MetroWest
MetroWest is a region just west of Greater Boston in Massachusetts.
Cities
- 🌍 Concord — Visit Old North Bridge, where the famed "shot heard 'round the world" was fired.
- 🌍 Framingham — This sprawling former manufacturing town is a suburban tech hub with an ethnically diverse population.
- 🌍 Natick — The largest shopping area in the state, suburban malls stretch along Route 9 mile after mile.
Get in
By car, you'll be using the Mass Pike (Interstate 90), coming from Boston, or from Worcester, Springfield, and Hartford.
By public transit
- MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority), ☏ +1 617-222-3200, +1 617-222-5146 (TTY). Varies, 5AM-1AM daily. One of the busiest rail systems in the United States, the MBTA Commuter Rail runs the Fitchburg Line and Framingham/Worcester Line which provide service to the area. Please see Boston § By public transit for additional information. Bus $1.70, subway $2.40, commuter rail $2.40-13.25, ferry $2.40-9.75.
Get around
Having a car will be the easiest way for most people to get around.
By public transit
- MWRTA (MetroWest Regional Transit Authority), ☏ +1 508-935-2222. M-Sa 8AM-4PM. Operates a few bus routes out from Framingham with no late evening, Sunday, or holiday bus service. Frequencies are very low so check the bus schedules. $1-2.
By bicycle
To the north you'll find the popular Minuteman Bikeway which ends in Bedford. From there, many follow the Reformatory Trail to Concord, but a great alternate is the Battle Road Trail. This hard packed dirt path cuts through the National Historic Park and retraces the initial skirmishes of the Revolutionary War. To the west the fantastic Bruce Freeman Rail Trail connects Concord with Lowell, and the excellent Mass Central Rail Trail ends in Wayland (for now), and will carry you through to Boston. To the south, the impressive but less visited Assabet River Rail Trail runs south from Acton and is always scenic. Finally, the Upper Charles and Cochituate Rail Trails await connections. There are also many opportunities for mountain biking in the region's State Parks and other natural areas.
See
With children
Do
Parks
Ashland State Park, Hopkinton State Park, Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, Walden Pond State Reservation and Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge in Concord, Callahan State Park in Framingham, Lake Cochituate State Park in Natick.
Buy
Shopping malls
- Natick Mall, Jordan's Furniture, Sherwood Plaza, Cloverleaf Mall in Natick.
- Shopper's World, Framingham Mall, Framingham Plaza in Framingham.
Drink
- Rail Trail Flatbread and Medusa Brewing Co in Hudson.
- Jack's Abby Brewing in Framingham.
Sleep
- Longfellow's Wayside Inn in Sudbury.
Go next
- Merrimack Valley — Along the mighty Merrimack river you'll find 19th-century industrial mill towns blended with modern suburbs, rural farms, and quaint orchards.
- Greater Boston — The most populated region in New England, this is the urbanized collection of towns that tightly surround the eponymous city.
- Bristol-Norfolk — A collection of forests, rural communities and bedroom suburbs on the way to Providence, Rhode Island.
- North County (Massachusetts) — Urban grit and college town vitality combine to create a cosmopolitan flavor.
- Blackstone Valley — Dotted with mill towns, many retaining impressive examples of 19th century industrial architecture.