At a much more affordable price point than downtown Boston, MetroWest offers easy accessibility to the city as well as attractions of their own. The region’s 44 hotels have free, onsite bus parking, group-friendly restaurants, and a central location to explore all parts of Massachusetts.
DISCOVER
MetroWest Boston is a fantastic region of 19 towns outside of Boston full of hidden gems, exciting activities, and beautiful New England town centers. Start in Hudson at the American Heritage Museum, North America’s most extraordinary museum of military and world history, featuring an astounding collection of historic vehicles, rare military relics, immersive exhibits, living history events, and over a dozen one-of-a-kind artifacts. Start your tour in a World War I trench listening to a nurse tell the tale of treating wounded soldiers at the Western Front; while she’s talking, bombs explode around you and the ground begins to shake, giving you a glimpse of what it would have been like to truly be there.
One of the region’s largest performing and visual arts centers, Hopkinton Center for the Arts (HCA) includes a rotating gallery of regional work, a wealth of art workshops and special events, engaging lectures and educational programs, and indoor and outdoor performances, such as their famous “A Play, A Pint & A Pie” summer stock production of one-act plays submitted from all over the world. With your ticket price comes a pint of local craft beer and a savory hand pie. A joy to work with, HCA can help coordinate activities and performances for groups of any size, interest, and age range.
SIP & STAY
Just a few minutes’ drive from the American Heritage Museum, the Wayside Inn in Sudbury makes a perfect companion stop for a delicious lunch and exploring the 100-acre property. The inn began life in 1716, making it the oldest operating inn in the United States. Groups can wander the historic buildings through a self-guided tour or arrange with the inn for a guided tour, including the early 1800s Old Barn, the Grist Mill, the Redstone Schoolhouse, the Martha-Mary Chapel, Longfellow Memorial Garden, and Josephine’s Pond. With prior arrangement, you can also examine pieces from the inn’s archives and talk with the innkeeper over lunch in the preserved dining room to learn about the inn’s historical and literary connections (and hear about the resident ghost!).
Explore GlenPharmer Distillery housed in the historic granite and heavy timber mill buildings of the Brookdale Mill in Franklin. This premier destination distillery and tasting room offers behind-the-scenes tours as well as creative, chef-inspired cuisine that embraces the intersection of fine food and craft spirts. Try spirits that are familiar but with a uniquely New England flair, like Bog, their vodka infused with local cranberries, or Brookdale Gin, infused with 11 local botanicals. For groups, the owners will provide a tour of the operation, a presentation on their process and products, and a guided tasting of their spirits.
BROWSE
The MetroWest region offers four Cultural Districts, each with unique boutique shopping, dining, “Made in MetroWest” products and artisans, museums, theaters, farmers markets, and a plethora of public art! Visit these Districts in Natick, Franklin, Marlborough, and Framingham, and see why residents and visitors love MetroWest. In addition, make time to stop in Hudson—winner of the Best Main Street in America contest—to check out all this lovely walkable town has to offer. These towns showcase the best of New England, from outdoor concerts and festivals to unique activities and farms (complete with apple-picking and cider donuts!) and offer groups the opportunity to take a little of the region home with them. Several towns offer historic walking tours, and the MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau also offers a free walking and driving tour app to enhance the experience.
MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau
508-434-4433
metrowestvisitors.org
sdavid@metrowestvisitors.org
Lead image:
Grist Mill
Photo courtesy of MetroWest Boston Visitors Bureau
