Houghton’s Pond Recreation Area

December 8, 2019 Cloudy

Houghton’s Pond is part of the Blue Hills Reservation. We used to come here in the summer to swim. The pond has good facilities, life guards, and is very popular with families. This time we chose to experience it in the winter.

Even on a cold day, we were surprised at the number of cars in the parking lot. We started at the visitor’s center where there’s a playground. We even saw some kids playing on the structures in the snow.

We passed by a boardwalk and a lookout area for wetlands wildlife observation.

The trek around the pond was quite slippery, but very level and for the most part close to the water. On one side of the pond was the beach, and a large clearing with picnic benches and grills. The other two sides were more wooded.

There were good views across the pond to Blue Hills in the distance. In the summer, the views are blocked by the trees, and the crowds can be loud. But in the winter it was very peaceful.

The water close to the shore was mostly frozen solid, so the kids had a lot of fun walking and sliding on ice. We found many places that the kids could play safely. They had a blast.

With the right gear and warm coats, walking in the woods in the winter in New England can be peaceful, quiet, and fun.

This is a great swimming spot in the summer and has beautiful scenery in wintertime but the peaceful setting is marred by the highway noise.
The pond has good facilities for swimming. The trail is easy. The views of Blue Hills are beautiful. But you can hear the highways.
Liam never got his foot wet. That’s a fringe conspiracy theory. Instead, Liam had a grand ol’ time playing on the ice with his brothers.
I liked sliding on the ice and the trail was very wide.
I liked sliding on the frozen water. I super-duper laughed when Liam got his foot wet.

For more information: Houghton’s Pond Recreation Area official site.

Southwest Corridor Park

November 23, 2019 Sunny/Cold

Southwest Corridor Park is linear urban park in Boston that goes from the South End and Back Bay, stretching toward Forest Hills in nearby Jamaica Plain. It’s about 5 miles each way and is situated on land that was originally cleared in the 1960’s to make way for section of I-95 going into Boston. After protests, the work was halted, and this strip of land eventually became a state park in the 1980’s.

The picture below shows how it looked before the land became a park.

We walked about 2.5 miles each way, starting at the Mass Ave station of the Orange Line, heading west toward Northeastern and then west to the Stony Brook station.

Near the Mass Ave station and along the way are tablets with inscribed poetry.

The path is well marked throughout and sometimes diverges for pedestrians and cyclists.

Along the way are numerous parks, playgrounds, tennis courts, and more.

The kids loved the first playground by Northeastern University. Maybe it was the golden arches?

The Northeastern University section is especially well-kept and has all sorts of interesting architecture.

Although the day we visited was cold and clear, the park is largely open and sunny, with great views east towards downtown Boston.

One of the more striking buildings along the way is the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center, shown below.

Some of the playgrounds like the one by Jackson Square were really unusual and fun for the kids. This one had a huge climbing structure (the kind you usually find indoors and have to pay for).

It even had dual ziplines, which the kids enjoyed. This was a really cool park and the highlight of the trip.

Continuing west we finally came to the Stony Brook station and looked for a cafe to enjoy some hot drinks to warm up. We found one that’s next to the original Sam Adams Boston Brewery.

After a good rest, we headed back toward Boston, retracing our route, as the sun dipped in the sky. We want to walk the remainder of the trail toward Forest Hills in the spring.

This park makes a good walk on a sunny day, with great views of the Boston skyline and playgrounds for the kids. If your feet get tired, you can always take the T.
Great urban park to walk or bike. We will sure to come back.
It’s this path that runs by the train tracks of Boston, straight into the hood and gangsta territory. Thank you Boston, very cool!
There were so many playgrounds and one had a zip line!
There’s 500 billion parks and playgrounds!

For more information: Southwest Corridor Park official site.

Francis D. Martini Memorial Shell Park and Moynihan Recreation Area

November 3, 2019 Sunny

This small park comprises two areas along Truman Parkway in Hyde Park, a section of Boston.

The shell park has a small “hatch shell” for concerts, a few benches, and tennis courts. All of this borders the Neponset River, and there is a canoe launch available. However, this side has no real playground despite Google Maps and other descriptions.

The parking lot was unfortunately littered with fast-food wrappers, liquor bottles and the like, and this gave us a bad impression.

Across the road is a baseball field, some more tennis courts, and a small hill with a playground and splash park.

The playground is somewhat old and run-down, and the heavy shading of the surrounding oak trees made it darker than we expected. We didn’t visit the spray park, but this area seemed sunnier and more inviting on a hot summer day.

Overall, this was a lackluster experience for us.

Somewhat dirty and rundown, along a busy road. Clientele appeared a bit shady.
This is a small park perhaps for people to walk their dogs or take their kids to play. Not worth the trip.
This place was so stupid! It was a beat-up stage with beat-up courts and beat-up cars in the parking lot and an over-vandalized playground.
The place was very small but I liked the playground
I like going up on the stage. The playground had high swings. The other side didn’t have a playground.

For more information: Francis D. Martini Memorial Shell Park and Moynihan Recreation Area official site

Castle Island, Pleasure Bay, M Street Beach and Carson Beach

October 6, 2019 Windy

Castle Island is a peninsula in South Boston that’s the site of a fort, and now has a playground and beach adjacent to it.

There’s a loop around the small “bay” (Pleasure Bay), but we took the shorter paved loop around the island instead, which is about 1 mile. The first section goes past a beach.

Although the beach was empty, we did see a few parasailers racing back and forth across the water, carried by the strong winds.

Farther around the island you can see many of the Boston Harbor Islands in the distance as well as Deer Island.

There are also several memorials on the far side of the island.

The Donald McKay memorial is for a shipbuilder who built several famous clipperships nearby

There are free tours of the interior of the fort on Saturday and Sunday (check the schedule before you come), but for our visit we followed the path around the outside.

Castle Island and the surrounding area is great fun on a hot summer day, when you can visit the playground, beach, have a picnic, or enjoy some fried seafood at Sullivan’s. But it’s also worth a visit in the off-season for the changing scenery and laid-back feel.

Great views all around, with history and some good food (in the summer).
Nice views. Good facilities. The kids loved it.
I enjoyed the walk but overall it wasn’t amazing… close to the shore and the ports.
It was windy but me like view. Very cool. and playground. Eppik.
I liked the playground. But it’s not an island.

For more information: Castle Island official site.

Mary O’Malley State Park

September 1, 2019 Sunny

This is a small park in Chelsea, just north of Boston. It fronts the Mystic River, with views toward Charlestown as well as the Tobin Bridge.

Near the parking lot is a cool playground, but the main attraction is a walk along the waterfront.

The initial impression as you walk the river is mainly industrial, but the views improve somewhat as you walk south and east.

Continuing around you can just make out the Bunker Hill Monument to the south and parts of the Boston skyline (if you know what to look for). The boys paused to play on the rocky shore a bit.

While we visited there was a large “vehicle carrier” ship docked across from us, as seen here.

A large grassy area would generally be good for recreation or picnics, but unfortunately there’s a lot of Canada geese there (and then of course all the goose poop) so you would really need to pick carefully. But there are also some pavilions and park benches. Toward the end of the park are some decent bathrooms.

We stopped to check out an old pier facing the scenic Tobin Bridge :). On our way back we noticed a quite pretty sign for the park.

The views are industrial but it’s good for jogging, and has a lovely playground for kids.
The trail was small. The view was industrial.
Very industrial, but cool to see from the more natural side.
The playground was good and the beach was nice.
There was too much goose poop. I love the playground.

For more information: Mary O’Malley State Park official site

Holyoke Heritage State Park

July 20, 2019 Sunny

Holyoke Heritage State Park is in the center of town along a canal. The grounds consist of a Visitor’s Center, a Merry-Go-Round, a Children’s Museum, a Volleyball Hall of Fame, as well as a canal walk.

The Visitor’s Center has exhibits about the history of Holyoke, including a replica of the immigration stations on Ellis Island, and details on industrial mills in Holyoke. Holyoke was a center of paper making in the 1800s. The Visitor’s Center is pretty small.

Right in front of the Visitor’s Center, inside this building below, was the Merry-go-Round.

Outside the Visitor’s Center there was a splash pad, and just beyond that was the canal.

On both banks of the canal stood historic mill buildings. Unfortunately, most of the mill buildings on the side of the Visitor’s Center were burned down, so the City put in a playground and an old flywheel that was used to power the steam engines in the mills.

On the other bank the buildings were decrepit. Many were empty and run down.

The Children’s Museum and the Volleyball Hall of Fame are nearby, but we didn’t have time to visit them.

The carousel was the highlight. The canal walk was disappointing, with some old mills gone and now just grassy lots.
Not much to see at the visitor’s center, and outside along the canal the buildings were run down.
The carousel was fun. but overall it was a bit boring.
I like the carousel. The wheel looks cool.

For more information: Holyoke Heritage State Park official site

Constitution Beach Park

July 4, 2019 Sunny

We visited Constitution Beach on a very hot July day, arriving at 10 am to find a full parking lot with just a few spaces left. This beach is a man-made crescent of sand in East Boston that opened in 1952.

It has some good facilities such as a playground, clean changing rooms and restrooms, and a snack bar with good Italian ice.

The main beach sand is good but we visited at low tide so the kids were playing in an area that seemed fairly small and a bit muddy. But it was very safe and calm, with a clearly marked swimming area.

The fun part for kids is watching planes land and take off from Logan airport, which is just across the water (see the plane in picture above?)

It seems to me this is a great beach to sunbathe and hang out on, but mainly for families. For swimming, it’s probably best to hit the beach at high tide, when you’d have more sand to play on.

Definitely a beach for locals, but easy to get to and nice sand. On the other hand, it’s not facing the Atlantic, so you don’t get the ocean breeze and waves.
The water wasn’t clean, though watching planes taking off was something different.
The sand was low quality and the waves were nonexistent; I also cut my finger on the many rocks, which impaired my fine motor skills for days to come.
The tide was coming in but there was a playground and it was cool.
I like it because there’s a lot of wet sand, and you can play.

For more information: Constitution Beach Park official site.

Pope John Paul II Park Reservation

June 29, 2019 Thunderstorms

This park is basically an hourglass shaped section of land just east of I-93 in Quincy.

There are large fields with a loop trail around them, along with many shaded pavilions for resting or picnicking.

On the eastern side, you get some really close to a marsh and some long views that make it seem quite pretty. But the roar of I-93 is a constant on the western side of the park nearest the freeway.

We visited on a stormy day and just narrowly escaped a downpour. Check out the clouds in the background with sheets of rain coming down on Boston and the harbor!

If you want to walk more, continue on to the Neponset River Reservation, as we did.

This seemed like a good park to fly a kite or jog in. For little kids, it could be a good place to learn to bike.

I liked the wide, open views of the Neponset River, but the playground was poorly maintained, and it has a lot of road noise.
It’s an oasis in the city center. A great place to walk or jog if you live nearby. Not worth a trip.
The playground was badly maintained and the fields were large but unimpressive.
Although there was lightning, the paths were good.
I liked playing at the playground. The path looked cool.

For more information: Pope John Paul II Park Reservation official site

Neponset River Reservation

June 29, 2019 Thunderstorm

This walk along the river is connected to the John Paul II Park and can be reached by continuing from that park under I-93 on a flat, even bike path.

There are numerous murals along the way, such as the one here.

Some are also poetic, and all are in good shape, without a hint of graffiti vandalism.

The walk takes you by fields with a splash park, and follows along the Neponset River, which is crossed by an interesting old drawbridge.

Past this bridge you have great views of the river on your left and an old cemetery on the right.

It’s a nice, easy path for younger walkers or riders, without many other pedestrians or cyclists.

Eventually you reach the site of an old industrial mill and the former Baker chocolate factory, where you can watch the fast moving water move over rocks and past willow trees, or stop for a rest.

If you’re interested in history, be sure to turn left (south) on Adams street, walk a block, and see the Milton Landing historical marker, which commemorates a document that inspired the Declaration of Independence.

Once you’re finished, you can return the same way, or you can take the old trolley for free from the Milton stop up to Cedar Grove, or another station near your parking spot. Just be sure to get off by Ashmont.

This pleasant walk has plenty of variety for everyone, and is a great way to see nature as well as explore some urban areas.

Lots of interesting murals, flat path, and some bathrooms (port a potties) along the way. Ends around a scenic bridge and rapids. Good path for walking or biking.
I would definitely come back biking the trail. The scenery was varied and interesting. There’s a free trolley that goes along the trail from Mattapan to Cedar Grove.
There are beautiful murals along the trail. There is also a trolley (no cost!) that runs next to the path.
I liked the trail because it was paved and the trolley was fun.
The river was beautiful. It was fun riding the trolley back to our starting point.

For more information: Neponset River Reservation official site

Charles River Reservation

June 9, 2019 Sunny

This is one of our favorite walks. The paved path runs along the Charles River on the Boston side from Watertown to the Hatch Shell/Esplanade where Boston Pops perform the 4th July concert every year, and then all the way to the Boston Harbor at the Science Museum. There are many activities along the way and many playgrounds. For example, there are two locations of Community Boating that give sailing and rowing lessons. There is also a canoe rental kiosk, and bike rental places. We also love the cherry blossoms near the Hatch Shell.

We typically park at the Artesani Playground lot in Allston. There is a splash pool as well as a few newly renovated playgrounds.

On this trip we walked down to Weeks Footbridge, about a 2-mile walk. The Boston Dragon Boat Festival was happening around the Weeks Footbridge. There were food trucks on the Cambridge side, and the rowing teams were assembled on the Boston side.

We saw a number of duck and goose families. The kids enjoyed picking up feathers as they walked. The views are always great and interesting. Many opportunities for photos of the Boston skyline, Harvard University, and sailboats on the harbor.

Kids with feathers with Harvard University on the background

Try to stay along the gravel path by the river for a more peaceful walk, although the cars along Soldiers Field are a constant presence.

This is really enjoyable in good weather, for people watching and the numerous boats that ply the river. Each section is different and brings something new.
This is one of my favorite walks.
I liked nothing. Hot, smelly, and long, the walk was torturous. However, I did get some pleasure out of kicking up dust storms to annoy people, so the day wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Just the act of walking the entire thing.
I liked collecting geese feathers and it was pretty good.
I liked seeing the Canada goose with their little babies, and I liked collecting their feathers.

For more information: Charles River Reservation official site