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Halfway through the Boston Marathon, runners hear Wellesley before they see it: the roar of the Scream Tunnel outside Wellesley College has become one of the race's most famous moments. The rest of the year this leafy town fifteen miles west of Boston is far quieter, known for its lakes, gardens and two well-known colleges.
Wellesley split from Needham in 1881 and took its name from the estate of Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, the banker and horticulturist whose Italian topiary garden still overlooks Lake Waban. Wellesley College, founded in 1870, wraps around the lake with Gothic towers, a botanic garden and the Davis Museum, while Babson College on the other side of town is home to a giant rotating globe.
Visitors can walk the shoreline path around Lake Waban, follow Fuller Brook Park between the town's village centers, browse the shops of Wellesley Square or launch a canoe on the Charles River at Elm Bank. Boston, Natick and the Sudbury River towns are all easy side trips by car or commuter rail.
One of the most beautiful campuses in New England, Wellesley College spreads over hills and meadows along Lake Waban, with Collegiate Gothic halls dominated by Galen Stone Tower. Visitors are welcome to walk the grounds. Park in the visitor lot and pick up a campus map to find the museum, greenhouses and lake path.
On the campus of Babson College stands one of the largest globes in the world, built in the 1950s by founder Roger Babson to show the earth's geography and later restored. It stands outdoors on the campus. Visit in daylight for photos, and combine it with a walk around the campus.
The college's art museum, set in a striking brick building by Spanish architect Rafael Moneo, holds thousands of works from ancient sculpture to European paintings, photography and contemporary art. Admission is free. Check the website for current exhibitions and hours, which change during college breaks.
A glacial lake bordered by Wellesley College woods and old estates, with a shoreline path of a few miles that is open to the public and especially popular in autumn color. Along the way you pass boathouses, meadows and views of the Hunnewell topiary garden. Stay on the path and respect college property.
Created in the 1850s by Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, this terraced garden of clipped evergreens in fanciful shapes is considered the oldest topiary garden in America. It sits on private land, so the best view is from the Lake Waban path on the opposite shore. Bring a zoom lens for photos across the lake.
The Margaret C. Ferguson Greenhouses shelter desert, tropical and aquatic plants, while the surrounding arboretum and gardens stretch toward Lake Waban. Admission is free and the greenhouses make a warm escape on winter days. Check hours ahead, since they follow the college calendar and close on some holidays.
A green ribbon park of nearly three miles that follows Fuller Brook and Caroline Brook through the middle of town, linking neighborhoods and village centers with a stone dust path and footbridges. Walkers, joggers and dog walkers use it daily. Start near Wellesley Town Hall and stroll east for a shaded loop.
A state reservation on a loop of the Charles River, with walking trails, playing fields and a canoe launch, plus display gardens run by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society. Paddling the slow river from the launch is a peaceful hour. The gardens may charge admission, while the riverside paths are free to explore.
Wellesley's town hall looks more like a French castle than a civic building, with turrets, steep roofs and rough stone walls, and it also houses offices beside a park with a duck pond. It was a gift to the town from Hollis Hunnewell. Walk the surrounding park and look for the stone gateways and old trees.
The main village center of Wellesley, with independent boutiques, bookshops, cafes and restaurants along Central Street and Washington Street near the commuter rail station. It is compact and easy to explore on foot. Use the municipal lots behind the shops, as street parking is time limited during the day.
On Patriots' Day in April, students line the course of the Boston Marathon outside Wellesley College, cheering, holding signs and making so much noise that runners hear them long before they arrive. Spectators can join the crowds along Central Street. Arrive early to find a good spot near the college gates.
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