What a treasure. My…read moreson brought me here a cold early morning to meet the birds. We went and when we stood still and help some bird food in our hands, they came and ate out of them. The trails are well kept up and so good to be around. We found some of the layered ice pieces that look like Lacey ice. This is a great outing, even if you are not from around here. I think being there early (8 am) helped since we were alone on the trails. Check it out.

What a beautiful place! There are plenty of well-marked trails of different lengths; between the…read morevariety of habitats and the changing of the seasons, you could visit weekly for years and never quite explore the same place twice. The dozens of species of birds are not shy; the frogs, turtles, rabbits, red squirrels, chipmunks, etc., aren't all that shy either! It has a nicely set up learning center ( and classes) for kids, plus canoes for rental if that's your thing. Mandatory warnings: use bug spray and, especially, wear long pants to ward off ticks. And be prepared for a slightly tricky narrow road ending in an often-crowded parking lot. As for the cost: get yourself an Audubon membership and entry will be free, plus you'll be supporting good conservation work.

beautiful place to take a quick walk, photos, & enjoy views. air quality is nice & there's a couple…read moresmall areas perfect for picnics!

Nice splash park for younger children, in a pretty setting. Nice changing rooms…read more We only stopped at the splash park, but as we drove through it looked like there were nice trails for walking. Google maps directed us the wrong way, to the southern entrance, which is now an exit only! We had to drive 10 minutes round to get to Northern entrance.

QUICK SUMMARY: Excellent State Park with partially-paved bike trails, beautiful sights especially…read morein the Fall, and a great place to take portraits! The park is open from sun up to sun down. Parking is by a self-pay meter and is $5, entry to park itself is free. My boyfriend and I came here on a whim one crisp Saturday morning in September. We brought our mountain bikes and spent about two hours leisurely exploring the trails, which are paved only half of the time, but still well-maintained. There are many lush sights to see, both with colored/green trees and the Ipswich river (along the path) was a pretty sight as well, with turtles/ducks swimming nearby. We saw only a few people while on the trails, mainly people on bikes, but we did see some walkers as well. If you decide to walk, I would definitely suggest grabbing a trail map at the beginning of the trail, as there are many different routes along the way and it can get confusing without one. There is a giant treeless field at the center of the park which made for a great landscape for my boyfriend and me to take pictures using our tripod/camera. Overall, I would highly recommend this park for all ages/types of people!

Had a lovely fall weekend experience here recently. We went on one of their Sundays with live music…read moreand wood fired pizza. We started off taking a stroll around the property, the trails are a little confusing but it's pretty small so you're not likely to get that lost. It was beautiful and peaceful. We then checked out the farm store which is on the small side but has lots of local goods. The star of the show was definitely the wood fired pizza - we got the seasonal one which had some garlicky kale. It was delicious, the crust was awesome and it's so nice that it is all made from Appleton farms ingredients. The live music was also a fun touch (but REALLY loud if you were close). Was happy to spend an afternoon here!

This was a lovely afternoon trip in the spring. Lots of ambling trails throughout the farm to…read moreexplore. The creamery is home to the farm store during the pandemic, and it is quite small/1 family allowed in at a time. I did get a lemon cream bun and chocolate chip cookie, and there were a number of other pastries/little items to pick up in the creamery. You can also place an order online in advance and pick it up--their online store is quite expansive! Would be great to come back to explore more trails, have a picnic, roam around.

Love this beach in so many ways. With the sand dunes it is so charming and lots of opportunities to…read morewalk around the trails if you aren't looking to swim or sit on the sand. The water is clear and even in low tide, I didn't notice a ton of shells or a rocky bottom. It does get a little packed when you come right off the parking area into the beach area, but if you are willing to walk a little bit, it is obviously much quieter and super peaceful. With a little concession stand, showers and restrooms it's perfect for families. They also have a variety of memberships which makes it affordable to go during the peak months or even throughout the year. It is $40 per car to enter the beach and park which is quite hefty but they have various membership options which could make it more affordable again if you are going to be utilizing the beach and throughout the year. They also have various events for members. A local did tell me their favorite time to go is during the winter when everything is snow capped.

Cranes Beach, which is owned and operated and protected by the trustees, is my favorite beach of…read moreall time. It has a large parking lot, although you need to make reservations to guarantee a spot. It is not cheap, but it is extremely clean and the bath house and the snack bar are top-notch as far as Massachusetts beaches go. The snack bar has real food items, not just junk food and ice cream. The one drawback and it really could be a dealbreaker for some people is that the parking lot is a mid distance to long walk over sand dunes to the beach. Yes there are paths and stairs, but for people with mobility problems, this really could be a deterrent. I still rate it a 10/10.

Fantastic place to walk dogs and meet people. Easy marked trails. Great find on the way to…read moreBerkshires.

not super duper blown away in terms of the scenery/variety. nice and vast trails. a couple spots…read morealong the paths were covered in water and it'd be nice to have boardwalks there maybe.

Such a lovely, vibrant sanctuary! It's small and the trails are short - but definitely worth a…read morevisit if you have the time! I hiked the Kestrel trail - which might've just been the shortest trail I've ever done at 0.2 miles lol - but it was completely pleasant - especially on the brisk early morning. The trails were covered in crunchy leaves coated in frost - total fall vibes! My goal was to complete the other, longer trail: Professor Chandler's Long Walk trail, before the high tide rushed in but I was too late unfortunately. By the time I got to the warning sign, the water was already starting to cover the trail. All the signs at the trailhead, on their website, and at the start of the tidal area give you plenty of warning. If I had more time here, I would've timed my hike better to catch it at low tide! The part of this trail that I was able to do had a lovely wooden viewing platform with benches that overlooked the tidal grass flats. The fields were crawling with American Tree Sparrows which was exciting for me bc that was a new bird for me! The roads to the sanctuary are gravel, as is the parking lot - but they're well maintained with surprisingly no potholes or washboarding - was an easy drive! The parking lot has two entrances - one had a HUGE puddle covering it but you can still get in if you keep to the left or use the other entrance just a tad further down that was completely dry. Was a lovely sanctuary! I'll definitely try to catch it at low tide next time I'm in the area!

This was one of the best trips I've been on. A friend of mine who had taken another trip with SUP…read moreYO invited me to go with her. There were 12 of us and everyone got along. I don't know if the type of vacation (hiking and camping) helped to self select the people but by the end of the week we had gotten really close as a group. SUP YO also picked amazing guides. They were fun, funny, knowledgeable, and basically one of the gang with guide authority. The owner of the company came with us on this trip. She was fun, did everything we did, never put on any airs, and I felt like she was "one of us.". All of the food, hotel, etc was taken care of. We even celebrated a birthday for one one of the hikers in the group! I am looking for more trips to go on with SUP YO and a group of us are planning to go in another trip or a weekend hike together again!!

From the owner: SUP YO exists to connect like-minded souls through outdoor adventure. With transformative…read morepaddleboard yoga, hikes, retreats, and outdoor escapes, we inspire others to step outside of their comfort zones, challenge themselves in mind, body, and spirit, and discover their truest selves.

pretty nice place to go for a walk. scenic path and overlook towards the top. would be cool to…read moreexplore in another season than winter as well!