Woods Hole makes a great day destination from Greater Boston. In the far part of Falmouth, there is the free Woods Hole Science Aquarium run by the National Fisheries Service (check hours) and a museum at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute focusing on underwater exploration and climate change.
Woods Hole and Falmouth also have some neat beaches that usually aren't overrun with tourists. Our favorite, especially for young children, is Woodneck Beach in Falmouth - part of it is a very calm marsh/sandpit area with tons of hermit crabs, and other creatures. .There 's a fun bakery called Pie in the Sky in Woods Hole with outdoor tables, casual but nice, with great meal choices. Also Falmouth proper, near the center of town, has a brand new large playground with all kinds of cool ocean-related things; including a little lighthouse you can climb up; it's very close to the library; by an elementary school.We have family in Falmouth; so we go there quite often. It's about 1 3/4 hr. drive, with no traffic (we go down the 128 to Rt. 24 way). It's best to avoid rush hour, for a day trip, leaving VERY early in the a.m. is recommended. Many thanks for this day trip tip from Jeanne Wells Hobbie, formerly of the Arlington Family Connection board, and director of Mystic River Musik.
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n the summer, life in New England is all about finding beautiful beaches that not everybody knows about. Demarest Lloyd State Park has one of the best kept secrets in the Massachusetts forest and park system, according to Leland Stein of Arlington's Regent Theatre, a Dispatches sponsor. At this little-known gem, an 1800-foot saltwater beach is backed by rambling hills of beach grass and shaded, grassy picnic sites. A broad, scenic marsh lines the Slocum River on the park's eastern edge. The beach is ideal for families with children. The Buzzards Bay surf is calm and shallow, giving rise to warm watertemperatures through most of the summer. It is also a great spot to see egrets, herons, ospreys, terns and hawks.
Notes another Dispatches reader who has a house nearby: "At low tide, you can walk straight out a sandbar that crosses the bay. It's actually a pretty long walk out, but beware! While the sandbar walk is a really cool experience, the current around the bar is very, very strong. There have been drownings there, so do not swim off the sandbar, as tempting as it may be!"
Dear Dispatches: Recently, we visited Wingaersheek Beach in Gloucester, MA, about 40 minutes from 2/128 up on the North Shore. The weather was great and it was low tide, which is perfect at this beach because there are tons of really cool tide pools to play around in. The kids, even the small ones, had a great time in the extended stretch of shallow water off the beach. On the way back we stopped for some fried whole clams and scallops in Essex. The lines were long, but it was worth it. - Stacey Sao, publisher of Boston Central
Woods Hole makes a great day destination from Greater Boston. In the far part of Falmouth, there is the free Woods Hole Science Aquarium run by the National Fisheries Service (check hours) and a museum at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute focusing on underwater exploration and climate change.
