Worcester is the city people drive around on the way to somewhere else, which is a pity, because it has more going on than its reputation suggests. It is the second-largest city in New England, a hilly place of triple-decker houses, brick factories and church towers, and the old industrial heart of central Massachusetts. Its nickname is the Heart of the Commonwealth, and the pronunciation, Wuss-ter, trips up every newcomer.
The reason a rider starts here is the Blackstone River. In 1828 the Blackstone Canal opened, linking Worcester with Providence and the sea, and the valley it followed became the cradle of American industry, with mills strung along the river's falls all the way down to Pawtucket, where Samuel Slater's cotton mill of 1793 is called the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in America. The Blackstone Valley Byway follows that story, through mill villages, canal towpaths and brick chimneys, to Rhode Island. In the other direction, the Worcester area also produced Robert Goddard, who launched the first liquid-fueled rocket in a nearby field in 1926.
Worcester itself has a handful of real treasures. Mechanics Hall, an 1850s concert hall with superb acoustics, is a splendid room, and the Worcester Art Museum holds a surprising collection. The city's food scene leans on its diners and its large student population, and the local accent is a pleasure to hear. It is not a postcard town, but it is a real place, honest about itself.
Riding out south along the byway, the route is a mix of urban fringe, then old mill towns such as Uxbridge and Millville, then quiet river bottom with woods on either side. The roads are narrow in places, with patched pavement, and the pleasant stretch of the valley is a surprise. Fuel, food and parking are easy in the city, though rush-hour traffic on the interstates around it is heavy, and Sunday morning is the best time to start. October brings color to the river corridor, and early spring has high water over the old dams. Watch for potholes in March, which can be deep.