Cushing Memorial Park

(45 reviews)

3.4 mi

We were looking for an activity for the kiddos. Decided on Callahan State Park and parked off the…read moreEdmondon road. There are many different trails. We stayed on the main train from the middle of park and went south to Rock Road over a newish looking bridge. We turned back around after one hour with two young kids. We all had a lot of fun, especially the youngest walking through mud.

This large park has many maintained hiking trails for runners/joggers/bicycles and of course people…read moreand pets. Depending where you go in the park, there is a lot of bio-diversity. It is also a little obscure and gets much less foot traffic. Bring a printed map from the net.

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Garden In the Woods

4.4

(54 reviews)

4.1 mi

It was as if it was a picture taken from the enchanted garden as you walk directly into the garden…read moreas it was hidden in the woods surrounded by trees and a very nice bog with charming Lilly pads. The price was right and my mom and I really enjoyed it. Nothing but peaceful all around.

Excellent little jaunt through the flowery woods on crushed gravel trails lined with many varieties…read moreof plants and blossoming flora. Possibly the best prize for labeling as many species as possible. So many gardens do not provide good and legible labels on their plants, trees, bushes, ferns, and flowers. This was joyfully, thoroughly well-labeled. As was the path itself on the loop trail. There is an additional outer trail you could take if you're channeling your inner Thoreau but we stuck with the anti-Frost and took the road more traveled. Stay on the path. Recommendations say you can walk the loop in 30mins. You probably could. But we found plenty to keep us oohing and aahing for 90 mins! Turtles, frogs, dragonflies, butterflies, and some fab funghi in the lily pond. Unique and colorful small flowers every which way. The trail has mostly small inclines here and there, but the hike at the end to return to the visitor center is a bit huffy puffy. While there were beautifully carved benches throughout other parts of the loop, there were no benches on this steepest part and there really should be at least one halfway up the hill. Take your time. Wear proper shoes, bring a water bottle. Small parking lot. Bonus gift shop, plant shop, and proper rest rooms.

Stegosaurus sculpture made of branches and bark

A serene scene of a bog graced by a carpet of lullypads.

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Anemone, Garden in the Woods, photo: L. McKenna

Ashland State Park

(28 reviews)

3.9 mi

Of all the state parks in the area, Ashland has always been my favorite. It's not human-made and…read morehas great nooks and crannies that are fun to explore from a kayak or canoe on the water or along the perimeter on trails. We've been coming here since we moved to the area 25 years ago and because the entire reservoir is within the park property, it looks much the same as it did a quarter century ago. This morning I met a friend and we took our dogs for a walk. We were shocked that on a summer morning, we only passed two people along the trail- one with a dog (on leash as required) and one friendly solo human. The trails are very rooted and while I've done mountain biking here in the past, it's definitely easier to maneuver this one on foot. The trails are *sort of* marked with yellow spray paint on trees. As other people have mentioned, despite many times walking here I still always question if I'm going the right way. Even in the trail area, it's easy to wander off a bit. But also as someone mentioned, the beauty of this trail is that as long as you keep the reservoir on the same side and within view, you'll be fine! I like to park at the Boat Launch side of the park because you can access the trail right there without walking through a giant parking lot- so it feels more natural. I also like to head to the right (facing the water at the boat launch), therefore keeping the reservoir on my left the whole time. The public beach area (no lifeguards) is about halfway from the boat launch which is a great water/snack/bathroom break. The ranger station was open and the bathrooms were, as well. This section of the park has tons of shaded picnic areas and plenty of sandy and grassy space to spread out. This area used to get very busy on weekends with large gatherings - I'm not sure if that's still the case. But today there was one family group having a quiet picnic but the beach was empty. The trail around the reservoir is almost completely shaded except for the elevated causeway across the dam which is about .3miles of exposed trail- also of note are the annoying bugs that zip around this tall grass but seem to not bother humans. Ashland State Park is a great place to visit! Definitely recommend checking out this gem!

The lake is like a mirror. It blends into the blue sky and reflects the surrounding beauty. Walking…read morein the sun by the lake makes people feel relaxed and happy.

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Cochituate State Park

3.4

(38 reviews)

3.4 mi

Upping my review to 3 stars…read more They rebuilt the dock area so it is a nice place to sit, drink a coffee, eat lunch, etc. in the spring and fall, many of the assisted living facilities bring van loads of residents to visit. I try to visit on those days with my dogs - it helps bring joy to the residents.

This is the second time I've been to Cochituate State Park and I came in around noon and I didn't…read morego to the conventional way to the beach, but this was a side trail, which was much nicer and was able to just swim. It was so pretty. It was really nice with bathwater temperature considering it's been 88° out. I really enjoyed myself. This is a very popular beach for the local people and visitors alike. There are lots of children and lifeguards at the small beach, but it is a huge state park where you can do a lot of running around and picnicking. If you are not an advanced swimmer, I do not recommend coming here with children to be safe . But if you can tread water and you know how to swim well and basically live in the water, it's fine.

Beautiful Autumn Day

Beautiful October Day

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Gorgeous October day

Ghiloni Park

4.6

(7 reviews)

6.7 mi

Super cute and clean park. There's a great playground with unique structures. One structure is…read moregeared toward younger kids and one towards older kids. There is also a small plans area. Perfect for cooking off on a hot day. The splash area is fenced in with one entrance/exit which is also convenient for parents who want to sitervise. There is also a sanded volleyball net, a basketball court and a large field. There are bathrooms but I didn't use them so can't speak to their cleanliness. One major con is there is no shade and little seating. I would suggest bringing a lawn or beach chair that has its own canopy.

I love this park! (even though I don't like the outdoors haha)…read more This park is beautiful. They have a huge playground with things for very little kids and big kids to play on. They have a skateboard area. They have basketball courts. There is a baseball field and a couple areas where kids play soccer. The biggest reason I love this place is their walking track and trails. The track is 4 times around for a mile. They have a sign posted to tell you how long the trails are. There are also some paved walkways around the whole park. This park is always kept immaculately clean and is always packed! It is often hard to find parking. The other great thing about this park is that they spray for mosquitoes quite frequently so it is never very buggy here even with all of the woods and some marshy type areas.

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Mass Audubon Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary

4.5

(21 reviews)

5.1 mi

I stopped by to see what this air was all about and it looks like it's a very beautiful trail walk…read morewe could see a lot of wildlife and I ended up seeing a lot of turtles. There is a membership in general admission. Since we were just being nosy, we took a brief walk on the boardwalk to see what it was all about. It is very family oriented and if you love the outdoors, you will love this place.

One of Mass Audubon's best for kids, in my humble opinion. (we are members)…read more The staff present in the building were very helpful, kind, and informed (in that kind of nature nerd, yet cool kind of way) There are clean bathrooms (they are porter potty toilets, yes. But still clean on the exterior). The pathways have a significant amount of boardwalk all across the sanctuary, which helps with keeping my hyper child away from poison ivy and ticks to some degree. There is a seated area for picnicking. (though no recycle bins. odd..) And best of all.. Lots of crawly, jumpy, flappy, slimy things to distract and de plug your pandemic technology-plugged child for a few hours. To enjoy fresh air. Take in nature's beauty. To learn to sit in the discomfort of possibly being bored when not overstimulated every second. My inattentive child's highlights were: - learning about the semi-toxic slime of a slug - listening to the bullfrogs in rhythm - chasing his buddy down the boardwalk in the last stretch - drinking sweet lemonade and picnicking as reward for all that walking

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Great blue heron

Ashland Town Forest

4.5

(2 reviews)

3.0 mi

Really well marked trails, part of the East Bay circuit. Fairly wide trail with a little bit of an…read moreincline off the Oregon rd entrance. There are trail maps every half mile or so and Boardwalks over wet areas. I've only done a small loop but will come back to do more since it seems like there are interesting things along some parts (old cars and a quarry off one trail).

I work with free family programs at the Appalachian Mountain Club that visit this park, so I to see…read moreit regularly. The Ashland Town Forest is large, 550 acres of forest, streams and 5 different hiking trails, including the Bay Circuit Trail. You can go 1-2 miles on the trail and see vernal ponds, streams and quarries. What's really neat is the history behind this land: Governor Danforth once owned this land, and likely used it to help victims of the Salem Witch Trials and their families start a new life away from persecution in Salem. The nearby Salem's End Road is named for this. Several collapsed caves near the water towers are believed to be the first spot where the victims found shelter, and they're now known as the Witches Caves and Devil's Den. This is a great place to get away from it all. I see more deer than people when I'm here!

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Red trail, 9/25/16

Hopkinton State Park

3.8

(44 reviews)

4.9 mi

Had a lovely Sunday here, it was a perfect halfway meet up spot. The Main beach was closed, making…read morethe upper beach area more crowded. People set up to spend all day here. There are charcoal grills at the picnic tables. Lifeguards monitoring the swimming area, however the swimming area was very small. You can rent kayaks not too far away, although not familiar on the price. We bought our own paddleboards and there are several inlets along the water to load/unload the paddleboards. The beach area was crowded and all the picnic tables in this area was taken so we didn't get a chance to take advantage of those but that's ok we spent most of the day out on the water and then a short walk around the area. There seems to be quite a few hiking trail options as well, something to consider another time. Parking for out of state residents is $30!! Which is a lot, MA residents only $8 for all day parking.

A nice swimming area if it is not closed due to bacteria. It is a nice park. Lifeguards on duty and…read morea bathhouse. Pay online for parking.

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Hannah Williams Park

5.0

4.3 mi

Clean, well organized, fenced in playground/park for all ages. My 2 year old & 7 year old…read morestepchildren had plenty of fun here on a breezy Saturday afternoon. On days that aren't too busy, there's plenty of parking and it's a great place to eat lunch al fresco with your family. Note that dogs are not allowed.

Picnic tables and benches.

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More picnic tables and field to toss a ball around.

The Wayside Inn

This is only a review of the grounds, I didn't see the inside of the hotel. Very pretty, very quiet…read moreexcept for the lone groundskeeper outside. Everything was well groomed and taken care of. I saw people out with their dog, and it does seem like a good place to walk them. There was a shop with cheerful flowers, but I was there too early for their opening

This historic inn gives off a homey, comforting feel yet there is a timeless elegance made famous…read moreby Longfellow. We stopped by while traveling to New Hampshire from the RI area for a late lunch. Despite being a week day, and mid-afternoon, there were several tables inside as well as outside that were filled with diners. The food was very good (hubby raved about the New England Clam Chowder); I had a house salad and we ended up splitting a sandwich. OK, it wasn't a "fine dining" experience but I believe it certainly would have been had we stopped by later for diner. The grounds are gorgeous and needed to work off our lunch.

Front entrance. So welcoming!

100 year old statue of Henry Longfellow

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Wayland Town Beach

4.8

(4 reviews)

4.0 mi

Open till 8, grills and some shade, boats for rent, showers and a snack stand. Definitely some lake…read moregrass but the dock is clean and it's about 12 feet deep beyond the dock! Kids area is enclosed. Nice sand and a few chairs. Very sunny, facing west. Pay for a membership or with a credit card or cash at the gate. Very nice.

Great spot to take the family. Go online to reserve a day pass if from out of town. Lifeguards on…read moreduty. Pack in pack out. Playground and decent sand.

View from playground toward lake

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Where the lake meets the beach

Mansion Beach

4.1

(14 reviews)

4.2 mi

What a beautiful spot! Beautiful stretch of sand and beach. Watch as the ferries go by. Water was…read morejust incredible. A stroll down the beach offered some very cool finds and the views of the cliffs are awesome. You'll have to get here by car, bike or taxi. The road is marked no mopeds allowed. Tip!!! If you take a taxi, make a designated time for them to come back for you. We were here during the summer of 2020 and due to Covid there were a lot less taxi drivers available. We later realized a prearranged pick up time would've been better than trying to call for a taxi and having a slight anxiety attack because it's an hour walk back to town and no one is answering! Lol! This is a beach person beach as there is no concession stand. The only major downside is no facilities so you know everyone is peeing in the water. I try to not think about that and in the end I truly had the best day of summer 2020 at this beach!!

Lots of reviews posted here for Mansion Beach in RI. This Mansion Beach in Wayland is hardly a…read morebeach at all. There's no parking lot, and the "beach" is about the size of a backyard.

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Memorial Beach

3.5

(6 reviews)

3.7 mi

Memorial Beach is my second home during the summer. It's just a pleasant place to relax after a day…read moreof work. The lifeguards and staff are as pleasant as anyone can be. The swimming area is sizeable enough that there are not other people in the way. The Natick Rec. and Parks does a great job of managing. Perhaps the greatest asset to living in Natick.

We love Memorial Beach! It is a small pond in Natick, but the beach is run by the Natick Park &…read moreRec department, with a great lifeguard staff, concessions, and lots of fun for all ages. There is a diving board, dock to swim out to, and swim lessons provided here by the trained staff. We spend much of the summer afternoons here and feel very lucky that we have this great resource in our town. Beach closes mid-August, and open usually 10am to 7pm during the week.

Great beach

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Callahan State Park

(45 reviews)

3.4 mi

We were looking for an activity for the kiddos. Decided on Callahan State Park and parked off the…read moreEdmondon road. There are many different trails. We stayed on the main train from the middle of park and went south to Rock Road over a newish looking bridge. We turned back around after one hour with two young kids. We all had a lot of fun, especially the youngest walking through mud.

This large park has many maintained hiking trails for runners/joggers/bicycles and of course people…read moreand pets. Depending where you go in the park, there is a lot of bio-diversity. It is also a little obscure and gets much less foot traffic. Bring a printed map from the net.

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Flavio B.

96

7

8

12 years ago

Nice and beautiful place to spend for jogging, playing with kids and/or friends. Walk, run, bike, nap :-). Definitely a great place. read more

Cushing Memorial Park - parks - Updated August 2026

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Dean Park

(10 reviews)

Stopped by to have a picnic. Plenty of space to use one of the many picnic tables or even open…read moregrassy areas. The park was clean and was busy with family parties, softball games and tennis matches. Great facilities for any of your outdoor activities.

This park is Ginormous... There are Basketball Courts, Tennis Courts, Baseball Fields, Like 4 ponds…read more& miles & miles of trails all around it... The playground wasnt the best Ive seen but decent enough in size & activities to do... Will probably stop again when in the area.

Plains Park

4.0

Killing time, I made the stop at Plains Park, located just south of I-495 on Route 85. The main…read morehighlight of this park is the trail, which does a big loop, covering less than a mile. You have the option of doing half of the loop if you wish. I enjoyed the walk, which was extremely peaceful, and also, the great scenery of the beautiful field. The park contains a pavilion, picnic tables, a playground, and a soccer field. Beware of school sporting events that take place, because the parking lot will be packed, for example when I came. I truly enjoyed making this stop.

Pegan Cove Park

(4 reviews)

I love this park. I am not from the area but if I lived around here, I'd take my morning walks here…read moredaily. Not my foot traffic, which I also liked.

I really enjoyed this place. I didn't know what to expect. We started to walk from the Eddie's park…read moreand took the internal route. Reached the Pegan Cove Park after around 15 minutes. Then we were just exploring the trail, not much to do. Walked in there for around 30-40 minutes, clicked some nice pictures, saw geese, robin, butterflies, insects etc. If you go on a rainy day, expect your shoes to get dirty with the mud. We saw few boats parked while walking by the loop. Make sure you have your bug repellent with you.

Hunnewell Park

3.0

(2 reviews)

AN ABSOLUTELY MUST DO! 5 STARS! How would you like to picnic on the grounds of a Castle for FREE!…read moreThis is one of the Secret Hidden Gems of America that most people have never heard of or been to before. It's Time to jump into The TimeMobile & scour the Earth & take you to places from a different time that you won't believe still exist. We have set the dial to 1880's in the town of Wellesley MA. We have landed at this beautiful Castle that is in the middle of the center of Wellesley's business district. Well it looks like a castle but it's really Wellesley City Hall. I don't know about you but my city hall looks nothing like a Castle. LOL! Wellesley is a very affluent town & their city hall is a Castle. You can visit the park here for FREE & THE Parking is FREE as well. If they run out of spots there's metered parking on the perimeter & adjacent streets too. Near the front entrance there is a War Memorial dedicated to those who lost their lives in the Armed Services. The grounds of Hunnewell Park are filled with green grass, trees, a stream, a bridge & a pond. There's wildlife that resides here including white swans & geese. There are benches & picnic tables scattered throughout the property. What a picturesque & relaxing setting to Picnic or kick back & read. It feels like you are at a nature retreat rather than a park. It's great to take a photo here with the Castle & send it to your family & friends & say " Sorry I can't talk to you peasants now, I'm picnicking at a Castle". LOL! They will hate you forever until you tell them it's Free & you'll take them with you next time. The stone government building is a prime example of the Richardsonian Romanesque style of architecture along with a bit of French Chateau. It was built between 1881 & 1886 & designed by Shaw & Hunnewell. It was funded by & built on donated land by H. H. Hunnewell. The building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There's also something special here for the medical community that they will really like. There are 2 Doctor memorial plaques placed on large stones. The first one is for DR W*T G MORTON who lived here. He gave the world Ether for Surgery. The second plaque is for DR. JOSEPH E. MURRAY who in 1954 performed the first successful Human Organ Transplant. He was also a 1990 Nobel Prize Winner & resided in the town. Since you are in the area be sure to check out the Babson Globe another Freebie. It's the 2nd largest rotating globe in the world. And you can get something great to eat right across the street @ Tutto Italiano. They serve great Meatball Subs & get a side of their Delicious Homemade red roasted peppers too. They also have authentic Italian red sauce to go. It used to be, you had to have Mega Bucks & be really Rich to have the Good Life, not anymore. The Game has changed. You've been Upgraded. Now You Can Live Like a King on a Limited Budget!

I spend a lot of time at Hunnewell Park. It is close to my home and although it used to offer a…read morelot more natural settings it has unfortunately become one giant athletic complex. Lights and sounds can be experienced almost every night now. We used to see and hear many more wild animals and experience it as a natural corridor. Alas, now it is only filled up with athletic equipment, stray plastic water bottles and other human trash.

Warren Park

4.7

(3 reviews)

As an outsider from the DC area, I'm not sure this place is as good as it gets...perhaps for this…read morearea, but regardless it's a great place to take the kids. My son, sharing the same name, especially loved the place. There is room for improvement though. He kept me on my toes because there are several places that seemed a little dangerous including trip and fall hazards all around the perimeter of the park. The other kids and parents there seemed pretty nice. One thing that I love about the park playgrounds we visited was the fact that it seems like some people leave their toys behind for other kids to play with. Sure they might be missing a wheel or other piece, but to a kid, it's good as new! I love Bostonians!

This park is great- there's something to do for kids of all ages. There's a tot lot for the little…read moreguys, a bigger play structure for bigger kids, plus a sandbox, swings, and a climbing gym. My 3 year old loves to run from play area to play area. She never gets bored while we're here. There's plenty of shade and plenty of room to run.

Hannah Williams Park

5.0

Clean, well organized, fenced in playground/park for all ages. My 2 year old & 7 year old…read morestepchildren had plenty of fun here on a breezy Saturday afternoon. On days that aren't too busy, there's plenty of parking and it's a great place to eat lunch al fresco with your family. Note that dogs are not allowed.

Hopedale Park Lands

4.8

(6 reviews)

This is a great place to take an easy, mostly level, 3-mile walk around a beautiful pond. The trail…read morewhich is more like a single lane gravel road, is well marked and maintained. There also numerous, nicely marked trails off this main loop. It's a fairly quiet trail and easy enough that the occasional toddler and stroller passed. At one end of the trail, you need to walk a short way across a bridge under construction. There's not much of a sidewalk to use, but the traffic was very quiet during our weekend outing. According to their website, the initiation of Parklands acquisition was in 1899, and in 1900 the town brought in Warren H. Manning to help architect the entire layout. There is no parking on the pond boat ramp or at the spaces next to the bath house. This area is well-marked and the Hopedale Police Department will continue to ticket unauthorized and non-handicap vehicles parked in this area. This area is a drop-off zone only. Vehicles should be parked along Hopedale Street. We found plenty of parking on Hopedale Street, and used the green space there to lunch by the pond. There are benches scattered along the pond loop. Dogs are allowed on a leash and the trail is well marked, which according to their website is the result of the efforts of Mark Andolina, Jr., a Boy Scout from Hopedale Troop 1, who created a new trail map and installed new trail markers as part of his Eagle Scout project. We look forward to a return visit.

Great hike around the pond. the side trails off the main trail are good for mnt bike.read more

Blithewood Ave Park

4.0

(4 reviews)

I found this playground one day driving home with my son and took him, and just have been going…read moreonce or twice a week for the last year! It's my son's favorite playground and we've met so many kind parents, caregivers, and kids so if you're seeking a parent community...you can find that here! The ice cream truck comes during the summer, it's always clean, there's a baby/toddler side and big kids side but the children all typically play alongside one another pretty well from what I've experienced. I love the open field and it also has a basketball court. Tons of fun for all ages!

Nicely newer park equipment, basketball court and field nearby for sports, kept clean. Heads up…read morethough parents there are no nearby bathrooms within walking distance so we've had to leave early with the little one before.

Gates Pond

3.9

(11 reviews)

It's a nice place to let your dogs swim in the drinking water. It's also a nice place to let your…read moredogs shit on the trail. Great fishing too.

I truly enjoy this area--it's a beautiful spot for walks, and it's clear that many people feel the…read moresame. Unfortunately, a small percentage of owners choose to keep their dogs off-leash despite the posted leash regulations, which creates an unsafe environment for others. As a responsible dog owner, it's disappointing to see these rules ignored, especially when it leads to incidents. I've been approached aggressively by off-leash dogs twice now (in the last week alone), making it difficult to enjoy the space with my puppy. Most people are considerate, leashing their dogs when near others, but it would be helpful if there were stricter enforcement or penalties for those who disregard the rules to help maintain a safe, welcoming environment for everyone. It is really not a difficult task to leash dogs. And I have asked multiple times for owners to leash while walking by and they absolutely refuse to do so. And I was then attacked and so was my puppy. If you do plan to walk here, I'd recommend being prepared to be attacked by an off leash dog and I would recommend recording the incidents since these dog owners flee the area and blame you for their dogs attacking you. I know numerous responsible dog owners who are unable to walk there due to also being attacked by off leash dogs. I also use to run here as well, but had to stop due to being chased by these dogs. I'd say it is only 10% of the time and by a limited amount of people but it has happened enough to make me nervous.

Natick High School Playground

4.0