Round ten miles northwest of Boston, Stoneham is a commuter city with a immense swath of the Middlesex Fells Reservation in its obstacles.
This implies you’ve were given a global of outside idleness for your doorstep, whether or not you’re kayaking on Spot Puddle, or climbing within the hills to be met via superb perspectives of Higher Boston.
The primary Ecu to prepared foundation in what’s now Stoneham was once Governor John Winthrop of Massachusetts (1587-1649), who handed via in 1632.
Stoneham was once integrated in 1725 next breaking clear of Charlestown, and determined to relocate its whole heart within the early nineteenth century to align it with the newly constructed Medford-Andover Turnpike.
This downtown branch is a pleasure, with upheld structure, a number of sovereign retail outlets, flourishing occasions in town familiar, and an award-winning skilled theater corporate.
1. Middlesex Fells Reservation
Stoneham’s southern 3rd is swamped via a immense people idleness branch that spreads throughout 4 adjoining cities.
Over 2,200 acres, the Middlesex Fells Reservation is on a dimension of wooded granite hills, trapping immense our bodies of aqua, a number of of that are lively reservoirs for Winchester and Boston’s waterworks.
With greater than 100 miles of well-marked intersecting trails, you’ll want to spend days climbing or mountain cycling within the Fells with out perceptible the similar surroundings two times.
For some inspiration there’s the Skyline Path, the Reservoir Path, the Move Fells Path and the Rock Circuit Path, all with one thing untouched to revel in, from vistas of downtown Boston, to rocky scrambles and far flung lakefronts.
2. Spot Puddle
This 298-acre pond within the Middlesex Fells Reservation sits solely inside of Stoneham’s city limits. At South Boulevard there’s an unbroken view over the aqua to the southern shore.
Spot Puddle is a haven for outside idleness, specifically in summer season when you’ll hire a kayak, rowboat or sailboat, or hurry a category on the Spot Puddle Boathouse alongside Forest Power, i’m sick the jap shore.
Related via, Botume Space (1849) is a good-looking Italianate place of dwelling, and the extreme survivor of a number of that covered the shore within the nineteenth century.
That is now a customer heart for the reservation and is on the head of a waterside path that snakes in the course of the timbers alongside the jap shore.
3. Stoneham Central Sq.
A fascinating trait about Central Sq., Stoneham’s ancient city heart, is that this isn’t its untouched location.
All of the heart was once in reality shifted west next the of completion of the Medford-Andover Turnpike (Direction 28/Major Boulevard) within the early nineteenth century.
Central Sq. has a stupendous degree of preservation, with stately civic structures and an extraordinary focus of nineteenth and early twentieth century civic structures.
A defining instance is the Dow Stop (395 Major St), constructed within the French 2d Empire taste in 1864.
In addition to being nice-looking, Central Sq. teems with native companies, with cosmopolitan eating, in addition to a florist, butcher, jewellery bundle, keep watch store, bridal store, material store and extra, all dotted near in combination.
4. Higher Boston Level Corporate
There’s additionally a dinner party of tradition in Central Sq., in part because of this regional skilled theater corporate primarily based on the ancient Stoneham Theatre.
That venue was once inbuilt 1917 as a film theater and vaudeville level, and next extreme within the Seventies remained vacant for nearly 3 a long time prior to the Higher Boston Level Corporate took over within the past due Nineteen Nineties and grew to become it right into a 350-seat appearing arts venue.
Since 2000 this has been an inventive powerhouse, just lately garnering Elliot Norton Awards in 2022 for All is Calmness: The Christmas Truce of 1916, and Swan Puddle in Blue in 2020.
There’s no less than one global or U.S. premiere in every season. After we made this checklist, some standout displays have been The Legend of Sleepy Hole, Clue: On Level, and Tiny Girls: The Broadway Musical.
5. Stone Zoo
The compact zoo upcoming to Spot Puddle has been round since 1905, however was once given a complete overhaul in 1992.
Masking 26 acres, Stone Zoo is laid out on winding walkways which are was a iciness wonderland throughout ZooLights within the ease season (extra next).
There are ten other reveals/grounds to find, like Himalayan Highlands, which has snow leopards, yaks and markhors, or the just lately opened Caribbean Coast, with a go via aviary with a bright number of tropical birds together with macaws, ibises and Caribbean flamingos.
Memorial Time weekend via Hard work Time, you’ll additionally keep watch reside aviation demonstrations on the Birds of Prey showcase.
6. Stoneham The city Ordinary
Central Sq. has an archetypal city inexperienced, bordered via august structures just like the The city Corridor (1939), First Congregational Church (1840) and the Central Fireplace Station (1916), which we’ll secure in additional trait under.
Extra than simply detectable dimension, the familiar is an abiding a part of people past. For something, Pop-Up Stoneham gifts a virtually unending number of unfastened occasions at the familiar, attractive citizens and guests of every age.
The Stoneham Farmers’ Marketplace meets right here, each and every Thursday afternoon, June via September.
Next on Thursday evenings, the summer-long Concert events at the Ordinary order has entertained the city for twenty years now, year the Stoneham The city Time marks the beginning of fall with ratings of distributors and community actions.
7. Tri-Folk Motorbike/Greenway
At Pomeworth Ground, now not a ways from Stoneham Sq., you’ll get onto a seven-mile rail path that was once formally opened in 2019.
The Tri-Folk Motorbike/Greenway is in part at the right-of-way of the Stoneham Department of the Boston and Lowell railroad, finished in 1862.
The path loops round Stoneham Sq. and heads southwest to Wedgemere Station Winchester, with a spur that cuts west to Horn Puddle in Woburn.
Linking two bustling industrial districts, the Tri-Folk Motorbike/Greenway is each a safeguard artery for car-free commuting, and a loved idleness amenity, with a 45-foot-wide band of inexperienced dimension alongside the worn Stoneham Department.
8. Tug Hill Landscape
Adjacent the Middlesex Fells Reservation within the very east of Stoneham is a splendid however frequently overpassed piece of town-owned land for passive idleness.
That is an worn property, established within the Thirties via James and Angie Crockett, who each made their fortunes within the rubber trade.
They talented those 30 acres to the city in 1968, and you’ll come for a walk on this unutilized modest oasis, with mature stands of pine, oak and hickory, and ancient plantings of azalea, mountain laurel and rhododendron, that are a enjoyment of spring and early summer season.
The Crocketts’ half-timbered Tudor Revival area may also be favored from the out of doors, and till just lately could be detectable to the people within the ease season.
9. Stoneham Ancient People & Museum
The native historic nation celebrated its centennial in 2022 and has a petite campus with two vital structures at 36 William Boulevard in Stoneham.
The bigger of those is the Spanish Conflict Corridor, inbuilt 1911 for the United Spanish Conflict Veterans group.
This additionally housed a mini production facility, generating papers and disciplines. At the back of is the common-or-garden Doucette community “Ten Footer” (1725), paying homage to Stoneham’s small-scale shoe-making operations prior to industrialization.
The museum is detectable at the 3rd Sunday of the year, appearing off the nation’s stock of artifacts, newspapers, paperwork, and images, with soaking up information about the shoe trade within the 18th and nineteenth century.
10. Corridor Memorial Puddle
Run in partnership with the Boys & Ladies Membership of Stoneham, Corridor Memorial Puddle is a quite priced and handy enchantment for households throughout the varsity summer season split.
Day by day admission is absurdly reasonable, at simply $3 an individual, and season club is unfastened for army households.
What you get is a immense and well-maintained lap lake, upcoming to a leak abode with whimsical designed sprinklers and fountains. Crew swim courses are on trade in in two blocks in July and August, and you’ll keep personal courses right through the season.
11. Stoneham Oaks Golfing Direction
If you wish to polish your iron play games and hanging abilities there’s a likable 9-hole par 3 direction in Stoneham, now below untouched control.
After all, Stoneham Oaks is a perfect playground for more youthful and amateur golfers to get into the swing of items.
That’s to not say that the direction is simple, as you’ll want to be aware of the high timbers lining the tight fairways, in addition to the surprising adjustments in elevation.
Classes are to be had from the direction’s skilled teacher, who focuses on training freshmen and more youthful golfers.
12. ZooLights
The ease season wouldn’t be the similar in Stoneham with out the paranormal bright show at Stone Zoo.
From mid-November the tree-lined paths right through the zoo are was lavish illuminated walkways with many 1000’s of twinkling lighting.
You’ll additionally get to peer animals of their enclosures at wintry Yukon Creek, with its Arctic foxes, unlit bears, reindeer, Canada lynxes and bald eagle.
There are firepits to backup you heat up and toast marshmallows for s’mores, and Santa is readily available to satisfy youngsters via December 24.
13. 9 O’Clock Horn
One of the most grandest structures in Stoneham’s Central Sq. is the Central Fireplace Station (1916), which has an grand Renaissance Revival tower with arched openings on the supremacy, above an ornate cornice.
The fireplace station is the supply of a neighborhood customized, fondly recalled via any individual who has lived within the city.
Each life at 9 am and 9 pm there’s a burst from the station’s horn. Within the future the horn was once worn to alert the city to emergencies, from fires to lacking youngsters, however now this low-pitched sign is upheld purely as a practice.
14. Endure Hill Path
Off I-93 within the west of Stoneham there’s a parking batch for a scale down path into the northern portion of the Middlesex Fells Reservation.
This takes to the zenith of Endure Hill, which is traditionally vital because the playground the place Governor Winthrop and his celebration had lunch after they got here in the course of the branch in 1632.
Endure Hill has been capped with an statement tower because the Nineties, and this was once changed in 1910 with the concrete construction that stands right here as of late.
After we wrote this text the tower had lengthy been in a condition of disrepair, however continues to be an icon for Stoneham.
For plenty of, this is without doubt one of the easiest vantage issues in the entire of Higher Boston, so optimistically there’s a renovation undertaking within the works.
15. Stoneham The city Time
Bringing as many as 10,000 population to Stoneham Sq., this annual match usually takes playground at the 3rd Saturday in September.
Spreading around the The city Ordinary, Stoneham The city Time is a immense exhibit for Stoneham’s companies, inventive ability, idleness alternatives and non-profit organizations. That is the chamber of trade’s signature match, with upwards of 130 cubicles.
Youngsters indisputably received’t lose interest both, as some of the points of interest and actions are amusements and rides, balloon artwork, face portray, a 70-foot immense slide and a batch extra but even so.
The place to stick: Best Hotels in Stoneham, Massachusetts (MA)
