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Waltham is a city of about 65,000 people on the Charles River, about ten miles west of downtown Boston. It played a big role in the American Industrial Revolution: in 1814 the Boston Manufacturing Company opened one of the first integrated textile mills in the country here, and from the 1850s the Waltham Watch Company made the city famous as the Watch City.
The old mills along the river now hold the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation, and the Waltham Riverwalk follows the water past them. Waltham is also rich in grand country estates: Gore Place, the Lyman Estate with its historic greenhouses, and the Robert Treat Paine Estate, designed with input from H. H. Richardson and Frederick Law Olmsted. Brandeis University's Rose Art Museum holds an important modern art collection.
Moody Street is known for its many restaurants from around the world, and Prospect Hill Park offers woods and views toward Boston. Boston, Cambridge, Lexington and Concord are all within a short drive or train ride.
A museum in the 1814 Boston Manufacturing Company mill on the Charles River, telling the story of America's early industrial revolution through machines, watches, bicycles and hands-on exhibits. It sits in a National Historic Landmark complex. Check hours, as they are limited, and walk the riverwalk after.
Brandeis University's art museum, with a strong collection of modern and contemporary art including works by Willem de Kooning, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, plus changing exhibitions. Admission is free. Parking on campus can be limited, so check visitor parking information before you go.
The elegant Federal-style country house of Massachusetts governor Christopher Gore, completed around 1806, with period rooms, gardens and a working farm with sheep and chickens on 45 acres. Guided house tours run seasonally, and the grounds host farm events. Kids love the farm animals.
A late 18th-century country estate known as The Vale, run by Historic New England, with landscaped grounds and some of the oldest surviving greenhouses in the United States, where camellias, grapes and orchids grow. The greenhouses sell plants. Check open days; the grounds are lovely in spring.
A remarkable shingle-style mansion called Stonehurst, built for philanthropist Robert Treat Paine with design work by H. H. Richardson and grounds by Frederick Law Olmsted. The city-owned estate offers tours of its wood-paneled rooms and walks on wooded grounds. Check tour dates before you visit.
A private research university founded in 1948 on a wooded hillside, with distinctive modern buildings, a castle-like residence hall known as the Usen Castle and the three interfaith chapels around a pond. Visitors can walk the campus freely. Combine it with the Rose Art Museum on the same visit.
The large historic complex of the Waltham Watch Company on the Charles River, where millions of American watches were made from the 1850s onward. Its clock tower is a city landmark, and the buildings now hold offices and apartments. View it from the riverwalk and from the bridge on Moody Street.
Waltham's lively main street, known as Restaurant Row, lined with dozens of restaurants serving food from around the world, along with bars, an independent movie theater and small shops. It runs down to the Charles River and the old watch factory. Busy on weekend evenings; parking is in nearby lots.
A riverside path along the Charles River through central Waltham, passing historic mills, small parks and footbridges, and linking to longer paths toward Watertown and Newton. It is good for walking, running and cycling. Pair it with lunch on Moody Street and a stop at the industry museum.
A large wooded city park on one of the highest hills in the area, with hiking trails, a former ski slope, picnic spots and views toward the Boston skyline from rocky clearings. It is a quick nature escape close to town. Wear sturdy shoes, as trails can be rocky and steep in places.
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Photo: Bill Damon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
