I wish negative stars were a thing. The anchors violently shock you constantly and the staff have…read moreno protection put in place, so you are always in fear of being shocked. The staff were very nice about it, but this is unacceptabl.

Came on a Saturday morning. There were already a few people checked in as well some more after…read more Chris was the only worker available having to check in, teach and monitor everyone with his one good ankle. He was a down to earth guy who was trying his best given the circumstances. The teaching lesson took 2 hours because he had to keep going back and forth to check new people in, have forms signed, and check other people out. The other person called out leaving him to fend for himself. Christ remained calm and patient with all of us ensuring we don't injury ourselves. Only wish is that there were more courses we could use as we felt like they were either beginner or advanced options. Would come again to see Chris.

Now this is how your organize a wholly successful, albeit unpronounceable, 5K…read more I'm always in awe of how community-building these races are, even as they slowly drive local business owners to suicide, what with the gazillions of runners flocking through and using the bathroom pre-race. Somerville does an excellent job, however, of completely blocking off the streets and organizing a gaggle of people through the start without much delay. The finish line got a little hairy, as we all slowly walked over the barrier, mentally screaming to our little bib chips "WHATEVER MY TIME MINUS A MINUTE, DAMMIT!", but given that there was live Irish music accompanying us to the end, it was kind of a nice way to finish a race. The course is the same as the Gobble x 3, except minus a mile, so a few hills that are pleasantly resolved in downhills, with the finish line just up the bike path. They unfortunately ran out of swag, but I also callously went to pick up my race pack at 10:45am for an 11am start time, so I can shoulder the blame for that one. The tee-shirt, from what I saw, was cotton, brimming with sponsors, and a lovely shade o'purple. The later start time allows for some pre-St. Patty's Day debauchery the night before, and the post-race craic is a sea of green beer, lovingly supplied by Somerville's finest Irish establishments. Like all BA events, it sells out fast, so sign up early and sport your sweaty shamrock with pride.

Ras na h'Eireann is probably one of my favorite annual 5K's in the Boston area. If you plan on…read moreparticipating, make sure you sign up early since the bib numbers tend to go quickly and the price only goes up as the race date creeps up. This year, 5,500 raced, and as you can imagine, Davis Square was absolutely taken over before, during, and after the event. Before race day they offer several opportunities all around the Boston area to pick up your race number and free t-shirt, but in reality, it was simple to pick it up right down the street on race day. The organizers did a good job marking off starting areas for runners based off of their average pace, which is something that not many races tend to do. Since there are so many people packed onto Elm/Holland Street, the start of the race was a massive jam of people just trying to get started. Thankfully they track your time with a chip in your race bib. After the event I was emailed my overall time (with traffic jam included) as well as my actual race time from crossing the starting line through the finish line. Throughout the race there are photographers stationed taking pictures which they will inevitably try to sell you through a bunch of promotional emails, but that happens at all of these types of things. After the race they had water for competitors as well as a medal. Bars all over Somerville and Cambridge we offering free beer to people with race bibs, and though I did not go to any, I heard it was a blast. I will have to do that next year. I really like the timing of this 5K because it lines up with the warming weather and tells me to get off my ass and get back into my normal running routine. I use this race as my beginning of the season gage and run a few more over the spring and summer to see how I am progressing. Even if you aren't a runner, this is a great event because of all the support and camaraderie everyone has. Don't worry about all the hills!

First time I've heard about the New England Challenge was in 2017, the inaugural series was held in…read more2016. What an insane way to pick up states for the half marathon or marathon goal in a minimal amount of time. I've been around the block, but 6 days in a row seems pretty nuts. I've been around long enough to know virtually everyone in the club who's done at least one round of the 50 states marathons. Race morning started at the Granite State marathon / half marathon here in Nashua, New Hampshire. The New England Challenge attracts veteran marathoners and half marathoners who wish to run a half marathon or a marathon up to all 6 states in the series. You decide on what states you want to do or need for your own personal goal(s). With that said, we arrived at Mine Falls Park in Nashua around 5:30am on a brisk Tuesday morning. It was interesting to be running a race on the weekday, even though I was just in Maine the day before! The New England Challenge / Granite State marathon & half marathon draws a small field, which is less than 100 individuals for both events. I ended up running the half marathon for New Hampshire this event, which was quite scenic trails within a large park. You never know you were in a city, since the trails seemed far outside the city. The event was small and felt like a training run, even though it's a race with a race number on your t-shirt. The overall experience here at The Granite State marathon / half marathon in Nashua, New Hampshire was quite nice, quite excellent, and casual. The main thing about the entire series and not just this event is that there is no time limit. Many others do have a one, ranging from 6 hours to 8 hours, depending on the race. It's not festive like many races out there, but you can say that it has its purpose for goal oriented people - like myself. The course is basically multiple loops around Mine Falls Park, which was 4.96 miles once around. We had a shorter out and back loop of 1.6 miles (for the half, 1.4 for the marathon) to do initially before we started the larger loop around the park. It was nice to see familiar faces each time I came across them. I did enjoy the scenery while I went around purposely and it help me motivate myself to keep moving and keep on smiling - since it was just day one and already a bit tired from doing the same thing in ME the day before. The trail itself was nice and we creeped around the river on the last 2 miles of the loop. It was nice and serene, especially during a week day morning. Registration is conducted online, but they do have race day registration. Just need to get there early to fill out an entry form and pay the fee. There was an electronic timing station that was basically next to the main parking area at Mine Falls Park. It recorded the time for every lap that we do, which is cool. The lone aid station was loaded with food and drinks - you probably could gain weight while doing a half marathon or marathon. The support staff was great, cheering us on lap after lap. It was inspiring to see friends out there to help me push forward, even though I had 4 more days of this - just different venues. It was a cozy race that was nice. Mine Falls Park was the ideal location for this race. Upon finishing my half marathon, I announced that I was done and got my finisher medal. I hung out at the finish line area to wait up for a friend of mine to finish. Once everything was in order, we gingerly walked back to the rental car and headed to Vermont day 3 in Springfield the next morning. The appeal for The New England Challenge and doing marathons or half marathons is the economic factor. Doing them all together brings travel costs down a lot, but you'd have to be physically and mentally prepared for such an adventure. For the most part though, I enjoyed my time here in Nashua, NH and at the Granite State marathon & half marathon. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Consider this race or the series when you are running 50 states half marathon or marathons. Support local! Run More! A+

The good: there's a driving range, a putting green, and a sand trap to practice in. The driving…read morerange is affordable ($5 for 30 balls and $8 for 60); the mats are in good shape; and you get plenty of yard markers to gauge your distance and accuracy. The putting green is well maintained and presents an array of challenges, with many uneven surfaces and plenty of holes. There's also plenty of parking and the staff is friendly and helpful. The bad: many of the balls at the range (it seemed like half) are in bad shape. They're old, faded, and many are even warped in shape. There is not a separate chipping green, only the sand trap. All in all a fun place to hang out and work on your game.

I love this place! Perfect for family outings and a fun course for a quick 9 holes. Although this…read moreis a shorter course, there are some interesting challenges on several of the holes, so there's something here for everyone.

Fun 5k + extreme bounce houses = Awesome!…read more With your entry you get a t-shirt, a beer, a free bag check, and discount on merchandise. The course was not hard like most fun 5k. It is not timed and the inflatables were fun. Some of the slides were HOT as it heated up in the sun and it was dangerous sliding down if it touched bare skin. I got burned as did many on my team. No water obstacles for this race. Pro tip: parking was $10 but you could have just parked across the street at the mall for free.

Review for Kids Learn to Skate Program: very nice program, weekly on Saturday AMs, reasonably…read morepriced and does a great job of teaching the fundamentals from how to safely get up on the ice, pushing with alternating feet and gliding (though this can take two consecutive programs - Snowplow 1 and Snowplow 2 to get them to a very proficient level to have fun outside next winter). The rink is shared ice during these times, meaning multiple groups at different levels being instructed on adjacent but separate sections of the rink. What might be most impressive is they actually Zamboni the ice before and after every 40 min session, which makes the ice perfect for a group of new skaters that likely need semi-decent ice at best, but hey, no complaint!

Candace - you are so patient and knowledgeable!!…read more Answered all my questions about skates for my kids. The facility is very well run. It is busy on the weekends but organized well.

3.9-mile loop surrounds the beautiful coastal city of Newburyport. I start the trail at the marina…read morefollowing the old railroad path, until reaching the yacht club, and follow behind the residential neighborhood until I reach Parker Street. I do the entire loop. I only have to be on the road for short distance with my bike. There is so much to see that you will want to stop and rest and take it all in. I especially love the trail art sculptures, murals, planters, and the views from the Harborwalk on the Merrimack. The gardens attract so many birds and monarch butterflies. The residents maintain the butterfly garden who DONATE all the plants, mulch, and artwork to this amazing garden. The residents even provide birdseed for the birdfeeders. The murals along the abutment wall on Route one underpass are incredible and love the "native fish". The path is wide enough (6 foot) to allow the bike riders, walkers, runners, and dog walkers room to pass. Don't forget the indigenous edible wild garden along the trail blueberries, cranberries, rosehips, and strawberries to name a few.

The Hampshire Dome is wicked cool!! We went here today for…read morethe annual camper and RV show and It was our first time at the dome. The place is huge, and really futuristic looking. Inside - a track, a field for sports, with artificial turf. A snack bar, and more. The space here is great and handled the crowd with no problem. From the website it looks like many sports teams use the space regularly. This would be a awesome place for a night event or food event.

Great place to go for a run in their massive indoor track. It did take me about 15 minutes to get…read morethe attention of the front desk worker, but after that it was a good experience. No one was in the track, however if you want to use the turf fields that you will need to rent, because when I went there were multiple sports teams practicing on the turf fields. All and all a great experience and a great track!