Community Corner
Patch Passport: Venture Out
The Sunday Patch Passport has you leaving the friendly confines of Stoughton, mapping out where you can go on a 15, 30, or 60-minute drive from your home. You won't want to miss these unique stops on our trip.
In the Venture Out portion of the series, we show you some of the best places you can visit in the area that are less than a tank of gas away.
Learn more about each of these spots by watching a short video about each destination in the media gallery of this article.
About 15 minutes away:
Borderland State Park in Easton (By Patrick Maguire, Easton Patch)
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If you’re looking to get out, enjoy nature, play a game of Frisbee golf or go for a run while taking in a piece of history at the same time, Borderland State Park is the perfect place for you.
Located on Massapoag Ave. on the Easton-Sharon line, the park is the former estate of local socialites Oakes and Blanche Ames, whose stone mansion still remains the centerpiece of the property.
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Purchased by the Commonwealth in 1971, the former 1,250 acre estate has grown to encompass nearly 1,800 acres and is open to the public for any recreational activity. There are long hiking trails, fishing ponds, frisbee golf course, open fields and woods.
Staffed by four full-time employees, the park also hosts a variety of programs, such as morning bird walks, mansion tours, hikes, and fishing clinics. To learn more about what the park has to offer, click here. (http://www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/borderland/)
About 30 minutes away:
Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary in Norton (By Kelly Mello, Norton Patch)
Located at 37 Eddy St. in Norton, the Winslow Farm Animal Sanctuary is a hidden gem on the south shore.
This non-profit organization rescues and houses mistreated and abandoned animals such as horses, swans, sheep and peacocks.
The farm allows visitors to get up close to these animals and learn about them. Special events are also held year-round, like Movies Under the Stars, the haunted trail and more.
Admission to Winslow Farm is $7 for adults, $5 for children and kids younger than 2 are admitted free. Admission prices are subject to change for special events; contact Winslow Farm for more information.
Hours are Mondays, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Also open by appointment.
About an hour away*:
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Falmouth (By Emily Sussman, Falmouth Patch)
There’s a block party on Cape Cod happening soon, about an hour away from Stoughton.
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve’s watershed block party is the research and education facility’s biggest program, held Tuesday, Aug. 2 this year.
“We invite all of our watershed neighbors to come and exhibit,” event volunteer coordinator Laurie Tompkins said, and there are hands-on activities, as well as “free ice cream and watermelon supplied by local vendors.”
The Waquoit Bay Reserve is among 28 research and education facilities nationwide, she said.
The facility hosts a number of summer, kid friendly events, including a Junior Ranger program for ages 8 and up.
* Not factoring in Cape traffic!
