Beautiful park to walk around, bike with the dogs and family! What gorgeous place to spend the…read moreafternoon. Located by the hospital and different buildings. You can kayak and canoe on the river too! Stunning and lovely place!

Love that it's right off the highway and an agreeable halfway point for meeting some folks who…read morearen't too far down on the South Shore! It's got a lovely pond further from the highway down the path and my dog doesn't love water but she loved dipping herself in there to cool off. As others have said the trails are a nice nature getaway from the city along with behind right behind the office parks. There's a convenient parking lot that can get quite busy. There aren't any convenient trash cans or water fountains, other amenities on other walking trails. So if your dog goes you will need to be prepared to carry it. We did walk all the way back to an office park area and found one of those large business dumpsters that are quite a distance away so not the most convenient. That's unfortunate if a few more waste cans could reduce the amount of dog waste. Otherwise this is a lovely place to check out!

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.

An excellent place for recreation is Cold Spring Park! In addition to three full-size tennis…read morecourts, it features two single-rim basketball courts. A baseball field that might be utilized for a small league or softball. A huge field for football, lacrosse, and/or soccer is also available. There is even an outdoor exercise space that is accessible to people with disabilities. Highly recommended

Ok, as the President of Friends of Cold Spring Park, I'm biased, but this 67-acre multi-use park…read morenot only has playing fields, tennis and basketball courts, and an off-leash dog park, but a 1.43-mile mostly flat and shady loop trail, with exercise stations, has more than a mile of restored stone dust surface through varied terrain and habitats: vernal pools, a brook, wetlands, old oak hillsides, glacial eskers, a small meadow, grassy barrens, and a pollinator garden. The interior (unmarked) trails through the wetland, and parts of the West Side, can be muddy. The park is a birding hotspot with more than 160 species identified. The large off-leash dog park is unfenced but bordered by wooded slopes. Dogs must be leashed on the trail. Ample parking off Beacon Street. Enjoy!

Fantastic park for dogs. My dog had a blast running around off-leash and playing with other dogs…read more All the owners were so kind and friendly. The paths are well traversed and packed down even in the snowy winter season. There are about 2 spots by the road and about 10-12 in the lot down the driveway. It was full on a Saturday morning in February.

I have no idea how I missed reviewing this great park, but it is a terrific park hiding in…read moreWellesley next to Mass Bay CC, and since the Beloved Goldendoodle passed away last year I have been bringing a friend's dog here so I can still have my "dog time". Most of the people are friendly, there are nice dogs of all sizes to greet and there is a mix of flat and hilly areas depending on your dog's energy level (and yours). Tip: avoid the pond area, it is pretty swampy!

Beautiful shared space for people and dogs. While we were there all dogs and their owners were…read moremindful of others and everyone had fun. Easy access to the water at multiple points. My senior dog had a great time swimming. Be cautious about algae/bacteria in the water and area!

Relaxing beautiful place to chill with the kids or have a picnic. Love it here so pretty in the…read morewarmer months.

We were on our way to a picnic dinner at Sweat Beach in Wrentham, MA but they decided to close two…read morehours early and shuffled everyone off. So we googled picnic areas nearby and put our GPS to Medway, MA. The rood trip was winding picturesque road through towns with beautiful houses and finally came to Choate Park. Free and plenty of parking. It's a trash free park, what you bring in, take out. There is an event pavilion and beautiful lake for catch & release fishing ....or turtles ( see pics) lol. There is a fantastic playground for the little & big ones. The trail around the lake has exercise spots and open fields with a huge wall mural. This will definitely be a go to spot for picnics, walking and being in nature.

I took my 5yo and 7yo to the playground and splash area. Very nice park. The splash area is simple…read more(just some fountains that shoot up from the ground) but is great to cool off on a hot day. The water stops at 5pm. I don't think the water area is particularly slippery but i would suggest water shoes. My son and a couple of other children who were barefoot did slip. The playground structures are really unique and fun. They have a smaller one for young kids and larger structure for older kids. There was also a trail and lake but we didn't follow. Highlights: -fenced in with only two doors -bathrooms (clean and open until 5pm) -clean - picnic area with tables and benches. Covered and large with plenty of seating. -electric car charging station (not free) -plenty of parking Cons -no trash cans. Small inconvenience. Overall would def recommend as a summertime activity.

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.

This lake is just wonderful. You need a day pass or a year membership for the summer . The cost…read moreis affordable and reasonable. You then have access to the bathroom and changing facilities. The free parking lot. We usually buy the year membership for the summer. The staff here is also welcoming.

Great neighborhood lake. there's a little beach here and if your residence of Newton, you can pay…read more$8 dollars to use the beach and jump off the platforms. You can park at the beach house. One of her little kids, and one for adults. But on the side of the lake, they're a bunch of people jumping at their own risk, but it's very, neighborly and unpretentious. I just jumped in to stay cool. I wouldn't call this lake a destination.

It is a very beautiful, well-maintained park I only walked a mile so far, on a pleasant summer…read moreday, but will go back.

Noanet Woodlands is another favorite woodsy area to add to my list (another recent favorite is…read moreanother Trustees property in Andover, the Ward Reservation). The two are somewhat similar with different color coded trails and a trail to reach a summit for the skyline of Boston (I didn't check that out here at Noanet Woodlands for this trip). I enjoyed coming here on the weekend: it was moderately trafficked (which I like so it's not *too* isolated), and easy/moderate trails (I prefer long, ambling hikes). The only thing is that the orange trail I took was a bit confusing/not super clear. The overall system does a good job, but I would be sure to download a map/have AllTrails active to ensure you don't end up in the wrong spot. I fortunately ran into some folks who helped me get back on track, but a heads up that it could get confusing as it did for me. Otherwise, a wonderful shady (important to know on hotter days) set of trails that I would recommend!