What active/recreational activities do people do in Boston? (Quincy: camping, live)

[mimster]

Hello,
I am moving to the area from the southwest and was wondering what people do for fun? I love everything outdoors (running, hiking, biking, etc.), so what do people do thats active? And if you could give the differences for what people do in the summer and winter that would be awesome!

[NG1284]

Running and biking along the Charles is a pretty common activity. Hiking not so much, but if you're willing to drive into NH (about an hour) there's some excellent hiking... or so I'm told . New Hampshire and Vermont both have awesome skiing, Mt. Watchusett is more local but it's small and crowded.

[kmann-sherborn]

There are lots of hiking trails in some towns like Sherborn (southwest of Boston) and Rockport (north of Boston). We still hike in the winter (I like the Blue Hills) but some people enjoy cross country skiing, or go to NH or VT for downhill skiing and snowboarding.

[ogre]

To clarify one piece of information offered above, it takes an hour or less to reach the New Hampshire border, but closer to 2-1/2 hours to begin getting into the prime hiking and skiing territory in the NH mountains.

There are relatively easy local hiking and skiing areas an hour or less from Boston. The Blue Hills reservation is a nice local hiking area, with trails that offer only a modest challenge, but it's still a pleasant and scenic area, and no more than a half an hour's drive from downtown Boston. Most of the major league hiking and skiing will be several hour's drive away, in New Hampshire and Vermont, as well as Maine, though some of Maine's best hiking and backpacking spots are farther away.

Pretty much any outdoor activity is close enough to Boston for a day trip, though, as is the case with hiking and skiing, the best whitewater areas are several hours from Boston. In Boston's suburbs there are plenty of ponds and slowly-flowing streams for easy canoe paddling, and some ponds have swimming areas. Sailing is a summertime activity that gets some good participation.

The differences between wintertime and summertime activities are about what you would expect. Winters here are kind of on the cold and snowy side, so the water activities are limited to summer and maybe late spring and early to mid autumn. Otherwise, skiing is of course a wintertime and early springtime activity. Late spring through mid autumn is the prime hiking season, though some people do go in for wintertime hiking, camping, and backpacking.

[Cliff Clavin]

The Fells has great trails for hiking and mountain biking. Department of Conservation and Recreation

[shiver]

People around here tend to be pretty active. We definitely have winter up here so be prepared if you're moving from a warm weather climate. In my experience, people who stay active during the winter are the ones who hate the winter the least. Downhill skiing, cross country skiing, snowboarding are all very popular and getting to a mountain is as easy as a day trip - doesn't need to be a whole planned weekend.

Club sports are big year round in a range of sports. The BSSC (Boston Ski and Sports Club) is one of the big organizations that handles winter ski trips as well as the club sports.

[JeffPersons]

I would recommend Bostons Community Boating. Its practically free and they will teach you how to sail and supply unlimited sailboats. All voluntere. All for very little money, $75 for the summer or $200 for the year. Under 16 is only $1.
Google Bostons Community Boating for details. The most entertainment available for the price. I got my jib rating and learned to sail the big 24 ft racing boats A BLAST! I also taught many how to sail. You have probably seen their boats between the Mass Ave and Longfellow bridges.
Hope this helps.

[NewfieMama]

My husband and I take daytrips up to NH (and we live on the south shore) 1 - 2x per month in the summer and winter. We spend a lot of time up in the presidential range in the summertime and love to ski in the winter.

You could also take up kayaking--we took a class through REI. You could do river or ocean.

We also love rock climbing. There are rock gyms in the area and also outdoor climbing opportunities (like the rock quarries in Quincy). There are several outdoor rock climbing classes around, too.

Also, most suburbs have great parks. I live close to a few parks where I take my dogs for a quick 2 or 3-mile hike on weekends when we're not in NH. Most are flat, but if you go somewhere like the Blue Hills it can be more of a challenge.

And while it's not quite as "active", being close to the ocean has its own advantages. I've often wanted to take sailing lessons and enjoy a day at the beach now and again!

ETA: I did not grow up in New England, but one of the reasons I wantd to settle here is because there is a wide range of things to do for the more active person.

[K-Luv]

Originally Posted by mimster

Hello,
I am moving to the area from the southwest and was wondering what people do for fun? I love everything outdoors (running, hiking, biking, etc.), so what do people do thats active? And if you could give the differences for what people do in the summer and winter that would be awesome!

Does killing brain cells and damaging your liver count as an activity?

I dunno. Everything you can do in the Southwest you can do in Boston, except for maybe roasting in a desert or staring at a cactus. I mean, what do you do in the Southwest? Chase lizards? Not sure if those exists in this state, but they might.

Other than that it is the same old sh*t that everyone else does on Planet Earth: running, jogging, biking, watching sports, playing sports, swimming, bicycling, hiking, boating, fishing, smoking, drinking, shopping, cooking, camping, hanging out with friends, trying to get laid, and pulling your pud. I guess that you don't have the ocean, so there is that. Don't worry about sharks, they honestly don't want to eat you....at least not intentionally.

Everyone stays indoors next to their hot stove during the winter time because they would freeze to death in two seconds if they stepped outside. That is, if they could somehow manage to get past the 30 feet of snow that is barricading them in.

[mimster]

Originally Posted by JeffPersons

I would recommend Bostons Community Boating. Its practically free and they will teach you how to sail and supply unlimited sailboats. All voluntere. All for very little money, $75 for the summer or $200 for the year. Under 16 is only $1.
Google Bostons Community Boating for details. The most entertainment available for the price. I got my jib rating and learned to sail the big 24 ft racing boats A BLAST! I also taught many how to sail. You have probably seen their boats between the Mass Ave and Longfellow bridges.
Hope this helps.

Awesome! This is actually something I am very interested in as I love the water but of course don't have enough money (yet to have a boat. Thanks!!