Fresh Air Family Time: Boston

At happyly, it is our goal to support your family's innate desire to remain healthy and happy, while still having fun. In this period of social distancing, there are ways to safely supplement your creative time at home with fresh air activities. They should be deliberate outdoor plans that respect and honor our community initiative to eliminate the threat of this virus through our united efforts.

Every family has to make their own choice when it comes to entering public spaces, so following an honest assessment of previous personal exposure and potential signs of questionable health, we feel that hiking in nature is an ideal way to keep an active family moving.

Obviously, taking precautions and paying careful attention to maintaining a respectful distance has never been more important. We have put together a list of some of our favorite hikes, and we highly suggest using alltrails.com as your secondary source for additional walks off the beaten path.

Please explore some of our recent blogs COVID-19 daily schedule for pre-school and grade school and Keeping kids active while protecting them, yourself and the community from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) for more information and creative ways to stay positive during this very anxious time. There will be much more to come, so keep an eye out for new content, stay healthy and honor our elders through respectful caution.

Middlesex Fells Reservation

With over 2,000 acres of land, the Middlesex Fells is a great place for kids to explore the outdoors with its many winding paths, ponds, an abundance of wildlife, and more! 

The activities are truly endless and include hiking (there's more than a 100-miles of mixed-use trails!), biking, fishing, and even an off-leash area for the dogs to play too. Canoe and kayak rentals are also available at certain times if you want to take the little ones out on the water.

The Friends of the Fells is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the Fells. Each year, they host a wide range of family-friendly programs for kids of all ages, including “Babes in the Woods” for kids under three, "Hike 'n' Seek" for kids three to four years old, and an outdoor kindergarten! While these will not be available currently, ex[;pre the area now for future reference. 

Mass Audubon Nature Center in Belmont

A short distance from Boston, this nature center has wonderful short trails perfect for little legs. With three different trails (Turtle Pond Loop 0.5 miles; Highland Farm Loop 0.9 miles; and Week Pong & Week Meadow Trails 1.05 miles if starting at the Visitor's Center) it's a great place to start your kids on learning and loving getting out in nature and taking hikes. 

We loved trying to find the turtles on the logs at Turtle Pond. There are plenty of trees to look in and around and lots of nature to climb in and around too. This sanctuary is part of the Mass Audubon society and many outdoor camps and events are held there. 

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Part of the Mass Audubon Society, this truly special spot has plenty of hiking, and birds who will eat right out of your hand.  A place you can enjoy all year, the Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary is an amazing place to bring kids. And it's not just for the scenery and hiking – though that's great too – but because, if you bring some seed, the birds will eat right out of your hand!

Numerous hiking trails surround a marshy terrain and explorers will easily find a rock grotto, beaver dams, and plenty of wildlife. The Sanctuary offers numerous organized activities for kids including summer camps, canoeing, camping, and lots of other annual events.

Bathrooms and a nature center are available by the main parking lot. During winter months, the trials close a bit early and the Nature Center hours vary by season, so it's best to check the website ahead of time.

Crystal Springs Trail - Middlesex Fells

A wonderful hiking trail for beginners that we love to bring our toddlers on! The path is wide with tons of trees to climb on and rocks to look under to help keep young minds entertained. The entrance is located right in the Greenwood Park Playground, which makes for a nice pre or post-hike stop. 

Walden Pond

Famous for once being the home of Henry David Thoreau, esteemed essayist, poet, and philosopher, Walden Pond is a beautiful, very large pond with lots of trails to run or hike on. 

Aside from its historic relevance in American history and literature, kids love to explore the site – including looking under rocks and leaves – and walk along the beach in any season. The walk around the pond is roughly a mile and a half with lots of offshoot trails to explore.

During the winter, the pond freezes over and you can find people ice fishing, playing hockey, and cross country skiing across it. In the summer it has sandy beaches with lifeguards. The park reaches its busiest times during summer and fall – coincidentally, a great time for hikes with beautiful scenery and nice, easy trails for even the littlest of hikers! 

When capacity is reached, the staff will close off the parking lot so be sure to get there early. Note: The main entrance gate locks at 5pm and the exit gate locks at 5:30pm.

Spectacle Island

Just a quick 30 minute ferry ride from Boston, Spectacle Island provides a nice, active day trip for you and the kids. The Visitors' Center features a bathroom, picnic tables, park rangers, exhibits about the island, adirondack chairs on the covered front porch, and a snack bar.

Kayaks can be rented and in summer the beach – complete with lifeguards – does allow swimming. The island's perimeter (just over 1.5 miles) makes for the perfect hike for little legs, and we love to plan scavenger hunts for bugs and flowers along the way, not to mention the  wonderful views of Boston.

Keep in mind the park requires that you carry off what you carried on so if you have garbage you will need to pack it out with you. 

Horn Pond

Horn pond is a nice two and half mile loop trail around the pond with both gravel, dirt and paved road. We love looking up at the large pine trees. We also found on our walk a tree chewed down by a beaver! Great beginner trail. 

Wright-Locke Farm

We love Wright Locke Farm – a 20 acre community farm operated by the Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy! From visiting with (and feeding!) the goats and chickens to walking through the lovely trails and purchasing a yummy snack at the farm stand, this is a must visit for us. We love getting a muffin from the farm stand and munching on it while the chickens peck at our feet.

Throughout the year, because it's open year-round during daylight hours, the farm hosts a variety of all-ages events including camps, yoga classes, and – our favorite – Family Farm night. The trails, perfect for exploring, will take you past ponds, wetlands, and hilltops, which are always easy on the eyes, regardless of the season. And, bonus: they have wifi!

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary

Drumlin Farms is part of the Mass Audubon Society. The farm has sheep, cows, goats and chickens. There are also exhibits of foxes, turtles, owls, and hawks to wander and observe. 

Interactive activities are often encouraged at the farm, from helping out with their chores (we collected chicken eggs!), sheep shearing, tractor rides, and so much more, so make sure you check their page for more information! The farm is quite large so if your child isn't keen on walking long distances a stroller is recommended.

Beaver Brook Reservation

A wonderful park that sits on 59 acres in Belmont with walking, running and biking trails as well as a splash pad, and playground with bathrooms and changing rooms. There's also a covered picnic area and plenty of greenery.

Beaver Brook Reservation is an excellent spot to meet up with friends with an awesome area for kids to ride bikes or scooters with a series of paved trails off the road. Short and long hiking trails are available, which are ideal for kids.

On the playground you'll find a spinning sphere, fabulous rope climbing structures, a tot lot area, swings, and a tire swing, plus multiple slides, and a multi-seated see-saw. The spray pad area has a soft-rubber floor and plenty of rocks to climb and jump off of. Kids and adults will love it. 

For more information about coping with the necessary school closures and maintaining a spirit of community during this period of social distancing, we encourage you to check out the following articles.

Yes, You Actually Can Do Something About the Coronavirus

By Anne Helen Petersen

This Can Be Our Finest Hour -- But We Need All Of You.

By Gretchen Schmelzer

Schools Are Closing for Coronavirus. Now What?

By Marisa Porges

Please check out the blog for more inspiration from a list of March Weeknight Meals, or join us as we Disconnect to Reconnect with more time at home as a result of necessary social distancing. If you are looking for family team-building at home, we recommend 100 Things: A Rewarding and Fun Family Activity.

Take a moment to explore suggestions from the happyly team aboutKeeping Kids Active while Protecting Them, Yourself and the Community from the Coronavirus as well as our Daily Schedule For Pre-School and Grade School. As always, we welcome your family's highlights! Tag us on Instagram @gethappyly!

If you are enjoying our active lifestyle content, please take a moment to download the happyly app for fast access to all of our weekend roundups, frequent blog content, and favorite activities, both locally and in many communities and travel destinations across the country. 

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