trees – Hidden New England

Date Of Event: April 27, 2019

Location: Francis William Bird Park, Polley Lane, Walpole, MA

Hours: Open daily from sunrise to sunset

Cost: Free

Parking: There are multiple parking lots located on Polley Lane, Pleasant Street and Rhoades Avenue.

Trail Size/Difficulty: 89 acres (3 miles of walking trails), easy

Handicapped Accessible: Yes

Dog Friendly: Yes

Highlights: wooden cutout bunnies hidden on the trails, trees, play areas, tennis and basketball courts, trees, ponds

Web Site: Francis William Bird Park

Trail Map: Francis William Bird Trail Map

Summary: 6 cutout bunnies were hidden along the various trails at Francis William Bird park

While bunnies are not uncommon at William Francis Bird Park (more commonly known as “Bird Park”), there were a very different type of bunny there earlier this spring. To mark the arrival of the spring cotton tail bunnies to the park, Bird Park hid 6 wooden cutout bunnies for visitors to look for.

While there was a map located at the visitor center board near the center of the park showing where the bunnies were located, the Trustees, who operate the park, encouraged visitors to find them on their own. So, I tried. I tried for 3 hours. I was also taking photographs of the wide variety of beautiful trees and other treasures of the park. I did find 5 of the bunnies on my own. Then, I gave in and found the last bunny after looking at the map.

The bunnies really weren’t too hard to find. Even the “hidden bunnies” were in open view, even if they were located next to a rock or tree.

The bunnies also had a small notepad for visitors to write messages. One popular message written on the notepads can be seen below.

The park has been a hidden attraction for many years. In fact, it has existed in one form or another for almost 100 years. Francis William Park was endowed and created by Charles Sumner Bird, Sr and his wife Anna in 1925. The park was created in memory of their eldest son, Francis William Bird who died in 1918 at the age of 37. The Trustees, who operate the park currently, gained ownership of the park in 2002.

Bird Park has so many great features, The trails are easy to navigate and there are many toys and playthings for children to use in the “tot lot”. There are also basketball courts and tennis courts.

The main attraction of the park, though, must be the trees. There are a variety of trees at the park with the names of their particular species.

I wonder what species of tree this is.

One particular tree at the park stands out among the rest. A plaque dedicated to Charles Sumner Jr is located at the base of this majestic tree.

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There are many stunning views at the park.

And, of course, what would Bird Park be without birds?

There are lots of benches to sit on and admire the views. Some of these benches look pretty old!

In addition to an extensive play area, there is a cute little library in the children’s playground.

The music court, built in 1931, was designed for performers to use to entertain the community. There are changing rooms and restrooms (which I’m pretty sure are no longer in use) attached to the stage for performers to make costume changes before or during their performances.

Your dog will love the long trails and spacious field at the park. The appropriately names Achilles, a 10 year old American Eskimo and Cocker Spaniel mix, didn’t let his injury stop him from roaming the park.

Ruh roh! It’s like Scooby, a 5 year old American Pitbull mix. Zoinks!

Date Of Visit: March 30, 2019

Location: Bare Cove Drive, Hingham, MA

Cost: Free

Hours: Daily, sunrise to sunset

Parking: There are 2 parking lots. The larger parking lot located at Bare Cove Drive has room for about 100 cars. There is also a smaller parking lot off Beal St

Trail Size/Difficulty: 484 acres, easy

Handicapped Accessible: Yes, there are paved trails but the side trails may not be accessible to all

Dog Friendly: Yes (see website for rules for taking dogs to the park)

Highlights: wildlife, birds, nature, lake, easy trails, cycling, running, scenic, museum

Website: Bare Cove Park

Map of Park: Bare Cove Park Map

Once the site of a ammunition depot, Bare Cove Park is now a 484 acre park full of wildlife, scenic views and trails for running, cycling or just walking.

There is a variety of birds and other wildlife at the park. Foxes, coyotes and even deer have been reportedly seen at the park. So, do keep this in mind if you do bring your dog. I didn’t see any aforementioned animals at the park. But, I did see a diverse group of birds there.

Granted, I did have to go off the beaten paths to view some of these birds, particularly the hawks and kestrel. But, you should see lots of cardinals, blue jays, sparrows and other smaller birds in your travels, even on the main trails.

The main trails are paved and wise in most parts. So there is lots of room for cyclists, runners and people walking with their dogs.

One of the many great things about Bare Cove is that it is beautiful all year. You might think that it wouldn’t be very pretty during the early spring time. You’d be wrong! But, seriously, the natural colors and the trees are majestic. Even the multi colored ones. Alt If you are looking to see plants and flowers and other colorful views I do recommend visiting in the mid to late spring, summer or, of course, fall.

One of the hidden historical aspects of the park is its military past. The area was used to produce and distribute munitions and other military devices. Until 1971, military goods were produced here.

In an effort to commemorate the service of the people who worked at these depots, there is a small museum with exhibits, photos, military tools and other gadgets that were made at the depot.

There is also a viewing area to watch videos and DVDs about the history of the depot and how Weymouth and Hingham, MA contributed to the war effort.

There are two monuments outside of the museum.

One of the monuments is dedicated to all of the workers who helped the war efforts.

The next memorial is dedicated to the workers who lost their lives when a ship they were unloading, the USS FY 415, exploded and sank on May 11, 1944, when signal rockets caught fire.

Another interesting part of the area near the museum is that the posts which the bots tied onto when they originally unloaded their munitions at the depot are located in front of the museum.

There is also a fire museum nearby. During my visit, a fire truck from the museum was on display at the park.

But, the hidden history doesn’t end there. A sign posted on Bare Cove Path indicates that an Almshouse (called “Town Farm”) used to be there.

In short, almshouses were a place for the indigent or those who could not care for themselves. To find out more about Almshouse, you can refer to my previous blog post about Almshouses.

With its winding trails and access to water, Bare Cove Park is a great place to take your dog.

Kevin, a 2 year old Boston Terrier, posed for me during his walk around the park.

Cooper, a 9 year old Golden Retriever, played fetch in the water during his visit.

Tag: trees

Spring Bunny Quest (Francis William Bird Park, East Walpole, MA)

Bare Cove Park (Hingham, MA)