15 Best Things to Do in Needham (MA)

With a strong community spirit and lots of public events, Needham is a town on the I-95, and has boundaries defined by the Charles River.

That watercourse appears in many of Needham’s standout attractions, with spacious parcels of urban nature along the banks in the west and south, and the iconic Echo Bridge crossing the river in the east.

Needham was incorporated in 1711, and the core of the settlement is still the Town Common, at the foot of the Georgian Revival Town Hall.

This building contains a performance hall, hosting a long-running concert series, and in December the common has a distinctive “blue tree” instead of a conifer, in a tradition reaching back 70 years.

1. Needham Center

Framing the Town Hall and the Town Common, Needham has an animated downtown area, with dining, shopping, culture and a slew of events that bring the community to the heart of the town.

Great Plain Avenue, Chapel Street and Highland Avenue are all brimming with places to dine, grab coffee or indulge in a sweet treat, with local shops for toys, vintage finds, handmade gifts, wine and jewelry.

There’s even a century-old bowling candlepin bowling alley hiding in one of the basements here (more below).

Go north on Highland Avenue, and you’ll be at Needham Heights, another local commercial area with its own clutch of eateries.

2. Echo Bridge

In the northeast of Needham, a lovely stretch of the Charles River is encompassed by the Hemlock Gorge Reservation, with steep, hemlock-wooded banks.

The river here was the site of industry as early as the 18th century, and mill buildings are still visible among the trees.

The centerpiece is Echo Bridge, built in 1876 and part of the 16-mile Sudbury Aqueduct from Framingham to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir.

You can walk across the top for a picture perfect view along the gorge, and there’s also a stairway that leads to a platform in the arch, where you can hear the echoes that gave the bridge its name.

3. Cutler Park

Hugging the riverbank in the east of Needham is the state-owned Cutler Park, containing a massive expanse of freshwater marsh.

This is the largest to be found on the Middle Charles River, and is ecologically rich, providing a habitat or resting place for some 100 bird species.

Visiting Cutler Park you’ll find yourself on land that was shaped by glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age, creating ridges known as eskers and drumlins.

The 1.5-mile Kendrick Pond loop sums up the park nicely, and leads you to vantage points for viewing hawks, warblers and great blue herons.

Further south, Cutler Park becomes a mountain biking paradise with a tangle of singletracks winding along the slopes and along plank bridges in the marshland.

4. Charles River Peninsula

Owned by the Trustees of Reservations, this stunning patch of land is tucked into a meander of the Charles River, with water surrounding it on three sides.

Before being acquired by the organization in 1960, the peninsula had been farmed for more than a century. On the riverfront are stands of hemlock, beech and birch, giving way to a 20-acre field on raised ground with restorative views of the entire landscape.

To the west you can see an old railroad trestle on the river, and in that spirit you can also pick up the Bay Colony Rail Trail, which will take you northeast to Needham Town Forest.

5. Needham Town Hall

The defining landmark in Needham Center is the solemn Georgian Revival Town Hall, built in 1904 and renovated to mark its centenary.

The Town Common in front is the venue for Needham’s summer farmers’ market, as well as annual gatherings like the Harvest Fair in October.

When we made this list the common had just been updated with a reconfigured lawn, new shaded furniture, new trees and new lighting.

The Town Hall contains a large auditorium, James Hugh Powers Hall, hosting important events and a concert series with a revolving lineup of local and international music talent.

6. Needham History Center & Museum

The Needham Historical Society was founded in 1915, and has a beautiful HQ at the Mills House (1834), which is the main exhibit space.

Also on the campus here is the last surviving one-room school building in Needham, dating to 1842.

At the Mills House you can delve into the town’s past via exhibits sourced from the society’s large collections, which cover everything from Native American artifacts to farming implements, flags, furniture, decorative arts, natural history, children’s toys and games.

The society also organizes a number of events like Pansy Day in spring, paying tribute to the work of Swiss botanist Denys Zirngiebel (1829-1905), who developed new varieties of this flower at his greenhouses on South Street.

7. Needham Town Forest

Close to Needham Center is more than 200 acres of mature forest on a rugged landscape full of exposed bedrock and glacial erratics.

Trails carry you to every corner of Needham Town Forest, and several of these were laid out by the New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA).

There’s something for riders of all abilities, and on the eastern corner you can hike or ride to High Rock, where there’s a scenic overlook.

In the south, the forest is skirted by the Bay Colony Rail Trail (more later), and this is crossed by a short spur leading southwards to the pretty Farley Pond.

8. The Needham Free Public Library

Needham’s earliest libraries were founded at the end of the 18th century, but the first free lending library arrived in 1888, sharing space with the High School.

This library’s first dedicated building was a Carnegie library, part funded by the Needham industrialist William Carter which opened at Highland Avenue and Mellen Street in Needham.

The location proved unpopular with residents of Needham Center, and a new Colonial Revival library building was completed at the corner of Rosemary Street in 1915.

Naturally the library is a real asset for local residents, with extensive collections, programs and events for all ages.

But if you’re from out of state you can get a guest pass to use many of the library’s services, including the free Wi-FI and computer terminals.

9. Needham Bowlaway

Billed as the oldest bowling alley in the Boston area, Needham Bowlaway dates back to 1917 and is in the basement under the Greymont Building, which houses Needham’s first post office.

These eight lanes are for candlepin bowling, which is a regional variant with long, narrow pins and a handheld ball without finger holes.

Candlepin bowling fans will tell you this game is more fun but also more challenging than other kinds.

Bumpers are available for younger bowlers, and if you need someone to show you the ropes the staff will be happy to give you some pointers.

10. Volante Farms

Into its fourth generation, this family-owned farm celebrated its centenary in 2017, and maintains 15 high-yield acres in a suburban environment.

Volante Farms has made a lot of additions in the last 20 years, with a spacious farmstand that opened in 2012, and a 16,000-square-foot greenhouse (2007), employing state-of-the-art resource conservation systems.

At the farmstand you can get hold of ultra-fresh produce grown on site, but there’s also a seasonal ice cream window, gourmet deli, bakery, butcher shop, daily specials from the farm kitchen and a craft beer and wine shop.

The garden center at the greenhouse has everything a home gardener could need, from perennials in spring to poinsettias at Christmas.

11. Ridge Hill Reservation

Needham’s western nook has been left mostly undeveloped, benefiting the town with water storage, flood protection and extensive wildlife habitat.

At the heart of almost 1,000 acres of natural land is the Ridge Hill Reservation, intended for nature education and passive recreation, with bicycles strictly prohibited.

The reservation is on just over 350 acres, composed of woodlands, meadows, wetlands and streams, ready to be encountered on a network of intertwining trails and boardwalks, leading to neighboring properties and also connecting with the Wellesley Trail System.

To the east you can explore a Cold War-era Nike missile site, and this is close to a “fit trail”, installed with step-up logs and hurdles.

12. Noanet Woodlands

Just south of the Charles River Peninsula in Dover there’s a 600-acre landscape managed by the trustees of reservations.

Noanet Woodlands was previously a hunting ground for Native Americans, and the highest point, Noanet Peak, is named for the chief of the Natick Indians who is known to have camped, hunted and fished along the brook in the woodlands.

Noanet Peak grants stirring views of the Boston skyline, about ten miles to the northeast. In the early 19th century the brook drove the rolling and slitting mill for the Dover Union Company, and both the wheel pit and dam can still be seen on the site.

There are 16 miles of trails in the Noanet Woodlands, connecting with the neighboring 1,200-acre Hale Reservation.

13. Bay Colony Rail Trail (Needham Rail Trail)

This proposed seven-mile multi-use rail trail is gradually taking shape between Newton and Medfield, along an unused section of right-of-way owned by the MBTA.

When we composed this list you could travel along a 1.7-mile stretch from Needham Junction to Fisher Street. This trail effectively links the Town Forest (parking along High Rock St) with the Charles River Peninsula.

There’s also a completed section in Upper Falls, with sections either being planned or built in Dover and Medfield, while Needham was looking at the possibility of converting further abandoned railroad corridors in the future.

14. Needham Harvest Fair

Needham celebrates the fall with a one-day festival, normally on the Town Common, on the first Sunday in October. This is a community tradition that goes back decades, and coincides with the Needham Farmers’ Market on the green.

Essentially the fair is a giant showcase for local businesses and community organizations, with dozens of exhibitors.

For visitors it’s a chance to purchase local products, find out what services and programs are available in Needham, and sample food from a variety of restaurants in the town.

Two beloved long-term elements are the ladder fire truck exhibit and the free pumpkin patch provided by Condon Realty.

15. Blue Tree Lighting

Needham has a different way of kicking off the Christmas season, with the lighting of a “blue tree” on the Town Common, illuminated with thousands of blue light bulbs.

For decades from the mid-1950s this was a magnificent Sugar Maple, which grew to a height of 70 feet before it started to fail in the 2010s.

The town planted a replacement “blue tree” in 2015, and there’s now one on the Town Common and Avery Square in Needham Heights.

On the first Friday evening in December, there’s a tree lighting ceremony on the common, starting at 5 pm, accompanied by family-friendly activities and entertainment, and encouraging visitors to make the most of Needham Center’s shopping and dining.