Graverson Playground and Elsie Turner Field

Check out this newly rebuilt playground in Waltham, with a small sprinkler splash pad. Beautiful facility in a quiet neighborhood. The playground boasts two new structures, while the field has a walking loop, newly finished basketball hoop, and soccer nets. There are trees around the perimeter, but the playground itself is full sun exposure during the day.
Hours for the water area start at 10:00 am.
Graverson playground

Sprinkler head on the sprinkler pad.

Splash pad area, which is fenced off from the other sections.

Covered picnic area.

View of the field area.

Connors Memorial Pool

Great new(ish) pool open to the community.  Perfect for a family visit, the pool starts off with a  shallow- walk-in end and gradually gets deeper, with a pretty visible divide.  There are fountains and water jets for kids to play in and locker rooms for men and women.  Life-guards are attentive and rule-enforcing.  Great summer find!  


The address is 330 River Street in Waltham, it is open 7 days a week from 11am- 7 pm.

Chikki Plaza

Chikki Plaza is an English-Spanish bilingual playspace located in Cummings Park in Woburn (behind BankAmerica). Each weekday they run an activity for children in Spanish.  The clean playspace is for children from 1-5 with a separate snack/birthday party area upstairs.  The space is ideal for more low-key, indoor play.  It's on the smaller side, so high energy play could be tricky.  The play equipment appears to be new and is organized.  They provide coffee for parents and little complimentary snacks for children. 

Chikki Plaza link

Hours

Monday - Friday	9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Saturday, & Sunday	9:30 am - 12:00 pm

Admission

Child less than 1 year	Free with paid child admission
Child 1 year and up	$11
Extra child 1 and up in the same household	$7
Adults	1 adult Free with a child admission. (additional adults $2)

Pumpkin Patch

For a little pumpkin patch option, the Second Congregational Church in Winchester runs an annual fall pumpkin patch.  It begins at the end of September and runs through until Halloween.   Located on Washington Street the patch is outside the stone church, with street parking on Washington Street and Kenwin Road.
A few baked goods are available and wagons to pick the pumpkins, which are priced from $1.00 on.  It is run by church members volunteering and most of the proceeds to go charity, specifically the Navajo Nation, the Winchester Middle School after school programs, and a local food pantry.

This year hours are:
Mon:  Fri 2- 7pm
Sat: 10 -5 pm
Sun: 12- 5 pm
and Columbus Day from 10-5
They also run special fair days, that include kiddie activities.

Raspberry Picking at Wright-Locke Farm

Raspberry picking is available at Wright-Locke Farm in Winchester through the first frost.  Located on Ridge Street in Winchester, the raspberry bushes are organic and is the perfect size for an outing with toddlers and preschoolers.  Entrance is free and you pay per pound for the raspberries.  It's a fun, local and fast picking alternative to apple orchards.  There are a few animals to see and chickens to feed the underripe raspberries to.

Wright-Locke Farm site

Beaver Brook Reservation and Spray Park

Belmont and Waltham are home to Beaver Brook Reservation, a conservation land of 59 acres.  The reservation includes hiking trails, bike paths, picnic areas, and a playground and spray park.  The trails are open year round, as is the playground, while the spray park is open in the summer from 9:30 am - 7:30 pm.  There are picnic tables at various points on the reservation and a covered pavilion at the park site, along with bathrooms, trash cans, and benches.

It is accessible by public transportation and also has parking lots and street parking, depending on which part of the park you are going to.


Click here for link to Beaver Brook Reservation and Spray Park

Cape Cod Children's Museum

This children's museum is located in Mashpee, Cape Cod, near Falmouth.  It is housed in what seems to be a warehouse type space.  The museum is open for summer hours starting at 10 am.  It is host to exhibits that cater to the toddler set through mid elementary school, with areas like an interactive post office, kitchen/restaurant space, a submarine to explore, and a pirate ship to climb.  The museum is affordable at $7.00 per person (they start charging at 1 year old), but a visit probably won't last longer than a few hours.  The summer can get crowded, particularly on rainy days, when Cape visitors don't have a lot of other indoor choices for kids.  However, during the school year and winter months, Cape residents and visitors will find an open, fairly quiet facility.   Another drawback is the lack of an outdoor area, including not having a sitting area for outdoor snacks.  The museum staff are friendly and helpful and the exhibits range enough to provide experiences for varying ages.  They also host field trips and birthday parties.

Cape Cod Children's Museum

Drumlin Farm

Drumlin Farm is a local working farm, that is a great way to introduce little ones to animals and farms, in a low key environment.  The farm offers a short tractor pulled hay ride that loops the farms, and is home to sheep, birds, pigs, horses, and cows, among other animals.
They are run by the Mass Audubon Society, which means that with a membership ($65 a year for a family), you can go an unlimited amount of times, and also gain entrance to other Audubon wildlife sanctuaries, while supporting local wildlife.
The farm also offers picnic spots, public restrooms, educational lectures and events, and some seasonal produce for sale.  Drumlin Farm hosts field trips and a summer camp.
Drumlin Farm is located in Lincoln, Mass, just at the end of Route 2.



Drumlin Farm

Full Moon Cafe

A great little restaurant in Cambridge, that is well known locally, but advertised primarily by word-of-mouth, is Full Moon Cafe.  This cafe was originally recommended to us by friends with young kids and is one of our favorite spots when we are meeting other families out.  The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, though closed between the seatings, so it's helpful to check the hours before going (we did learn this the hard way).  It is located in Huron Village in Cambridge and street parking is almost always available and convenient.  It is also on the bus line.
Full Moon was opened over a decade ago by two moms and features beautiful artwork.  There is a small dining room, and tucked back is a little play area for younger children.  They have a train table set up with numerous miscellaneous trains, a few trucks to push around, a kitchen set up, and a few other random toys.  They also have some books and will bring a bucket of toys to the table for kids to play with.  Full Moon is also well equipped with high chairs, kiddie cups, and white paper "tablecloths" to draw on.  Changing tables are available in the bathrooms.
The portions are huge, especially the meals brought for toddlers.  The menu prices have increased slightly lately, but the food is worth the price, particularly when the kiddies are entertained.  The menu is somewhat limited, but vegetarian options are available and there is choice enough (maybe ten selections) for everyone to be satisfied.  They also offer a decent selection of beer and wine, are friendly and accommodating.  At peak times (think early for dinner hour, like 5:00), on the weekends, the noise level and chaos becomes apparent and some adult facilitation may be needed at the play area.  At a quieter time, it can be relaxing and if you are seated near the play area, you can almost pretend that you are at home.


Full Moon Restaurant

Make Way for Ducklings Boston Event

We attended this a few years ago, a great family event that takes place in the Public Garden in Boston.  This year it falls on Mother's Day, May 13, 2012.  The event celebrates Robert McCloskey's book Make Way for Ducklings.  There is parade that traces the ducklings route through the city and ends in the Public Garden, where there is entertainment and food.  This years parade takes place at 10:30 am.  There is a donation of $35 per family if you attend the parade (and prepay, it's $40 the day of).  Since our little one was only months old, we just went down and watched some of the music and walked around.  Kids dress up & some adults also.  A nice way to celebrate the beginning of spring and some local literature!

Make Way for Ducklings 2012