New England may offer a colder climate and fewer opportunities for sunshine than the country's more vacation-friendly West Coast, but this north-eastern region remains a popular destination for tourists in the United States. Consisting of the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, New England - one of America's most historical locations - boasts a busy produce industry that counts seafood, potatoes and maple syrup among its main exports. However, if you're planning a visit to New England and only have time to visit one location, make it Boston, Massachusetts - the region's largest city by population.

As one of America's earliest founded cities, Boston is famous as the site of some of the most important turning points in the American Revolutionary War. From the Boston Tea Party of 1773 to the Midnight Ride of Paul Revere in 1775, Boston's rich heritage is reflected in its diversity of museums and galleries. When in Boston, make sure you visit the Harvard Museum of Natural History, the MIT Museum, the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum and the Museum of Science, among a host of other attractions.

Moreover, Boston is renowned as one of the United States' foremost centres of education and higher learning. Often referred to as "the Athens of America", the Greater Boston area is home to more than 100 colleges and universities - from the likes of Harvard University (located across the river in Cambridge), MIT and Tufts University to smaller conservatories and art schools, including the Massachusetts College of Art, the Boston Conservatory and School of the Museum of Fine Arts. As a result, it boasts a lively, youthful atmosphere that makes it irresistible to many a visitor.

Indeed, Boston's vibrant urban lifestyle and cosmopolitan culture has won the hearts of many. Among the numerous novels that have been set in or near Boston are Henry James' "The Bostonians", "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner and, most recently, Zadie Smith's "On Beauty". Moreover, Boston has been represented on screen numerous times, in popular TV shows like Cheers and Ally McBeal as well as iconic Hollywood films, including Good Will Hunting and Martin Scorcese's The Departed. So anyone planning a visit to Boston is sure to have an immediate frame of reference in mind.

If you're visiting Boston, make sure you don't miss out on its native cuisine, which generally presents itself as a fine example of the food you'd find in New England. Among the most well-known Boston dishes are New England clam chowder, lobsters, steamed or fried clams and fish and chips. Boston also offers visitors and residents a variety of first-class restaurants, including the Union Oyster House - the USA's oldest operating restaurant.

Finding a hotel in Boston during your visit is easy too, as many of Boston's hotels are located in its downtown Theatre District. From here, you'll find it's simple to locate Boston's main performance venues, its busy Chinatown or the calming Boston Public Garden, as well as a host of other central locations in the city. So you'll truly be able to appreciate New England's premier city in style!