15 Best Things to Do in Westwood (MA)
Located on the western slopes of the Blue Hills, Westwood is a leafy suburb that split from neighboring Dedham in the late 1800s. A community of 16,000 people, Westwood covers a large area, with much land set aside for conservation. The large reserve is managed by the private organization Hale, is owned by a non-profit organization, and has its roots as a Boy Scout reserve in the early 20th century. Hale has extensive forest and pond areas for summer camps and programs, but is also open to the public and offers recreational opportunities. The affluent corners of the greater Boston area include the upscale shopping areas of Westwood and Dedham, as well as a number of old mansions and farms that have been turned into sanctuaries with elegant gardens, stable animals, and plenty of songbirds in summer. 1. Colburn School–High Street Historic District From 349 to 390 along High Street, you can learn about Westwood’s history. Most of the city’s public facilities are located on or near this street, as are about 40 historic homes. Most of these were built long before Westwood was incorporated as a town in 1897, but the 19th-century barns are a reminder of the country’s past. The notable building that gives this historic district its name is Colburn School (668 High St), built in 1874 in the Second Empire style. A little further north is the Classic Revival City Hall (580 High St), completed in 1910. This town hall was state of the art for its time with modern plumbing, steam heating, and electric lighting. 2. Legacy Place Located across Interstate 95 in Dedham, Legacy Place is an outdoor urban shopping and dining destination. Tailored to the area, the shops here are geared toward the top end of the market combined with many of the major malls. Overview: Tenants include Apple, Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Banana Republic, and L.L. Bean, Gap, Sephora, Whole Foods, J.Crew, Loft, Francesca’s. Entertainment is provided by the premier Showcase Cinema Deluxe with 15 screens, lounge chairs, cinema dining, and Kings Dining & Entertainment, a combination bowling alley, bar, and restaurant. Legacy Place also has chains like Shake Shack, CAVA, Legal C Bar, and Yard House. 3. Lowell Woods North Westwood has a large city-owned nature reserve where you can hike nearly 300 acres of highland forest and wetlands along Purgatory Brook. Lowell Woods is made up of a patchwork of four nature reserves, each intersected by his three signposted trails (blue, red, and white). What’s interesting is that these trails are actually historic roads that were traversed many generations before automobile traffic. Perhaps the most beautiful scene is when the Blue Trail crosses Purgatory Brook over a beautiful footbridge. 4. Powisset Farm The farming history of Powisett Farm, adjacent to the Hale Reservation, dates back to the 17th century. Here, the Reservations Administration runs its CSA program, complete with educational kitchens, farm stands, and farm animals that kids will love. Away from the cultivated fields, trails meander through upland forests, cross streams, past spring-fed ponds, and through wetlands. As you walk, you might spot wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, and bobolinks nesting in the grasslands. One of Powisett Farm’s programs is Summer His Camp, where children can experience the joys of country living, from caring for animals to tending crops to learning to prepare basic meals. 5. Rocky Woods Reservation The Reservation Management Board manages this 500-acre forest west of Westwood. Water is ubiquitous in the Rocky Woods, thanks in part to the reserve’s unique location in the Neponset and Charles River basins. Wetlands dot the landscape and are home to turtles, beavers, and bullfrogs. Five man-made ponds dot the grounds, the largest of which is Chickering Pond, which is surrounded by a 3/4-mile ring. The highest point in the Rocky Woods is the summit of Cedar Hill at the northeast end (435 feet), which offers sweeping views of the reserve to the southwest. 6. Firefighter’s Foam One of Westwood’s most unique annual traditions is held in July by the local fire department. ESPECIALLY FOR KIDS: Fireman’s Foam combines two water cannons and a ton of non-toxic dish soap to transform the Sheehan Elementary School grounds into a foamy wonderland. The bubbles reach several feet in height and children dive head-first into them. The first edition of Firefighter’s Foam took place in the 1980s and the event has become a staple of the summer. 7. Blue Hills Reservation Just east of Westwood rises the Blue Hills, which sits on a 7,000-acre reserve and is the tallest mountain in the Boston metropolitan area. This peak, Great Blue Hill (635 feet), is easily accessible from Westwood and offers views of the entire metropolitan area. In the 1880s, the mountain was chosen as the site of the Blue Hill Weather Station. Weather stations played an important role in early meteorological science and are still active as research sites and tourist attractions. Hike this series of 22 hills, visit the summer beaches of Hortons Pond, ski at the Blue Hills Ski Area, and learn about mountain ecology and history at the Blue Hills Trailside Museum’s kid-friendly terrain. 8. Adams Farm Less than five minutes from Westwood is 700 acres of public land in nearby Walpole. The largest single lot here is the town-owned Adams Farm, with 10 miles of trails through woods and fields, meeting old stone walls and benches and offering expansive views. In spring, birdsong fills the forests and rolling meadows with breeding species such as bobolinks, swallows, and eastern thrushes. Adams Farm is on the flight path of migrating monarch butterflies, and the purpose-built butterfly garden is magical from midsummer onwards. 9. Lambert’s Rainbow Market Founded nearly 70 years ago, Lambert’s is a local market chain with stores in Dorchester and Westwood’s Rainbow Square shopping centers. This has been his family business for three generations and what started as a fruit and vegetable market has grown into something bigger. New York-style deli, salad bar, delicious sub-menu, ready-to-eat meals