My mom and I stopped by Walden Pond when we spent a day in Concord a week or so ago, and it was a…read moretreat to experience it on my first visit to Concord. Walden Pond is a pond, not very different from ponds all over the country. What makes it special is its association with Henry David Thoreau. He lived in a cabin on the shore of the pond for two years, and the pond and his experience living there inspired one of his most famous works, "Walden; or, Life in the Woods." The park has a lot to offer. There are trails, including the Pond Path, which circles the pond. There are beach areas. There is a visitor center, where you can watch a short documentary about Walden Pond. There's a gift shop/bookstore, where you can buy a copy of Walden to read while looking at Walden. There's also the replica of Thoreau's cabin (you can also visit the site of the original cabin). My mom and I visited the Visitor Center, watched the documentary, and enjoyed a picnic lunch on the main beach. We saw tons of people hiking, swimming, boating, kayaking, and more. Walden Pond is a special place - a must visit if you're also visiting Concord for the first time.

The water levels declined significantly from last time i visited…read more The beach is exposed on all sides. While it's great to swim in the water, i notice people are barbequing, grilling, smoking, vaping an playing loud music on the speakers. Even though there are notice boards saying not to. It would be good if DCR stations a few more staff members in the trails and beaches, to enforce the pond rules. The smell and sound was unbearable. It felt like a Las Vegas beach club. Pond was beautiful and quiet, but the crowd environment was not People were also not cleaning up after and leaving piles of food The geese would eat that and get more aggressive

Great hike! This hike is easy and the length is 1.2 mi, it might take 30 minutes to walk around…read more The huge surprise was that you can let your dog walk without the leash. A lot of people bring their dogs. This hike has a lake where your dog can swim. Nature is beautiful, when you are walking around you could hear the woodpeckers. The only problem is parking. There are not a lot of parking spots, and if you go there, there are only residents parking on the weekends. There is no additional parking available for people who just visiting the park.

First time here, but I don't know a single person that hasn't recommended it without rave reviews…read more PROS: Trails. Great for off leash dog walking. There were tons of dogs roaming about, owners right on their heels, so no worries about unattended animals. Clean(er) ponds, since they're connected to flowing water sources. There was only spot we saw where the water seemed stagnant. Most everywhere else it was relatively clean. It's not crystal blue Caribbean waters, obviously, but for your dog to swim in, it's good. CONS: Parking seemed tight. Found a spot, but it looks like local residents are not happy about street parking for overflow, so there were signs prohibiting street parking. This was at the Drabbington entrance. I'm sure there's another entrance I don't know about. OVERALL: My new gold standard for off leash hiking.

Great place to get outside and walk around a little. There are a ton of benches to rest of read a…read morebook. Lots to see.

Beautiful conservation land in Acton. Largish parking lot on Taylor street at 27…read more The area by the parking lot has some formal gardens - a Day Lilly garden, hosta garden, butterfly garden, etc. all surrounding a large open field with plenty of shade trees, picnic tables and benches. You see lots of people relaxing, lunching, reading, moms with kids etc in this area. There is also a paved wheelchair accessible trail in this area. The back area is woods complete with streams and a bog. The trail overall is 1-1/2 miles (including the handicap accessible portion). A leisurely 30-40 minute walk.

great place to take a walk. dog friendly as well. trail has loops and offshoots to make it fun!…read morewould recommend checking it out.

Friendly staff, great location. I've gone during the week and on the weekends and there are…read moresometimes a wait on the weekends. We had a great experience and it was a beautiful day! It's definitely worth the ride!

Cash only!! (Only reason it's not a 5!) Plan ahead…read more... Solid service by Bri, and the young men who launch you and help you back in. Thanks for such an affordable, reliable kayaking opportunity. Part of my summer rituals now.... Know that the website is not current, either.... But what they do, they do well!

A lovely place to observe art while going for a walk. Staff were absolutely lovely and the gift…read moreshop was filled with art themed treasure.

Used to be my favorite museum in Boston. Hadn't been here in a very long time and recent…read moreaquisitions were very "Meh." They had way better sculptures - large, landscape scale ones - in the entry area. More interactive. Minus the slanted house, everything acquired since Covid is pretty terrible, some even very cheap looking. Example, photographs... outdoors?! Attached to wood posts like cheap yard signs. Trellis with hanging fabric with cheap-looking patterns that looked like samples from Joanne's Fabrics... attached to structure that looked like playground set... not really developed. This idea of walking between hanging things has been done by countless others way better. A couple other sculptures were interesting themselves, but supports were so not thought through or developed. Looked like an afterthought, and attracted more attention or equal to the work. The "crystal" one was more interesting, but seems too precious to be outdoors. It's more of an indoor piece. Older works by Dan Graham, Jaume Plesna, Jim Dine, Joseph Wheelwright, Marianna Pineda are great. Smallest Kenneth Snelson I have ever seen... I counted 10 interesting works. 10. And indoor museum is closed for renovation. $14 entry, out of way location. Not coming back unless they dramatically improve curation. Look at New Orleans Museum of Art's sculpture garden for some inspiration. Storm King might be out of this league, but NOMA should be comparable.

First of all, this a butcher farm that has a few animals they rehabilitate so they call the whole…read morefarm a "wildlife sanctuary." This is misleading at best. There is no fruit to buy and just a few vegetables near the fresh pork for sale of the slaughtered pigs. There are several areas to view of different animals on the kill list... basically a place that promotes the Mass Audubon Society. I would never go back!

Came here for a company outing and this place was so much fun. It's so quiet, pretty, you feel like…read moreyou're really out there, especially with the fall views and all (recommend coming here during Fall like I did). We picked string beans, cherry tomatoes & flowers and it was so much fun. Staff were super friendly. I do recommend wearing boots or shoes that can get muddy though (some people wore white sneakers I was like yeah no). There's definitely lots to do!

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.

Beautiful! How can you rate a lake? Well there are a few things that come to mind: rest area, bug…read morepopulation, accessibility, and swim-ability. Rest: there are places all around the banks to plop down or set up some folding chairs. There is lots of tree coverage and shade around the lake. Bugs: Plenty. (I think they're primarily baby dragonflies because it's Spring and 'tis the season) Accessibility: There's a parking lot! (G-d bless the 21st century in which natural areas come with parking lots) It also is along the Narrow Gauge Rail-Trail so it's accessible by a bike/walk path. You do need to do a tiny 1-minute hike down a small hill to get to the lake. Swim-ability: Rules for swimming are unknown. I can tell you that right on the edge of the lake, it's a little scummy, so I'm not sure it's appealing/a good idea to do so. No trash though! All in all, a wonderful lake to visit, might not spend the day here, but still worth the pretty views.

Fawn lake is surrounded by a loop trail. It is still a quiet and pleasant trail to walk after…read moredinner. The scenery view is okay but not nothing special or breathtaking. It is an easy hiking trail with an accessible parking lot. The length of the loop trail is about one mile with marks. During the winter, the trail could be muddy after snow or rain. If you were looking for a stunning place, Fawn lake may not be the first choice.

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.