New England wooded area with the Sudbury River running through the grounds. We saw a turkey with…read moretwo chicks cross our path. We enjoyed it.

As of 8/14/2924 "The Carol Getchell Nature Trail is closed for repairs indefinitely, city…read moreofficials announced." https://patch.com/massachusetts/framingham/framinghams-carol-getchell-nature-trail-closed

I love this park. I am not from the area but if I lived around here, I'd take my morning walks here…read moredaily. Not my foot traffic, which I also liked.

I really enjoyed this place. I didn't know what to expect. We started to walk from the Eddie's park…read moreand took the internal route. Reached the Pegan Cove Park after around 15 minutes. Then we were just exploring the trail, not much to do. Walked in there for around 30-40 minutes, clicked some nice pictures, saw geese, robin, butterflies, insects etc. If you go on a rainy day, expect your shoes to get dirty with the mud. We saw few boats parked while walking by the loop. Make sure you have your bug repellent with you.

A lovely system of trails all maintained by local volunteers year round. If a tree falls on the…read moretrail, you can rest assured it is taken care of within days. If you do bit of research (unlike some only capable of spewing typical directionally challenged hippster blogger nonsense), you will see that it take 10 separate maps to cover all the trails in the system. You have large variety of trails. Make your pick. You got fields, woods, marshes, etc. I have lived in the area for a bit now and I am yet to walk every trail.

Lincoln Land Conservation Trust (LLCT) is located in Lincoln, MA only about 25 mins from downtown…read moreBoston. It is a couple of trails that go around the Sandy Pond water reservoir. There is a biking trail and several hiking/walking trails. This location is where the great Henry David Thoreau went when he wanted a peaceful retreat from the busy Boston life. The trails at LLCT are mostly well kept, but are also mostly poorly marked. The trails have changed from what most trail maps say due to changes in the watershed and the makeup of the land, and in a few spots we were unsure where to go. This isn't a huge problem though since the area is not particularly large, so I would be unlikely that you would get lost. One thing to make sure to bring is bug spray. The area is mostly wetlands and in the humid summer months there tends to be a plentiful amount of mosquitos. We forgot ours and paid the price the whole hike. Read more on my New England Hiking Blog here: http://moderndaythoreau.com

I went kayaking in Sudbury river in the Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. The river is calm…read moreand we saw many animals, including birds (geese, swan, and a number of others that I couldn't see but hear), fish, muskrats. During COVID-19 pandemic, kayaking is one of the best activities that can keep social distance.

HUNTING??!! No thanks!…read more I definitely won't be returning to this wildlife "refuge" (Refuge: a place to seek shelter from pursuit) after learning that, not only is hunting is allowed, but it takes place near and at the same time that hikers, children and others are enjoying the same area! Yikes! Hunters are asked to "Please exercise caution when hunting on or near the rivers or near nature trails." but hunting accidents happen all the time and even children are allowed to hunt on the land. (Who teaches a child to kill, anyway?). Hunting is not limited to invasive species but allows indiscriminate killing of native species as well. These "refuges" are confined by developed areas, necessary for migratory species and become essentially canned hunts. Not only do I not want to get shot but I will not support a sham program deceiving the public into thinking that it protects and shelters wildlife.

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.

This site is near a major road and has free parking. The trails to the quarry and kiln are short…read moreand could easily be done with a young child. If you're more ambitious there are longer sections I went on with typical New England woodland plants. I and my hiking partner were the only ones there, so social distancing is not an issue. I did have to pee in the woods because there are no bathrooms.

Nice local place to take a walk, learn about the environment, and geocache. The trails are…read morerelatively flat but are not well marked as there is heavy geocaching traffic. The dirt parking lot is just off of 117 and there are maps and booklets to borrow during your trip. The booklet teaches you about fauna & flora found off the trails. Additionally, you can see the old lime quarries and lime kiln. Nice place to visit if you're a local.

Killing time, I made the stop at Plains Park, located just south of I-495 on Route 85. The main…read morehighlight of this park is the trail, which does a big loop, covering less than a mile. You have the option of doing half of the loop if you wish. I enjoyed the walk, which was extremely peaceful, and also, the great scenery of the beautiful field. The park contains a pavilion, picnic tables, a playground, and a soccer field. Beware of school sporting events that take place, because the parking lot will be packed, for example when I came. I truly enjoyed making this stop.

Tripps Pond is a nice little space to spend some time outdoors... I had the opportunity to do so…read morewhile visiting friends this past weekend! Located on River Street, Hog Brook runs into the pond which in turn becomes the Assabet River. There are paths and trails on each side of the pond which are great for a stroll or a change of pace but certainly aren't built for lengthy hikes of any sort. One path travels through the woods over a couple small bridges and ends on a small peninsula at the pond's edge. The other side of the pond is well manicured with wide walking paths and multiple benches and picnic tables. When I was here, a few dedicated Hudson families were cleaning up the park and clearing away fallen trees and branches in anticipation of Earth Day! Plenty of space to soak in the early spring sun. There is a bench dedicated to George Chiasson (at one time a park commissioner who firmly supported the return of an annual fishing derby at the pond). The event is so aptly named the "George Chiasson Memorial Trout Fishing Derby". Sounds like the pond is stocked with trout for the event with a single tagged fish that if not caught on the day of the event, remains part of a prized contest until such day that some lucky person reels it in! The flowers are starting to bloom and the buds starting to emerge from the trees. Looks like the local boy and girl scout troops dedicate work and time to the park. There is a weeping willow and white birch tree there with plaques from the groups. I found a "#kindnessrocks" rock nearby to a bench in the park, a welcome message during my visit. A nice place to breathe in the fresh air and come together with the residents of Hudson.

Nice little pond for strolling, dog walking, and even fishing. On one side, there are several stone…read moreand wooden benches for sitting, a couple picnic tables, and swings. On the other side there's a path through the woods for a short nature walk. Plenty of Great Blue Heron sightings!