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! 

  

QUICK TAKE: Home to revolutionary battles, writers and thinkers, painters and potters.  SEE & DO: Immerse yourself in the town's revolutionary heritage at the Minute Man National Historic Park. The Emerson Umbrella Center for the Arts is a lively hub for the visual and performing arts; musicals and comedies are on tap at the Concord Players. BOOKMARK: Explore Orchard House, home of Little Women author Louisa May Alcott. The Old Manse was a gathering place for Concord's 19th-century intellectuals. Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson's study is in the Concord Museum. Author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau famously lived for two years at Walden Pond. EAT & SLEEP: Head to 80 Thoreau for dinner; stay over at the North Bridge Inn.
  

Plan your next cultural getaway to Massachusetts!

The New Bedford Symphony Orchestra kicks off the 2013 season at 8 p.m. on Saturday, February 9th at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in New Bedford with a performance of Classical IV "Haydn's The Creation." Haydn's landmark oratorio "The Creation" is one of history's great masterworks. Featuring Providence Singers Artistic Director Betsy Burleigh; Teresa Wakim, soprano; Matthew Anderson, tenor; and Paul Guttry, bass. For tickets, visit www.nbsymphony.org!

For more information on Southeastern MA, click here.

The Lowell Sun Charities' Golden Gloves has been a Merrimack Valley sports tradition for nearly 70 years! Producing boxing greats like Rocky Marciano, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler and Micky Ward, Golden Gloves matches are still held at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium twice a week during January and February. For as little as $11 a ticket you could see one boxing's future stars in action.

For more information on Greater Merrimack Valley, click here.

Asa Waters Mansion in Millbury cordially invites you to celebrate General George Washington's 100th birthday on Saturday, February 23rd! Along with being a celebration, this event will also be educational and informative. Revolutionary War Era dress is encouraged, though all fashionable attire is appropriate. For more information, including times, drinks and dinner selections, please visit www.asawaters.org.

For more information on Central Massachusetts, click here.  

For more information on Cape Cod, click here. 

The University Museum of Contemporary Art at UMass Amherst will host an exhibition of work by the Los Angeles-based artist James Welling: Open Space from January 31st through May 5, 2013! This exhibition focuses on the photographer's work in New England from 1970 to 2010. Included are Welling's earliest experiments in photography, video, and watercolor, all harking back to his formative years in Connecticut. The UMCA is a member of Museums10, a partnership affiliated with Five Colleges, Inc.

 

Click for more information on Hampshire County-Amherst and Hampshire County-Northampton.  

On February 7th, the region's museum-goers will gather to welcome Nick Capasso, new director of the Fitchburg Art Museum! The event is part of Fitchburg's First Thursdays Program, offering free admission, along with a talk about the region's namesake, Johnny Appleseed. Events at the Museum this month include "Love is in the Air," a February 8th floral design workshop presented by Grace McWalter, and a gallery talk on February 10th by Capasso about artworks in the current American Scenery exhibition.  

 

For more information on Johnny Appleseed Country, click here.

The Martha's Vineyard Museum presents PechaKucha Night at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown on Friday, February 1st from 7:30 to 9 p.m. PechaKucha Night was devised in Japan in 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world! PechaKucha is a dynamic presentation format based on a simple idea: 20 images at 20 seconds each, keeping things moving at a rapid pace. Free and open to all! Call Jessica at 508-627-4441 x117 if you'd like to present.

 

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

Williamstown! Featuring works by Edgar Degas, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Pierre Bonnard and others, the exhibition is the first to explore how artists depicted the changing appearance of the City of Light as it transitioned from gas and oil lights to electric lights.  Don't miss "Lions and Tigers and Museums, Oh My!," an interactive exhibition for kids of all ages. Image credit: Alexandre Lunois, The Department Store (Le Bon Marché), 1902. The Clark

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

Named by USA Today as one of the top ten bluegrass festivals in America, the three-day Joe Val Bluegrass Festival features top national and regional talent on two stages, master classes, fast track classes, workshops, music vendors, directed slow jams, a kids academy, and 'round-the-clock picking. A production of the Boston Bluegrass Union, the festival takes place February 15-17 at the Sheraton Framingham Hotel & Conference Center. Weekend passes and single-day tickets available.  Photo: The Seldom Scene headlines festival.

 

Enjoy a narrated look at the night sky with a professional astronomer while visiting the Loines Observatory! Families will delight in shooting stars, comets and planets, all visible through high powered telescopes.  Winter walks are a great way to view the abundant wildlife.  A guided walk with The Trustees should not to be missed.  From surf, seashells to seals our beaches are among the top rated in the world any time of year. Visit Nantucket naturally!

 

For more information on Nantucket Island, click here.