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.

We went here for the Christmas festival of trees event. My family had a blast and it was the…read moreperfect Christmas activity! We especially loved the model Christmas villages room and the room of unique Christmas trees. The mini Christmas villages were so intricate and detailed and it was a massive collection. The artistic Christmas trees were creative and unique - I especially loved the national parks Christmas tree! Next to the last activity which is the Christmas trees collection, there is a fire pit in which you are given sticks and a s'mores kit. A perfect way to end the day! Highly recommend coming here for the Christmas event and will be sure to come back and see the gardens when it's back in season (no snow). My only critique is that for the last day it closed at 4pm which didn't give us time to see the lights at night decorations.

The Garden at Elm Bank is awesome -- especially this time of year!…read more Between the lights, to the model train city, to the Food Trucks, to the S'more "kits" and fire pits, this place is AWESOME this time of year.

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

Great place to relax or run or just have a walk around…read more The total round trip of this park is 1.3 miles. One can bring their dogs too, it's a great place for socializing with other pet owners. I found that this place is hardly ever crowded and hence a lot of parking is naturally available. Recommend for runners!

Really great park! Went here to enjoy a bagel sandwich and take a walk in the sun on a beautiful…read moreday! It is well maintained, so pretty clean and peaceful. The tree memorial for the 9/11 victims from the area was beautiful and a nice way to honor those folks in the community. There is alot of open grassy area to sit or play - a few benches along the trail, and a handful of picnic tables. If you want to sit out though, you probably want to bring your own chair. The walk was nice - very flat area without really any hills and the trail is paved, well defined, has mile markers, and is wide. It's a little over a mile, so if you're short on time you can get a quick walk in otherwise you can do a few laps to get in extra mileage! I did see there was a little playground area as well and a gazebo! There was actually a small ceremony happening when I was there. Another sweet thing to note, there is a senior living home on the trail, so it was lovely to see some elderly people out getting sunshine and enjoying the park too! Definitely recommend checking it out if you want to get outside and have a nice place to go!

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.

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.

We were touring through the area and had time to kill before dinner at a relatives so we decided to…read moresee what Babson's campus looked like. Overall a decent campus but nothing that interesting until we came across this super cool globe. Wow! I had no idea that this existed and was here - OK I am a bit of a fan of globes. Nerd! And it rotated too. Interesting history is explained on some nearby plaques. A great roadside America type stop. Worth a detour.

I was nearby buying new skates, it was a nice day I didn't want to go to the school when it's in…read moresession so I stopped by for a quick walk. Beautiful campus ground . Not much to say but I always check Yelp to see what is around to do and where to eat.

It's a Trustees property. So parking is $6. Huge parking lot. Can easily accommodate 100 cars…read more Beware that many Trustees properties, including this one, allow hunting. Right now (October) it is Bow season. Lots of trail options, quite a few ponds, hills, and connects to Fork Factory Brook across the street. They have designated dog On Leash/Off Leash areas. Trails are well marked. But you need to carry a map. Unless you have memorized all the trail names. They do not have maps at the intersections.

Growing up in the 60's and 70's in Medfield was a gift looking back in time. One of the special…read moreplaces in town was Rocky Woods. Summers where you could rent paddle boats and row boats, private picnic areas around the pond where you had your own site with table and fire place to cook on. Miles of trails with an observation tower that enabled views of Southern New Hampshire on a clear day. Winters were magical, ice skating on the pond that was well lit for night time skating and music with a very large rustic log cabin that overlooked the pond. A place to socialize, enjoy hot coffee and hot chocolate along with snacks and food. A second pond across the parking lot was used for hockey games, and both skating areas were meticulously maintained. If that wasn't enough, there was a ski hill with rope tow at the end of the skating pond. So many memories of time spent with friends growing up all winter skating and coming of age. It was back in a time when we actually had winter here. Now, all of this is just a distant memory for the now elderly who remember how lucky we were. Tragically, The Trustees of Reservations who own the property ended all of these activities, removed the parking lot and tore down the majestic log cabin. I can only imagine how Dr. Joel Goldthwait who gave this property to the Trustees of Reservations, along with a large endowment in 1942 must feel about what they turned it into. Thank you Mario Pederzini and countless others for making Rocky Woods what it once was and most importantly what it was meant to be.

This park is great for smaller kids. It is a fenced in park, there is a shaded sand box that is not…read morefenced in, and a large open grass field. It does get rather hot at the peak of the day. There are bathrooms, and the floor of the playground is the rubberized mat, not woodchips or cement.

Such a fun park and love that it's enclosed and has soft ground! Not many parks have decent sized…read moreplayground equipment for younger toddlers, and the one here is great!

Park square in the center of the shopping and government district of Natick, Massachusetts. This…read moredecent sized park features a number of benches, some beautiful trees and a carefully manicured grass that surrounds a central bandshell/gazebo. While I was here, a few folks were walking dogs. Others had toddlers playing and chasing. It's a neat spot! [Review 9994 overall, 1574 of 2018.]