From historic villages to cutting-edge galleries, verdant mountains to granite shores, clam shacks to covered bridges, New England's scenic and cultural treasures are unparalleled.

The history of New England is the history of America. It's the Pilgrims who came ashore at Plymouth Rock, the minutemen who fought for independence from Britain, and the abolitionists who challenged America's legacy of slavery. It's the ponderings of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the protests of Harriet Beecher Stowe. It's hundreds of years of poets and philosophers: progressive thinkers who dared to dream and dared to do. It's liberty-loving citizens not afraid to challenge the status quo, as well as generations of immigrants, who have shaped New England into the dynamic region that it is today.

Hikers, bikers, kayakers and skiers all find their bliss among the rolling hills and rocky peaks of the ancient Appalachian range – from Massachusetts' birch-covered Berkshires and Vermont's lush Green Mountains to the towering White Mountains of New Hampshire and Maine. Some of America's prettiest inland lakes and nearly 5000 miles of coastline mean that New Englanders have unlimited opportunities for fishing, swimming, surfing, sailing and sunbathing. So pack your sunglasses and your sunblock and settle in for some quality time by the lakeside or the Atlantic shore.

To get a taste of New England, check out the calendar of events celebrating local delicacies, such as Maine lobsters, Wellfleet oysters and Vermont beer. Blessed with a burgeoning locavore movement and a wealth of international culinary influences, New England cuisine fuses the best of both worlds. A pile of pancakes drenched in maple syrup; fresh farm produce and sharp cheddar cheese; fish and shellfish straight from the sea; exotic dishes with influences of Portugal, Italy or Asia: this is just a sampling of the epicurean delights that travelers will find in New England.