January 28, 2025 • 25 mins
If you’ve been listening to this show, you probably know that I live in Baltimore. I’ve lived here for the last 17 years. But my first 18 years were spent in Southern New Hampshire, right on the border of Massachusetts. I would always tell people that Boston was my city, and I still might say that when the Red Sox are doing well.
And while I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of Massachusetts and all it has to offer, there’s so much in that state that I’ve not had a chance to experience. People get an impression that Mass is all about Boston, The Cape or witches. Those certainly are big pieces of the puzzle, but they’re just pieces.
The history you can find in Massachusetts alone is magical. This country was started right on those streets, and so much of it has been preserved so we can still enjoy it. The sports are great, and no I’m not just talking about their pro teams. Major, and even global, sporting events are held there on an annual basis. Then there’s the landscape of the state as a whole. They have everything from beach to city to small towns in the mountains. My favorite thing about all of that is how close everything is.
Joining me today is Kate Fox. She’s the executive director at the Massachusetts office of travel and tourism. We’re going to have a good chat about my sort of home state and really dive into all the many reasons you need to make a trip up to New England.
And while I feel like I have a pretty good understanding of Massachusetts and all it has to offer, there’s so much in that state that I’ve not had a chance to experience. People get an impression that Mass is all about Boston, The Cape or witches. Those certainly are big pieces of the puzzle, but they’re just pieces.
The history you can find in Massachusetts alone is magical. This country was started right on those streets, and so much of it has been preserved so we can still enjoy it. The sports are great, and no I’m not just talking about their pro teams. Major, and even global, sporting events are held there on an annual basis. Then there’s the landscape of the state as a whole. They have everything from beach to city to small towns in the mountains. My favorite thing about all of that is how close everything is.
Joining me today is Kate Fox. She’s the executive director at the Massachusetts office of travel and tourism. We’re going to have a good chat about my sort of home state and really dive into all the many reasons you need to make a trip up to New England.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome to Delightful Destinations. My name
is Jeff Saint Pierre. Delightful Destinations is a show designed
to give people an inside or deeper look at vacation
locations around Maryland, the mid Atlantic, and of course anywhere
that is willing to talk to me. My hope is
to speak with people who know these areas best and
inspire you for your next getaway. If you've been listening
(00:25):
to this show, you probably know that I live in Baltimore.
I've lived here for the last seventeen years of my life,
but my first eighteen years were spent in southern New Hampshire,
right on the border of Massachusetts. I would always tell
people that Boston was my city, and I still might
say that depending on how well the Red Sox are doing.
And while I feel like I have a pretty good
understanding of Massachusetts and all it has to offer, there's
(00:46):
so much in that state that I've not had the
chance to experience. People get an impression that mass is
all about Boston, the Cape or the Witches, and those
certainly are big pieces of the puzzle here, but they're
just pieces. I mean, the history alone that you can
and find in Massachusetts is magical. This country was started
right on those streets, and so much of it has
been preserved so we can still enjoy it. The sports
(01:08):
are great, and no I'm not just talking about their
pro teams. Major and even global sporting events are held
there on an annual basis. And there's the landscape of
the state as a whole. They have everything from beach
to city to small town in the mountains. My favorite
thing about all of that is how close everything is,
so let's talk about it. Joining me today is Kate Fox.
(01:28):
She's the executive director at the Massachusetts Office of Travel
and Tourism. We're gonna have a good chat about my
sort of home state and really dive into all the
many reasons that you need to make a trip up
to New England this Year's.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Nice to meet you, Jip. Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Oh, of course, my pleasure. This is gonna be fun
for me because it's gonna be kind of a trip
back home for me a little bit because I grew
up just north of Massachusetts, right over the border in
New Hampshire, so I spent a lot of time in
mass growing up, and I love going back to visit
when I do get a chance. So it's gonna be
nice to talk about the state that even though I
didn't grow up there, I know very well well.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
And if I do my job, you'll come back for
a visit.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I'm actually planning to come up a little bit more
now that I've got the granddaughter in the family, the
only one in the family I have to come back
and visit because the grandparents require it.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yes. Well, fortunately, flights between Baltimore and Boston are very easy.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
That is true. Yeah, between Baltimore and Boston, very easy flight. So, Kate,
tell me more about yourself. How did you end up
in this role.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So I've been with the Office of Traveling Tourism for
about a year and a half now, and I came
in with the Healy Driscoll administration. Prior to this, I
was the director of Tourism in Salem, Massachusetts, and spent
just about twenty years working in that post and increasing
tourism year round tourism for Salem. Salem is known for
(02:44):
the witch trials of sixteen ninety two, and it was
our challenge to share all of the other remarkable stories
in Salem and reasons to visit the city. Throughout the year.
Salem's also known for its month long celebration of Halloween
called tot Happenings, and about a million people come every
year for October in Salem, and we always wanted to
(03:06):
extend that and ensure people knew that it was a
great place to visit in the summer, spring, fall, and
winter too. So a lot of similar themes for the
work we do in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
I think it must be interesting to work in a
place that's so well known for one thing, because you
know you've got your built in audience, right, Like, you
still want to bring more people in if you can,
but you know you have a built in audience, then
it's about spreading the message the rest of the year.
I was just speaking with some folks from Martha's Vinyard
a few weeks ago, and there's what's kind of the opposite.
It's like, we got summer on lock. We need to
get people in here in the winter and the spring too.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah. Yeah, When you're iconic for one thing, it's it's
an intriguing challenge to tell the stories that people don't know,
and especially when you know for Salem or for Martha's
Vineyard or anywhere in Massachusetts. We are a really unique
and authentic destination.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
And our Massachusetts too. It's not a big state, but
it is a big state, and there's so much that's
offered in Massachusetts. But so many people get locked in
on say Boston, or locked in on the Cape or
Martha's Vineyard or something like that, but there's so much
else around the state that people can really celebrate and enjoy.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, we have we break the state down into sixteen regions,
So Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod, those are each their
own region for marketing and communications purposes, and we work
with tourism councils in each of the sixteen regions. So
whether it's the Berkshires or Handen County, Franklin County is
one of them. Every time I go out to Franklin County,
(04:37):
I come home and tell my husband I want to
move because it's it's remote. You feel like you have
stepped away from urban living, but you're still two hours
away from the city center and even closer to Springfield
than Amherston and the other cultural hubs in western Massachusetts.
But you're still on a mountaintop on a trail, enjoying
(05:00):
locally brewed beer looking at the stars, and it's something
magical about that part of Massachusetts. And then North central
Massachusetts is you know, rich with farms and they have
new cultural sites that it seems like they're always building
new cultural destinations in central and north central Massachusetts. There's
(05:20):
a new performance venue in Grout and the Groat and
Hill Music Center. It is acoustically perfect, and they have
these incredible performers who are coming from New York and
Boston to you know, it's a mix of folk and
classical and these wonderful performances. And then you've got amazing
(05:43):
inns and restaurants right around the corner. So we're seeing
a lot of those pockets sort of build up what
their capacity is for tourism offerings, and that's attracting people
from Boston from within the state and the people who
are traveling up to Massachusetts from further afield, whether it's
the Baltimore market or the New York market or the
DC market.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I love hearing the way you describe all of the
opportunities in Massachusetts. It's how I describe what it was
like to grow up there in that area, because you know,
for me, it was forty five minutes to Hampton Beach
in New Hampshire, or you know, I could even go
on the Massachusetts shore as well, like Salisbury or something.
It was an hour to some of the best mountains
in New England. It was forty five minutes, you know,
(06:25):
north of Boston. Everything was so within reach that you
really didn't have to spend that much time in your
car to get to whatever you actually wanted. And it
was just looking back on it, like here in Baltimore,
it's like, oh, I got a three hour drive to
go to the ocean, and for them it's normal, But
for me, I'm like, man, I got to spend more
than forty five minutes to get to the ocean. What's
going on?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
It's remarkable.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
It is a very unique place in that way where
you have a little bit of everything so close to you.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
We are spoiled and being able to hop in the
car and drive out to the Berkshires to take in
something like mass Mocha or the Clark Museum and then
spend time in the downtowns of the Berkshire communities and
do some shopping and dining. And we pride ourselves on
our craft beverage community, whether it's beer, cider or the distilleries,
(07:14):
like there's always something interesting and local to pour in
your glass, and great farm to table restaurants across the state.
So I often take for granted our great dining scene
and the culinary tourism that we can take advantage of
throughout Massachusetts. But it's all about a three hour drive away.
It's perfect.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Well, you mentioned earlier to history, and Massachusetts has no
shortage of history. I mean it goes back to the
very beginning, as we all know, because Thanksgiving wasn't too
long ago, and we talked about all of that stuff
with there. But Massachusetts two fifty, this is a new
initiative that's going to be coming up next year. Tell
me more about it.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Sure. So we've just launched in September the new Massachusetts
two fifty campaign, and it's a celebration of Massachusett and
why it's still revolutionary and we're doing that through the
lens of Massachusetts. First, so you mentioned Thanksgiving. I like
to say the Pilgrims were the first Taurus as it
started back in sixteen twenty. But we were also the
(08:14):
first shot heard around the world in Lexington and conquered
for the Revolution. Paul Revere's bride was so significant. We've
got the first Navy ship in which was depending who
you ask, Marblehead or Beverly, Massachusetts. And ever since we've
had first, we've been setting the table for all of
(08:35):
the growth, whether it's through history, through culture, through science
and tech and innovation. There are things happening across Massachusetts
and so we want to use the two fifty campaign
to commemorate the history, do some reframing and retelling as appropriate,
to make sure that we are giving some lyft to
untold stories and making sure the people who might have
(08:56):
been left out of the original history books get their time,
and then also celebrate where we're going in the future.
Massachusetts is an awesome place to live, to work, and
to visit, and we're going to use that m a
two fifty campaign to tell that it.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Is kind of remarkable to look at the past in
this country and moving forward in Massachusetts always does seem
to be on the forefront of many things. A lot
of inspiration there. I mean, the education system there is
pretty remarkable all around, and you've got these people at
these very high powered universities like MIT and Harvard that
are you know, looking to change things and looking to
(09:31):
plan for what's going to be coming next. And it's
kind of fascinating how much Massachusetts does have, how much
it has its hold on just this country in general.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Well, we we have, as you said, a hub of education,
it's a hub of innovation. We have international countries that
are setting up shop here in Massachusetts to develop new products.
We and then you know, we've got the retailers and
the lifestyle brand, new balances here, Converse is here, Life
is Good is here. Lego just moved in down the street.
(10:03):
So we've got great brands. And then we've got all
our sports teams that help tell the story as well.
So it's just a really fulfilling place to live. And
that attracts visitors. I think a great place to live
is a great place to visit, and so that attracts
visitors from near and far.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, and you also mean you started to mention a
little bit too, but like lifestyle too. I mean you
talked about this new music space in Groton. I just
went to the road Runner in Boston a few months
ago over the first time. What a beautiful venue that is.
I mean, just a remarkable place to see music and
that's just in that part, but you've got places all
across the state too that bring in national acts that
people want to come through and see. And not even
(10:43):
just music, but you've got music goals, you've got plays,
all these different things. They all come through the Massachusetts area.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Yeah, and we're really excited for film industry as well,
which has come back after the strikes, and we have
several major projects filming in Massachusetts, which is really it's
putting people back to work in the film industry, and
I think it's a point of pride for the communities
that are hosting base camps and film project projects around
(11:11):
the state. So it's we love to see film coming back.
And then it's great to have a movie like Challengers
with Sundaya came out in twenty twenty four and to
be able to go and be like, oh, I know
where that is, and I know where that is. So,
you know, going back to Jaws, which was really they're
going to mark their fiftieth anniversary next year, so the
Martha's Vineyard crew is real. They're ready, They're ready for Jaws.
(11:33):
But you know, that was the beginning of the film office,
which is part of tourism in Massachusetts, and they call
it set jetting, people who were choosing their travel destinations
based on what they're seeing on screen. So we welcome that,
whether it's Jaws or The Perfect Storm or hocus Pocus,
all the films across the state that have filmed here.
We love having people come in and use that as
(11:55):
the catalyst for their visit.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
And I cannot wait. My daughter is four years old now,
and I cannot wait till she's a little bit older
and we can do the Freedom Trail and do that lot,
because even though it was like a field trip, an
educational field trip for me, I still feel like that
was something that I will never forget doing growing up
as a youth in that area.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah. Oh, the Freedom Trail. I mean it's like a
quintessential memory for so many people to go and take
that walk and end at the Bunker Hill Monument and
you know, see if you feel hardy enough to climb
the Bunker Hill Monument. But it's there are amazing sites
and it's it's real authentic history.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
You can't export that one thing that we also can't
seem to export the same way because we just have
some really amazing sports teams up there. And I say
we because I still am a sports Massachusetts sports fan
at heart. You've got a lot of really great stuff.
I know you've got some big events that are coming
into Massachusetts here in the near future, but I'm sure
you get a lot of folks that travel up. Maybe
not so much to see the Patriots these days, but
(12:53):
you've got the Celtics who just came off a championship
run last year. The Bruins are always a solid Yeah.
I mean, you've got people that come in to see
this wonderful the wonderful athletics that you have in the
state too.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Yeah. I mean, Boston fans are nothing if we aren't devoted.
So we're still buying the tickets, We're still going to games.
We ever hope, ever hopeful, But certainly the Celtics have
a huge international pull. We were just at a travel
show in London and people are so excited to come
over and experience a Celtics game, a Patriots game, of
(13:23):
Ruins game, and that's really exciting. Twenty twenty six, we're
going to be hosting seven games for FIFA World Cup.
We can't wait for that, including a quarter final. So
that is we're all we are all simmering with excitement
around FIFA. And right after FIFA leaves sale, Boston comes
into port as the final stop for the America two
(13:44):
fifty op Sale, which will come up from it starts
actually New Orleans and then comes up the coast and
we'll be in New York City for fourth of July
and then comes into Boston for July eleventh. And so
we're going to have more than thirty tall ships from
around the world, you know, all the teams and the
fans for World Cup. And so twenty twenty six is
(14:05):
going to be amazing. And then this year, or I
should say twenty twenty five. Next year, we're hosting the
Figure Skating Worlds at the Boston Garden, which has a
huge fan base and is going to bring a ton
of people into Boston to see and support the figure
skating that's going to be happening here. And that's going
to be an amazing week too.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
That'll be so much fun because that is it's not
something that gets the same publicity I say, NFL or NBA,
but like there is a devoted fan base to figure skating.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Yes, I'm learning all about it and I actually as
a kid, I did learn how to figure skate, so
I remember it a little bit, but I'm really excited
to go to some of the competition. When the world's
are here, it's going to be right in our backyard,
so we have to take advantage. And then, you know,
you get away from the pro sports and we have
(14:54):
Cape Cod Baseball League, which is a quintessential summer memory
for so many people. I love going to the Cape
Cod League games. And we have the NCAA Lacrosse Championships
coming in in twenty twenty five. We've got Division three
hockey Championships and tournaments being played. So there's sports everywhere
(15:17):
in Massachusetts, whether it's you know, the pro sports, the
youth sports, and everything in between, and it's a great
reason to get out and explore the state.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Going back to what you said about the World Cup,
the FIFA World Cup coming in, I don't remember what
year it was the Craft family purchased the Patriots, but
they have really leaned into soccer in New England and
they it's a game changer. I mean, having seven games
from the World Cup in that area that's going to
be enormous for the economy. I mean, the people that
travel for the World Cup, that's intense. So I mean,
(15:48):
just I know they've just leaned, They've leaned heavily into
soccer in New England over the years, the last few decades,
and I just think it's remarkable what they've done because
they've built that culture there that will bring in a
FIFA World Cup that will a lot of cities are
desperately wanting right now.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah, and tickets, I mean, the Revolution is such a
great take to go and watch soccer when it's not
a World Cup situation. We've got a new professional women's
soccer league and development. We have our new women's hockey
league that is just starting their second season. So there's
a lot of enthusiasm around all the sports men's sports,
women's sports, and it's a great reason to get out
(16:25):
and do things in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Tell me more about the Made Possible campaign.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Oh well, I'm calling it my mad Libs campaign if
you remember mad Libs. So we created this is our
domestic marketing campaign that we launched over the summer and
it is everything made possible in Massachusetts. So it's a
really flexible campaign where we can celebrate you know, fireside relaxation,
(16:51):
made possible, and we can celebrate you know, group tours
made possible and the historic venues made So we're having
a lot of fun stretching this made Possible campaign across
the state to promote all of the things to do
and to see and whether it's active tourism and we're
promoting going to the museums or culinary tourism and getting
(17:15):
into the restaurants and taking advantage of farmed table opportunities.
We love to support our creative economy and cultural tourism
and plugging in artists wherever we can. So's it's been
a really fun campaign to deploy. We've got print assets,
digital and we've done video commercials as well, So having
(17:38):
a lot of fun working with that and seeing how
it stretches across the state.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Kate, are you a Massachusetts native?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
No?
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Okay, the truth is that where are you from?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
I'm a New Yorker by birth.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Oh wow, and you ended up in Massachusetts promoting they did?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
I did? Yeah, And I remember the day I walked
into Fenway and became a Red Sox fan, like I
remember the switch, okay, from Yankees to Red Sox because
I actually lived in Manhattan. Jeter's rookie year. It was
a lot of good baseball that year. Oh sure, Yeah.
And then I found myself in Massachusetts and we've been
(18:19):
here twenty eight years, I think, and so it's definitely
home now. We've raised our kids here and it's it's
a great place to live, and I often count my
blessings to live and work in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
I love that for you. I love that you you
were able to make that switch, because I imagine that
could be a tough challenge, especially New York to Massachusetts.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yeah, we have people on the Mott team actually who
have not been able to make that switch. Okay, so yeah,
so we leave space for that. I understand you're welcoming. Yeah, yeah,
I do. I do remember that mind shift. When I
walked in I think it was the second time I
went to Fenna, I was like, I'm a Red Sox
fan now, so.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
There is something magical about that park, I do. I
went up there for the first time. I hadn't been
to a Red Sox game at Fenway. I live in Baltimore,
so I get to see the Red Sox a lot
when they come down to play the Orioles. But I
hadn't been to Fenway in a while, and I just
happened to be in town. And as much as I
love going to the park, gosh, I hate the seats
so much.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
They are they are made for small people. Yeah, they
actually played high school football at Fenway for Thanksgiving. In Massachusetts,
the high school rivalry games are on Thanksgiving and Fenway
hosted games the days two days before Thanksgiving. So I
was there for a football game in the cold last week.
And that's cool, super super fun drinking hot chocolate watching
(19:42):
high school football on the field.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
I know it's not a problem that we're going to
solve today, but I always wonder what is going to happen,
Like eventually that stadium will not be able to exist anymore,
and I just wonder, what what does that look like?
What what happens?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
You know, I can and I cannot entertain that it's
not going to happen here. Ever, that whole neighborhood relies
on that O and it's just it's it's so iconic,
and so they've made they have continued to make updates
and investments in the park and it's still beautiful and
such a great experience to go to a game there.
(20:16):
We've got the Savannah Bananas coming back in twenty twenty five,
and then they do their concerts at Fenway now, so
there there are more reasons to experience Fenway than the
Red Sox, and I think that's opened up the park
to a lot of new audiences.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
And I also know that coming up here in a
few months, we did mention the Figure Skating Championships, but
you're also going to have the Boston Marathon again, the
annual event that happens It's April every year, right, happens
in April or April. Yeah, I mean, just that's something
that I never thought in my life I would watch
running on TV, But like I always make an effort
to watch that when it's on TV. There's something special
about that event.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
It's the Marathon's amazing. I've volunteered at it a couple
of times because I'm never going to run twenty six
miles myself, but I have volunteered to work water stops
and it's really amazing to see. You know, the elite
runners are fantastic and just a miracle as they fly
by you. But it's everybody after the elite runners who
(21:15):
have been training for this one marathon or you know,
they've trained for marathons to qualify for this one, and
then all of the people who are out there doing
their absolute best for a charity run, and you know,
you go through all of the emotions as you watch
the marathon runners come through the course, and it's it's
a really remarkable experience. I highly recommend people take in,
(21:37):
you know, if it's not a Boston Marathon, if you
use it as an excuse to come here, taking in
a marathon in the city of your choice, it's really
such a testament to human drive to get something done,
something really hard. But we also in addition to Boston Marathon,
we have triathlon in Springfield now, so if there are
any triathletes out there. The iron Man has been done
(22:01):
in Springfield in the spring. I think we're going on
the third year for their Iron Man and Chris. Springfield
is home to the Basketball Hall of Fame, so people
going out to Springfield can celebrate basketball, they can celebrate
Doctor Seuss. You can hop up to Amherst and get
some Eric Carl into your blood. The Eric Carl Museum
is up there. So lots of reasons to move around
(22:22):
the state for sports and creativity.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Yeah, we haven't given a lot of love to Western
Massachusetts yet, so I'm glad you brought that up because
I feel like that's the part of mass it always
kind of gets forgotten, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
I know, and you can't you know, it's you can't
forget Western Massachusetts. There are just so many gems out there,
and it's an easy drive, whether you go out the
Pike or you go out route to It's known of
course for fall foliage and taking in the Mohawk Trail
and the beautiful vistas and the trees changing. But with
all of the restaurants and the cultural sites, it's definitely
(22:55):
worth a stay. And it's also a great way to escape.
And there's so much outdoor recreation to take advantage of,
so whitewater rafting, a lot of ziplines. Yeah, we have,
you know, families. I know my family used to love
to do this where we'd go ziplining together, which is
great when you're afraid of heights, but your kids really
want to do it, and so you can do that
(23:16):
in the Berks years, you can do that on the cape.
So lots of opportunity for really fun family excursions.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Well, Kate, I think we've given about as great of
an overview as we possibly can about an entire state
with so much to offer as Massachusetts has. But is
there a place that people should go if they want
to find out some more information or start planning their trip.
What's the best like central location?
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Well, yes, Jeff, I'm glad you asked so. Our website
is VISITMA dot com okay, and you can find us
on social at visit M and on all the channels.
If you're interested in the Massachusetts two fifty campaign and
the telling of the first and how Massachusetts continues to
be revolutionary, that website is Massachusetts two fifty dot org.
(23:59):
But visit is a great starting point and you can
find your way around the regions and also find your
way to the M two to fifty site from there
as well. Well.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Kate Fox, executive director at the Massachusetts Office of Travel
and Tourism, it has been a pleasure. Thank you for
letting me reminisce a little bit about places and things
that I haven't seen or done in quite some time.
But it's great. Keep up the good work and keep
spreading the word about Massachusetts.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Thanks so much for the time. I appreciate the invitation
to join you today.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Big thank you to Kate Fox. Yeah, it just felt
nice to be able to reminisce a little bit about
the things and places that I've known for so long.
Be sure to visit mass dot gov to start planning
your trip. And thank you to all of you for
listening to this episode of the Delightful Destinations podcast. I
appreciate you. Until next time, be well.
Hey, what's up everybody? Welcome to Delightful Destinations. My name
is Jeff Saint Pierre. Delightful Destinations is a show designed
to give people an inside or deeper look at vacation
locations around Maryland, the mid Atlantic, and of course anywhere
that is willing to talk to me. My hope is
to speak with people who know these areas best and
inspire you for your next getaway. If you've been listening
(00:25):
to this show, you probably know that I live in Baltimore.
I've lived here for the last seventeen years of my life,
but my first eighteen years were spent in southern New Hampshire,
right on the border of Massachusetts. I would always tell
people that Boston was my city, and I still might
say that depending on how well the Red Sox are doing.
And while I feel like I have a pretty good
understanding of Massachusetts and all it has to offer, there's
(00:46):
so much in that state that I've not had the
chance to experience. People get an impression that mass is
all about Boston, the Cape or the Witches, and those
certainly are big pieces of the puzzle here, but they're
just pieces. I mean, the history alone that you can
and find in Massachusetts is magical. This country was started
right on those streets, and so much of it has
been preserved so we can still enjoy it. The sports
(01:08):
are great, and no I'm not just talking about their
pro teams. Major and even global sporting events are held
there on an annual basis. And there's the landscape of
the state as a whole. They have everything from beach
to city to small town in the mountains. My favorite
thing about all of that is how close everything is,
so let's talk about it. Joining me today is Kate Fox.
(01:28):
She's the executive director at the Massachusetts Office of Travel
and Tourism. We're gonna have a good chat about my
sort of home state and really dive into all the
many reasons that you need to make a trip up
to New England this Year's.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Nice to meet you, Jip. Thanks for having me on.
Speaker 1 (01:42):
Oh, of course, my pleasure. This is gonna be fun
for me because it's gonna be kind of a trip
back home for me a little bit because I grew
up just north of Massachusetts, right over the border in
New Hampshire, so I spent a lot of time in
mass growing up, and I love going back to visit
when I do get a chance. So it's gonna be
nice to talk about the state that even though I
didn't grow up there, I know very well well.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
And if I do my job, you'll come back for
a visit.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
I'm actually planning to come up a little bit more
now that I've got the granddaughter in the family, the
only one in the family I have to come back
and visit because the grandparents require it.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Yes. Well, fortunately, flights between Baltimore and Boston are very easy.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
That is true. Yeah, between Baltimore and Boston, very easy flight. So, Kate,
tell me more about yourself. How did you end up
in this role.
Speaker 2 (02:23):
So I've been with the Office of Traveling Tourism for
about a year and a half now, and I came
in with the Healy Driscoll administration. Prior to this, I
was the director of Tourism in Salem, Massachusetts, and spent
just about twenty years working in that post and increasing
tourism year round tourism for Salem. Salem is known for
(02:44):
the witch trials of sixteen ninety two, and it was
our challenge to share all of the other remarkable stories
in Salem and reasons to visit the city. Throughout the year.
Salem's also known for its month long celebration of Halloween
called tot Happenings, and about a million people come every
year for October in Salem, and we always wanted to
(03:06):
extend that and ensure people knew that it was a
great place to visit in the summer, spring, fall, and
winter too. So a lot of similar themes for the
work we do in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
I think it must be interesting to work in a
place that's so well known for one thing, because you
know you've got your built in audience, right, Like, you
still want to bring more people in if you can,
but you know you have a built in audience, then
it's about spreading the message the rest of the year.
I was just speaking with some folks from Martha's Vinyard
a few weeks ago, and there's what's kind of the opposite.
It's like, we got summer on lock. We need to
get people in here in the winter and the spring too.
Speaker 2 (03:39):
Yeah. Yeah, When you're iconic for one thing, it's it's
an intriguing challenge to tell the stories that people don't know,
and especially when you know for Salem or for Martha's
Vineyard or anywhere in Massachusetts. We are a really unique
and authentic destination.
Speaker 1 (03:57):
And our Massachusetts too. It's not a big state, but
it is a big state, and there's so much that's
offered in Massachusetts. But so many people get locked in
on say Boston, or locked in on the Cape or
Martha's Vineyard or something like that, but there's so much
else around the state that people can really celebrate and enjoy.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Yeah, we have we break the state down into sixteen regions,
So Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Cape Cod, those are each their
own region for marketing and communications purposes, and we work
with tourism councils in each of the sixteen regions. So
whether it's the Berkshires or Handen County, Franklin County is
one of them. Every time I go out to Franklin County,
(04:37):
I come home and tell my husband I want to
move because it's it's remote. You feel like you have
stepped away from urban living, but you're still two hours
away from the city center and even closer to Springfield
than Amherston and the other cultural hubs in western Massachusetts.
But you're still on a mountaintop on a trail, enjoying
(05:00):
locally brewed beer looking at the stars, and it's something
magical about that part of Massachusetts. And then North central
Massachusetts is you know, rich with farms and they have
new cultural sites that it seems like they're always building
new cultural destinations in central and north central Massachusetts. There's
(05:20):
a new performance venue in Grout and the Groat and
Hill Music Center. It is acoustically perfect, and they have
these incredible performers who are coming from New York and
Boston to you know, it's a mix of folk and
classical and these wonderful performances. And then you've got amazing
(05:43):
inns and restaurants right around the corner. So we're seeing
a lot of those pockets sort of build up what
their capacity is for tourism offerings, and that's attracting people
from Boston from within the state and the people who
are traveling up to Massachusetts from further afield, whether it's
the Baltimore market or the New York market or the
DC market.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
I love hearing the way you describe all of the
opportunities in Massachusetts. It's how I describe what it was
like to grow up there in that area, because you know,
for me, it was forty five minutes to Hampton Beach
in New Hampshire, or you know, I could even go
on the Massachusetts shore as well, like Salisbury or something.
It was an hour to some of the best mountains
in New England. It was forty five minutes, you know,
(06:25):
north of Boston. Everything was so within reach that you
really didn't have to spend that much time in your
car to get to whatever you actually wanted. And it
was just looking back on it, like here in Baltimore,
it's like, oh, I got a three hour drive to
go to the ocean, and for them it's normal, But
for me, I'm like, man, I got to spend more
than forty five minutes to get to the ocean. What's
going on?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
It's remarkable.
Speaker 1 (06:46):
It is a very unique place in that way where
you have a little bit of everything so close to you.
Speaker 2 (06:51):
We are spoiled and being able to hop in the
car and drive out to the Berkshires to take in
something like mass Mocha or the Clark Museum and then
spend time in the downtowns of the Berkshire communities and
do some shopping and dining. And we pride ourselves on
our craft beverage community, whether it's beer, cider or the distilleries,
(07:14):
like there's always something interesting and local to pour in
your glass, and great farm to table restaurants across the state.
So I often take for granted our great dining scene
and the culinary tourism that we can take advantage of
throughout Massachusetts. But it's all about a three hour drive away.
It's perfect.
Speaker 1 (07:35):
Well, you mentioned earlier to history, and Massachusetts has no
shortage of history. I mean it goes back to the
very beginning, as we all know, because Thanksgiving wasn't too
long ago, and we talked about all of that stuff
with there. But Massachusetts two fifty, this is a new
initiative that's going to be coming up next year. Tell
me more about it.
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Sure. So we've just launched in September the new Massachusetts
two fifty campaign, and it's a celebration of Massachusett and
why it's still revolutionary and we're doing that through the
lens of Massachusetts. First, so you mentioned Thanksgiving. I like
to say the Pilgrims were the first Taurus as it
started back in sixteen twenty. But we were also the
(08:14):
first shot heard around the world in Lexington and conquered
for the Revolution. Paul Revere's bride was so significant. We've
got the first Navy ship in which was depending who
you ask, Marblehead or Beverly, Massachusetts. And ever since we've
had first, we've been setting the table for all of
(08:35):
the growth, whether it's through history, through culture, through science
and tech and innovation. There are things happening across Massachusetts
and so we want to use the two fifty campaign
to commemorate the history, do some reframing and retelling as appropriate,
to make sure that we are giving some lyft to
untold stories and making sure the people who might have
(08:56):
been left out of the original history books get their time,
and then also celebrate where we're going in the future.
Massachusetts is an awesome place to live, to work, and
to visit, and we're going to use that m a
two fifty campaign to tell that it.
Speaker 1 (09:10):
Is kind of remarkable to look at the past in
this country and moving forward in Massachusetts always does seem
to be on the forefront of many things. A lot
of inspiration there. I mean, the education system there is
pretty remarkable all around, and you've got these people at
these very high powered universities like MIT and Harvard that
are you know, looking to change things and looking to
(09:31):
plan for what's going to be coming next. And it's
kind of fascinating how much Massachusetts does have, how much
it has its hold on just this country in general.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
Well, we we have, as you said, a hub of education,
it's a hub of innovation. We have international countries that
are setting up shop here in Massachusetts to develop new products.
We and then you know, we've got the retailers and
the lifestyle brand, new balances here, Converse is here, Life
is Good is here. Lego just moved in down the street.
(10:03):
So we've got great brands. And then we've got all
our sports teams that help tell the story as well.
So it's just a really fulfilling place to live. And
that attracts visitors. I think a great place to live
is a great place to visit, and so that attracts
visitors from near and far.
Speaker 1 (10:21):
Yeah, and you also mean you started to mention a
little bit too, but like lifestyle too. I mean you
talked about this new music space in Groton. I just
went to the road Runner in Boston a few months
ago over the first time. What a beautiful venue that is.
I mean, just a remarkable place to see music and
that's just in that part, but you've got places all
across the state too that bring in national acts that
people want to come through and see. And not even
(10:43):
just music, but you've got music goals, you've got plays,
all these different things. They all come through the Massachusetts area.
Speaker 2 (10:50):
Yeah, and we're really excited for film industry as well,
which has come back after the strikes, and we have
several major projects filming in Massachusetts, which is really it's
putting people back to work in the film industry, and
I think it's a point of pride for the communities
that are hosting base camps and film project projects around
(11:11):
the state. So it's we love to see film coming back.
And then it's great to have a movie like Challengers
with Sundaya came out in twenty twenty four and to
be able to go and be like, oh, I know
where that is, and I know where that is. So,
you know, going back to Jaws, which was really they're
going to mark their fiftieth anniversary next year, so the
Martha's Vineyard crew is real. They're ready, They're ready for Jaws.
(11:33):
But you know, that was the beginning of the film office,
which is part of tourism in Massachusetts, and they call
it set jetting, people who were choosing their travel destinations
based on what they're seeing on screen. So we welcome that,
whether it's Jaws or The Perfect Storm or hocus Pocus,
all the films across the state that have filmed here.
We love having people come in and use that as
(11:55):
the catalyst for their visit.
Speaker 1 (11:56):
And I cannot wait. My daughter is four years old now,
and I cannot wait till she's a little bit older
and we can do the Freedom Trail and do that lot,
because even though it was like a field trip, an
educational field trip for me, I still feel like that
was something that I will never forget doing growing up
as a youth in that area.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah. Oh, the Freedom Trail. I mean it's like a
quintessential memory for so many people to go and take
that walk and end at the Bunker Hill Monument and
you know, see if you feel hardy enough to climb
the Bunker Hill Monument. But it's there are amazing sites
and it's it's real authentic history.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
You can't export that one thing that we also can't
seem to export the same way because we just have
some really amazing sports teams up there. And I say
we because I still am a sports Massachusetts sports fan
at heart. You've got a lot of really great stuff.
I know you've got some big events that are coming
into Massachusetts here in the near future, but I'm sure
you get a lot of folks that travel up. Maybe
not so much to see the Patriots these days, but
(12:53):
you've got the Celtics who just came off a championship
run last year. The Bruins are always a solid Yeah.
I mean, you've got people that come in to see
this wonderful the wonderful athletics that you have in the
state too.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
Yeah. I mean, Boston fans are nothing if we aren't devoted.
So we're still buying the tickets, We're still going to games.
We ever hope, ever hopeful, But certainly the Celtics have
a huge international pull. We were just at a travel
show in London and people are so excited to come
over and experience a Celtics game, a Patriots game, of
(13:23):
Ruins game, and that's really exciting. Twenty twenty six, we're
going to be hosting seven games for FIFA World Cup.
We can't wait for that, including a quarter final. So
that is we're all we are all simmering with excitement
around FIFA. And right after FIFA leaves sale, Boston comes
into port as the final stop for the America two
(13:44):
fifty op Sale, which will come up from it starts
actually New Orleans and then comes up the coast and
we'll be in New York City for fourth of July
and then comes into Boston for July eleventh. And so
we're going to have more than thirty tall ships from
around the world, you know, all the teams and the
fans for World Cup. And so twenty twenty six is
(14:05):
going to be amazing. And then this year, or I
should say twenty twenty five. Next year, we're hosting the
Figure Skating Worlds at the Boston Garden, which has a
huge fan base and is going to bring a ton
of people into Boston to see and support the figure
skating that's going to be happening here. And that's going
to be an amazing week too.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
That'll be so much fun because that is it's not
something that gets the same publicity I say, NFL or NBA,
but like there is a devoted fan base to figure skating.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Yes, I'm learning all about it and I actually as
a kid, I did learn how to figure skate, so
I remember it a little bit, but I'm really excited
to go to some of the competition. When the world's
are here, it's going to be right in our backyard,
so we have to take advantage. And then, you know,
you get away from the pro sports and we have
(14:54):
Cape Cod Baseball League, which is a quintessential summer memory
for so many people. I love going to the Cape
Cod League games. And we have the NCAA Lacrosse Championships
coming in in twenty twenty five. We've got Division three
hockey Championships and tournaments being played. So there's sports everywhere
(15:17):
in Massachusetts, whether it's you know, the pro sports, the
youth sports, and everything in between, and it's a great
reason to get out and explore the state.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
Going back to what you said about the World Cup,
the FIFA World Cup coming in, I don't remember what
year it was the Craft family purchased the Patriots, but
they have really leaned into soccer in New England and
they it's a game changer. I mean, having seven games
from the World Cup in that area that's going to
be enormous for the economy. I mean, the people that
travel for the World Cup, that's intense. So I mean,
(15:48):
just I know they've just leaned, They've leaned heavily into
soccer in New England over the years, the last few decades,
and I just think it's remarkable what they've done because
they've built that culture there that will bring in a
FIFA World Cup that will a lot of cities are
desperately wanting right now.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
Yeah, and tickets, I mean, the Revolution is such a
great take to go and watch soccer when it's not
a World Cup situation. We've got a new professional women's
soccer league and development. We have our new women's hockey
league that is just starting their second season. So there's
a lot of enthusiasm around all the sports men's sports,
women's sports, and it's a great reason to get out
(16:25):
and do things in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (16:27):
Tell me more about the Made Possible campaign.
Speaker 2 (16:31):
Oh well, I'm calling it my mad Libs campaign if
you remember mad Libs. So we created this is our
domestic marketing campaign that we launched over the summer and
it is everything made possible in Massachusetts. So it's a
really flexible campaign where we can celebrate you know, fireside relaxation,
(16:51):
made possible, and we can celebrate you know, group tours
made possible and the historic venues made So we're having
a lot of fun stretching this made Possible campaign across
the state to promote all of the things to do
and to see and whether it's active tourism and we're
promoting going to the museums or culinary tourism and getting
(17:15):
into the restaurants and taking advantage of farmed table opportunities.
We love to support our creative economy and cultural tourism
and plugging in artists wherever we can. So's it's been
a really fun campaign to deploy. We've got print assets,
digital and we've done video commercials as well, So having
(17:38):
a lot of fun working with that and seeing how
it stretches across the state.
Speaker 1 (17:43):
Kate, are you a Massachusetts native?
Speaker 2 (17:47):
No?
Speaker 1 (17:47):
Okay, the truth is that where are you from?
Speaker 2 (17:51):
I'm a New Yorker by birth.
Speaker 1 (17:53):
Oh wow, and you ended up in Massachusetts promoting they did?
Speaker 2 (17:56):
I did? Yeah, And I remember the day I walked
into Fenway and became a Red Sox fan, like I
remember the switch, okay, from Yankees to Red Sox because
I actually lived in Manhattan. Jeter's rookie year. It was
a lot of good baseball that year. Oh sure, Yeah.
And then I found myself in Massachusetts and we've been
(18:19):
here twenty eight years, I think, and so it's definitely
home now. We've raised our kids here and it's it's
a great place to live, and I often count my
blessings to live and work in Massachusetts.
Speaker 1 (18:35):
I love that for you. I love that you you
were able to make that switch, because I imagine that
could be a tough challenge, especially New York to Massachusetts.
Speaker 2 (18:42):
Yeah, we have people on the Mott team actually who
have not been able to make that switch. Okay, so yeah,
so we leave space for that. I understand you're welcoming. Yeah, yeah,
I do. I do remember that mind shift. When I
walked in I think it was the second time I
went to Fenna, I was like, I'm a Red Sox
fan now, so.
Speaker 1 (19:00):
There is something magical about that park, I do. I
went up there for the first time. I hadn't been
to a Red Sox game at Fenway. I live in Baltimore,
so I get to see the Red Sox a lot
when they come down to play the Orioles. But I
hadn't been to Fenway in a while, and I just
happened to be in town. And as much as I
love going to the park, gosh, I hate the seats
so much.
Speaker 2 (19:19):
They are they are made for small people. Yeah, they
actually played high school football at Fenway for Thanksgiving. In Massachusetts,
the high school rivalry games are on Thanksgiving and Fenway
hosted games the days two days before Thanksgiving. So I
was there for a football game in the cold last week.
And that's cool, super super fun drinking hot chocolate watching
(19:42):
high school football on the field.
Speaker 1 (19:44):
I know it's not a problem that we're going to
solve today, but I always wonder what is going to happen,
Like eventually that stadium will not be able to exist anymore,
and I just wonder, what what does that look like?
What what happens?
Speaker 2 (19:56):
You know, I can and I cannot entertain that it's
not going to happen here. Ever, that whole neighborhood relies
on that O and it's just it's it's so iconic,
and so they've made they have continued to make updates
and investments in the park and it's still beautiful and
such a great experience to go to a game there.
(20:16):
We've got the Savannah Bananas coming back in twenty twenty five,
and then they do their concerts at Fenway now, so
there there are more reasons to experience Fenway than the
Red Sox, and I think that's opened up the park
to a lot of new audiences.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
And I also know that coming up here in a
few months, we did mention the Figure Skating Championships, but
you're also going to have the Boston Marathon again, the
annual event that happens It's April every year, right, happens
in April or April. Yeah, I mean, just that's something
that I never thought in my life I would watch
running on TV, But like I always make an effort
to watch that when it's on TV. There's something special
about that event.
Speaker 2 (20:52):
It's the Marathon's amazing. I've volunteered at it a couple
of times because I'm never going to run twenty six
miles myself, but I have volunteered to work water stops
and it's really amazing to see. You know, the elite
runners are fantastic and just a miracle as they fly
by you. But it's everybody after the elite runners who
(21:15):
have been training for this one marathon or you know,
they've trained for marathons to qualify for this one, and
then all of the people who are out there doing
their absolute best for a charity run, and you know,
you go through all of the emotions as you watch
the marathon runners come through the course, and it's it's
a really remarkable experience. I highly recommend people take in,
(21:37):
you know, if it's not a Boston Marathon, if you
use it as an excuse to come here, taking in
a marathon in the city of your choice, it's really
such a testament to human drive to get something done,
something really hard. But we also in addition to Boston Marathon,
we have triathlon in Springfield now, so if there are
any triathletes out there. The iron Man has been done
(22:01):
in Springfield in the spring. I think we're going on
the third year for their Iron Man and Chris. Springfield
is home to the Basketball Hall of Fame, so people
going out to Springfield can celebrate basketball, they can celebrate
Doctor Seuss. You can hop up to Amherst and get
some Eric Carl into your blood. The Eric Carl Museum
is up there. So lots of reasons to move around
(22:22):
the state for sports and creativity.
Speaker 1 (22:24):
Yeah, we haven't given a lot of love to Western
Massachusetts yet, so I'm glad you brought that up because
I feel like that's the part of mass it always
kind of gets forgotten, you know.
Speaker 2 (22:32):
I know, and you can't you know, it's you can't
forget Western Massachusetts. There are just so many gems out there,
and it's an easy drive, whether you go out the
Pike or you go out route to It's known of
course for fall foliage and taking in the Mohawk Trail
and the beautiful vistas and the trees changing. But with
all of the restaurants and the cultural sites, it's definitely
(22:55):
worth a stay. And it's also a great way to escape.
And there's so much outdoor recreation to take advantage of,
so whitewater rafting, a lot of ziplines. Yeah, we have,
you know, families. I know my family used to love
to do this where we'd go ziplining together, which is
great when you're afraid of heights, but your kids really
want to do it, and so you can do that
(23:16):
in the Berks years, you can do that on the cape.
So lots of opportunity for really fun family excursions.
Speaker 1 (23:22):
Well, Kate, I think we've given about as great of
an overview as we possibly can about an entire state
with so much to offer as Massachusetts has. But is
there a place that people should go if they want
to find out some more information or start planning their trip.
What's the best like central location?
Speaker 2 (23:36):
Well, yes, Jeff, I'm glad you asked so. Our website
is VISITMA dot com okay, and you can find us
on social at visit M and on all the channels.
If you're interested in the Massachusetts two fifty campaign and
the telling of the first and how Massachusetts continues to
be revolutionary, that website is Massachusetts two fifty dot org.
(23:59):
But visit is a great starting point and you can
find your way around the regions and also find your
way to the M two to fifty site from there
as well. Well.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
Kate Fox, executive director at the Massachusetts Office of Travel
and Tourism, it has been a pleasure. Thank you for
letting me reminisce a little bit about places and things
that I haven't seen or done in quite some time.
But it's great. Keep up the good work and keep
spreading the word about Massachusetts.
Speaker 2 (24:21):
Thanks so much for the time. I appreciate the invitation
to join you today.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
Big thank you to Kate Fox. Yeah, it just felt
nice to be able to reminisce a little bit about
the things and places that I've known for so long.
Be sure to visit mass dot gov to start planning
your trip. And thank you to all of you for
listening to this episode of the Delightful Destinations podcast. I
appreciate you. Until next time, be well.
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