25 Things to Do in Medfield Before Summer Ends (in 25 Days)

We have good news and we have bad news.  

The bad news is that, as of today, there are only 25 days left until the end of summer and the start of school. 

The good news is there is still plenty of time to do these 25 things in and around Medfield.

1. Take a walk through and view the art at the, Medfield’s special gem. Or take in a night of music there with a beer or a glass of wine while sitting out high above Medfield Center.
2. Canoe or kayak down the Charles River, putting in at Orchard Street and winding down stream to Rte. 109 at the Charles Café. It will take you most of the morning or afternoon and you will swear you are up in Vermont or Maine. The scenery is unbelievable!
3. Visit and tour through the  on Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. Take a step back into Colonial Medfield and learn about our town and the Peak House’s early history. Colonial artifacts are on display.
4. Hike through . Enter either by the sand pits close to South Street and Stop River or by Holt’s Pond near Causeway Street. As the Trustees of Reservation proclaim: “In the heart of historic Medfield, you can discover woodlands, waters-edge views of the Charles River, and abundant wildlife. Wooded trails wind through the varied terrain of Noon Hill, making it perfect for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. At 369 feet, Noon Hill rises gently above the surrounding landscape. Follow the short trail that leads to its peak and you'll be rewarded with sweeping views south across the rolling hills of Walpole and Norfolk. A loop trail around Holt Pond gives you a wonderful opportunity to explore freshwater habitat.”  Bring a picnic and have lunch from the top of Noon Hill. Great view of Gillette Stadium! 
5. Take a hike through the Shattauck Reservation off Causeway Street. Follow Causeway for 1.3 miles and turn left onto Noon Hill Road. Entrance and parking (15 cars) on right. Shattuck Reservation is across Causeway Street from Noon Hill. This small reservation is made up of a forested upland neck of oak and pine overlooking a wet meadow and red maple swamp. Follow a trail lead to a lookout across the Charles River to Marshview Point, a 10-acre finger of upland nearly surrounded by floodplain. Like adjacent Noon Hill, Shattuck Reservation’s old stone walls indicate that it was once 19th-century pasture and farm land.
6. Sit out under the umbrella and have breakfast or lunch at the  on Main Street … a  uniquely Medfield experience.
7. Sit outside and have a relaxing dinner at the  or at  on a nice clear evening.
8. Take a walk through the  property, especially if you have seen the movie "Shutter Island." Check in at the security station off Hospital Road near the sledding hill. If you have not been through the hospital property, it is a must Medfield walk.
9. Take a hike through  off Hartford Street. It’s rich history has 491 acres, laced by footpaths and former logging roads that meander through woods and wetlands and to the top of 435-foot Cedar Hill. With 6.5 miles of trails winding through varied terrain, Rocky Woods is a destination for outdoors lovers of all abilities. The 0.75-mile loop around Chickering Pond, the largest of the reservation’s five man-made ponds, is a family favorite. The Bridle Trail and Loop Trail are short, flat options that tour wetlands, while the half-mile Echo Pond Trail, with its long, narrow footbridge, loops around this large pond. Or, if you’re looking to stretch your legs on a longer trek, you can take on the Mine Hill Loop, which links together the Wilson Swamp, Ridge, and Cheney Pond trails and circles 420-foot high Mine Hill ridge.
10. Get an ice cream at “The Brook,” just over the Medfield line off Rte.109 in Westwood. No better way to enjoy your ice cream than sitting in the back picnic tables near the “bubbling brook” that meanders nearby.
11. Spend an afternoon at the children’s library of the  or downstairs in one of the soft chairs in the new “teenage”  room or find a spot upstairs and relax with your favorite book.
12. Have lunch on the swivel stools at  Soda Fountain and socialize with the locals.
13. Watch a night Little League game at , Medfield’s own “Field of Dreams.” There is nothing better than hearing the crack of the bat on one of the remaining clear summer nights and watching the youth of summer racing around the bases.
14. Go fishing at Kingsbury Pond or Cemetery Pond.
15. Spend an afternoon walking through the old section of  Medfield’s historic 1651 Vine Lake Cemetery. As the Vine Lake Trust says in its literature: “It is one of the richest and most intriguing cultural records of our past. Since 1651, the burial ground and cemetery has remained a location for solitude, contemplation, and reflection where families come to honor and celebrate life in a peaceful environment. As an active cemetery and one of the last surviving remnants of Medfield’s beginnings, the Cemetery artfully combines important social, historical, architectural, natural, and archeological environments. In addition to being a peaceful and dignified public open space, it serves today as an imaginative outdoor museum. As such, Vine Lake Cemetery is a popular repository of family history while telling a compelling story about evolving attitudes towards death, burial, and public landscapes.”
16. Take a walk out to Devil’s Foot Island, view the scenery of Stop River and the meadows and find the mysterious “devil foot” markings on the rocks. Go to the end of Clark Road and follow the trail onto Devil’s Foot Island.
17. Hike through Fork Factory Reservation. Enter on Hartford Street opposite Rocky Woods and make the loop over and around Mill Brook. A trail network traces hay fields and climbs wooded uplands across a 135-acre landscape that once supported both farms and mills. See if you can find the foundations of the historic mill and the old fork factory. The trails run over an unexpected diversity of landscapes of the former Long Acre Farm. Part of a much larger original farm holding, the fields of Long Acre Farm have been in agriculture for at least 300 years. Throughout the 18th century, it was a classic New England self-sufficient farming operation that pastured livestock, grew crops, and harvested hay.
18. Pick up the walking tour brochure of historic South Street at the library and follow by foot or bike the historical self-guided tour produced by Medfield girl scout Erin Monahan.
19. Take a Saturday morning and check out the history museum at the Medfield Historical Society on 6 Pleasant St.; view the hundreds of artifacts or check out the history of your own house.
20. Buy a take out slush at Go Fresh and sit and relax on the bench at the grass area overlooking Meeting House Pond and facing the Dwight-Derby House. No better place to just sit and relax.
21. Have a beer or two and watch the Red Sox on one of the big screen flat TV’s at ,Japanese Restaurant and Bar or .
22. Rent a kayak next to the Charles Café just over the river in Millis and meander down stream and watch for the Great Blue Heron and other river wildlife.
23. Take your kids to the Metacomet, Hinkley and Dale Street playgrounds and let them race around and have fun before the first school bells sound the beginning of a new school year.
24. Take in the  at the  on Thursdays. No better place for fresh fruits, flowers, breads and vegetables.
25. Walk through the 196 acre Medfield Rhododendron Reservation off Woodbridge Road and behind  off Spring Street. Approach with care this fragile habitat of rare Rosebay rhododendrons — here you can experience one of very few populations of this important species. According to the Trustees of Reservation:  “Medfield Rhododendron Reservation is the site of an important and rare stand of Rhododendron maximum, the great laurel or rosebay rhododendron, one of only three species of evergreen rhododendrons native to eastern North America.  At the turn of the 20th century, this plant became popular for its showy flowers, and overcollecting in the wild nearly wiped out the species. Only seven known populations exist today, including this one, the largest and easternmost population of rosebay rhododendrons in Massachusetts. Please help protect this fragile site. A quarter-mile trail leads from the Woodbridge Road parking area to the stand of rhododendrons. Turn right on Woodbridge Road.  Parking area is immediately on right. Walk 200 yards along Woodbridge St. to trail on right. This trail is a public easement across private property. Follow the trail to the stand of rhododendrons.”