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Central Massachusetts is a land of small towns and rolling forests, and if you have time to get off the highway, there’s a lot to see. Many road trippers treat the Bay State’s heartland as drive-through country, racing down Interstate 90 at 75 miles per hour and stopping only long enough to fill their gas tanks. Tourists assume that there’s nothing important between Boston and the Berkshires, depriving themselves of 14 scenic byways and hundreds of rural communities.
Case in point: Boylston, a town of nearly 5,000 just northeast of Worcester. Like the famous Boylston Street in Boston, the town is named after a prominent early-American merchant family; unlike that busy motorway, this Boylston is a quiet rough rectangle of land that overlaps with the Wachusett Reservoir. This beautiful lake is a major reason to visit as it’s the second largest body of freshwater in Massachusetts, and local anglers come here to cast their lines from the shore. Just as attractive is Boylston’s New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill, a 200-acre property with roots dating back to 1842. You could easily add the garden to a list of the most unforgettably unique summer vacation activities in New England.
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Things to do in and around Boylston
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The Worcester Horticultural Society was founded during the Antebellum period, and it organized regular exhibitions of flowers and plants from its headquarters in downtown Worcester. Finally, the Society purchased its own permanent space in 1986, and the New England Botanic Society was born. The traditional farm has been gradually converted into a multi-structure greenhouse and visitor center. Today, this estate has become a popular destination in Central Massachusetts; more than 250,000 people have visited in a single year.
The indoor exhibits are open year-round; during the warmer months, flora enthusiasts can explore the expansive flower gardens, orchards, and walking paths. The water features and numerous pavilions lend themselves to weddings and events, but more casual patrons may come to browse gifts and tools at the on-site Garden Shop. Adult admission is $24 in advance or $26 at the door; at the time of writing, some renovations have been underway, and the Lawn Center is temporarily closed.
The Botanic Garden is just a stone’s throw from the Wachusett Reservoir, which covers an impressive 6.5 square miles. The reservoir would be the state’s biggest lake, if not for Lake Quinsigamond, Massachusetts’ gorgeous getaway with beaches, fishing, and cozy cabins. The 37 miles of shoreline incorporate parks and walking trails, including an easy two-mile hike through the woods of Sawyer Bluff; halfway through the loop, a beachy peninsula sticks out into the water. While boating and swimming are not permitted to preserve the quality of the reservoir’s drinking water, fishing, long walks, and cross-country skiing are common pastimes along its periphery. Perhaps the most picturesque landmark is the Old Stone Church, a Gothic-looking structure first opened in the 1890s and largely rebuilt in 1977.
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Getting to Boylston and where to stay
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The only realistic way to get to Boylston is by car; there’s no mass transit out here, not even a suburban bus line. Driving will enable hikers to circle the reservoir and pick from several trailheads. The Botanical Garden is only about an hour’s drive from Boston, and from there you’re just about 35 minutes from the Wachusett Mountain Ski Area, a satisfying outdoor destination all year round; the hiking trail and observation tower at the summit of Wachusett offer one of the best panoramas in Massachusetts.
Boylston is pretty active for a small town, but you won’t find many traditional accommodations here. Luckily, Worcester is the second-largest city in New England (right after Boston), and it’s right around the corner: You can drive downtown in only 20 minutes from the reservoir and pick from one of several hotels. Although Worcester has seen better days — and it’s an unusual destination for tourists — the downtown area has a good number of restaurants and a handful of landmarks and museums.
Note that a hotel room in the middle of town can cost well over $200 per night; cheaper, generic chains are located a few miles south in the suburb of Auburn. If you’re on a budget and brought your own tent, consider staying at Sutton Falls Camping Area, Massachusetts’ camping escape with hiking, pond fun, and serene vibes, located just a half-hour south of the Botanical Garden.
BOSTON (WHDH) – The Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial put on its annual rededication ceremony honoring service members and those they left behind Friday ahead of Memorial Day on Monday.
Dan Magoon, Executive Director of The Massachusetts Fallen Heroes Memorial, said its a solemn day that can educate the community about local heroes. Magoon said the ceremony is about “making sure that the next generations, and America as a whole, understands what happens behind the scenes and the sacrifices that are made.”
United States flags were laid out in Boston’s Seaport, each standing as a reminder of those who sacrificed for the country. The ceremony also features the unveiling of memorial panels with the names of service members lost to war, but no new names were added this year.
A woman who lost her brother in the war in Afghanistan said remembrance is important every year.
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“I think its different not having new names that we’re adding,” said Lindsey Bazigian. “And personally, I think it gives us an added weight to make sure we’re remembering and still continue to carry on their legacy and say their names.”
Gold Star families also laid out roses for the fallen.
Keavin Duffy, who lost his brother in the war in Iraq in 2008, said that his grief connects him to others and its a feeling that never truly goes away.
“It’s a funny thing because you continue to carry with it even 18 years later,” Duffy said. “It’s something like New England weather, where you don’t know when it’s going to pop up.”
Organizers hope the event encourages everyone to never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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“That’s the best thing we can do, continue to say their names, continue to educate, and really make it about that service and sacrifice,” said Magoon.
The flags will remain displayed until Tuesday.
(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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Change may be coming to Massachusetts roads to help prevent wrong-way driving, with the state Senate unanimously passing a safety budget amendment that members say will save lives.
The Senate is honoring the memory of Trooper Kevin Trainor, the latest victim of a wrong-way driving crash, as it hands the proposed multilayered protocol to the House just a week after the fallen Massachusetts state trooper was laid to rest.
The Senate held a moment of silence in Trainor’s honor in its Chamber after the passage on Thursday.
“Wrong-way driving is a scourge on our highways,” Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said during budget debates. “It happens far more frequently than we understand, mostly because when it occurs, the driver self-corrects, and it never gets reported.”
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“When that doesn’t happen, all too often it is fatal,” he added.
The amendment would implement and maintain a “comprehensive protocol” to prevent wrong-way driving on limited-access roadways across Massachusetts. It would bring directional striping on access ramps, adequate signage, lane delineators and detection systems to alert wrong-way drivers and notify public safety agencies in real time.
Messaging systems would notify motorists of the threat of a wrong-way driver.
If enacted, the protocol would be “implemented in the most expeditious manner possible,” according to the amendment’s language. A multiyear plan would identify and prioritize access ramps and intersections where the tools are most needed, while a budget would be prepared to effect the change.
Speaking poignantly, Tarr said his office had been developing the amendment at the time of Trainor’s death on May 6.
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Trainor was supposed to finish his shift at 2 a.m. that Wednesday morning. But at 2:01 a.m., a call came in that a Jeep driver was heading the wrong way down Route 1 in Lynnfield.
At 2:03 a.m., the driver collided with Trainor’s cruiser, and hours later, the 30-year-old trooper was pronounced dead at Mass General Hospital. The wrong-way driver, Hernan Marrero, 50, of Boston, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Working with police chiefs, experts from MIT and UMass Lowell, Massachusetts State Police, and the Essex County DA’s Office, among other entities, he said that the goal was to “understand everything we could about wrong-way and drunk driving.”
A string of fatal wrong-way driving crashes spurred the movement.
Tarr mentioned the deaths of Endicott College Police Sgt. Jeremy Cole, who died the night before Thanksgiving in 2024 after being struck by an alleged drunk driver, and 18-year-old Christopher Dailey, of Gloucester, who died last July 4, days after an 81-year-old man plowed into the car he had been in with three other teenagers.
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The senator highlighted how he traveled to Connecticut to witness wrong-way driving detection devices in action. The main takeaway from the trip, he said, was learning how the tools have led to an “86% reduction” of such incidents.
“This is a deadly situation. It leads to tragic consequences.” Tarr said. “But it is something we can do something about. We have the science to back us up. The research to inform our decisions. A compelling reason to act. And now we must summon the desire to act.”
Also included in the amendment is a requirement that the state Secretary of Public Safety consult with the Secretary of Transportation to develop and implement training practices to ensure all peace officer training includes instruction on wrong-way driving.
Meanwhile, the Registrar of Motor Vehicles would develop annual public service announcements on the dangers and prevention of wrong-way driving. The state Department of Transportation, in partnership with other agencies, would also conduct a feasibility study on improving roadway safety for drivers over the age of 70.
Tarr said that the amendment’s provisions would further “embrace” what the DOT and the Healey administration have begun by installing detection devices in a pilot program.
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Sen. Joan Lovely, D-Beverly, said 16 ramps are protected in Massachusetts with detectors equipped with LED lights, sirens and cameras.
“We know we need more,” Lovely said. “We have seen a reduction in the deaths from wrong-way driving since these were installed. … But last year, there were 20 deadly crashes, and that is 20 too many.”
“Every ramp that goes unprotected,” she added, “is a risk of another Kevin Trainor, someone else’s Jeremy Cole, someone else’s Christopher Dailey will not make it home. We need to get this done.”
Sen. Paul Feeney, D-Foxboro, highlighted a devastating wrong-way crash caused by an alleged drunk driver late on Christmas night in 2023. The collision on the Somerset side of Veteran’s Memorial Bridge killed a husband and wife and their teenage grandson.
“This is not a magic wand,” Feeney said of the amendment. “But we can embrace technology and smart policy and listen to our partners in law enforcement and figure out a better way and be deliberate about making this less likely.”
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Trooper Kevin Trainor. (Photo courtesy Massachusetts State Police)
