Easy Summer Adventures!
Take a quick drive across the border to see all MetroWest has to offer.
Flamingoes at Southwick’s Zoo. Photo courtesy of MetroWest Visitors Bureau
Tired of battling airports but kids clamoring to get away and enjoy the summer? Take an easy road trip to MetroWest Massachusetts that will make them cheer (and keep your wallet equally happy!). Here are four adventures full of charming towns, engaging activities, interesting arts & culture, and outdoor beauty.
Paddleboarding at Hopkinton State Park. Photo courtesy of MetroWest Visitors Bureau
Active Adventures
Take a deep breath of summer at one of MetroWest’s eight state park recreation areas, like Hopkinton State Park whose 1,500 acres are crisscrossed by hiking, horseback riding, and mountain biking trails around a lake with boat rentals, beaches, stocked fishing, and more. Once you’ve built up an appetite, head to Level99 for a great meal, then test yourself with 50+ mental and physical challenges, or get a little competitive at Puttshack, where mini golf meets high tech. Stay overnight at one of MetroWest’s many hotels, like the Warren Conference Center & Inn, set on a lake with woods to hike through, a beach to play at, and boats to float in.
In the morning, play a round of golf at the gorgeous Marlborough Country Club or a terrific pickleball game at Bosse or Clock Tower. Kayak, paddleboard, or hike along the scenic Sudbury River, lush with vegetation and excellent for birding. Grab a bike and head to one of the many regional rail trails offering 50+ miles of paths for all mobility levels. Then let the kids climb the walls at Urban Air’s adventure park, with ropes courses, battle beam, zip line, trampolines, aerial course, warrior course, and more. Take your animal lovers to Southwick’s Zoo. The largest zoo in New England lets you get up close and personal through Animal Encounters, plus offers a slew of activities like the Soaring Eagle Zip Line, Skyfari Sky Ride, carousel, train rides, a maze, and more!
Inside The Verve Hotel Boston/Natick. Photo courtesy of MetroWest Visitors Bureau
Cultural Adventures
Take in a fabulous play, concert or special event at one of MetroWest’s many performing arts centers like Hopkinton Center for the Arts, TCAN, or The Umbrella Arts Center. Be sure to visit the Danforth Art Museum, a jewel box housing 3,500+ artworks, including a collection by Harlem Renaissance artist Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller, renowned for her groundbreaking sculptures of the African and African-American experience. Then explore the American Heritage Museum, whose immersive exhibits and unique living history events feature one-of-a-kind antique planes, tanks, and cars, plus fascinating stories from WWI to today. Spend the night at The Verve Hotel Boston/Natick, a Tapestry Collection property decorated in pop art décor from the 1960-90’s. Pick up a scavenger hunt at the front desk and challenge the fam to find as many items as you can. In the morning, wander through Garden in the Woods, showcasing lovely native wildflowers, or stroll the paths of New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill or the Garden at Elm Bank. All of these gardens offer lovely shops, creative classes and tours, and special events and exhibits to explore.
Big Hollow Mary. Photo courtesy of MetroWest Visitors Bureau
Shopping Adventures
Nothing speaks to happy vacation memories like the locally-made treasures you bring home. Explore the richness of MetroWest through a tour of its artisans, starting in the Natick, Franklin, Framingham, and Marlborough Cultural Districts, where you’ll find jewelry, home goods, gifts, and art in the towns’ charming boutiques (plus beautiful public art and summer festivals!). Visit Boston Honey Company to watch them pour gorgeous beeswax candles, then step up to their honey bar to taste different varieties, and browse their locally-made honey-based bath products. Don’t miss Goodnow Farms Chocolates, the most decorated chocolate maker in North America, which you can buy at local shops or direct from their Sudbury factory after a behind-the-scenes tour. Stop in to dozens of other specialty shops carrying Made in MetroWest products, or make something yourself at Elsie Kaye Glassworks, Serendipity, Craftworks, or Bloom & Grow Creative. Spend the night at Aloft Framingham, with some hands-on fun of its own, from the pool table in the lobby to their giant Connect 4 and board games.
Wine and dish pairings at La Cantina. Photo courtesy of MetroWest Visitors Bureau
Tasty Adventures
MetroWest Boston is known for fantastic craft beverages. Plan a brewery tour of some of the region’s 15 craft breweries—like Jack’s Abby, CraftRoots, or Rushford & Sons. Stop in for a bite and glass of award-winning wine at La Cantina Winery, or have a gourmet meal, tour, and tasting at GlenPharmer Distillery, where the menu pairs with their incredible spirits. Most offer live entertainment too! Or perhaps farm-to-table is more your scene? If so, tour some of the dozens of sensational farms that call MetroWest home, where you can pick your own fruit, indulge in homemade bake goods, or buy farm-made preserves, and more. Don’t miss Nourse Farm, famous for their raspberries and chocolate bottom pies! Then sign up for a delicious cooking class at Duck Soup, offering everything from pasta-making workshops for adults to baking camps for kids.
Spend the night at the charming Inn at Fireside Tavern, where you can have a fantastic dinner in their dining room before retiring to one of four newly renovated inn rooms. Or stay at the Wayside Inn, the oldest inn in America, where the dining room still serves bread made from flour they mill at the historic grist mill. In the morning, check out one of the region’s many farmers markets, festivals or foodie events, like those at Daniels Farmstead that combine a typical market with live music, local craft vendors, and food (like their BBQ festival on July 12!)
To plan your next adventure, download the free visitors guide and go explore!
