Newton couple visited all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts, found "joyful moments everywhere."
After the COVID lockdown, a Massachusetts couple decided to visit every city and town in the state. This year, they finally achieved their goal.
"I don't think we're done," Jenny McBride said cheerfully, of her visits across some of our state's most underrated communities.
"We look at this and see memories. I see Nantucket and think we went E-biking for the first time. I see Randolph, I rode a horse for the first time," Jo Gray added.
Officially, they are "done"- crisscrossing the Commonwealth to visit each of the 351 cities and towns making up Massachusetts. This grand goal came to the Newton couple during the pandemic; out for some fresh air and heartbroken after their business closed for good.
"Same walk, same people, didn't want to get close to people. We just got grumpy about it. We decided one day to take a walk in a different town," they recalled.
And as the world opened back up, the adventure unfolded.
"Instead of what we can't do, let's see what we can do," Jo explained.
Exploring while supporting small businesses
There were a few rules: they had to be together, and this wasn't a drive-through. They researched, explored, and contributed to the local economy.
"Every time we came home, we were like, 'We have town visit food!' I got coffee from an independent roaster. I hadn't bought coffee from a corporate place in so long," Jo said proudly.
2025 was jam packed, but they delighted in the challenge.
"We still had Martha's Vineyard, we still had Nantucket, we still had some Berkshire towns. By that point we were like we got this! We knew we were in the homestretch. Honestly, we kind of miss it already a little bit," she said.
Even after living here for decades, they say discovering "home" helped them heal.
"It's taught us that we can find goodness, we can find joyful moments everywhere. You just can't prejudge a town until you go there and see it and talk to people and see what it has to offer," Jenny said.
The women often left behind friendly cards to let locals know about their travels. If you'd like to learn more about their individual visits or find your town, visit their blog or find them on Instagram @Massachusetts351_jo_jenny