Halfway between Worcester and Springfield on US-20, near the junction of I-90 and I-84, the restored and reconstructed Old Sturbridge Village (Jan Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; mid-Feb to March, Nov & Dec daily 10am-4pm; April-Oct daily 9am-5pm; $20), made up of preserved buildings brought from all over the region, gives a somewhat idealized but engaging portrait of a small New England town of the 1830s. As in other places like it, costumed interpreters act out roles - working in blacksmiths' shops, planting and harvesting vegetables, tending cows and the like - but they pull it off in an unusually convincing manner. The 200-acre site itself, with mature trees, ponds and dirt footpaths, is very pretty, and with all its crafts and diversions you could easily spend half a day here. The nearby Old Sturbridge Village Lodges (tel 508/347-3327 or 1-800/SEE-1830, ; $75-100), owned by the museum, is a reasonable place to stay; the American Motor Lodge, on Hwy-20 W at I-84 exit 3B, Sturbridge (tel 508/347-9121 or 1-877/738-4801; $50-75), costs a bit less.

Old Sturbridge Village

• Old Sturbridge Village

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