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.

037 / 100 - 2018 YELP 100 CHALLENGE…read more What a great park! This place is dog friendly, but I saw a lot of runners in the area when I visited. There is tons of ample space and room to go for a walk, a run, or play with man's best friend. Dogs can be on leash or off leash - I saw a mix of both. Everyone we ran into was very friendly and nice. We didn't see any aggressive dogs (nor did we encounter any) and if we wanted to move away to a more secluded area, there was plenty of room to do that. From what I could tell, most of the park is clean. Of course there were some areas that some dog owner's didn't pick up after their pets, but not as bad as you might anticipate. Great view and a great location to take tons of cute photos. Loved this park and would definitely recommend!

Trails fire, great for biking the blue heron trail BUT ONE RAMP THE LITTLE RED ONE will make you…read morefront flip off your bike, speaking from past experiences.

The address on Yelp will lead you to the parking lot for a skating rink and a community pool. It is…read morea convenient place to park, but I am not sure if is the best place to access longer trails. This location is not near the lake. The area is beautifully wooded, providing plenty of shade on a sunny day. The trails here were relatively short. I ventured off the main trail and discovered areas with overgrown greenery, lots of graffiti and decayed benches. Without anybody else around, it looked like a post apocalyptic world, and it felt eerie! Not sure who is supposed to fund or do the maintenance for this beautiful nature spot, so close to Boston, but it really needs some love! Without signage in the area and no phone connection, I almost got lost! I Ma aged to walk/run the trails for an hour but would love to explore different areas of Stony Brook if in the area again.

I used to come here often while walking my two Jack Russell Terriers. One day we were near the…read moreGeorge Wright golf course when (at least) two coyotes snuck up behind me and almost got one of my dogs. The coyotes were wicked bold and only my loud yelling got them to back off but they still followed. I'm bummed that I can't go any more because it is nice and quiet and the dogs love being off leash. Not trying to discourage anyone from going but if you have small dogs off leash, be careful.

One of - okay THE - nicest playground I've been to so far…read more It is always clean. There are plenty of benches for weary caregivers to rest while the kids run around and burn off that endless supply of energy. There are two play structures, both with slides and an array of climbing structures separated by a fence. One side for tots and one for older kids. There's a substantial set of swings (6 total - one for all ages). The playground is adjacent to a set of large baseball fields, tennis and basketball courts. There is no parking lot but I've never had trouble finding an on street space on beautiful LaGrange street. Its proximity to the plenty of shops and restaurants along Centre Street lend to making the visit to the playground a multi-purpose outing. I know how much effort it took to get the kids loaded up and out the door - so let's make the most of it! While it can get busy, it's never been so overwhelmingly crowded that my introverted personality couldn't handle it. I've always been very comfortable with the amount of kids and guardians. This is our favorite playground in the city so far, it has become our regular spot.

Great playground in West Roxbury that includes a baseball field, basketball courts and a field that…read moreyou can play soccer or even see some and entertainment my provided by DCR. I recently went there to see you too cover band called The Joshua Tree. It was very very exciting and end it hosted anybody he wanted to go there for free.

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!

Great place to walk anytime of year. Plenty of parking, restrooms, picnic tables. Lots of trails…read moreand something new to explore on each trip. Part of the blue hills on the canton line.

I miss the Blue Hills "Peek-a-blue" hikes that happened pre pandemic for kids preschool aged and…read moreyounger. We would meet in the Houghton's Pond parking area to start that hike. We visited today though to enjoy the playground. There's 2 sides - one for preschool and younger, other for older kids. Both have swings, slides, and climbing areas. There's also a wooden boardwalk that leads to trails to the pond.

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.

Challenging parking situation, especially after hours but still a great option for a walk, run, or…read morephotoshoot. We made the best out of an overcast day & the few trees still in color pulled their weight - for us and many others. I like that their map is so straightforward. There is one main paved roadway & several smaller unpaved offshoots.

I love the Arboretum at all times of the year! I've been coming here for many, many years. It is…read morewonderful to have a place like this in the city, and it's something to behold in every season. I Winter can be beautiful whether there is snow or not. There's plenty of evergreen trees for it to still be color. Spring and summer offer beautiful flowering trees and florals in abundance and in the fall during peak foliage season, the colors are gorgeous. It's such a perfect place to come for a walk, a run, a picnic, or a photoshoot. Its dog friendly, and kid friendly too. I see many people walking their dogs, and kids riding their bikes. If you are looking for a place to escape to nature but don't want to leave the city, the Arboretum is the place to go! Photos are from the snowstorm a few weeks ago, and springtime and falltime photos from a photoshoot I took here in the spring.

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!