Recommended Places to Visit: Wilbraham

Recreation

Parks
Sevey Park
548 Main Street


Water Bodies

Nine Mile Pond
Boston Post Road and Pond Road

Beaches
Spectacle Pond
Post Office PArk behind YMCA of Greater Springfield


Museums
Wilbraham Children's Museum
678 Main Street


Hiking
Tried:
Fountain Park
883 Tinkham Road

Crane Hill Park/12 Mile Brook
252 Crane Hill Road


Recommended:
Rice Nature Preserve
End of Highmoor Drive

Architecture

Dams
Red Bridge Dam
16 Red Bridge Road

Monuments

Horse Carriage
2755 Boston Road

Gazebo Park
Burt Lane and Main Street

Town Green
Main Street and Springfield Street

Places of Worship

Grace Union Church
10 Chapel Street

St. Cecilia Church
42 Main Street

Wilbraham United Church
500 Main Street

Evangel Assembly of God
348 Stony Hill Road


Schools
Wilbraham and Monson Academy
423 Main Street

Commercial Buildings
Friendly's Corporate Headquarters
1855 Boston Road

Town Facilities
Town Hall
240 Springfield Street


Bridges
Green Towne Bridge
Cottage Avenue near Dollar Avenue


Historical Buildings
Old Glendale Church
944 Glendale Road

Restaurants

Highly Recommended:
Italian
Abudanza
2341 Boston Road
Recommended Dishes:
Turkey Noodle Soup
Snakebite Pasta

Western

Horizons Restaurant and Bar
348 Stony Hill Road
Recommended Dishes:
Venison Au Poivre (if available)
Pan Blackened Diver Scallops
Caesar Salad
Pasta Fagioli Soup

Anchor House Restaurant
2589 Boston Road
Recommended Dishes:
Filet Wrapped in Bacon
New England Clam Chowder

Tried:
Western
Camile's Bistro and Bar
2000 Boston Road
Recommended Dishes:
Seared Mozambique Shrimp
Prosciutto and Blueberry Stone Pie

Italian
Gregory's Restaurant and Pizza Pub
2391 Boston Road
Recommended Dishes:
Turkey Vegetable Soup
Samuel Adams Honey BBQ Wings
Twin Chived Pork Chops
Chocolate Chip Cake

Seafood

Krazy Jake's
2537 Boston Road
Recommended Dishes: 
Lobster Club Sandwich

June 1st 2019: A Day of Hiking in Western Central Massachusetts

I started my day today in the town of Hardwick,

Dead Pond,
Greenwich Road, 42.371748, -72.229766

trying to go for a hike at the Mixter Nields Memorial Forest, but the supposed entrance at the junction of Mellon Road and Greenwich Road was way too overgrown for me to even try.

Next, passing through Ware,

Nenameseck Square,
Main Street and South Street 

it was on to the town of Warren, for another hike at the Palmer Wildlife Management Area. The path I took while here is shown below in pink.

Okay views of both ponds,

at times muddy and unmarked.

At this point, I decided to make a meal stop at the Village Bakery and Bistro in town, which is more like a diner than a bakery or a restaurant. I got the Egg with Home Fries and Toast,

which was filling but nothing special.

Next, it was back to the Palmer Wildlife Management Area, this time in the town of Palmer. The path I took here from the end of Rondeau Street is shown below in pink.

Definitely a better view of the pond here.

My next hike in town was at Burleigh Park,

where the path I took is shown below in pink.

There was a mini waterfall at the beginning,

but the water bodies here were somewhat mediocre,

as were the views from the power lines.

I got to stop by Thompson Lake along the way though.

Next town, Wilbraham,

Sevey Park, 548 Main Street

where I went on a hike at Crane Hill Park and 12 Mile Brook. The paths I took here are shown below in pink.

Nothing to see at Crane Hill Park, with the disk golf course just confusing me to no end, and at the 12 Mile Brook area, I got disorientated for a bit, going into the Crane Hill area for a bit before realizing my mistake. Nothing much at the brook area either.

Next, at Fountain Park,

the path I took to try to find the marsh here is shown below in pink.

 Nothing to see here though.

From here, I decided to stop in town for another meal at Anchor House Restaurant. A little run down, but still quite decent in terms of decor.

I got the New England Clam Chowder (sea clams, potatoes, onions, oyster crackers)

and the Filet Wrapped in Bacon (petite tender filet, applewood smoked bacon, mushroom onion demi-glace, garlic mashed potatoes, fresh vegetables).

Pretty tasty, although the beef was a little on the small side. At least I got to use my deal here.

From here, it was on to Springfield,

Sampson Chapel of the Acres

Sixteen Acres Fire Station 12,
1265 Parker Street

Mill Pond, 1321 Parker Street

Veterans Memorial Golf Course

Bass Pond, 1257 South Branch Parkway

St. Patrick Roman Catholic Church

Christ Presbyterian Church

Iglesia Apostolica Renovacion Church New Generation Youth Center

Christian Life Center

Wachogue Congregational Church

First Springfield Seventh Day Adventist Church

House of God Church,
1008 Sumner Avenue

Harvest Fellowship Church

where I checked out the Gate of Heaven Cemetery,

Camp Wilder Park at 1477 Parker Street,

My final meal of the day was at Khi and Eli's Food for the Soul, a decent looking Caribbean place in town.

I got the Whiting Fish Sandwich,

which did not have any sauce on it, and the fries were a tad salty. Definitely not coming back again.

With that, my day of hiking in western central Massachusetts was finally at an end. Not a good day for hiking overall.

For dinner, we decided to check out the Coach Grill in Wayland. I always thought this place was a typical family style bar restaurant, but I was surprised on stepping inside to see a high end place.

We got the PAN-SEARED ATLANTIC HALIBUT (lobster corn succotash, tarragon butter),

which was not bad, the fish being a little dry, but definitely way too expensive, at 40 bucks. Not coming back again because of the price.