
Highest-rated free things to do in Massachusetts by visitors
Highest-rated free things to do in Massachusetts by visitors
Being an American can be incredibly expensive. While workers in the United States have seen a 1,015% increase in wages over the past 50 years, those gains haven't caught up with the ever-growing cost of living, according to a 2025 report from Consumer Affairs. Between 1973 and 2023, the national consumer price index increased by 586%.
Although Americans have about 63% more purchasing power than 50 years ago, that quickly dissipates when factoring in the increased costs of housing and education. Housing costs have jumped about 1,045%, private college tuition has risen by 158%, and public college tuition has increased by 177%.
That imbalance has put a huge strain on the average American. In 2023, a record-high 42.9 million households were cost-burdened, according to an analysis of Census Bureau data by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies.
It's no wonder that maintaining savings, paying down debts and mortgages, and regular expenses are taking precedence over vacations. But not everything that's enjoyable has to come at a high price. In fact, there's a roster of completely free things to do in Massachusetts.
From touring landmarks and historical sites to getting out into nature, you can find all this and more without swiping your credit card or crossing state lines.
To help you find your next free activity, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated free things to do in Massachusetts using data from Tripadvisor. Tripadvisor ranks places using a combination of metrics, including overall rating, reviews, and number of page views. As a result, an activity with a 5 out of 5 overall rating might rank lower than one with a 4 out of 5. Data is as of Aug. 18, 2025. Only locations that received at least 20 reviews were included.
Read on to start planning a weekend of free fun near you!

#30. Copley Square
- Rating: 4.4/5 (841 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#29. Castle Island
- Rating: 4.5/5 (544 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#28. Gray's Beach
- Rating: 4.5/5 (228 reviews)
- City: Yarmouth Port Yarmouth Cape Cod
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#27. Cape Cod National Seashore
- Rating: 4.8/5 (654 reviews)
- City: Truro Cape Cod
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#26. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,070 reviews)
- City: Cambridge
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#25. Old Burying Point Cemetery
- Rating: 4.4/5 (1,560 reviews)
- City: Salem
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#24. New England Holocaust Memorial
- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,560 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#23. Aquinnah Cliffs
- Rating: 4.6/5 (552 reviews)
- City: Aquinnah Martha s Vineyard
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#22. Back Bay
- Rating: 4.6/5 (645 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#21. Main Street Hyannis
- Rating: 4.1/5 (1,171 reviews)
- City: Hyannis Cape Cod
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. Boston's Waterfront
- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,851 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#19. Sandwich Boardwalk
- Rating: 4.5/5 (550 reviews)
- City: Sandwich Cape Cod
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#18. Old North Church & Historic Site
- Rating: 4.5/5 (3,140 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#17. Shining Sea Bikeway
- Rating: 4.8/5 (1,073 reviews)
- City: Falmouth Cape Cod
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#16. USS Constitution Museum
- Rating: 4.4/5 (3,672 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#15. Bunker Hill Monument
- Rating: 4.3/5 (1,946 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#14. Commercial Street
- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,340 reviews)
- City: Provincetown Cape Cod
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#13. USS Constitution
- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,509 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#12. Newbury Street
- Rating: 4.4/5 (2,523 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#11. Samuel Adams Boston Brewery - Jamaica Plain
- Rating: 4.6/5 (2,579 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. Salem Witch Trials Memorial
- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,106 reviews)
- City: Salem
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#9. Beacon Hill
- Rating: 4.5/5 (2,420 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#8. Harvard University
- Rating: 4.5/5 (3,212 reviews)
- City: Cambridge
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#7. Quincy Market
- Rating: 4.3/5 (3,719 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#6. Faneuil Hall Marketplace
- Rating: 4.2/5 (7,852 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. Boston Common
- Rating: 4.4/5 (6,564 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#4. Boston Public Library
- Rating: 4.7/5 (4,167 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#3. Boston Public Garden
- Rating: 4.7/5 (10,012 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. North End
- Rating: 4.7/5 (7,263 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#1. Freedom Trail
- Rating: 4.6/5 (17,958 reviews)
- City: Boston
- Read more on Tripadvisor
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 51 states.