Venture Out to Hyannis Port, Hingham and Braintree [VIDEO]

Here are three unique options for you, depending on how far you want to drive. Visit one, or visit all of them. How far will you go?

Hingham: Derby Street Shoppes

One of the finest shopping areas of the South Shore sits right off Route 3 in Hingham at the .

Made up of  78 retailers, including clothing stores, delicious restaurants and boutique shops,  visitors like Derby Street  because it accommodates shoppers of all ages.

“They have ice cream, they have cake, they have all kind of great shops to go into,” said Jackie Dowding, a Hingham mother.  “The kids get to walk around and they have some of their favorite places to go. We just love it.”

Besides the variety of stores on Derby Street, tourists can visit the "Serenity Garden" located behind , and the “Hidden Pond” behind for a quiet place to take a break from your shopping or have a picnic.  The Derby Street Shoppes also has a bocce court in the summer months and a skating area during the winter.

Braintree: Thayer House

Across from in Braintree, behind the rusted cannon, is a home built way back in 1720. It was constructed by Nathaniel Thayer, was added to over the years, and is best known as the birthplace of General Sylvanus Thayer, "The Father of West Point" and namesake of , also nearby.

Today the house is owned and operated by the as it was in the late 18th century, for visitors on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturdays are particularly special, with costumed tour guides available, but each tour brings comprehensive and stimulating information about the times.

"You really get to see 1785," as BHS program director Norah Kyle put it on a recent tour.

"Sixty percent of the major timbers of the house are original," BHS reports on its website. In addition, replacements were made with the same types of tools of old, using the same kind of wood. "The house contains a wide variety of furnishings, cooking and dining implements and other items that would likely be found in a middle class American country home of the late 18^th or early 19^th century."

Please enjoy our multimedia tour of the Thayer House. And note that the video tour is just a portion of what visitors can see and experience on multiple levels in the home.

Barnstable: Hyannis Port

Hyannis Port is the summer playground for America's royalty, the Kennedy Family.

President John F. Kennedy summered here throughout his life. During his term as president, the Kennedy Compound was known as the summer White House.

The late U.S. Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy spent his last days at the compound before dying of a brain tumor in August 2009. Also, in August 2009, Ted’s sister Eunice Kennedy Shriver died and was buried in the Roman Catholic cemetery in Hyannis Port.

Yet, there were many happy occasions for the Kennedy family, including weddings– Kennedy cousins, Caroline Kennedy, Maria Shriver and Patrick Kennedy were married here – births and family summer vacations.

While in Hyannis Port, take in the history and the beauty of this quaint Cape Cod town. Tour the many narrow lanes lined with rose covered cottages; see the Rainbow Fleet sailing in Nantucket Sound and experience the many fine shops and restaurants that make Hyannis Port unique.