19 western Mass. tourism attractions receive state grants

BOSTON (WWLP) – The state has awarded $5.9 million in grants to 61 cultural and tourism projects statewide, including nineteen in western Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism’s Destination Development Capital (DDC) grant program offers funding for multiple projects such as expanding, constructing, restoring, or renovating tourism destinations and attractions across the state.

According to a 2023 state report , direct spending by domestic and international visitors totaled
$24.2 billion in Calendar Year (CY) 2022 which supported 131,200 jobs and $6.0 billion in wages and salaries.

“Massachusetts is a world-class destination thanks to our rich culture and iconic landmarks,” said Governor Maura Healey. “With these grants, we are supporting small businesses, driving job creation, and investing in local and regional economies across the state. Many of the destinations we are supporting with these grants are tied to our revolutionary past and will have a critical role to play in our upcoming MA250 celebrations.”

“Our state’s tourism industry remains an important part of our economic development strategy,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. “These grants to Massachusetts’ unique cultural assets will help ensure the state remains premier destination for travelers around the globe, and we are proud to announce these investments.”

“Tourism, the arts, and cultural institutions are important drivers of our economy here in Massachusetts, and perhaps nowhere more so than in the Berkshires and Western Massachusetts. The Destination Development Capital Grant program is an important partnership where state government is able to directly support the local institutions that grow jobs, provide educational experiences, and enhance the lives and vibrancy of our communities,” said Senator Paul Mark (D-Beckett). “I am grateful to the Healey Driscoll administration for their hard work ensuring that every part of our Commonwealth is receiving the support needed for our tourism economy to thrive.”

“Local tourism assets are anchors of our communities, fueling our commonwealth’s tourism economy. I’m excited that the awards announced today provide necessary capital funds to a variety of institutions from every corner of the commonwealth,” said Representative Mindy Domb (D-Amherst). “Together these awards will surely support the economic development so closely connected to the tourism sector, promote further visitation, and encourage cross-commonwealth excursions.”

Below is the full list of grant recipients and project information:

• Amherst- The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art – $166,000 Upgrading the exterior of the building.
• Aquinnah Town of Aquinnah $200,000 Repairing the curtain wall and lantern deck of the historic Gay Head Lighthouse.
• Arlington Town of Arlington $200,000 Installing a memorial park at the Foot of the Rocks Battlefield’s site at the intersection of two major roads while improving site conditions to make the space both ADA-accessible and climate-resilient.
• Becket- Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival – $200,000 Supporting landscape design and gardens surrounding the new Doris Duke Theatre and the green roof plantings for this facility.
• Boston Freedom Trail Foundation $100,000 Replacing and installing new wayfinding and location signage along Boston’s iconic Freedom Trail in collaboration with official Freedom Trail historic sites and the City of Boston.
• Boston Huntington Theatre Company $125,000 Designing and engineering plans for constructing The Huntington’s upcoming East Wing, Phase II of the Huntington Theatre Renovation and Expansion Project in the lead-up to an anticipated mid-2026 construction launch.
• Boston Museum of Fine Arts $125,000 The entrances will be upgraded to improve accessibility into the building and gallery spaces.
• Boston Museum of Science $200,000 Upgrading accessibility in the Blue Wing by converting the current restroom on the 2nd floor into an everyone restroom.
• Boston Old North Church $18,500 Stabilizing and repairing two interior staircases that access the galleries in the Old North Church sanctuary.
• Boston Paul Revere Memorial Association $10,000 Improve ticket booth entrance to the Paul Revere House before the 250th anniversary of Paul Revere’s ride.
• Boston Revolutionary Spaces $212,500 This project transformed Old South Meeting House into an immersive multimedia theater, delivered a riveting historical drama in its original setting, and established it as a civic community space.
• Boston USS Massachusetts Commissioning Foundation $100,000 Upgrading Fort Independence to ADA standards to facilitate the USS MASSACHUSETTS commissioning ceremony, a week-long event commemorating the newest US Navy submarine.
• Boston Wang Center for the Performing Arts $150,000 Upgrading the sound systems at the Wang Theatre, which will include cutting-edge sound upgrades.
• Concord Town of Concord $27,000 Installing a set of benches to facilitate pedestrian activity connecting Concord Center, North Bridge and the Thoreau Depot MBTA Commuter Rail, a stretch of 1.5 miles
• Concord Concord Museum $5,000 Installing a permanent sign at the Concord Museum, at the intersection of Concord Turnpike and Lexington Road to provide wayfinding and a welcome to visitors.
• Dennis Dennis Chamber of Commerce $10,000 Replacing seven windows and building siding with new windows and wood shingles.
• Dennis Eventide Arts $7,530 Purchasing Lavalier microphones and connecting equipment for the theatre.
• Easthampton- CitySpace – $52,800 Improving Easthampton Old Town Hall’s first floor and tower by repairing and upgrading the foyer, performance venue, and tower, solidifying its status as a premier arts destination.
• Florence- Bombyx Center for Arts & Equity- $8,444 Modernize the commercial kitchen to increase event attendance and energy efficiency.
• Fall River Narrows Center for the Arts $75,000 Installing a Double Face Internally Illuminated Blade Sign and a two-sided Illuminated Canopy Marquee.
• Gloucester The Gloucester Adventure $100,000 Restoring and repairing the National Historic Landmark fishing schooner, Adventure.
• Gloucester The Hammond Museum $100,000 Restoring Hammond Castle Museum’s tower, stained glass Rose Window, and 8,400-pipe one-of-a-kind organ.
• Great Barrington- Embrace Boston – $150,000 Creating the W.E.B. Du Bois memorial before the Mason Public Library.
• Greenfield- Franklin County Agricultural Society- $75,000 Improving Franklin County Fairgrounds’ walkways to be ADA accessible.
• Hancock- Hancock Shaker Village – $125,000 Renovating the visitor center and Center for Shaker Studies.
• Haverhill Buttonwoods Museum $13,850 Installing ductless mini-split heat to improve tourist comfort levels in the museum’s Visitor Center and Tenney Hall spaces.
• Haverhill Historic New England $125,000 Activating Haverhill’s historic Burgess Building by building a public Welcome Center for the Historic New England Center for Preservation and Collections.
• Hingham The 1686 Old Ordinary House Museum $200,000 Renovating an underutilized workspace in the Old Ordinary for long-term use as handicap-accessible restrooms and construct accessible paths to that restroom so the improved facilities serve the Old Ordinary and the Benjamin Lincoln House, located across the street.
• Holyoke- International Volleyball Hall of Fame – $50,000 Reimagining the beach volleyball exhibit to honor this rapidly growing sport.
• Hull The Hull Lifesaving Museum $125,000 Restoring the interior of its historic boathouse.
• Hyannis John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum $8,900 Redesigning and replacing 35 Kennedy Legacy Trail wayfinding “sidewalk dots” for the 1.6-mile, self-guided walking trail in downtown Hyannis, which features ten significant sites related to President Kennedy and his family.
• Lee- Lee Chamber of Commerce – $7,000 Updating the Lee Welcome Center both inside and outside the building.
• Lenox-The Mount – $200,000 Enhancing the entrance and parking field at the Mount.
• Lenox- Boston Symphony Orchestra, Inc. – $125,000 Replacing 30-year-old HVAC equipment serving Ozawa Hall, Tanglewood’s 1,200-seat performance venue.
• Lenox- Ventfort Hall Association – $55,000 Excavating, re-building, re-surfacing, and adding lighting to the driveway and visitor parking area.
• Ludlow- Lupa Zoo $35,000 Installing a security gate and live-feed camera surveillance at the entrance of the Zoo.
• Marblehead Marblehead Arts Association $10,000 t is adding an ADA bathroom on the first floor of its home, the historic 1728 King Hooper Mansion. There is currently no bathroom on the first floor and no ADA bathroom in the building.
• Medway Medway Community Farm $50,000 Creating an event/education venue in the form of a 28 x 36 covered pavilion, a storage shed, and fencing to define the event yard.
• Nantucket Nantucket Historical Association $200,000 Replacing the primary elevator in the Whaling Museum.
• New Bedford New Bedford Art Museum $75,000 Expanding current restroom facilities to accommodate increased visitor capacity resulting from a significant renovation of the building.
• New Bedford New Bedford Historical Society $84,000 Upgrading the electrical systems and repairing, painting, and stabilizing the exterior of the Johnson House, as well as providing educational signage for the facility.
• North Grafton Willard House & Clock Museum $8,000 Repairing and repainting the exterior.
• Oak Bluffs Cottagers’ Corner $125,000 This interactive experience allows tourists to learn about Martha’s Vineyard’s most prolific and mysterious historical buildings.
• Plymouth General Society of Mayflower Descendants $100,000 Making the entrance of the Mayflower Meetinghouse accessible.
• Plymouth Plimoth Patuxet Museums $200,000 Connect revolutionary ideas that started in Massachusetts in 1620 to the American Revolution 150 years later, the museums will invest in its facilities by making them safer and more modern while maintaining historic integrity
• Quincy City of Quincy Tourism $125,000 Installing ductless mini-split heat to improve comfort levels for tourists in the museum’s Visitor Center and Tenney Hall spaces.
• Salem City of Salem $200,000 Preserve the Old Town Hall building envelope with masonry repairs, slate roof preservation, window restoration, installation of historically appropriate exterior storm windows, repair of exterior doors, and air sealing to reduce energy use and improve year-round comfort.
• Salem The House of the Seven Gables $45,000 Expanding the Derby Street pedestrian entrance peninsula and signage will create a more welcoming and safe street presence.
• Sandwich Sandwich Chamber of Commerce $15,000 Upgrading the Sandwich Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center with new display racks, visitor kiosks, CRM systems, and website development.
• Springfield- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame – $200,000 Designing and engineering a multi-media exhibit that educates and engages visitors in all facets of the journey and the preparation, participation, and significance of a basketball championship.
• Springfield- Springfield Museums – $125,000 Performing exterior preservation work to preserve the historic museum by cleaning the limestone and replacing 90-year-old original windows.
• Springfield- Springfield Redevelopment Authority – $75,000 Investing in 200 Boulder Drive/Building 3, which has stood vacant since 1998, to restore the former GE Machine Shop into a regional conference center.
• Topsfield Essex Agricultural Society $200,000 Upgrading Topsfield Fair Infrastructure, including water central repair and electrical upgrades.
• West Springfield- Eastern States Exposition – $40,000 Installing new HVAC equipment in the Potter House will preserve antiquities and allow the public to access more of them.
• Weymouth Town of Weymouth $200,000 Revitalizing and restoring the Emery Estate by replacing asbestos roof shingles and restoring the historic exteriors.
• Williamstown- Community Images – $40,000 Elevating Images Cinema’s profile as a cultural destination by initiating a project’s design and engineering phase to renovate its 150-seat auditorium.
• Williamstown- Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute – $100,000 Planning and implementing a new ticketing, point-of-sale, and CRM system better to meet the institution’s current and future needs.
• Winchester Griffin Museum of Photography $65,000 The facility is being updated for enhanced energy efficiency, including more efficient climate control for the Arthur Griffin Archive and exhibition spaces.
• Woburn City of Woburn $30,000 Revitalizing the historic Battle Road in Woburn with interpretive signage, a granite monument, and a native pollinator garden will commemorate the City’s Revolutionary War contributions and enhance tourism.
• Worcester Worcester Center for Performing Arts $35,000 Installing state-of-the-art, visually appealing signage to enhance visitor navigation and highlight the Hanover Theatre & Conservatory’s presence.

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