children's eye level. A series of child-friendly events are scheduled throughout the month. This family fun exhibit is free and open to the public! Visit www.ArtsFoundation.org for information.

For more information on Cape Cod, click here.

Museums in the region have much to offer in January! Exhibitions include "Old Masters to Monet" at the Springfield Museums through April 29th, which showcases 50 masterpieces that provide a comprehensive history of French art. Also explore the exhibits "Curious George Saves The Day: The Art of Margret and H. A. Rey" at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge and "Curators' Choice: A New Look at Old Objects" at Historic Deerfield, both through February 5th.

The city named the #1 Small Arts Town in America puts on a city-wide New Year's Eve celebration! Northampton's First Night is a 12-hour, family friendly party and festival of the arts. Twenty downtown venues host all-age performances in music, storytelling, dance and theater, fireworks and Northampton's very own midnight ball-raising from the top of the Hotel Northampton. First Night buttons are $16 adults, $10 seniors and $8 kids. First Night packages available at Clarion Hotel - call 413-586-2250 for reservations.

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January offers entertainment for all ages in North Central Massachusetts!  The Wachusett Music Series, presented in the historic First Church Christ Unitarian in Lancaster (designed by architect Charles Bullfinch), spotlights folksinger Bob Martin and guitarist Perry Desmond-Davis at 7:30 p.m. on January 7th.  The younger set will enjoy weekend marionette performances of "Rapunzel" at the Drawbridge Puppet Theater on Rt. 2A in Lunenburg. The 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. performances conclude with a demonstration of Puppetry Arts or backstage tour.

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Come celebrate a quarter+ century of the hottest of the hot at the 26th annual MVY Radio Big Chili Contest on Saturday, January 28th!  Warm up on a chilly January day - get out that recipe or just come to sample all the many different kinds of chili.  11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Portuguese American Club, Oak Bluffs. For ticket information, visit mvyradio.com.  A benefit for the Red Stocking Fund!

For more information on Martha's Vineyard, click here.

The Bay State Winter Games return to Berkshire County February 10-12 for the 27th year! Nearly 1,000 athletes, ranging in age from 8 to 80+ and representing five New England states, will compete in Figure Skating, Alpine Skiing and Ice hockey. Venues include Williams College in Williamstown, Bousquet Ski area in Pittsfield and the Peter Foote Memorial Rink in North Adams. Special events include an athlete party and Figure Skating Show.  Visit www.baystategames.org for more information.

For more information on the Mohawk Trail Region, click here.

When it's cold outside, head indoors to one of MetroWest's performing arts venues! At The Center for the Arts in Natick (TCAN), a remodeled firehouse is the setting for such concerts as violinist Hye-Jim Kim on January 15th and North Shore Acappella (fresh from competing on the national show, "The Sing-off") on January 20th. Then, Enter Stage Left Theater at the Hopkinton Center for the Arts presents its youth musical, Honk Jr! January 13-15.   

 

For more information on MetroWest, click here.

"Quite often Nantucket has the highest species count in in New England," notes Ken Blackshaw author of Birding Nantucket. "If you like migration, Nantucket is  a spot where you're really aware migration is happening.  This is basically the last stop before they fly out over the Atlantic ocean."  The Maria Mitchell Association, The Nantucket Conservation Foundation & The Trustees of The Reservation sponsor nature walks all winter long where Nantucket's feathered friends can be spied. Click here for more information!

For more information on Nantucket Island, click here.

Lovers of contemporary art can get their fix at the Addison Gallery of American Art, located on the beautiful Phillips Academy campus in Andover. Opening on January 14th, the Open Windows exhibition features the work of four contemporary American painters, each representing distinct and varied approaches to painting from abstraction to realism. For additional cultural activities North of Boston, visit www.escapesnorth.com.

For more information on North of Boston, click here.

Enjoy Scotch Tasting at the Roobar in Plymouth on Thursday, January 19th!  Enjoy selections from Isle of Jura, Dewar's Reserves, Aberfeldy, and Dalmore, as well as a buffet and performance by Scottish Toastmaster Sir Jeremy Bell. The star of the night be "Shackleton's Scotch," recently featured in a National Geographic Channel documentary and recreated as an exact match for the whisky that accompanied Sir Ernest Shackleton on his 1907 South Pole expedition. Tickets are $80 - call 508-746-1943.

For more information on Plymouth County, click here.

On January 6-8, the New Bedford Whaling Museum hosts the "16th Annual Moby Dick: The Marathon," a non-stop reading of the great American classic commemorating the anniversary of the departure from the whaling port of New Bedford of the Fairhaven ship Acushnet with 21-year-old Herman Melville aboard. The Marathon has grown to become a mid-winter tradition!  Readers will include descendants of Herman Melville and their families, and other lovers of Melville and Moby-Dick. Admission is free.

For more information on Southeastern MA, click here.