Twenty-five miles north of Boston, and two hundred twenty five miles from New York City, you’ll find the fourth largest city of Massachusetts, Lowell.  It’s also the location of the United State’s tribute to the Industrial Revolution from the 19th Century. You’ll find mill buildings here, restored, as well as more than two miles of trolley track and canal boats.  There’s a three thousand plus seat auditorium, which offers to the residents and tourists concerts and performances at reasonable prices.  In fact, if theater is what you like, you’ll also find here one of the Northeast’s repertory theater companies.

Check into one of the hotels Lowell provides for its travelers, and you’ll find a host of activities in this community which is built around the Merrimack River and a system of canals that once provided the energy that early manufacturers needed to run their mills.  The purpose of the canals have changed over time, and now you’ll find they’re a part of the city’s character.  Events are planned around them, such as a folk festival that brings in about two hundred thousand people each year, as well as Riverfest, First Night and Fourth of July fireworks.

Year round, though, you’ll find that the museums provide a chance to delve into the past, going back to see how people lived in the first days of the industrial age, with booming textile factories.  You’ll find out these facts in any number of interesting museums, such as the Textile Museum, the Working Peoples and Immigrants Museum and the Boott Cotton Mills Museum.  The Lowell National Historic Park appears to go out of its way to provide a relaxing setting amid the trolley cars and canal boats.  If you’re looking for a part of true Americana, you don’t have to look much farther than Lowell, Massachusetts.