Concord (Massachusetts)

Hours: Museum open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. Closed Mondays. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. On 35 acres of parkland this is a beautiful setting for 75 outdoor sculptures ("at any given time"). The DeCordova collection includes more than three thousand works of contemporary art. Summer jazz series. $9 Adult, $6 seniors, children, active duty military. Lincoln residents and members free.

Drumlin Farm is a Mass Audubon Society wildlife sanctuary and education center. Features a working farm with pigs, horses, cows, and more. Hay rides.

First house in America to be designed by architect William Gropius, father of the Bauhaus school of modern architecture.

Since 2010, an unknown number of anonymous individuals have left (or abandoned) hobbyhorses, rocking horses, and other assorted equine toys in a random field near Lincoln. Occasionally someone will come by and rearrange them (again, anonymously) but the collection just keeps growing.

At the FOPAC hall a diverse assortment of concerts and plays can be seen year round. Mostly classical and operatic pieces from around the world. The resident groups are the Concord Players, the Concord Band, the Concord Orchestra, and Opera51.

A seasonal trolley between Lexington and Concord that stops at many tourist attractions.

130 acres alongside the banks of the Concord River. This area was once belonged to William Brewster, the Mass Audubon society's first president and an early ornithologist. The wetlands here attract plentiful ducks, herons, bluebirds, and woodpeckers, and other breeding and migrating water birds. Limited parking, no restrooms.

A wild tract boasting over 1,200 acres of woodland, hills, ledge, and swamp. It's owned by Harvard University and various private individuals, but it remains accessible to the public. The easiest way in is to follow the Estabrook road north from the Old North Bridge. Pavement aside, it remains much as it was during the colonial era. Today you can follow stones marking the path taken by Minuteman in 1775. Not overly car friendly, you'll just have to get out and walk!

A twelve-mile long river wetlands conservation area, in two major parcels, stretching from the towns of Billerica (downstream) to Wayland (upstream), along the Concord and Sudbury rivers. Considered by some ornithologists among the best inland bird observatories in the state. The original 250-acre Concord parcel that started the sanctuary has long been known as the "Great Meadows," and was donated by Concord resident Samuel Hoar in 1944. There are several trails for daytime wildlife observation and walks, with trail-side observation blinds and an observation tower. The Dike Trail, a 1.7-mile loop circles one of the marsh pools. In winter, as snow permits: walking, snowshowing and cross-country skiing. The federal Fish and Wildlife Service manages the refuge.

Conservation land adjacent to Walden Pond. Suggested walks include: the Fairyland Pond Circuit, Brister Freeman extended loop, and Brister’s Hill Loop. About 30-60 minutes each. About 20 spots in the parking lot.

About 120 acres of conservation land too hilly and swampy for development. This area has a military history, and visitors will see various berms used for target practice scattered throughout. Some artifacts remain, as this shooting range was used as recently as World War I. Takes about an hour to walk the main "out-and-back" trail, and it's easy to spend additional time exploring. Parking available for 6 cars; the lot is just a few feet from the rail trail, if you brought a mountain bike.

Walk, swim or fish in the footsteps of Thoreau, and see a replica of his cabin. While Thoreau escaped here to be surrounded by nature and experience solitude, don't expect to have exactly the same experience. The nature remains, but nowadays you'll have to share it. Facilities include: boat ramp, picnic areas, accessible restrooms and a visitors center. Parking has intentionally not expanded to meet demand, and the lot closes when it reaches capacity. Call the provided number and hear the lot status before heading out.