More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.
Join the Wellesley Historical Society for this 90-minute, 1-mile long guided historic walk of the Washington Street area in Wellesley Hills. The walk will take place on Nov. 10 at 9am.
Meet at the parking lot at the Dadmun-McNamara House at 229 Washington Street in Wellesley Hills.
Recommended for adults and teens.
Free for Wellesley Historical Society members, $5 for non-members.
MORE: Inside the Sprague Memorial Clock Tower
Is your school signed up for November 7, Town-Wide Walk -To-School? Join the Safe Routes program and receive helpful tips and supplies. Sponsored by the Wellesley Green Schools.
See a section of the newly restored Fuller Brook Park and walk through an historic part of Wellesley. The park runs roughly parallel to Washington Street along the Fuller Brook and Caroline Brook. Established in 1899 and designed by John Charles Olmsted (nephew of Frederick Law Olmsted and a noted landscape designer in his own right) and others, a large portion of the park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Meet at the State Street parking lot adjacent to the High School stadium.
Come along to enjoy some of Wellesley’s beautiful open spaces and discover trails that will expand your recreational options. The walks and events are free, and no registration is required. Most walks cover 1.5 to 2 miles and last about 1 hour. Participants are encouraged to wear sturdy footwear.
Activities take place unless it pours rain or there are high winds.
More info from Wellesley Trails Committee
On October 30, 2018, 9:45am The Hills Garden Club (HGCW) of Wellesley and the Town of Wellesley will celebrate the completion of a landscape labyrinth at Elm Park, known in Wellesley as the “Clock Tower Park” on Washington Street. Years in the planning and construction, the labyrinth is a joint project, funded by HGCW. Town landscape planner Cricket Vlass conceived the project and its design, in consultation with the NRC and the garden club.
The structure, made of large gray granite cobbles, is located on the west side of the park close to a park entrance on Washington Street. Of the numerous shapes for labyrinth designs, the garden club and the town chose a ‘Seven Circuit Classical – Modified’, 35’ in diameter. The design embraces an interweaving of stone and grass within the existing ground plane, creating a contemplative, low-maintenance space.
Vlass will be on hand for the dedication, along with members of the garden club, invited NRC guests, and DPW staff, who constructed the labyrinth, and dealt with challenging and ever-changing weather conditions.
The rain date for this event is Tue. Nov 6, 2018.
This wonderfully accessible, pretty as can be, 2.5 mile loop around Gates Pond in Berlin, Massachusetts is for you, young families of Wellesley. If you’ve got active kids with energy to burn, and maybe one or two still in a stroller, this is your hike. If you’ve got a friendly, goofy Golden Retriever named Lucy or an excitable Lab named Bella (as 721 of you do according to the Town of Wellesley 2018 dog census), then yes, this hike, less than an hour away from Wellesley Square, is for you. Take a pass on this one if your kids are afraid of dogs, because canines love it here too, and some are leashed, some not. Also, if a paved path doesn’t jive with your idea of communing with nature, then it won’t be your thing. You’ve been informed.
But if you love the idea of taking your whole big, messy, rambunctious, totally fun family for a walk around a perfect New England pond under 30 miles away, this one is it.
One of the lovely things about Gates Pond is its visual solitude. There are no lakeside homes, it’s just all nature. The parking is free and anyone can come and hike, run, cross country ski, or snowshoe around this pristine reservoir. (Fishing is allowed by special permit only.) Once you get out of your car, you may be dismayed by the sound of Route 495 traffic, but have faith. That all fades into the deep background as soon as you get onto the trail, and within five minutes the traffic sounds are inaudible. From here on in it’s just towering pine trees and views of the pond.
The trail isn’t marked with blazes because you’d have to be pretty talented to get lost on this hike. A few side trails branch off here and there, but it’s clear at all times where the main trail is. There are lots of big rocks for the kids to climb, some right at the side of the trail, others a little bit off in the woods, but not too far in. It’s also fun to go right out into the lake on the narrow spit of land and look out at the small island.
Our hike done, we headed to nearby Berlin Orchards for the most wonderful apple cider donuts I’ve had all season. They have an expansive u-pick apple orchard, and their farm stand offers plenty of apples, of course, as well as cider, honey, pumpkins, mums, gourds, and more. Berlin Orchards is open 10am – 5pm every day, and there are hayrides on the weekend. The last day this is all available is Sunday, October 28, then the farm closes to the public for the season.
It’s all going too fast, this march toward winter. I feel like every moment spent indoors is wasted, that I’m burning daylight, that my February regrets will be ever-so-bitter unless I take advantage of these mild days and this beautiful scenery now, right now. As long as the outdoor temperatures are no lower than my age minus twenty, I’ll keep getting out there. I’ll leave you to wonder exactly how hardy a soul that makes me.