Weekend Drives (Boston, Worcester, Quincy: buying, camps, rich)

[New Englander]

My parents will be in town for the next few weeks. Since they are older and in higher risk population, there aren't many things we can do at this time. However I would like to take them on a drive around Eastern/Central MA. I need your help figuring out some good options.

Since I am based in Somerville, I am willing to drive them as far west to Worcester, north to Gloucester and south to Plymouth. I could do either a drive by the Coast or to a more rural area.

I appreciate your input!

[BostonMike7]

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/mass...drive-mile-ma/
https://www.myscenicdrives.com/drive...setts/cape-ann

I'd say get out and tour Bearskin neck, but i'm thinking that's something you want to avoid these days. Still, it's a good drive.

[mwj119]

Originally Posted by New Englander

My parents will be in town for the next few weeks. Since they are older and in higher risk population, there aren't many things we can do at this time. However I would like to take them on a drive around Eastern/Central MA. I need your help figuring out some good options.

Since I am based in Somerville, I am willing to drive them as far west to Worcester, north to Gloucester and south to Plymouth. I could do either a drive by the Coast or to a more rural area.

I appreciate your input!

I would start with a drive around Concord/Carlisle, always beautiful for those from out of town. Old estates, farms, winding roads, beautiful hills and forest, rivers, ponds. I'd check out downtown Concord, maybe walk around Walden Pond. Then i'd drive over to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle which is beautiful too, and very easy for a senior crowd. If they are in physical shape to do multiple nature walks, East Boston Camps in Westford is also very, very nice.

I would stay on route 2/495 and head out towards Groton next. Maybe grab some lunch at Gibbet hill Grill, a new BBQ outdoor venue behind the old barn/steakhouse. Again, open lawn and picnic tables, and can be done without any contact/interaction. Nice view of the hills, cows grazing, probably some foliage coming in. Very few places as idyllic this time of year.

I'd end in Harvard/Bolton/Stow.. Check out some apple orchards, maybe stop at Nashoba Winery (open lawn and picnic tables, you can completely eliminate any human contact/interaction). Bowers Springs is a great little walk, weather pending. Not difficult either.

Because of the hills, water, tree canopy, and winding roads, I never get tired of exploring that area of Massachusetts

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by BostonMike7

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/mass...drive-mile-ma/
https://www.myscenicdrives.com/drive...setts/cape-ann

I'd say get out and tour Bearskin neck, but i'm thinking that's something you want to avoid these days. Still, it's a good drive.

Thanks for the tip! I was leaning towards the NS for the Coastal drive. The links are excellent, I have bookmarked them.

[New Englander]

Originally Posted by mwj119

I would start with a drive around Concord/Carlisle, always beautiful for those from out of town. Old estates, farms, winding roads, beautiful hills and forest, rivers, ponds. I'd check out downtown Concord, maybe walk around Walden Pond. Then i'd drive over to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle which is beautiful too, and very easy for a senior crowd. If they are in physical shape to do multiple nature walks, East Boston Camps in Westford is also very, very nice.

I would stay on route 2/495 and head out towards Groton next. Maybe grab some lunch at Gibbet hill Grill, a new BBQ outdoor venue behind the old barn/steakhouse. Again, open lawn and picnic tables, and can be done without any contact/interaction. Nice view of the hills, cows grazing, probably some foliage coming in. Very few places as idyllic this time of year.

I'd end in Harvard/Bolton/Stow.. Check out some apple orchards, maybe stop at Nashoba Winery (open lawn and picnic tables, you can completely eliminate any human contact/interaction). Bowers Springs is a great little walk, weather pending. Not difficult either.

Because of the hills, water, tree canopy, and winding roads, I never get tired of exploring that area of Massachusetts

Great input. +1 from me

My father is less in shape (walks with a cane) than my mother but I am sure that they will appreciate the walk around Walden Pond.

I was planning on buying some apples, fresh fruit so the Harvard/Bolton/Stow leg of the trip sounds great.

The weather looks pretty good this weekend, so I am thinking a few scenic drives on Saturday and Sunday.

[GeoffD]

You can drive to the top of Wa-wachusett. That’s not much farther than Worcester. I’ve hiked it a bunch of times since it’s the only thing around with 1000’ of vertical. It’s a flat park at the top with a nice view as foliage season kicks in near the end of their stay.

[P Larsen]

A beautiful road is MA-119 from Littleton even as far as Fitzwilliam NH (becomes NH 119 at the border). The patch through Willard Brook State Forest is particularly lovely, with places to pull off the road. If you did this as a longer trip on your own at another time (or if your parents' appetite gets whetted for a longer excursion), you could also branch north onto US 202 in NH, east of Mt Monadnock, through Jaffrey and Peterborough into lovely towns like Hancock and Francestown. The Monadnock region is one of many that is rich in lovely villages and scenery.

[yellowstatus]

Originally Posted by mwj119

I would start with a drive around Concord/Carlisle, always beautiful for those from out of town. Old estates, farms, winding roads, beautiful hills and forest, rivers, ponds. I'd check out downtown Concord, maybe walk around Walden Pond. Then i'd drive over to Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle which is beautiful too, and very easy for a senior crowd. If they are in physical shape to do multiple nature walks, East Boston Camps in Westford is also very, very nice.

I would stay on route 2/495 and head out towards Groton next. Maybe grab some lunch at Gibbet hill Grill, a new BBQ outdoor venue behind the old barn/steakhouse. Again, open lawn and picnic tables, and can be done without any contact/interaction. Nice view of the hills, cows grazing, probably some foliage coming in. Very few places as idyllic this time of year.

I'd end in Harvard/Bolton/Stow.. Check out some apple orchards, maybe stop at Nashoba Winery (open lawn and picnic tables, you can completely eliminate any human contact/interaction). Bowers Springs is a great little walk, weather pending. Not difficult either.

Because of the hills, water, tree canopy, and winding roads, I never get tired of exploring that area of Massachusetts

Spot on advice. I would add that Minuteman National Historic Park is a very accessible walk, even easier than Concord Walden Pond. Concord is really convenient from Somerville, a 25 minute drive!

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by GeoffD

You can drive to the top of Wa-wachusett. That’s not much farther than Worcester. I’ve hiked it a bunch of times since it’s the only thing around with 1000’ of vertical. It’s a flat park at the top with a nice view as foliage season kicks in near the end of their stay.

If you take the back roads through Princeton to get there, that's among the most scenic drives in the eastern half of MA during fall or winter. I can give you the exact route if you want.



Somebody else said head up towards the Monadnock region, which I would agree only think that's farther than the OP is looking to go.



Cape Ann would of course be good too (make sure you visit Halibut Point). While the S Shore is nice, I do not recommend that as most drives there don't give you the same kind of continuous ocean views.

[missionhill]

Quincy Shore Drive, Chickatawbut Road through the Blue Hills. The Eustis estate in Milton (next to Blue Hills Reservation) or Eleanor Cabot Bradley estate, on the south side of the reservation, in Canton, are nice places for an easy walk-around. You can return via Turtle Pond Parkway to West Roxbury Parkway to Hammond Pond Parkway, which takes you all the way to Chestnut Hill through pleasant suburban scenery. Or by Arborway, Jamaicaway, Riverway and Fenway to Storrow Drive--all nice scenery for the passengers but tell them the driver needs to concentrate on the driving. Quincy, of course, has the Adams historic sites, also nice for a walk-around.

Another weekend, going a little farther to the southeast, you can take Southeast Expressway-Route 3 to Derby St (exit 15) Hingham, then Rt 228 north into Hingham. Then drive to Hull/Nantasket Beach-- pretty scenic there -- and from there be sure to do the Atlantic Ave-Jerusalem Road sequence, a brief but very scenic ride along the shore into Cohasset. Beyond that I don't know in terms of nice drives but that might be enough for one afternoon.