1. E. A. Davis
City: Wellesley, MA
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (781) 235-0668
Address: 579 Washington St.
Description: Filled with pastels and tailored designs, E. A. Davis is a Wellesley institution selling women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing. From Palm Beach bright shifts by Lily Pulitzer, to menswear by country-club favorite Peter Millar and Barbour wax-finished coats for the entire family, the fashions at E. A. Davis are synonymous with quality and good taste.
2. Massachusetts Horticultural Society At The Elm Bank Reservation
City: Wellesley, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (617) 933-4900
Address: 900 Washington St.
Description: Once a private estate along the Charles River, this 19th-century mansion and 36 adjoining acres are now the headquarters of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. You can explore several themed gardens including the Bressingham Garden, which looks as if it were transplanted from an English country estate with a lush lawn and flowering perennials. There’s a formal 1926 Italianate garden, originally designed by Frederick Law Olmstead. But perhaps the most popular space is “Weezie’s Garden” for children. As interactive as a playground, this garden offers kids the chance to climb the tree house, visit the koi (Japanese carp) found on Tortoise Island, or experience the scents from the herb garden. If you want some fauna to go with your flora, keep an eye out for deer and wild turkeys to appear amid the open fields near the forest clearing and waterfowl along the Charles River. And lots of classes and workshops are scheduled throughout the year that will help turn your brown thumb green. Open daily dawn to dusk; admission by donation.
3. Wellesley College Greenhouses
City: Wellesley, MA
Category: Tours & Attractions
Telephone: (781) 283-3094
Address: 106 Central St.
Description: Even in the middle of winter, it feels like a warm summer day at the Wellesley College Botanic Gardens. The 13 interconnected greenhouses feature more than 1,000 varieties of exotic plants from around the world, including tropicals, orchids, and cacti. The greenhouses are a research and teaching resource for Wellesley College that along with the Botanic Garden and Arboretum are free and open daily to the public.