15 Best Things to Do in Northborough (MA)
First settled by Europeans in the 17th century, the city of Northborough in central Massachusetts is traversed by the former Boston Post Road (US Route 20), which forms its main street. There are some interesting signs along this historic thoroughfare. One refers to the site where a young woman, Mary Goodnow, was murdered by her Native Americans in 1707 during Queen Anne’s War. The headquarters of the Northborough Historical Society, his mid-19th century converted church, is home to an unusually opulent headquarters filled with artifacts highlighting over 350 years of local history. For decades, family farms throughout the city will entice you with homemade cakes and cider donuts, or invite you to pick some fruit. 1. Old Farm Trail Part of a great trail network through Northboro city lands is the Old Farm Trail on the border with Marlborough. The trail is named after Stirrup Brook Farm, an old dairy farm that was sold over 60 years ago. Where once pastures are now densely forested, the Old Farm Trail reveals the strange remnants of life in the past. These are historical vehicles that were abandoned in the fields of the time in his mid-twentieth century and slowly fell into disrepair. The most intact of these is his light blue 1953 Oldsmobile 88 sandwiched between two trees. The Old Farm Trail meanders along the Assabet River and Stirrup Brook, past several picnic spots, and joins the Bird Song Trail southeast near Main Street. 2. Sawyer’s Bowladrome Cozy local bowling alleys, like this one on Main Street, are a feature of many communities in this part of the state. Sawyers Bowldrome dates back to 1953 and was used for candlepin bowling, a regional variant of tenpin bowling that was popular in Worcester around 1880. For beginners in this style, there is a small ball that feels comfortable in the hand, but the pin is tall and narrow, making it much more difficult to knock down. With low ceilings and just six lanes, Sawyers Bowldrome is anything but a modern alley, and even more so for that matter. You have to use pencil and paper to score, but there are also automation features such as ball return and pin clear. 3. Assabet Park Close to public buildings such as City Hall and the Northboro Free Library, this public park has undergone some modernization in recent years. Asahbet Park, which reopens in the summer of 2022, features an all-new playground with ADA-compliant equipment on soft, safe, rubberized surfaces. Another great facility for young families on a hot day is the children’s pool with various atomizers, bubblers, and geysers in a large asphalted area. Parents can pack a picnic and beach chairs to enjoy a few hours of summer fun at an affordable price. 4. Mary Goodnow Grave Along Boston Post Road, find a powerful clue to Northborough’s violent past at the site of the 1707 murder of a person named Mary Goodno. This happened during Queen Anne’s War (1702-1717) when Native Americans allied with France raided the Marlborough area. As Mary was gathering herbs in the meadow, she saw a group of twenty or more warriors approaching. Her bravery reportedly allowed her to surrender to her attackers and allow her two children and a pregnant companion to reach safety in the garrison. The grounds feature her 1899 stone marker and are accessed from the Pheasant Hill parking lot via a trail through the woods. 5. Ski Ward Ski Area Since the late 1930s, generations of budding skiers have learned the basics on this small mountain in the Shrewsbury city limits. Ski wards with 100% snow cover have extended ski and snowboard seasons. There are 9 slopes of equal weight for beginners (3), intermediate (3), and advanced (3), all he is operated by 4 lifts. This is the ideal place for beginners and in winter he has 100 teachers for a wide range of individual and group tuition programs. A big draw for many families is his eight subway rides with two elevators to help keep lines to a minimum. The mountain remains a recreational spot for the rest of the year, thanks to a summer tubing park. 6. Northborough Crossing An outdoor mall located at the intersection of Route 9 and Route 20 in the southern part of the city. Northborough Crossing is a mix of large stores, small shopping centers, chain restaurants, and Wegmans branches. Retailers found here include Kohl’s, Old Navy, Ulta Beauty, Claire’s, The Paper Store and T.J. Maxx, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Michals, Homesense, and PetSmart. For food, there’s QDOBA and IHOP, and Burger King, Starbucks, and Anzio’s Brick Oven Pizza are nearby. 7. Juniper Hill Golf Course Less than a mile southeast of central Northboro is a 36-hole public golf course and a newly modernized clubhouse with barbecue facilities, a pro shop, and a golf instruction center. His first of two 18-hole courses in Juniper Hills is the Riverside Course, which dates back to 1931. The course has been improved over the years and is known for its idyllic scenery along the banks of the Assabet River. Opened in 1991, the Lakeside Course is the more difficult of the two courses. Blending in with the majestic New England landscape, this 18-hole is Carolina-style, with his par-3 8th and his 14th calling for bold tee shots from the water. 8. Ellsworth McAfee Park Widely acclaimed for its excellent maintenance, Northborough Community Park is located south of the city near the border with Westborough and has many active recreational facilities. In a nutshell, there’s a skate park, basketball court, pickleball court, multipurpose arena, and two playgrounds. A long exercise trail winds through the park and leads to a secluded pond at the northern end. There is also a large gazebo available for rent. On Thursday nights from late June through mid-August, Ellsworth McAfee Park will be the stage for Northboro’s annual Summer His concert series. 9. Boundless Adventures Zipline and Aerial Park A zipline and high-rope park