Activities: Eco-Tourism

 
Demarest Lloyd State Park
www.mass.gov/dem/parks/deml.htm
Location: Barney's Joy Road
Dartmouth, MA
Phone: 508.636.8816
Info: This park has an 1,800-foot saltwater beach, which is backed by rambling hills of beach grass and shaded, grassy picnic sites. A broad, scenic marsh lines the Slocum River on the park's eastern edge. The beach is ideal for families with children. The Buzzards Bay surf is calm and shallow, giving rise to warm water temperatures through most of the summer. It is also a great spot to see egrets, herons, ospreys, terns and hawks.

 
East Beach
East Rodney French Blvd., New Bedford MA
Location: East Rodney French Blvd.
New Bedford, MA
Info: In the south end of the city, the beach overlooks New Bedford's outer harbor and the Butler's Flats lighthouse. Boat traffic passes within view on its way to and from the inner harbor.

 
Fall River Heritage State Park
www.mass.gov/dem/parks/frhp.htm
Location: 200 Davol Street
Fall River, MA
Phone: 508.675.5759
Info: This park, located on waterfront of Fall River, is in walking distance to Battleship Cove, the Marine Museum, the Narrows Center for the Arts, the Old Colony and Fall River Railroad Museum and Waterstreet Cafe. The park has boardwalks, benches, an antique carousel, public sailing programs, a three acre meadow lined with trees. The newest addition to the cove is the H.M.S. Bounty, a 169-foot Tall Ship built for the filming of Mutiny on the Bounty.
 

 
Fort Phoenix State Reservation
www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/ftph.htm
Location: [map]   Green Street
Fairhaven, MA 02719
Phone: 508.992.4524
Info: Rte. 24 south to Rte. 140 south to 195 east to 240 south to Rte. 6 west. Follow signs.

Fort Phoenix State Reservation combines historic features, scenic views and a variety of recreational facilities. Minutes from downtown New Bedford, the park contains a half-mile of Buzzards Bay beachfront. Adjacent to the park is Fort Phoenix, a national landmark Fort which gives the park its name. From the ramparts remnants, one can gaze across the bay where the first naval battle of the Revolutionary War was fought, to the rolling meadows of the Elizabeth Islands.
 

 
Freetown - Fall River State Forest
Slab Ridge Road, Assonet MA
Location: Slab Ridge Road
Assonet, MA
Phone: 508.644.5522
Info: Just 5 minutes from Fall River and 15 minutes from New Bedford, Freetown State Forest is a vast tract of public land acquired over a twenty year period beginning in the 1930s. Near the main entrance is a day use area, with wading pool, picnic area, fields and restrooms. The remainder of the forest offers 50 miles of unpaved roads and trails.

 
Hazelwood Park
New Bedford MA 02744
Location: New Bedford, MA 02744
Info: Between Brock Ave. and West Rodney French Blvd.

The park overlooks West Beach and Clarks Cove. The park provides 23 acres of recreational areas, including children's playground, tennis courts, and open lawns. The park hosts the annual Hazelwood Park Festival held each June.

 
Horseneck Beach State Reservation
www.mass.gov/dcr/parks/southeast/hbch.htm
Location: Route 88
Westport Point, MA
Phone: 508.636.8816
Info: Horseneck Beach, located on 600 acres of barrier beach and salt marsh, is a two-mile long beach that is one of the most popular places in the state. At the western end of Buzzards Bay, Horseneck is always breezy and a great spot for tanning, swimming, windsurfing, and walking. In fact, the ocean beach and estuary habitat provides one of the best bird watching areas in the whole of New England.
 

 
Lloyd Center
www.thelloydcenter.org
Location: [map]   430 Potomska Road
South Dartmouth, MA 02748
Phone: (508)-990-0505
Fax: (508) 993-7868
Email: admin@thelloydcenter.org
Info: The Centers grounds are open and free to the public from dawn to dusk, 365 days a year.

Located at the juncture of beautiful Buzzards Bay and Slocums River estuary in Southeastern Massachusetts, the Lloyd Center for the Environment offers a multitude of recreational and educational opportunities to families, hikers, school children, birders and scientists. With its 55 acres of forest, salt marsh and freshwater wetlands, the Lloyd Center offers the daily visitor a chance to: "Enjoy the Nature Centers exhibits highlighting local land and marine species, including unique whale, porpoise and leatherback-turtle skeletons. "Discover the wonders of the ocean at the popular saltwater touch-tank, complete with crabs, shellfish and other invertebrates. "Hike five miles of trails meandering through the Centers woods and salt marshes. "Enjoy the spectacular view from the third floor Pilot House, a view designated as one of fifteen Special Places by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. On a clear day, youll see Marthas Vineyard.

 
Maple Park Recreations
Off Glen Charlie Road, East Wareham MA 02538
Location: [map]   Off Glen Charlie Road
East Wareham, MA 02538
Phone: 508-295-4945

 
New Bedford Whaling National Park
www.nps.gov/nebe
Location: [map]   33 Williams Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
Phone: 508.996.4095
Fax: 508.999.4459
Info: New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park commemorates the heritage of the world's preeminent whaling port during the 19th century. A variety of cultural landscapes, historic buildings, museum collections, and archives preserve this history and collectively recount the stories of a remarkable era. Created in 1996, the park encompasses 34 acres spread over 13 city blocks and includes a visitor center, the New Bedford Whaling Museum, the Seamen's Bethel,, the schooner Ernestina, and the Rotch-Jones-Duff House and Garden Museum.

We have volunteer led walking tours of historic New Bedford at 10:30, 12:30, and 2:30 daily.

Every Thursday night, from 7 pm-8 pm, we have a special concert series, Thursday Evenings in the Park. On Saturdays we will be having our Maritime Heritage Days with music from 12 pm-1 pm, and a crafts demo from 12 pm-2 pm.
 

 
Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve, The
57 North Main Street, Fall River MA
Location: 57 North Main Street
Fall River, MA
Contact: The Trustees of Reservations
Info: The new Southeastern Massachusetts Bioreserve represents a monumental achievement in land conservation-a collaborative effort of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of Fall River, and The Trustees of Reservations to protect 13,600 acres of unbroken forest in Fall River, Freetown, and Dartmouth. It's an ambitious undertaking, and the first project in the state to apply the concept of unified ecological management to such a large area owned by multiple partners. But this is just part of the picture. The bio-reserve harbors a rich mix of plant and wildlife species in a wooded landscape punctuated with glistening ponds and the remnants of historic farms and trails. It also protects Fall River's drinking water supply and will provide access to recreational opportunities for 400,000 people who live and work in the Fall River and New Bedford area. The Trustees of Reservations is proud to be a partner in this bold venture and to take the lead in offering creative programs.
 

 
West Beach
West Rodney French Blvd., New Bedford MA 02744
Location: [map]   West Rodney French Blvd.
New Bedford, MA 02744
Info: Located at the southern end of the city on the west side of the peninsula. The beach features a bathhouse that overlooks Clarks Cove and the town of Dartmouth coastline. Hazelwood Park is directly across the road for picnicking and recreational activities.




 
Acushnet • Dartmouth • Fairhaven • Fall River • Freetown • Lakeville • Marion • Mattapoisett
New Bedford • Rochester • Seekonk • Somerset • Swansea • Wareham • Westport

-SouthCoastTourist.com-