An Hour From Boston Is Massachusetts' Scenic City With River Views, Tasty Eats, And A Vibrant Culture

As the location of the first enduring settlement in New England, Massachusetts is dotted with historic towns. One of them, Fall River, was well known as the "Textile Capital of the World" for its extensive cotton mills in the 19th century. Though the impressive buildings from this era still line its waterfront, this city isn't stuck in the past. Fall River, an easy side trip while exploring the Boston area, is also an artsy city with an exciting restaurant scene.

Southeastern Massachusetts was originally the home of the Wampanoag people. In 1659, they sold plots of land to the Plymouth colonists in Freeman's Purchase. One plot sat at the mouth of the Taunton River, the longest river in New England that isn't obstructed by a dam. A town, called Freetown, was built in what became the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the early 19th century, Fall River separated from Freetown; the city was briefly renamed Troy, and its first cotton mill opened. But it soon reclaimed the name Fall River, from the Algonquian word for "Falling Water," and, by 1910, it had more than 100 mills that employed 30,000 people.

Since their production started declining in the 1920s, due to Southern competition and the Great Depression, the city has spent years revitalizing its waterfront and historic buildings. Fall River, an hour south of Boston, an iconic New England gem with breathtaking parks and river walks, is now home to more than 95,000 people.

Fall River is now made up of numerous neighborhoods and specialized zoning districts. The Fall River Waterfront Cultural District (FRWCD) reinvigorated the mills and created scenic walkways and green parks along the river. Its Bicentennial Trail and Boardwalk, an elevated boardwalk that's a little over 2 miles long, connects Bicentennial Park, home to an 80% to-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, with Battleship Cove, where World War II battleships are docked. Along the way, you'll pass through Fall River Heritage State Park, which is home to the Fall River Carousel, a restored carousel with hand-carved horses.

The Bicentennial Trail and Boardwalk meets the Arts Overlay District (AOD), which intersects the Waterfront and Transit-Oriented Development District (WTOD) and Commercial Mill District (CMD). The AOD features the Narrows Center for the Arts, which hosts indoor and outdoor performances. Just across the street from the Narrows Center is the Maritime Museum, famous for its Titanic exhibit with a model from the 1953 film. Around the corner from the Maritime Museum is the Gates of the City monument. Fall River's Gates of the City site is a duplicate of those in Ponta Delgada, the capital of Portugal's autonomous Azores archipelago, as so many Azoreans live in Fall River. 

Elsewhere in Fall River, multiple historic districts are listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to their 19th- and 20th-century architecture. One of them, Corky Row, is the location of the Lizzie Borden House, the site of an infamous double murder. Borden allegedly murdered her parents with an axe in 1892, though the case remains unsolved to this day. The historic house is now a haunted B&B in Massachusetts that's perfect for a Halloween getaway.

As you stroll through these districts, you'll be tempted by delicious and culturally diverse food. Nearly half of the city's residents have Portuguese heritage — including its most famous son, Emeril Lagasse — so traditional Portuguese food is served everywhere from Barcelos Bakery, known for its cheese sandwiches, to Sagres Restaurant, one of the country's first Portuguese restaurants.

Portuguese isn't the only international cuisine found here, though. An Englishman introduced pork pies, considered the city's first fast food, in 1900, and they're still sold at Hartley's Original Pork Pies. El Sabor de Mi Tierra Restaurante Ecuatoriano recently introduced Ecuadorian food to Fall River in 2024. Plus, given Fall River's waterfront location, seafood is abundant. Higson's Seafood is a casual spot for fish and chips, while The Cove serves lobster rolls in an upscale dining room with river views.

Fall River is only 55 miles south of Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), which receives nonstop flights from cities all around the world. From Boston, you can ride the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) Fall River-New Bedford line from South Station to Fall River Depot in the city's center. A second option is to fly to Providence. While Rhode Island T.F. Green International Airport (PVD) is a much smaller airport, you can still fly there from 35 cities around the country. Best of all, this surprising little airport with affordable parking and nice amenities is only 25 miles across the Rhode Island border from Fall River.