From skiing to hiking to homemade ice cream.
By Kristi Palma
City and town clerks across Massachusetts are sharing their favorite places to go for culture, nature, and relaxation in the cities and towns they know so well. Do you want to see your favorite city or town featured? Let us know in thesurveybelow or e-mail[emailprotected].
Visitors flock to Westford for winter fun and homemade ice cream, said Patty Dubey, a resident for 35 years and town clerk for four years.
- 5 things to do when visiting Stow
- 5 things to do when visiting Rockport
The Massachusetts town 35 miles northwest of Boston and 10 miles south of the New Hampshire border has a lot to offer, Dubey said.
Advertisem*nt:
“Kimball Farm and Nashoba Ski Area are what brings people from out of Westford, typically, to Westford,” Dubey said. “And that’s when they find out what we’re all about.”
Westford is all about charm, Dubey said.
Look no further for a “bucolic” New England setting, Dubey said. The Town Hall was built in 1870, and Westford Center has “more or less, remained exactly as it has been for a couple hundred years,” she said.
The town is also about friendly people, great schools, diversity, volunteerism, and nature, she said.
Ahead, Dubey offers her picks for what to do when visiting Westford.
Grab breakfast at Muffins on Main
Do yourself a favor and begin your day at the quaint and cozy Muffins on Main in historic Westford Center, Dubey said.
The breakfast hot spot opened in 2016. Founders Pam Sulka and Ellen Harde turned a historic general store into “a warm, loveable muffin shop,” according to the eatery’s website.
“It’s open in the morning and it’s pastries and it’s coffee, and it has really become quite popular,” Dubey said.
Dubey’s breakfast of choice?
“Well, you’ve got to order the muffins, of course,” she said with a laugh. “I’m a big chocolate chip muffin person.”
Go skiing at Nashoba Valley Ski Area
Who says you have to drive to the New Hampshire mountains for a day of skiing? Nashoba Valley Ski Area is a full-service ski area with rentals and lessons.
Advertisem*nt:
Nashoba Valley’s Tubing Park in nearby Littleton bills itself as New England’s largest snowtubing facility, with four lifts, more than 600 snowtubes, and up to 16 lanes.
Hungry visitors can eat at The Outlook Restaurant with spectacular views of the slopes or the Sunset Tiki Bar & Grill during warm-weather months, which offers outside dining, live music, a beach area with swimming along the pond, and fire pits.
“That’s quite popular,” Dubey said about Sunset Tiki Bar & Grill. “It is a lot of fun.”
In the fall, Nashoba’s Witch’s Woods is a screampark and haunted hayride full of Halloween thrills.
“Nashoba has all seasons covered now,” Dubey said.
Taste ice cream from Kimball Farm
The 80-year-old Kimball Farm draws ice cream lovers from all around, Dubey said.
“It has great ice cream,” she said.
Kimball Farm serves 50 flavors of homemade ice cream, from classics like chocolate and strawberry to featured flavors like french toast and coconut caramel chip to frozen yogurt and sorbet.
For those who want a meal first, the seasonal Grill & Seafood Shack cooks classic New England seafood, and the Outback Tap Shack serves local craft beers and snacks.
The farm’s 50 acres offer plenty of family fun: bumper boats, bumper cars, mini golf, batting cages, a driving range, a zipline, and an arcade.
Advertisem*nt:
It’s also worth stopping by the Westford Country Store, Dubey said, which is full of fun and “eclectic” items. The country store is open year round and the restaurant, ice cream stand, and activities open in the spring.
Explore nature
The Westford Conservation Trust offers many trails ideal for walking, jogging, horseback riding, and cross-country skiing.
“They’re beautiful, well-groomed trails,” she said.
Folks can stop by the town clerk’s office for a Westford Trails booklet, she said. The $5 book includes photos, wildlife, and trail details, she said. Here is a map of the trails.
The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, the former New Haven Railroad Framingham & Lowell line, offers a 25-mile paved route through the communities of Lowell, Chelmsford, Westford, Carlisle, Acton, Concord, Sudbury, and Framingham. The trail is popular with bikers, rollerbladers, joggers, and walkers.
Readers recommended the following Westford spots:
Butter Brook Golf Club — @zdsmith31
Drew Farm — @dylankatz2, @brigittabeck
Forge Village Historic District — @mwern
Gene’s Chinese Flatbread Cafe — @iam_douglas
Karma Asian Fusion Cuisine — @lauren.bonilla5, @kjcyrs
Kimball Farm — @dockboys.official, @cristinapacelli, @mckennajanice, @lauren.bonilla5, @yuuuu_ooooo, @emilyemars, @harpandwellness, @donnaharris9557, @julie.elliott.taylor, @shepleyhilleventing, @meghoneil
Lumberlend Co. — @jaeden_braga
Muffins on Main — @cristinapacelli
Nashoba Valley Ski Area — @austin.hoey16, @emilyemars, @strech772, @shepleyhilleventing
Seoul Kitchen — @debbiedaisywong, @emilyemars, @jkbeauche, @meg_keene
Stony Brook Conservation Land — @kibs225
Sunset Tiki Bar & Grill — @karentek33
The Butterfly Place — @littlerailroader, @harpandwellness
Town Common — @matthewsepe
Westford House of Pizza — @robbie_van_gogh, @project_salvo
