Just 15 miles north of Boston, the coastal city of Salem offers plenty of intrigue for more than just its witch-laden culture. Sure, the legend of the 1692 Salem witch trials lives on in The Witch City, home to the Witch House (where the trials took place), Witchcraft Heights elementary school, and various filming locations from Bewitched, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and The Lords of Salem. But there’s more: Salem is considered the birthplace of the National Guard, was Massachusetts’ inaugural Best Shopping District in 2012, and was one of the most important American seaports when Europeans first settled in 1626.

This affluent island south of Cape Cod is one of America’s most popular summer hangouts for the rich and famous. The island is only accessible by boat or air and boasts some of the most expensive homes in the region. The Clintons and the Obamas both were known to visit The Vineyard, and other celebrities living on or frequently visiting the island include David Letterman, James Taylor, Spike Lee, and Meg Ryan.

Massachusetts’ mainland summertime favorite is the Cape, a hook-shaped peninsula comprising quaint villages, small towns, beaches, state parks, and lighthouses. Here, visitors entrench themselves in the old-world maritime charms of seaside New England, just an hour outside of Boston. A scenic drive through vacation towns like Dennis, Orleans, and Truro along the coast will take you all the way up to Provincetown, a bustling village at the tip of the Cape.

Roughly 60 miles north of Boston, flanking the Maine border, Portsmouth, New Hampshire is a historic seaport town worthy of a day trip. If possible, a bus tour through Portsmouth should also work in several 17th and 18th-century mansions, warehouses, and cottages previously owned and lived in by naval heroes, governors, and businessmen. The John Paul Jones House and the Wentworth-Coolidge Mansion, for example, are both particularly good examples.

Northern Vermont’s ski towns are among the country’s best, and if you’re in Boston for the winter, the 200 miles separating you from Stowe are no obstacle. For starters, it’s nicknamed “the ski capital of the east,” and Forbes named it as one of America’s ten best ski towns. When you’re done carving up the mountains, visitors are encouraged to indulge in Stowe’s thriving brewpub scene before heading back to Boston.