I ran through this park recently for the B.A.A. Half Marathon and found it to be clean, easy to navigate and a great starting and ending point for the race. Lots of open space, greenery, a zoo, and tons of trails and walking/running opportunity here. Plenty of parking and easy in and out. It's about 20-25 minutes from the heart of downtown Boston so it's a bit of a drive for out of towners, but worth it for a great place to run. read more

this is one of my favorite parks in MA. Very beautiful. We went there with my friend and spend walking like 3 hours and didn't get tired. It's so awesome you just walk and enjoy beauty and can't stop :) There's no words for me to describe how nice this place is. So peaceful. This park is huge and has wonderful small road that goes into the wood. I love the small roads with stones on side. Love that. And there's one more good thing especially for families with kids: they have bathrooms and water on roads. It's fantastic! There's always a tour that runs during the summer. So if you are interesting in historic then it's a good opportunity. Lot's of other people there having a good time so the atmosphere was great. Parking can be a challenging. I guarantee that in one visit you will be in love with this place and it will become your favorite place in Boston. read more

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I went with friends we were excited to see the baby gorilla, that was the draw and highlight for us. I did leave very disappointed otherwise,this is definitely not the zoo I remembered , maybe this was covid I'm not sure and I hate being negative but the exhibits were empty or poorly maintained. The butterfly and parakeet exhibits were two that stick out for being so different than I remember. The grounds as in landscaping and repairs/upkeep were lacking. It made me sad because I love the zoo and often hear feedback from some who disagree with the concept. If your park isn't clean and up to date then that will make some people feel that maybe the animals are cared for the same way. I thought maybe this was a funding issue or lack of staff due to covid so I write this with empathy that everyone is doing the best they can but visually I hope it improves. read more

Ok, I love zoos. But this place was not well maintained at all! I was sorely disappointed; it was not at all worth the $17 admission price. All the stalls were very stinky, even the petting zoo, where (presumably) children go to pet the animals! I think the nicest (and most clean) area was the very colorful and large playground, full of tunnels and slides. I think parents would bring their toddlers to play here rather than view the animals. There are zebras, ostriches, giraffes, reptiles, and birds. The gorilla exhibit is particularly large. Free roaming peacocks were pretty. I'd pick the New England Aquarium over this place any day. read more

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I used to live a block or so from here. Aside from the gorilla breaking out of the zoo, and scaring folks on Warren Street, it was a great place. Actually, I'm going to amend this. The Gorilla wasn't very scary. He was mostly confused and scared, himself. I felt sorry for him. In Roxbury, a Gorilla isn't what you get scared of. He was just out of place. So what is Great about Franklin Park? Over 500 acres of space in an urban area. Living a block or so from the park, I often woke up to seeing foxes in my back yard. A Cookout or Picnic was 5 minutes away. What's bad is it's horrible Zoo, lack of funding, lack of Policing, and abundance of syringes littering the playing fields, and places where kids could play. Now, this sort of thing is common in Central Park. You live with that, along with the Rats. I just hope we can to better than that, in Boston. Franklin Park was designed to be the Jewel of FL Olmstead's Emerald Necklace. It's still all there, though a Jewel in the rough, now. I'd love to see a real reclamation project started here. read more

Boston's largest park is my backyard. I'm a lucky girl. I haven't yet explored all 527 acres but I look forward to seeing them all. There are 15 miles of paths/walkways, three playgrounds, several tennis courts, baseball fields, basketball hoops galore, a golf course, a pond and old zoo ruins. Scary, scary zoo ruins that look like they might give you a nasty case of tetanus. Don't let the kiddies play too close- take 'em to see filled zoo exhibits- complete with animals- just down the path. The best part: Franklin Park is one of the few places in the city where you can forget you are in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the US. That's an amazing feat and one well worth experiencing. Go get lost in the Wilderness. read more

I didn't like this park too much, i'd rather stick to good old Common. At the entrance of the park it delivers a great first impression, the wilderness and nature, you feel lonesome and in the middle of green. But then you get over the hill and there it is: A stadium, a huge street and a golf course. This destroys the entire hang-out- in-a-beautiful-park-on-a sunday experience. Probably we just missed to find the good spots in this park, but i wouldn' t go there again to find out about that. On top of that, it's a long ride from Cambridge. read more

There was once a love in my life that I dared not speak of. For years I kept it to myself. But I cannot burden my heart with the secret any longer. I must express how I feel about Kiki. Or maybe her name was Gigi. Even though I barely knew her name, she was the world to me. But no one would understand...how could they? A man in love with a gorilla? Outrageous! I know you would say that it was merely infatuation. But no! I tell you it was love! True love. The kind of love that goes beyond logic and boundaries, even species. Many things made our love untenable. First, she was older than me. Also, she was a gorilla. But had you just looked into her eyes you would have understood how I felt. You would have seen a pure, noble, sentient being so full of love and longing, who had waited a lifetime. These things need no explanation. Judge me if you must. I am a man in love with a girl gorilla. I don't know if she has a mate. I don't care anymore. I want the world to know! Even if he is a big burly silverback. Bring it on, worthy opponent. I would go to the very gates of Hell for her. She makes me want to be a better man. read more

This place is just ridiculous and I thought about literally kicking myself for never having come here until a few years ago. I'd been reading about the Emerald Necklace and using my Boston bike map I put together a great ride around it which includes the Southern arc of the Circuit Drive up to the clubhouse for the golf course and out onto Columbia. There are lots of trees along that way, but then you get to the golf course and it's like you're at a course on Cape Cod what with the sawgrass and stuff. Neat! The zoo is a great little zoo too, but that's another rating for another day. read more

The idea of a large rural park to serve Boston came about in the years after the Civil War, after the short-lived Town of West Roxury was annexed to Boston (1874). The park itself formed the northeast corner of West Roxbury, with Roxbury across Seaver street to the north and Dorchester across Blue Hill ave. to the east. For years, the cost held up action, and representatives of distant parts of Boston saw no value to their constituents. The 1880s began the work of taking land and designing and constructing the park, called West Roxbury Park at the time. There were few houses on the land, but farms did form the southern edge near Forest HIlls, and plans had been made to develop streets and build houses, so not all landowners were happy to have their land taken by the city. Frederick Law Olmsted was brought in to design the park, and it became one of his biggest projects. Olmsted saw the park as a rural retreat, where immigrant tenement-dwellers would excape the slums of the North and South End and have their spirits uplifted by the magic of clean air and green open spaces. Olmsted's park included open rolling meadows - today's golf course - wooded "wild" land, still remaining along Forest HIlls st, and a more ordered promenade along Seaver st. Before the park was even finished, thousands did come on Sundays - the only "weekend" day at the time - to picnic and see and be seen. However, things did not go as Olmsted planned. The value of rural retreats for the downtrodden masses was a much-discussed subject for the better kind of people of the day, but those massed themselves preferred to actually do something with their time. Against Olmsted's wishes, people began playing baseball at the park in large numbers. There was a great bicycle craze during the late 1800s, and the park was filled with "wheelmen." In an effort to keep the ballplayers out, Franklin Field was built along Blue Hill ave, but still people refused to commune with rural nature. Ponds were demanded, so the city dug out the Scarboro ponds, directly against Olmsted's wishes. And against Olmsted's express demands, in the early 1900s, a zoo was added to the park. Olmsted wanted no active use - no sports, no ponds, and especially no zoo. By the First World War, the park consisted of a zoo, ballfields, ponds, and a golf couse! When a carriage road bisecting the park was opened to automobiles, the park was cut in half from corner to corner. Boston's working class had their way, and there was little left of the Olmsted park other than the layout of the bare earth itself. Fun facts: Curling and hockey teams used to play on the Scarboro ponds. An army battery once marched up from Rhode Island and bivouaced at Franklin Park. Franklin Park was named for Benjamin Franklin to honor the use of money he left the city in a hundred-year account, but legal battles with decendants tied up the Franklin Fund, leaving the city to pay for the park. Schoolmaster Hill on the golf course honors Ralph Waldo Emerson, who lived in a house on the site while he taught school nearby. There are stone "ruins" on the site. For more on the history of Franklin Park go here: http://rememberjamaicaplain.blogspot.com/search/label/Franklin%20Park read more

Franklin Park - The Arbor, at Schoolmaster Hill, Franklin Park - Parks Near Me - Boston, Massachusetts

This is a perfectly pleasant place to go for a little hike in the park. It is close to the city and has some little trails and stuff off the paved walkways. The park isn't exactly gorgeous (and note that we went in December), but it is also not as dirty as earlier reviewers reported. We saw only one group of three people hanging out on our hour plus walk, so this a good place for some off-leash walking. There are interesting relics of old buildings and lots of paths to take. read more

I grew up near this park. Now I am going with my grandchildren. This could be a world class zoo but who leaves the trash bags so people see them when the park opens. It is beautiful with great playgrounds but the Sprinklers were broken on a hot day. A bottle of waters Cost $3 so bring your your own. There should be water sprinkler so. Kids Can stay cool. The exhibits are great but the young kids working there need to engage with the visitors. read more

Pretty good XC course, but anything over 5k and you start repeating loops over and over. It is very spectator friendly, at least! Since they redid the park last year, the grass for the first 200m is very, very soft, but even. The wilderness loop is much more hard packed dirt, and Bear Cage Hill really isn't that steep, but the turning of it and the loose rocks the size of roasted potatoes is what really slows you down. If you don't show up early for a race, expect to park at least 0.25-0.5 miles away. Plenty of porta-potties near the start on race day. read more

Franklin Park: Not as stabby as you think! Not the best tagline, but it would work. It's got a bad rep, but really, it's the largest greenspace in Boston, it has a lot of wildlife for being in the city (especially birds), and there are a decent array of events and tours going on if you know where to look. Most importantly, unlike most of the more popular parks in Boston, it has a legit wilderness, not an array of carefully-planted trees surrounded by meticulously-cut grass and flowerbeds. That alone makes it worth visiting. read more

Great local trails for walking, biking or jogging!

The park is big enough to have a year round carnval we have nothing in the community for the price to see aniamls iam sure people would sacrfie a few more $ to have fun read more

I never had been to this zoo before...there was plenty to do and see... the bird cage was fun...the stench from the flamingo pit and watching gorillas eating their own vomit and feces wasnt.... read more

I have lived in the area my entire life and, excluding a few visits to the zoo, the extent of my visits to Franklin Park has consisted of driving through and a couple of races (Doyle's and the BAA Half Marathon). Yesterday, I went for a long run all through Franklin Park and was very impressed. There are lots of great trails to run on through the woods and interesting remnants of buildings as well. The only reason it doesn't get a full 5 stars is the presence of litter in some areas. Also, visitors should be aware that the park abuts a few pretty rough neighborhoods. After-dark visits are not advisable. read more

Gorgeous park...love to walk around the circle ( around the golf course trail). Great place to take family, great place for picnic,too. Scarborough Pond is beautiful and quaint. Only thing I get concerned about is the occasional weirdos that walk through the park sometimes or the perverted men who sit in the parking lot near the Clubhouse..other than that, I love this park..When weather gets nice, usually quite a bit of runners/walkers around but always be cautious whether on the trail or off...same as any other park though. read more