Originally a British colony, Massachusetts's main claim to fame is being the birthplace of the "Boston Tea Party", when colonists broke into a British ship in the Boston harbour and destroyed all the tea inside in rebellion against British rulers who tried to manipulate the tea market. That marked the beginning of the end of British control in the US.

 

Harvard University

Harvard is the world's most prestigious university. While walking around inside one of the buildings, to cut a long story short I was invited to attend one of the classes so I could get a full feel of Harvard teaching. The class was a bit too long for my liking (two hours) but it was interesting to see the teaching methods of an Ivy League institution.

 

Boston

Boston is the vibrant state capital, and despite its gleaming skyscrapers, it has a small-town feel. In Downtown, you can follow the paved red line of the Freedom Trail winding two-and-a-half miles through the city's most significant colonial sites retracing the history behind the events that led to the eventual independence from Britain. Boston is a nice place to visit, just avoid it in the winter.