Massachusetts is a small state that packs a lot of punch. From the stunning mountains of the Berkshires to the iconic sandy beaches of Cape Cod and even the skyline of downtown Boston provide beautiful backgrounds for residents and visitors alike.

Massachusetts is also quite popular for travelers and tourists. In 2019 almost 29 million domestic travelers visited Massachusetts, let alone the millions of international visitors the state sees annually.

Those three most commonly visited areas in Massachusetts are Cape Cod and the Islands, Boston, and the Berkshires, While the former the latter might night be quite as well known as their eastern Massachusetts counterparts, tourism in the Berkshires is thriving.

The Berkshires are known as a cultural mecca surrounded by breathtaking nature and it boasts a smaller price tag than some other popular vacation spots. In fact, over 2.6 million tourists flock to the Berkshires annually.

This Massachusetts Landmark Named the Best Outdoor Music Venue in The U.S.

One of the best and most popular destinations in all of western Massachusetts is Tanglewood. This iconic outdoor music venue located in Lenox, Massachusetts, in the heart of the Berkshires, was recently named one of the Best Outdoor Music Venues in the country, by YellowBrick. Being topped only by Red Rocks and the Hollywood Bowl, the music lifestyle website recognized the unique magic that Tanglewood possesses and a stage that has been graced by Ella Fitzgerald, Janis Joplin, James Taylor, Tony Bennet, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, The Who, and countless others.

Tanglewood is a summer music venue located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts. The venue is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra and offers a variety of concerts throughout the summer, including classical music, jazz, and pop concerts. Tanglewood is known for its stunning natural beauty, including its expansive lawns and gardens. The venue can seat up to 5,000 people, and concertgoers are welcome to bring picnic baskets and enjoy the music under the stars.

 

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

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