Outdoor Adventures
Massachusetts mountains and nature centers are primed for outdoor adventure
The beauty of nature in the Berkshires Mountains of western Massachusetts – think, for example, of the views from Mount Greylock – gets the heart racing, especially for people who love to throw themselves into the outdoors to play. Ski mountains in the Berkshires and Pioneer Valley will keep the whole family – from kids to grandparents – busy and tired during cold-weather and warm-weather vacations. Naturally, the ski areas will have snow sports and lessons and rentals. In the summer and fall foliage seasons, come to enjoy zip lines and canopy tours and other aerial adventures, mountain coasters and mountain biking, white water rafting, and water sports. Tired muscles? It is not hard to find a spa with massage and fitness rooms, and game rooms for the kids.
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Charlemont, MA
Crab Apple Whitewater (MA)
2056 Mohawk Trail 800-553-7238Variety of exciting whitewater rafting trips for families, groups and all levels of experience
Between the historic Mohawk Trail and the Deerfield River is the base camp for your whitewater rafting adventure. Crab Apple Whitewater offers four different adventures in Massachusetts for individual rafters, families and groups. The Fife Brook section of the Deerfield River is exciting yet family friendly; the Monroe Bridge section full of big waves (and a snack time along the banks of a deep gorge). Millers River trips happen on special dam releases and natural flows from spring rains, and then there are the Funyak (inflatable kayak) trips on the Deerfield, MA’s more quiet lower section, with giant squirt guns provided for extra fun. At the base camp, an outdoor patio overlooks the river. Crab Apple recommends several nearby hotels and motels for overnight adventurers.
Plymouth, MA
See Plymouth
4 North Street 508-747-0100Historical sites, activities from whale-watching to golfing make Plymouth ideal for outdoor enthusiasts
Check out some more great things to do while visiting Plymouth County, MA!
Plymouth is a terrific location for those who want to explore and enjoy the great outdoors. Talk a walk through Brewster Garden to the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock, statues of Massasoit and William Bradford and the Pilgrim Sarcophagus, with the remains of Pilgrims who died the first year after their arrival. Enjoy one of the area’s inviting, sandy beaches, play golf, go on a whale watch or fishing excursion or take the fast ferry to Provincetown. Visit Plimoth Patuxet Museums and walk through a 17th-century English village and a Wampanoag homesite. Take a tour of Plymouth by night, play golf, go sea kayaking, walk the breakwater jetty at the harbor, go hiking or biking in the state forest or in an Audubon sanctuary. Please visit our website to learn more about these activities and others to prepare for your trip to Plymouth.
Sturbridge, MA
Old Sturbridge Village
1 Old Sturbridge Village Road, off Route 20 508-347-3362Village museum, where 1830s come to life, offers outdoor walks, explorations
Whether you’re walking the streets of the re-created village or along a nature trail, there is plenty to do in the great outdoors at Old Sturbridge Village, where visitors are transported to an 1830s New England village . Stroll from the blacksmith shop to the schoolhouse, or through gorgeous gardens (some ornamental, some for herbs, some for children). At the Freeman Farm, you can admire the heritage-breed cattle, pigs, chickens and sheep and its extensive kitchen garden. You can ride in a horse-drawn wagon, walk under a covered bridge or explore three nature trails: one through pastures, one through woodlands (watch for deer) and one along the Quinebaug River (watch for great blue herons). Grab a sandwich at the Ox & Yoke Cafe or eat outside at the Bullard Tavern.
Falmouth, MA
Island Queen
75 Falmouth Heights Road 508-548-4800Ferry connects visitors from Cape to Vineyard, from one series of adventures to another
Sea breezes, the sparkling waters of the Vineyard Sound, glimpses of an over-changing Cape Cod: That’s what makes traveling aboard the Island Queen, the passenger ferry from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs, MA, so enjoyable. With a snack bar, restrooms and plenty of room for bikes, kayaks and paddle boards, the ferry is a comfortable, fun way to travel. And the Vineyard is such wonderful place to explore, from the Flying Horses carousel in Oak Bluffs to the sea captains’ houses and restaurants in Edgartown, MA to the spectacular red cliffs of Aquinnah, MA. There are bike paths, hiking trails and village streets to explore. In Falmouth, make time for its shimmering beaches and Shining Sea Bikeway. On the Cape, visit lighthouses, stroll village streets and go for a whale watch, among other adventures.
The Berkshires Region, MA
Visit the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts
413-499-1600Beautiful Berkshire region boasts four-season fun for all outdoor enthusiasts
You’ll find four-season outdoor fun around every corner in the fabulous Berkshires. Summer means kayaking, fishing and swimming in the region’s pristine lakes and streams, along with golfing, biking, and horseback riding. See an outdoor performance at Shakespeare & Company or a concert under the stars on the picturesque lawn at Tanglewood. In the fall, hike through glorious mountain foliage, pick apples and pumpkins, or tackle a final whitewater rafting trip. Winter means alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding and ice skating - or days by fireplaces. In the spring, visit the baby animals at Hancock Shaker Village or take a ride in a hot air balloon. From holiday and harvest festivals to walking and scenic railway tours, there is always something exciting to see — and do — in the Berkshires.
Milllis, Medfield, Needham, MA
Charles River west of Boston
via properties of Trustees of Reservations 508-785-0339The Charles River west of Boston is a welcoming place for kayakers and canoeists. Several nature preserves run by the Trustees of Reservations along this paddling route allow you to touch land, explore, and have a picnic. It's about a 20-mile float from start to finish -- prepare accordingly and take a map!
- You can put in at Cedariver, a former farm in Millis, which has a state-run boat launch. - Area Map
- Moving downstream, paddlers encounter Shattuck Reservation, which is old pasture land, with nice views and trails. - Area Map
- Next, watch for Bridge Island Meadows, accessible only when the water is flowing in Bogastow Brook. - Area Map
- Next along the Charles River float is Rocky Narrows in Medfield, with incomparable views of the Charles River as it winds between granite walls. Just across the river from Rocky Narrows is Peters Reservation in Dover, which has a mix of natural flora, designed landscape and plantings, and two miles of trails. - Area Map
- Take out can be at Charles River Peninsula in Needham, a great picnic spot surrounded on three sides by the river, with access to a state-run boat launch. - Area Map