Area
Recreation
See
also Summer Events
Town Recreation
Programs
Nonresidents may participate
in all programs.
Carlisle
Concord
Acton
- including programs at NARA Park
Bedford
- including Spring Brook Park
Chelmsford
Playgrounds
In Carlisle there
is the public school playground, called "Carlisle Castle" since
most of it is a wooden castle-shaped climbing structure. It is located
in the wooded area at the corner of School St. and Church St. Through
August 8 it is not available until after 3:00 because our town’s a summer
"camp." But during the rest of August it ought to be available.
There is also a small playground designed for children under age 6 below
the tennis courts further down Church St. There are also nice public playgrounds
in all neighboring towns. For example there is one across from the public
library in Bedford on Mudge Way, just off for the Great Rd./Route 225
on the right.
Swimming in
ponds and small lakes
Walden
Pond State Reservation
915 Walden St.,
Concord
978-369-3254
(8 miles, 20-minute drive)
$5 parking fee. But you need to arrive early, probably before 10:00 am
(9:30 am on weekend), to find space and be permitted to enter. The parking
lot will reopen later in the day, but it is unpredictable as to when.
There are also scenic trails to walk around the lake in the woods.
Spring
Brook Park
Springs Rd., Bedford
781-275-1392 (Bedford Recreation Department)
(15-minute drive)
$7/person, or $25/family; or after 4:00 pm only $3/person
Open 10:00 am-7:30 pm until 12 August , then beginning 13 August, it is
open 11:00 am – 7:00 pm
We recommend coming right after 4:00 pm on a hot day and bringing a picnic
supper. From a brook and artificial pond was made, part of which has an
asphalt bottom and part of which has sand bottom. Part of the area is
in the shade of tall pine trees. There is a dock for jumping, open till
5:00 pm. There is a nice playground including water play. We have been
here several times.
NARA
Park
Ledge Rock Way,
Acton
978-263-5519
(10-minute drive)
$7/person or
$25/family
It is sunny
and open; a new, clean facility, with a playground next to it. There are
also pedal boats to rent for $5.
Micozzi Beach/Nutting
Lake
Middlesex Turnpike,
Billerica
(15-minute drive)
978-671-1304
Hours 10:00
– 7:00
We have not
been here. Call to find out more.
Forge Pond in Forge
Village, Westford
Entrance from the start of Pleasant Street (near intersection with Prescott
St.), on a driveway along side the railroad tracks.
Supposedly it is for Westford residents, but there is no attendant on
duty, so it is free. (Other wise $5/person) There is no life guard either.
There are restrooms and a small playground. The lake has many stones on
the bottom, so it is advisable to wear water shoes.
Edward's Beach in
Nabnasset, Westford.
$5/person
978-692-5532
(Westford Recreation Department)
Berry Pond, Harold
Parker State Forest
1951 Turnpike
Street, Rte. 114,
North Andover
978-686-3391
http://www.state.ma.us/dem/parks/harp.htm
(35-40 minute
drive)
$5 parking fee
10:00 a.m. to
6:00 p.m.
We have not
been here. Call to find out if parking and space is limited.
Breakheart Reservation
Forest Street,
Saugus
781-233-0834
http://www.state.ma.us/mdc/breakhrt.htm
(55-minute drive)
Free, but it
might be hard to find a place nearby to park
We went here bike-riding in May, when it was too cold to swim. It might
get crowded, so better call. It could be visited in combination with the
Saugus Iron Works for a day trip, but is not worth driving so far by itself.
Willard Brook State
Forest
Rte. 119, Ashby
& Townsend
978 597-8802
http://www.state.ma.us/dem/parks/wilb.htm
It takes about
an hour to drive there.
$5 parking fee.
I have not been
hear since I was a child. It is in a pretty, wooded location.
If you are traveling further, the complete list of swimming areas in state
parks can be found at: http://www.state.ma.us/dem/recreate/swimming.htm
Swimming pools
Here are the nearest
free state swimming pools. We have not been to them, so we cannot recommend
them:
- Raymond Lord Memorial
Pool, Fletcher Street, Lowell, 978 459-7370 (20 minutes)
- Leominster State
Pool, Viscoloid Avenue, Leominster 978 537-8268 (40-45 minute drive)
Ocean beaches north
of Boston (all about an hour’s drive)
Salisbury Beach State
Reservation
Beach Rd. Rte. 1A
Salisbury
978 462-448
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/northeast/salb.htm
$7 parking fee
We have not been here, but a friend who has been recently highly recommends
it.
Hampton Beach State
Park
Route 1A
Hampton, New Hampshire
603-926-3784
http://www.nhstateparks.org/state-parks/alphabetical-order/hampton-beach-state-park
$10 parking fee
Wingaersheek Beach
Atlantic Road (off Rte. 133 and Concord Street), Gloucester
http://www.gloucesterma.com/beaches.htm
Parking fee is $20 during the week; $25 on weekends; reduced after
3:00 pm
At low tide you can walk out very far; good for young children
Crane Beach
Argilla Road,
Ipswich
978-356-4354
http://www.thetrustees.org/pages/294_crane_beach.cfm?redirect=yes
Parking fee
is $15 during the week; $20 on weekends.
We have been
here recently.
And for more information:
http://www.seecapeann.com/beach_article.html
http://www.gloucester-ma.gov/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=462&MMN_position=434:434
Cycling
Riding in our neighborhood
and on some streets in Carlisle is OK for the children if not during
busy traffic times: weekends and between approximately 9:30 am and 2:30
pm on weekdays. During these times it would be safer for children to ride
from our house along certain streets in Carlisle. The main roads have
too much fast traffic for young children, but a section of East St., from
Rutland St. to Maple St., has a bicycle lane, so it is safe. The "loop"
from next door to our house around Tophet Road / Carleton Road / East
Riding Drive is fairly safe. Some of the hills in our neighborhood and
elsewhere are quite steep, so young children, with bikes without gears,
may find it difficult.
Some of the trails
in Great Brook Farm State Park are wide enough and OK for bicycles. Although
ours are not "mountain" bikes, you might try it. You could even
ride to Great Brook Farm State Park from our house via North Rd., but
a section of that road is very narrower with curves.
The nearest paved
bike pathway is a former railroad track called "Minuteman
Commuter Bikeway". It goes from Bedford all the way into Cambridge
(11 miles). It starts at the corner of South Rd. and Loomis St. in Bedford.
There is a bike shop at the start, where you may also rent bicycles or
inline skates (Roller blades). This is a flat and easy ride, although
not scenic, since it was a railroad line. It also passes near a small
airport, which is noisy. We still recommend it, because it is very safe,
and even young children can ride very far on it. You can stop in the center
of Lexington, lock up the bikes, and look around there. It is best to
ride when bike traffic is less: in the middle of the days on weekdays.
On weekends and commuting hours on weekdays the bikeway can get crowded.
Another bike/pedestrian
pathway, which is not paved, is 5.5-mile Battleroad trail in Minuteman
National Historical Park between Concord and Lexington. We have not yet
ridden on it, but our friends recommend it. It is more scenic, and this
is probably the best way to visit this park, with various small historical
sites spread out. http://www.nps.gov/mima/
A little further
away is the new Nashua River Trail, an 11-mile paved bikeway (also a former
railroad bed) between Ayer, Dunstable, Groton, and Pepperel, which we
have ridden once. It is mostly in the woods. The nearest town on it is
Groton.
Trail walking/hiking
Carlisle has many
good public trails, mostly in the woods, which are indicated on the Trails
Map booklet. The maps are also online:
Carlisle
Trails Committee Maps
The widest trails
(and hence you are a little further from the underbrush and mosquitoes)
are in Great Brook Farm State Park. We have also enjoyed the trail at
Conant Land, which starts behind the Town Hall on Westford Rd., near the
center.
Canoe and
kayak rentals
South
Bridge Boat House
496 Main St. (route 62), Concord
Tel. 978-369-9438
This is on the Sudbury River just before it joins the Assabet River into
the Concord River, so it is a good place to start and explore different
directions. You can canoe down to the historic Concord North Bridge and
back in less than an hour. We highly recommend it.
It is a little less expensive and less crowded to go on weekdays rather
than weekends. They do have some canoes big enough for a family of five.
Movie theaters
(cinemas)
Movie
listings in nearby towns (Google search on our zip code 01741)
(Although it is probably
a better idea to borrow videos or DVDs free of charge from the public
libraries.)
Miniature
Golf
Kimball
Farm (also an ice cream stand)
400 Littleton Rd. (route 110, on the way to Ken’s American Café
restaurant), Westford.
(about a 17-minute drive)
There are also "bumper boats" to ride. It's expensive, but a
very beautifully landscaped place with lots of waterfalls. It's very popular
and crowded, too.
Bowling
Acton
Bowladrome & Arcade
257 Main St.
(route 27), Acton (quite far down Main St., past route 2)
Tel. 978-263-7638
Open 9:00 am
– 9:00 pm weekdays, - 10:00 pm weekends
Has small bowling balls (candlepin bowling), suitable for children
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