1. Old Sturbridge Village, MA

Heritage livestock breeds and costumed guides create a vivid sense of New England rural life in the early 19th century at this living history museum. The village features more than 40 historic buildings moved from across the region.Rte. 20, Sturbridge • 508 347 3362 • Open mid-Apr–mid-Oct: 9:30am–5pm daily; mid-Oct–mid-Apr: 9:30am–4pm Tue–Sun • Adm • www.osv.org

2. Strawbery Banke, NH

Follow the development of Portsmouth, NH, in this complex of historic dwellings assembled at Strawbery Banke, the city’s original settlement. Period furnishings and historical gardens help to chronicle the daily life of the seaside city from the 17th to the 20th century.14 Hancock St., Portsmouth • 603 433 1100 • Open May–Oct: 10am–5pm daily; Nov–Dec: call for tour hours • Adm • www.strawberybanke.org

3. Billings Farm & Museum, VT

Set up in 1871, Billings Farm was turned into a museum of rural life in 1982. Its rolling green pastures and fine farm buildings represent the ideal of Vermont dairy farming. Interact with sheep, horses, and chickens, and watch the herd of Jersey cows being milked.River Rd., Woodstock • 802 457 2355 • Open May–Oct: 10am–5pm daily; Nov–Feb: 10am–3:30pm Sat, Sun • Adm • www.billingsfarm.org

4. Lowell National Historic Park, MA

Lowell launched the Industrial Revolution in the United States, and this urban park preserves the city’s network of canals and many of its 19th-century textile mills. The racket of the mighty water-powered looms operating in the 1864 Boott Cotton Mill gives a real sense of what it was once like to work here.

Open Mar–Oct: 9am–5pm daily; Nov–Feb: 9am–4:30pm Mon–Sat, 10am–5pm Sun • Adm • www.nps.gov/lowe

Visitor Center • 246 Market St, Lowell • 978 970 5000

5. Plimoth Plantation, MA

Step back to 1627 at Plimoth Plantation, where costumed interpreters speaking 17th-century English portray original settlers inside the stockaded village so studiously that references to modern life are met with quizzical looks. There are Native American interpreters at the re-created Wampanoag encampment.137 Warren Ave., Plymouth • 508 746 1622 • Open late Mar–Nov: 9am–5pm daily • Adm • www.plimoth.org

6. Canterbury Shaker Village, NH

Founded in 1792, Canterbury was a working Shaker village into the 1960s. Demonstrations and workshops teach you about Shaker skills and ideals, while informative daily tours of original Shaker buildings include fond anecdotes of the sect’s final generation.288 Shaker Rd., Canterbury • 603 783 9511 • Open mid-May–Oct: 10am–5pm daily; Nov–early Dec: selected weekends • Adm • www.shakers.org

7. Weir Farm National Historic Site, CT

The painter J. Alden Weir (1852–1919) made this rustic farm into a retreat for himself and his friends at the end of the 19th century. Two more generations of artists worked here before the property passed into the care of the National Park Service.735 Nod Hill Rd., Wilton • 203 834 1896 • Open May–Oct: 9am–5pm Wed–Sun; Nov–Apr: 10am–4pm Thu–Sun • Free • www.nps.gov/wefa

8. Slater Mill, RI

Dating from 1793, Slater Mill was the first successful cotton-spinning mill in the United States. The ingenuity of the early machinery, which was driven by water power transmitted through giant flapping leather belts, will fascinate engineering buffs.67 Roosevelt Ave., Pawtucket • 401 725 8638 • Open Mar–Apr: 11am–3pm Sat–Sun; May–Jun: 10am–4pm Tue–Sun; Jul–Oct: 10am–4pm daily; Nov: 10am–4pm Sat–Sun • Adm • www.slatermill.org

9. Hancock Shaker Village, MA

Learn about the artful skills of the Shakers at this settlement founded in 1790. The iconic 1826 Round Stone Barn perfectly encapsulates their penchant for making things both functional and beautiful.1843 W. Housatonic St., Rte. 20, Pittsfield • 413 443 0188 • Open mid Apr–late May: 10am–4pm daily; late May–mid-Oct: 10am–5pm daily • Adm • www.hancockshakervillage.org

10. Minute Man National Historical Park, MA

On April 19, 1775, British troops engaged Colonial rebels in Lexington and Concord. This opening salvo of the American Revolution sent the British Army into retreat and galvanized other colonies to take up arms. Exhibits and annual reenactments held here depict a stirring historical moment.

Open daily (visitor center open daily mid-Mar–Oct: 9am–5pm; Nov: 9am–4pm; Dec–mid-Mar: 11am–3pm) • Free • www.nps.gov/mima

North Bridge Visitor Center • 174 Liberty St., Concord • 978 369 6993