Recommended Places to Visit: Paxton

Recreation

Water Bodies
Kettle Brook Reservoir #4
Reservoir Drive near Pleasant Street

Illig's Pond
19 West Street

Streeter Pond

467 Grove Street

Asnebumskit Pond

108 Holden Road

Hiking

Recommended:
Moore State Park
1 Sawmill Road

Thoreau's Seat
End of Asnebumskit Road

Tried:
Muir Meadow
Indian Hill Road and Pleasant Street

Architecture

Monuments

War Memorials
Richards Avenue and Pleasant Street

Worcester County Memorial Park
217 Richards Avenue

Places of Worship
First Congregational Church

1 Church Street

St. Columba Church
10 Richards Avenue

Public Facilities

Public Safety Complex
576 Pleasant Street

Richards Memorial Library
44 Richards Avenue

Restaurants

Tried:
Breakfast
Theo's Breakfast and Lunch
681 Pleasant Street
Recommended Dishes:
Zeus Burger
Chicken Fingers

May 31st 2024: Checking Out Water Bodies in Holden, Paxton and Rutland

 Today, while having some time to spend, I went to check out several water bodies, firstly in Holden,

Dawson Pond, 205 Salisbury Street

Then Paxton,

Streeter Pond, 467 Grove Street

Asnebumskit Pond, 108 Holden Road

and finally Rutland.

Pine Hill Reservoir, 98 Emerald Road

Cloverdale Street Pond, 37 Sassawanna Road

Edson Pond, 283 Pommogussett Road

Nice clear day for checking out water bodies.

November 22nd 2017: Hiking in the Rain

I started out this morning at the Worcester Technical High School in Worcester,

heading to the back of the school to find the Millstone Trail in the East Side Trail network behind 2 dumpsters. The path I took here to find the water body and the Knob is highlighted below in pink.

Nothing much to see here though.

Next, I went into the towns of Holden

Holden Christian Academy

and Paxton to hike the Asnebumskit Ridge. The paths I took here to visit the Holden and Paxton sections is shown below in pink.

There were no views to be had on the Holden side, and the trail on the Paxton side is actually on private property to reach the water tower, but I risked it anyway.

There is a multitude of side trails here, and I was pretty much lost, just relying on my compass and somehow I found the overlook, which apparently is Thoreau's Seat and separate from the Asnebumskit Ridge. Unfortunately, it was way too foggy this rainy day.

To get back to my car, I had to pass through private property again, passing by the communications towers.

From here, I headed into Princeton to try to look for the trailhead to the Sandstrom-Red Fox Farm area on Worcester Road. Unfortunately, it is currently not developed, so I had to give up after a while.

Next I went to find the Metcalf Prescott Trails in town, and this time I managed to find it at 25 Sterling Road. The trail I took here to get to the beaver pond here is shown below in pink.

There was one spot where I could head down to the pond itself, which was a pretty nice view.

From here, I followed the loop, and somehow came onto an open area on private property, and decided to take the easy way out to the main road, then walk back to my car. Not a bad hike though, with well blazed trails.

From here, I decided to head into Fitchburg,

SS Lobster

getting some lunch at Il Ricordi, an Italian restaurant in town that has a look of a pizza takeout place.

I got the Fettuccine Alfredo (Tossed with creamy Alfredo sauce and parmesan)

and the Baked Eggplant Rollatini (Rolled with ham, ricotta, cheddar and marinara sauce).

The alfredo was just alright, although the marinara was too sour for my liking. Overall, nothing special.

The last place I visited today was the Fitchburg Historical Society in town. They were in the midst of preparing the place for the holidays. Pictures I took here follow.

With that, I called it a day for exploring. I was hoping to reach New Hampshire today, but it was not to be. Next time I guess.

October 8th 2016: Partaking in the Fall Foliage

We started out this morning with breakfast at Birchtree Bread Company in Worcester, getting a Pumpkin Spice Latte, an Almond Croissant

and the Justino's Quiche (roasted sweet potato with spinach and ricotta, served with side salad).

The croissant was pretty buttery and tasty, although there wasn't much almond filling. I think my wife's one is still better. The quiche was pretty good as well.

From here, it was on to my next meal at Sunburst Restaurant, a small town diner at 484 Main Street in Sturbridge for older folks with a somewhat cosy feeling, though in an archaic way.

I got the only interesting thing on the menu, the Sunburst Quiche with Fruit,

which I did not take to because of the peppers in it, and because I already had a much better one this morning.

Next, it was on to the town of Union CT,

Goodhall Pond, 11 Mashapaug Road

going on a short hike at Bigelow Hollow State Park. The path I took here is shown below in brown.

I drove around to get pictures of Bigelow Pond

And Mashapaug Pond,

Then parked and hiked to Breakneck Pond.

Nice walk in the woods, to say the least.

Next, it was on to the town of Woodstock,

Keach Pond, 270 Old Turnpike Road

Where I went to grab lunch at Sherwood's Restaurant and Bar, a sports bar in town,

Where I got the Chicken Pesto Penne (Sauteed sliced chicken Breast and grape tomatoes in creamy Pesto sauce tossed with penne pasta),

Which came with a side salad as well.

Pretty creamy and tasty, actually,  not bad for a sports bar.

On that back, I passed through the towns of Dudley

First Congregational Church of Dudley

Nichols College

And Oxford.

28 Charlton Street

Next, we decided to go for a short hike at the Moore State Park in Paxton.

Unfortunately, due to the drought,  none of the waterfalls were flowing today.

Next, we visited the Rutland State Park in Rutland for a bit,

Then on to Barre, where we chanced upon the Harvest Festival going on at the Carter and Stevens Farm.

We got to see pumpkins being launched into the air to try to hit a car below,

And also got a Harvest Festival Grass Fed Beef Hot Dog with Carrot and Ginger Slaw and Cornbread,

which did not really taste any good, especially at the price we paid for it.

After leaving the farm, we drove around the entire Quabbin Reservoir, and decided to stop for dinner at the Salem Cross Inn in West Brookfield, which apparently is one of the best restaurants outside of suburban Boston and Worcester.

We got the Harvest Sangria (Pinot grigio, ginger brandy, fresh local cider, apples. pears),

 

that was just alright I guess. I really liked the platter of bread they provided for starters though.

For food, we got the Baked Oysters Casino (red bell pepper compound butter, bacon swiss cheese, dill crumbs)

and the Rosemary Duck (seared duck breast served medium rare with duck leg confit and rosemary maple demi-glaze, accompanied by arugula, strawberry salad with toasted pine nuts and chopped shallots).

The oysters were a little on the salty side, and the duck leg was a little dry, although the flavors were very good. Not sure why this place is one of the top restaurants in the area.