New England Getaway: New England travel, vacation, and destination guide

Free in Boston: The Emerald Necklace Park

The Emerald Necklace Extending 1,000 acres and stretching five miles, the Emerald Necklace Park circles Boston’s western neighborhoods and is easily accessible from Boylston St. in the Back Bay. Created by Frederick Law Olmsted (designer of Manhattan’s Central Park), the Necklace is actually six almost consecutive parks reflecting natural New England scenery with dirt trails, grassy slopes, huge trees, natural ponds and twisty rivers. Walk the whole park or grab some T (subway) money to jump to the four best spots on the Necklace.

The Victory Garden in Olmsted’s Back Bay Fens Flowers and trees, birds and grass, peace and quiet? Yes, yes and yes. Once a tidal swamp, Olmsted’s ingenious drainage plan turned the Back Bay Fens from marsh into park. The area now hosts the oldest remaining Victory Garden in the country. Started in 1942, the garden enabled city-dwellers to grow vegetables and herbs during WWII’s rationing. Flowers have replaced veggies as the main crop, but plots are still actively cultivated by Bostonians. Colors cascade over plot walls as you meander down narrow wood-chip paths while whimsical garden styles invite you to peek in on hundreds of urban “backyards”. Feeling refreshed, wander across the Fens to the Museum of Fine Arts or cross Boylston St. to Fenway Park, the oldest baseball stadium still in use. Accessible via the ‘D’ Green Line T at the Fenway stop.

Jamaica Pond Stroll through the eclectic neighborhood of “Pondside” Jamaica Plain on your way from the T to Jamaica Pond. Elegant Victorian mansions sit next to funky mom and pop shops and the aromas of Indian and Thai spices on Centre Street will entice you. Across the tree-lined Jamaica way a mock Tudor boathouse launches the one and a half mile trail around the reflecting-pool surface of Jamaica Pond. Walk alongside a sunset captured perfectly on the spring-fed pond, which was glacially-formed and is so clean it serves as an emergency source of drinking water for Boston. Interested fishermen can catch annually stocked salmon, trout and bass, though it seems easier to find the small sunfish and yellow perch that linger at the shore. The grassy-knolled shores of Jamaica Pond provide a beloved and tranquil refuge to the community and visitors alike. Accessible via the Orange Line T at the Green Street stop.

Arnold Arboretum and Franklin Park Traffic slips away upon entering the Arboretum’s gates, exactly as Olmsted planned. Five minutes from Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum is 265 acres of forest paths, lilac trees, marshes, rivers and rose gardens. Bring a blanket to spread on the spongy grass and watch bunnies spring from bramble homes or climb Bussey Hill and envision rolling down the emerald hillside like a child. To really feel like a kid again visit nearby Franklin Park, 527 acres of natural woodlands and host to Boston’s zoo. The maple and oak background makes it feel less like a zoo and more like a New England forest inhabited by giraffe, apes and lions. At 72 acres, it’s small enough to see in an afternoon and totally worth the visit. Check zoonewengland.org for more information. Accessible via the Orange Line T at the Forest Hills stop.

So when you feel cash-strapped or tired of the urban pace, remember there is a sanctuary in the heart of Boston that was created just for you. Even if you are not on cobblestones, Boston was built for walking.

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