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Restaurants in Natick, Massachusetts

April 17, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Natick offers a variety of eateries, from fancy to homey to chains. A slew of Asian restaurants  dot the town, from sushi-and-more to Chinese to Thai. Or you can try out seafood standbys, Italian eateries, Indian cuisine, Turkish specialties, or an old-timey diner that’s served the community forever. And don’t forget those necessities — pizza, ice cream, donuts, and coffee. Natick’s got you covered there.

PF chang's mall

Our most recent take-out meal was from PF Chang’s, located at the Natick Mall. We tried out the Family Meal for Two (for 4 or 6 also available). At $34 for 2, the take-out or delivery only option is the best value on the menu. You get to choose a Lettuce Wrap appetizer (their signature dish, and the lettuce is always fresh and crisp); a soup; a noodle or rice dish; and a main entrée. Nobody goes away hungry, and everything was delicious. Vegetarian and gluten-free options available for the Family Meal option, and throughout the menu.

You can read more about Natick’s restaurants on our specialty page: Where to Eat in Natick, Massachusetts.

Please reach out if restaurants should be added or deleted from our Where to Eat page, or if you have other relevant info: natickreport@gmail.com

MORE—Restaurants in Wellesley, Massachusetts

Filed Under: Food, Restaurants

Fran's Flowers, Framingham
London Harness
Linden Square, Wellesley

Beyond Natick: Blithewold Mansion & gardens on Rhode Island’s Narragansett Bay

April 16, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

It was daffodil season on a sparkling spring morning at Blithewold Mansion in Bristol, Rhode Island, an enchanting 33-acre estate on Narragansett Bay, just over the beautiful Mount Hope Bridge. A little girl in a pink tutu twirled along the woodland path, thousands of daffodils nodding in approval, and looked up at us. “This is my favorite place in the whole world,” she enthused, before exiting stage left into the bamboo grove.

Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island
Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island

Blithewold can have that effect on people. Built as a summer place in the 1890s by Augustus and Bessie Van Wickle, the couple purposely placed themselves at a distance from the Newport Bellevue Avenue mansions scene with its gold-leaf this and marble that. They moved into their estate, country-casual by the standards of their peers, with their 10-year old daughter Marjorie in 1896. Augustus died two years later at the age of 42 in a skeet-shooting accident when his gun accidentally fired, mortally wounding him in the chest. Five months later his second daughter and namesake, Augustine, was born.

The mansion Augustus and Bessie built was destroyed by fire in 1906, and Bessie and her second husband, William McKee, replaced it with the 45-room English Country Manor-style home that stands today. Along the way, gardening continued at a steady clip. The wide-open spaces of Bristol allowed Bessie and landscape architect John DeWolf to plan and put in place the 10-acre Great Lawn, along with garden room upon garden room—the rose garden, the rock garden, the water garden, and more.

Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island
Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island, bamboo garden. Fun to play in! Mind the bamboo stumps.

DeWolf’s vision included not just perennial borders, specimen trees, and shrubs, but a general air of informality that comes through to this day. “The Bosquet” (French for “woodland”), for example, boasts not only thousands of daffodils, but remnants of last fall’s leaves and a gravel pathway that is left un-edged. The landscaping crew has not been permitted to aim their leaf blowers into every corner of the property and aggressively tidy it within an inch of its life. The woods are left to feel like the woods, and the land is all the better for it. Beneficial insects remain tucked into the leaf litter, which in turn breaks down and feeds the woodland, all without compromising the beauty of the spring scene.

Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island
Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island

And what a scene. Under the tree canopy look for a wide variety of daffodils such as  Little Gem, Ice Follies, King Alfred, Rijnveld’s Early Sensation, and more. In all, there are over 50k daffs blooming throughout the property in a 6-week succession. Grape hyacinths are everywhere also, as are fritillaries, and squill, all having their moment before they give way to the wildflowers and ferns of summer.

“Blithewold” is Old English for Happy Wood, and the name is apt. There is a distinct lack of “no” around the place. Signs don’t demand that visitors keep to the path and not stomp through the daffodil clumps. One is trusted to know this and comport oneself accordingly. Even (or especially) the high-spirited children visiting this family-friendly place fall under Blithewold’s spell, its magic rendering them unable and unwilling to traipse through the beds or step on a single flower.

If there are docents around and about, they are busy tending to their tour groups, not casting side-eye at those who chose a free-range experience. Picnicking is encouraged, and stern signs about cleaning up afterwards simply don’t exist. Of course you’re going to clean up afterwards. This is Blithewold, darling, a place where everyone does the right thing and a good time is had by all.

Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island
Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island

Not to be missed: the stroll along the bay with its sweeping views, the rose garden with its stone archway, and the specimen trees, especially the giant 100+ year-old Sequoia. Give yourself a couple of hours to tour the gardens. Unfortunately, the mansion and the greenhouses are currently closed to the public due to the pandemic, but you can visit the small gift shop, and the indoor restrooms are open.

Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island
Blithewold, Bristol, Rhode Island

Special programs and activities such as nature sketchbook journaling; garden design classes; and the popular tea and scones seatings on Blithewold’s expansive porches with views of the bay are starting to resume. Check the website for more information.

Blithewold

101 Ferry Rd, Bristol, RI 02809
(401) 253-2707
Tuesday to Sat., 10am-4pm & Sun., 10am-3pm. Visit www.blithewold.org for tickets and info.

Distance from Natick Center: approximately 65 miles
Drive time: about 1 hour, 15 minutes


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Filed Under: Beyond Natick, Gardens

Page Waterman, Wellesley

Family Promise Walk for Change fundraiser will be May 1st & 2nd

April 14, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Family Promise Metrowest has tweaked the format of the non-profit’s annual walkathon to account for the continuing need for social distancing measures. The May 1 – 2 Walk for Change encourages individuals, families, or small groups of friends to walk together in their home towns to raise funds and awareness for families facing homelessness.

family promise metrowest

Walk participants will be asked to register, fundraise, and walk in their community on May 1 or 2 while wearing their Walk for Change t-shirts. Register for the Family Promise Walk for Change.

A 5k walk through Natick has been planned for Sat., May 1, 1pm. Email Ann Skipper for details. Please provide your cell number. awskipper@verizon.net

Throughout the pandemic, Family Promise has helped more families than ever before through its pre-eviction program, which includes shelter diversion services that allow families to bypass shelter entry altogether. Often all it takes to keep a family out of a shelter is help with moving expenses, or a safe place to stay for a few days until permanent housing becomes available.

This and other essential programs help Family Promise Metrowest to transform the lives of families with children facing homelessness by mobilizing a diverse community to provide shelter, education, and comprehensive support. It’s such programming that supports families on their path to sustainability.

Unable to participate in a walk? Donations are gratefully accepted.

MORE:

Natick-based Family Promise will no longer use area congregations to shelter families

Filed Under: Charity/Fundraising, Community, Kids, Volunteering

Artists announced for Natick Traffic Calming Public Art projects

April 13, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Natick Center Cultural District and the Public Art Committee last fall  put out a call for proposals for the planned Traffic Calming Public Art projects at the intersection of Rt. 27 and Rt. 135. General parameters called for projects that were positive, original and colorful and that reflected the immediate environment; the character or culture of the Town of Natick; the history of the area; community pride; creativity;  or other themes. Stipend of $500–$1,200 were thrown in to make things interesting.

Drum roll please for the finalists…

  • Natick Center
  • Jason Cheeseman-Meyer (check out our profile on the illustrator and painter)
  • Denise Girardin
  • Swati Dave
  • Kevin Baldwin
  • Polly B. Wright

The project, supported by a $25 K state Shared Streets & Spaces grant, must be implemented by Oct. 9, 2021.

MORE:

Traffic experiment in Natick could get artsy

Stay calm, Natick: this is only a traffic test


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Filed Under: Art, Government, Transportation

Natick summer camp listings 2021 — find the experience of a lifetime

April 13, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Natick Report’s Summer Camps page is now updated with over 75 camps in Natick and beyond. It’s time to sign your child up for the summer camp experience of a lifetime. Whether they’re into coding, arts and crafts, sports, drama, or nature, the perfect camp is out there for them.

LINX, summer camp

 

Natick Report’s camps page is sponsored by LINX Camps. Over 40 Premier Camps. Perfect for your family.

Contact Deborah for more info on inclusion of your camp located in Wellesley or elsewhere, or for advertising on Swellesley. Camp parents and guardians: Please let camps know that you found them here, if you did…thanks.

Filed Under: Camps, Entertainment, Kids

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Fay School, Southborough

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Most Read Posts

  • Natick summer camp listings 2021 — find the experience of a lifetime
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  • Natick's Level 99 interactive gaming & Night Shift Brewing venture gets closer
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  1. Fay School virtual information session

    April 28 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am
  2. History of the Natick Soldier Systems Center

    April 28 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  3. 1st Annual Natick 4th Golf Tournament

    October 11 @ 9:30 am - 12:30 pm

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