DETAILS

Boston's South Shore

GETTING THERE: AirTran has direct round-trip flights from BWI to Logan Airport for about $90. JetBlue and United fly there from Dulles for about $135. And flights from Reagan National start at about $240 on American.

To begin your drive from Logan Airport, take Interstate 93 south to Route 3 south, then turn left at the bottom of the ramp at Exit 14. If you're driving from Washington, take I-95 north and bear right onto I-93 north about a half-hour into Massachusetts. After about 15 minutes, head onto Route 3 south to Exit 14; turn left onto Route 228 north. When you cross Route 53, and the auto dealerships and fast-food joints abruptly give way to charming homes fronted by lovely lawns and trees, you're in Hingham, and Route 228 and Hingham's Main Street become one and the same. Let the sights for sore eyes begin.

INFO: Plymouth County Development Council, Convention & Visitors Bureau, 800-231-1620, http://www.seeplymouth.com/. Back Roads of the South Shore (508-747-0100, http://www.southshorebackroads.org/) has information on 13 historic sites along Massachusetts's South Shore. -- L.L.