15 Best Things to Do in Wilbraham (MA)

This eastern suburb of Springfield is bordered by the Chicopee River to the north. The northern part of the town was formerly industrial, while the southern part was agricultural.

Wilbraham is mostly residential now, but that doesn't mean there aren't plenty of farms around where you can pick your own fruit, buy fresh produce right after harvest, or enjoy homemade ice cream.

The dominant presence in downtown Wilbraham is the prestigious Wilbraham and Monson Academy, founded here in 1804 and run by the influential Rich Hall.

The grounds were the scene of Wilbraham's famous Peach Blossom Festival in June, and nearby is the oldest Methodist meetinghouse in the area, now a museum of the town's history.

1. Spectacle Pond

A great summer hangout in Wilbraham, Spectacle Pond is home to Town Beach, where lifeguards are on duty from mid-June to mid-August. During this season there is a small feeling for residents and non-residents alike.

It gives you an amazingly large area of sand, access to clean water that is checked weekly, a concession stand, clean restrooms, two swimming rafts, and a splash park for younger visitors.

Outside this period, the beach remains open to visitors, but swimming is not permitted. Outside the pond there is a large recreational area with facilities such as a playground, picnic area, basketball court and multi-purpose court.

2. Old Meeting House Museum

Adjacent to Wilbraham Munson Academy in downtown Wilbraham is the oldest surviving Methodist meetinghouse in New England.

The building dates from 1794, and was used for worship until the 1830s when a new meeting house was built for the growing Wilbraham Methodist congregation.

From that moment it was a family home until the 1970s when the city bought it and restored it.

The museum displays local artefacts depicting life in Wilbraham in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, many of these items having been donated by families in the town.

You can call on the second Sunday of the month, from May to October, and there is a special holiday program on the first Sunday in December.

3. Fountain Park

A magnificent public space for the city, Fountain Park occupies 144 acres that was once a Massachusetts state game farm from 1913 to 1984.

After the facility closed, the land was left in disrepair, until a group of local citizens helped raise money to open the park here.

About two-thirds of Fountain Park is forested and trails popular with winter hikers, dog walkers and cross-country skiers.

The rest is a green grassy area that provides habitat for grassland birds, but also hosts outdoor public events. The bandstand here hosts an amazing summer concert series, attracting people from all over western Massachusetts.

4. Crane Hill Disc Golf Course

Wilbraham has a standard professional golf course, open to residents and non-residents alike, and admission is free. If you're interested in taking up this hobby, you can't ask for a better place to start.

You don't need a tee time to play Crane Hill Disc Golf Course. In fact, you need to bring three discs and a recording card with you.

With 18 holes, the course is exciting, set in woodland and open fields, with a stream acting as an OB in one area. Each hole is clearly marked and, depending on your level, you can choose between baskets A and B.

5. Interskate 91 South

At the center of this family entertainment center is a giant skating rink that has been part of locals' childhoods for decades.

Interskate 91 South is a favorite place for kids' birthday parties, and has plenty of public skating sessions and private events on the schedule, led by professional DJs.

Four-wheel skates and inline skates are available for rent, and if you're visiting with children who are still learning to skate, you can rent training equipment so they can safely join you on the rink.

Adjacent to the rink is a multi-level soft play area for the little ones, while older children can go to the laser tag arena, which is open during public skating sessions.

6. Rice Preserve/Sunrise Peak Trail Walk

A large piece of upland in the Wilbraham countryside is open to the public, on Nature Conservancy and Conservation land adjoining it to the east.

You can reach this place from the end of Highmore Drive on the west and Hollow Road on the east.

Coming from the west, a steep climb will take you to the top of Rattlesnake Peak, for a stunning view over Springfield, Amherst, and into the Berkshires.

To the east, 1.3 miles from Highmore Drive is Sunset Peak, with views east toward Munson and Hampden. Between these viewpoints you'll wander through mature forests filled with exposed outcrops and icy terrain.

7. Wilbraham Children's Museum

A great resource for parents with children under five, the Wilbraham Children's Museum opened in 1981.

Indoors and outdoors, the museum features a variety of toys designed to enhance children's sense of creativity and imagination.

Some of the exhibits include a dress-up box, a spaceship, a replica kitchen, a castle with a slide, two race cars, tons of Legos, musical instruments, and a model train set.

Outside you'll find the city's best public playground, with several climbing structures, a swing set, a pirate ship, and a clubhouse.

8. White Cedar Swamp

What is often overlooked in Wilbraham is the habitat of the regionally important Atlantic White Cedar Swamp.

This is the best example of a conifer wetland in the entire Connecticut Valley, including many isolated stands of white pine.

The wetland area is accessible along a half-mile trail from the parking area on Decoree Drive, and there are several small outcroppings and cul-de-sacs you can explore.

The swamps and surrounding forest are habitats for rare and protected species, including the Hassell's hairy moth, two species of salamander, and the eastern swift frog.

9. Rice Fruit Farm

This beloved farm in Wilbraham dates back to the late 1800s. What you'll find at Rice Fruit Farm today is a thriving country store with lots of features.

The most popular may be the ice cream, which is made in-house and comes in more than 30 flavours, from vanilla to Stricatella.

You can come in for snacks, giveaways, sundaes, shakes and floats, while a selection of toppings are made locally with maple syrup.

Rice Fruit Farm offers breakfast and lunch menus, and many customers make the trip for the two-egg breakfast sandwich served on bread, ciabatta or croissant and grilled to order. .

There's a huge selection, but the California, with avocado, pepper jack cheese, tomatoes, and red onions, is an upscale vegetarian option.

10. Wilbraham Peach Blossom Festival

A highlight of the summer in Wilbraham is the festival held in mid-June on the historic Wilbraham Munson Academy campus.

The centerpiece of this intimate community event is the craft fair, where more than 80 artisans display their wares.

There's also a kids' carnival, a live music schedule, and all kinds of fun competitive events, like a pan-throwing contest and a wife-carrying race.

Food and non-alcoholic beverage trucks are on site, and you can take a look inside the academy's magnificent Georgian Renaissance hall.

11. Silver Bell Farm

On fall weekends, you can visit this beautiful farm in the Munson area for all kinds of fall fun.

To give you an idea of what's going on at Silver Bell Farm this time of year, you have pumpkins and gourds, wagon rides, friendly goats foraging for food, barrel train rides, a bounce house, and a produce stand. Corn maze with scavenger hunt game for kids.

Delicious food and drinks, from hot cider to ice cream, home-baked pies, cider cakes and many local gourmet items are available at the farm store.

Later in the year, the farm reopens selling Fraser firs and balsam fir trees, as well as Christmas ornaments and tree accessories, while little ones can meet Santa.

12. Titanic Historical Society

An unassuming jewelry store located at 208 Main Street, Indian Orchard, is the headquarters of the Titanic Historical Society.

The organization was founded in 1963 by historian Edward Kamoda (1939-2014), who spent much of his life studying the RMS Titanic and its famous sinking.

Kamoda acquired many rare surviving specimens, many of which were sent on loan to prominent institutions in the United States.

Besides James Cameron's compelling retellings of Titanic (1997), you can see a selection of objects at the society's headquarters in Indian Orchard.

They may include the bell of her sister ship, the RMS Olympic, a drawing of an iceberg by Fred Fleet (1887-1965), and a first-class dinner menu for the salvage ship, RMS Carpathia.

13. Fenway Golf

East Longmeadow has a golf center just moments away with a variety of amenities, some of which are family attractions.

It is a well-designed 18-hole mini golf course, with a cascading waterfall and challenging river water hazards. Kids will also have a great time on the playground and golf course, where you can enjoy swinging the irons.

For a slightly longer look, Pine Knoll is a traditional 18-hole course, located near Fenway Golf.

It has an additional driving range of up to 300 yards, with plenty of targets, plus batting cages with six speed settings, and a snack bar for snacks and delicious meals like burgers and hot meals. dog.

14. Keep Homestead Museum

If you want to immerse yourself in the area's history a little more, this historic home in Munson is open on the first Sunday of the month, from April to December.

The Cape family has deep ties to Munson, and were among the first Europeans to settle the area at the turn of the 18th century.

Cape Homestead dates from 1749, and was modified twice in the 19th century, in 1820 and 1863.

The building has remained virtually unchanged since then, and was owned by the Kipp family for 150 years until the last resident, Myra Kipp, handed it over to the city in the 1980s.

She was an avid antiques collector, and as you tour the house you'll see historical and geological artifacts she collected, as well as family possessions dating from the 19th and early 20th centuries, for an intimate picture of local domestic life.

15. Echo Hill Orchards & Winery

Established in 1948, this family-owned orchard has long been open for pick-your-own seasons, but also uses its fruit to make a variety of wines and spirits, which are served on site.

Echo Hill Orchards are home to apples, pears, peaches, pumpkins and sunflowers, as well as a variety of wildflowers.

The scenery here is stunning, and tractor rides can be enjoyed to the tree picking areas, while the gift shop sells everything from cider to handmade candles.

Finally, tastings are available for a small fee at the winery/distillery, which produces whiskey, moonshine and other spirits. The place stays open until around Christmas, and local food trucks visit on weekend evenings.