Often spelled “Foxboro,” this Norfolk County town is perhaps best known as the home of the New England Patriots.
The NFL team, which had a period of incredible success in the 2000s and 2010s, first moved to Foxborough in 1971.
Their current home, Gillette Stadium, was completed in 2002 and is part of a large multi-purpose development that attracts visitors after the football season thanks to its entertainment and restaurants.
Foxborough’s old center is a quaint little town, packed with historic buildings and still home to annual events, concerts, and summer farmers’ markets.
1. F. Gilbert Hills State Forest
Much of western Foxborough is covered by the state’s woodland, with more than 1,000 acres of pine and oak forest.
F. Gilbert Hills State Forest crosses the boundary with Wrentham and is also adjacent to conservation land on both sides. All of this adds up to more than 20 miles of trails for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing.
One long trail through the woods is the 30-mile Warner Trail from Diamond Hill, RI, to Sharon. For two-wheelers, the Foxborough stretch has some of the best terrain for mountain biking in eastern Massachusetts, with a maze of swirling trails and ice tracks that make for interesting elevation changes.
2. Neponset Reservoir
Less than a mile north of Foxborough Common is a large body of water, barred in the mid-19th century to power plants on the Neponset River.
This industrial purpose eventually gave way to recreation, and today you can experience the West Rim in the Lane Ranch Preserve.
The Story Book Path will guide you through a tranquil pine forest to the shore, while the Wheelchair Accessible Path will take you to the deck next to Crack Rock Pond, where you can spot otters, ospreys, kingfishers, great blue herons, and other wildlife in the summer.
For water access, there is a boat ramp at 61 Edwards Rd and a car boat ramp on a small stretch of conservation land at Kersey Point (70 Neponset Heights Avenue).
3. Showcase Cinema de Lux Patriot Place
A movie destination miles away, the Showcase Cinema de Lux at Patriot Place was one of the first of its kind when it opened in the late 2000s.
A more upscale version of the Showcase Theatre, the Cinema at Lux Patriot Place offers Lux Level dining in the theater, with reserved seating and on-site ordering.
This 14-screen cluster also includes the full-service Studio 3 restaurant serving contemporary American fare, including fine Angus beef sandwiches and a range of scrumptious cocktails.
4. Memorial Hall
To the south of the commune, surrounded by tombstones, is a neo-Gothic building built as the hall of the Grand Army of the Republic in 1868.
Honored by the statue of a Confederate Army soldier, the Memorial House was built in memory of all those whose lives were affected by the Civil War, and the site was chosen as the Old Cemetery.
Inside is a plaque honoring the people of Foxborough who died in the war, under a stained-glass window depicting the Statue of Liberty.
The hall served as the city library for several decades and is now home to historical exhibitions, open to the public on Wednesday afternoons at the time of writing.
5. The Nature Trail and Cranberry Bog
Something that might surprise you at Patriot Place is a road south that takes you through and around the last active cranberry swamp in Foxborough.
The Ocean Spray Cranberry Swamp here covers seven acres and was planted in 1929. Suddenly, you’ll leave the modern resort and find yourself in an idyllic countryside typical of the southeast. Massachusetts.
This marsh site is surrounded by hemlock, red maple, white pine, and marsh white oak, and around the site there are signs explaining cranberry production and the swamp’s history.
The growing season is long, from April to November, and the best time to come is autumn when the marshes are bright red.
6. Foxborough Country Club
Founded in 1955, Foxborough Country Club is semi-private, with public slots available Tuesday through Thursday, as well as Fridays before May 1.
If you’re in the area these days, you can spend a rewarding few hours playing golf in the park designed by Geoffrey Cornish.
Measuring 6,850 yards from the summits, this trail sits on 200 acres of mature forest. Long, real hits will put you in a good position, but your approaching game will need to be honed to deal with changes in elevation and subtle green features.
7. Booth Recreational Complex
Foxborough’s main active theme park is within walking distance of town along South St.
Parents will enjoy the Pavilion Entertainment Complex, which was completely refurbished in 2019, in a project funded in part by Robert Kraft’s Partners in Patriotism fund.
This all-inclusive facility features soft rubber floors, easily accessible tire swings, and plenty of quirky climbing gear. Home to the Foxborough Recreation Office, the larger complex features multi-purpose courts, baseball fields, softball courts, and tennis courts.
8. XtremeCraze Foxborough
About a mile south of Foxborough Common, the Foxborough Plaza shopping center includes a branch of this chain of indoor inflatable parks.
XtremeCraze is similar to an indoor trampoline park, except here every surface is bouncy and soft, giving parents peace of mind when they can play with their kids.
The park has several zones and attractions, including a tower slide, a large free fall, a climbing wall, and a balance mushroom.
The location also features a laser tag arena, which uses sophisticated technology that allows for a selection of game formats, such as hide and seek and capture. In addition, you also have the Game Zone, a video game zone with old-fashioned redemption machines like skewer balls.
9. Muse Paintbar
Another thing to look out for at Patriot Place is that it combines a bar with a hands-on painting experience.
Part of a growing regional chain, Muse Paintbar offers a packed schedule of lessons and paint-and-sip sessions, led by friendly instructors who can help you grow. his artistic skills in a relaxed environment.
There are many experiences to choose from, whether you want to paint in the style of a master like Van Gogh or create a merry Christmas scene.
There is a wine and beer menu to help with the creative process, as well as a selection of small plates to go with.
10. Foxborough Grange Hall
Walk a little further along Bird Street (11-15) from the general and you’ll come to a distinctive building, built in 1897 as a meeting place for the fraternal organization, The National Grange of the Order of Patron of Livestock in the United States -United.
Three stories are high, Grange Hall is a delightful reminder of Foxborough’s agricultural past but is also significant for its timber-framed structure and hipped roof.
The organization has been meeting here for over 30 years and during that time has had an auditorium on the second floor. Since then, the building has been used for a variety of purposes and even hosted classes for a time.
11. Gillette Stadium
In 2002, around the start of Bill Belichick’s extraordinary reign, the New England Patriots moved from the understaffed Foxboro Stadium to their current 65,878-seat home, shared with the New England Revolution (MLS)…
More than two decades later, as we write this article, Gillette Stadium is undergoing a series of $225 million renovations, with upgrades including the nation’s largest video board of its kind and a new building. 218-foot tall tower with panoramic views of the stadium and east. Massachusetts.
If you want to watch the team play, you can purchase individual match tickets through Ticketmaster.
The stadium is part of a larger complex that includes the Patriots Hall of Fame and the Patriot Place Mixed-Use Development.
12. The Patriots Hall of Fame
At any time of year, a great reason to visit Gillette Stadium is this high-tech, interactive museum that highlights great moments and characters from the glorious history of the New England Patriots.
The hands-on exhibit helps you relive key moments like Super Bowl LI’s comeback win and Malcolm Butler’s winning intercept in Super Bowl XLIX.
The museum is full of memorabilia such as Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, and Mastermind Bill Belichick.
And of course, you can marvel at the championship rings and the collection of six Vince Lombardi Super Bowl trophies during this amazing time from 2001 to 2018.
13. Patriot Place
Beginning in 2007, a large mixed-use development has sprung up on the west side of Gillette Stadium.
Owned by the Kraft Corporation, Patriot Place has several shops, a four-star hotel, music venues, Showcase Cinema de Lux, a comedy club, and a plethora of restaurants, bars, and cafes.
When we were in the news, there were branches of Five Guys, Red Robin, Dunkin’, and Olive Garden, as well as many unique locations selling Tet cakes, Japanese, New England seafood, Italian, cocktails, craft beer, craft coffee, and more.
In total, Patriot Place covers 1.3 million square feet, and to the south are mall-style stores like Bass Pro Shops, Trader Joe’s, and Bed Bath & Beyond.
14. Foxborough Common
At a roundabout where many roads intersect, Foxborough’s central green dates back at least 300 years.
Like many New England civic structures, Foxborough Common features many historic structures, such as Bethany Congregational Church (1854), Memorial House (1868), and Greek Revival Church. Universal Foxborough (1843). Accompanying this history, the common is a dynamic element of community life.
There are ongoing shows at the Marilyn Rodman Center for the Performing Arts, and the summer offers a season of free open-air concerts in the stands on Thursday nights, before the Foxboro Farmers Market on the Common in the afternoon.
In addition to all of this, Foxboro Jaycees hosts spring and fall craft and vendor fairs in town.
15. Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center
The former Orpheum Theater is one of the elegant buildings overlooking Foxborough Common. It was built for silent screening in 1926 and will continue to be a moviegoer’s destination for more than 60 years.
The Orpheum closed in 1989, but within five years it reopened as a professional performing arts theater.
The Marilyn Rodman Performing Arts Center received its current name in 2018 in memory of a beloved local citizen who served the community for decades through the arts. Check schedules for upcoming concerts, musicals, comedies, upcoming movie screenings, and more.