14 outings near Norwood to add to your summer bucket list
Pick your own berries
- PYO Strawberries in June at Wards in Sharon, Tangerini’s in Millis, Belkin Family Lookout in Natick
- PYO Blueberries in July-August at Jane & Paul’s in Norfolk, Tangerini’s in Millis, Wards in Sharon, Gianetti’s in Franklin, Big Apple in Wrentham
- PYO Raspberries in August-Sept at Tangerini’s in Millis, Big Apple in Wrentham
- Find all the local PYO spots on our Farm Map (filter by type of fruit)
- Always call ahead or check online as picking conditions and availability are variable
Find a new playground
- Local favorites for a quick outing:
- Bond Street Playground, Norwood [Approx 39 Bond St]
- School Street Playground, Westwood [Approx 43 School St]
- Bird Park, Walpole [Approx 315 Pleasant St]
- Caryl Park, Dover [Approx 105 Dedham St]
- It’s worth a drive to:
- Norfolk Kids Place Tot Lot for a turf-covered fenced in tot lot
- Sherborn Playground for a beautiful, shady new accessible fenced playground
- Payson Park, Foxboro for lots of slides and climbers for all ages
- DelCarte Playground, Franklin for a newly installed (spring 2017) fenced in playground for all ages
- WWI Memorial Park, North Attleboro for a multi-story slide, massive sandbox, big playground and free petting zoo
- Find these and many more (with GPS addresses) on our Activities Map (filter by “Outdoor Playground“)
Cool down at a splash pad
- You’ll have to drive a bit to find FREE Splash Pads in Braintree, West Roxbury, Chestnut Hill, Waltham, and Belmont
- There are splash pads with Day or Season Rates in Walpole, at the Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro, and at the Foxboro YMCA.
- Find all these and more (with GPS addresses) on our Summer Swimming Map
Swim in the ocean
- Got toddlers? Some favorite low-surf beaches are Wingaersheek in Gloucester, Nantasket in Hull, Scusset in Sandwich, Mayflower Beach on the cape, and Second Beach in Middletown, RI
- Got bigger kids? Horseneck Beach in Westport or Scarborough beach in Narragansett RI have strong surf for boogie boarding, as do some of the beaches on the ocean side of the cape like Nauset Beach.
- Our favorite beaches (with GPS addresses) are on our Summer Swimming Map
Celebrate Independence Day
Parades in Norwood and Walpole, fireworks in Canton and Sharon… all the local July 4th festivities are on this list!
Enjoy a concert at the park
- Sundays in Norwood
- Mondays in Westwood (Children’s)
- Tuesdays in Walpole and Needham (afternoon kids’ performer)
- Wednesdays in Dedham
- Thursdays in Medfield, Needham
- See them all on our Jam-Packed Event Calendar
- We mention the best upcoming Children’s Performers in our Weekly Newsletter
Stay up late for a movie at the park
- Patriot Place, Foxboro on select Wednesdays
- Town Hall Green, Wellesley select Wednesdays in August
- Davis Museum, Wellesley on select Thursdays
- Stone Park, Walpole on select Saturdays
- Every movie title is on our Jam-Packed Event Calendar
Make an animal friend
- Local zoos (See all on our Activities Map, filter by “Museums and Zoos“):
- Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro (bring a suit for the splash pad!)
- Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon (with kiddie rides)
- Roger Williams Zoo in Providence (with big animals like giraffes and camels)
- Animal Adventures in Bolton (animal rescue center)
- Franklin Park Zoo in Boston (Free Fun Friday August 3, 2018)
- Buttonwood Park in New Bedford (Free Fun Friday August 24, 2018)
- WWI Memorial Park in N. Attleboro (FREE petting zoo, massive slide, epic sandbox area, playgrounds)
- Local farms with animals (See all on our Farms Map, filter by “Animals“):
- Southridge Farm Nursery, Walpole
- Wards Berry Farm, Sharon
- Crescent Ridge Dairy, Sharon
- Powisset Farm, Dover
- Wenger’s Farm, Bellingham
- Tangerini’s Farm, Millis
- Jane & Paul’s Farm, Norfolk
- Natick Community Organic Farm, Natick
- Belkin Family Lookout Farm, Natick (Fee)
Take a hike
- Blue Hills in Milton
- Bird Park in Walpole
- Noon Hill in Medfield
- Cranberry Bog in Foxboro
- Moose Hill in Sharon
- Stony Brook in Norfolk
- All these and more are on our Activities Map (filter by “Hikes“)
Explore a new museum
- Check for discounted passes at the library, or look into memberships that offer reciprocal free admisssion to many additional museums. Museum of Science has a great one!
- Find all of these on our Activities Map (filter by “Museum or Zoo“):
- Discovery Musuems in Acton are a blast for toddlers and pre-K (Free Fun Friday July 20, 2018)
- Easton Children’s Museum is great with even young toddlers (Free Fun Friday June 29, 2018)
- Boston Children’s Museum is excellent for a variety of ages (Free Fun Friday July 6, 2018)
- Providence Children’s Museum has free parking and lots of hands-on fun
- EcoTarium in Worcester is at its best in the summer, with indoor and outdoor exhibits (Free Fun Friday August 31, 2018)
- Musuem of Science in Boston is best for kids in elementary school
- New England Aquarium is a local destination for your water animal fix, or it’s worth the trip to the Mystic Aquarium in CT
Make a mess at someone else’s place
- Drop-in Pottery Painting: The Pottery Place (Medfield), Plaster Fun Time (Dedham)
- Drop-in Arts and Crafts of Many Types: Kids Place for Fun (Needham), Ceramics a la Carte (Canton)
Score a strike
- Kid Bowl Free with 2 free games each day all summer long when you sign up at www.kidsbowlfree.com (Valid at Timber Lanes in Abington, Westgate Lanes in Brockton, Pinz Entertainment in Milford, Boston Bowl in Dorchester)
- Our Activities Map also includes all the local bowling alleys, including Norwood Sport Center, Kings in Dedham, Needham Bowlaway, Splitsville in Foxborough, Ryan Family in Millis
Give mom and dad a moment of peace!
- See our detailed list of Summer Drop-Off Programs (camps and the like), where we list age range, dates, and times. Some are very flexible, with options for 1 or 2 days each week
Carnivals, Touch-a-Truck, Festivals, Free Library Events
- Community Kangaroo is a team of 12 parents in the Boston suburbs who bust our tails filling the calendar with hundreds of local family events each month.
- Katlyn, a Norwood mom, writes this region’s free weekly newsletter, which is just as helpful as this list. Subscribe here, and have an awesome summer!
