Walden Pond State Reservation

The pond itself and the historic campsite are fantastic but parking for non-MA license plates is $30 regardless of the time spent. This is in strong contrast to the literary meaning and context of the place. MA plates are $8 which sounds okish. Strongly suggest to adjust the pricing to something reasonable. For comparison: a guided 1hour tour at Louisa May Alcott’s house is $15 with free parking.

Very enjoyable, peaceful, strolled around the pond. Interesting history, the visitors center was very helpful. Quite a number of people swimming and kayaking too.

While visiting from out of state we made this one of our destination stops it was well worth the trip The visitor center was very informative as well as the staff knowledgeable I believe the trail around the lake is 1.7 miles a beautiful scenery to enjoy

I grew up in Concord and Walden was our town pond. I came to understand later in life that it is a special spot for people from all across the world. The clear water, ample beach space, and lovingly maintained trails truly make it one of the best ponds I have ever been to.

I visited Walden Pond while I was in the Boston area. This place is unique, serene, and peaceful, perfect for hiking, swimming, or relaxing. We hiked around the lake in late June. We also visited Henry David Thoreau’s small house and the original site where this famous writer lived and wrote American classics in the 1800s, seeking to liberate his soul. His desires from the 1800s convey strong messages to people living in the 21st century. I need to find a place where I can liberate myself these days.

Great bit of paradise just minutes out of Boston. Downsides: Parking difficult on nice days Overcrowded beach area on nice days Plenty of mosquitoes on hot humid Summer days.

Nice trails but super crowded and 30. for parking for visitors...beautiful lake though..

I'm so glad I came to Walden Pond. The trip around was indeed a very easy trail. There was a layer of ice under the two inches of snow today, but even though I only brought tennis shoes, I only fell once! Haha. My goal was zero, but hey. I recommend the loop!

Walden is an extrodinary place to visit. Taking a walk around the pond may take you 45mins to 1 hour and is so beautiful, relaxing and good for you! There is a gift shop where you can get maps and drinks to keep you hydrated. I love this place! (There may be an entrance fee before 5PM I believe - Then free.) Alan Tauber alan@drumconnection.com

Walden Pond is a serene summer escape, with clear, cool water perfect for long swims and sandy shores backed by quiet woods. Walking the looping trail between dips adds reflection to an easygoing, all-day freshwater retreat.

The pond is a great place for solitude, but don't expect solitude on a weekend with warm weather. Everyone and their mother was out swimming, barbecuing, drinking, etc. While it's amazing to see everyone being active, I do wish part of the pond had a quiet area. There is a lot of construction and swimming, but it would be so nice for one small corner to be off limits to swimming and have benches just for a peaceful aspect. It's a beautiful area though and the visitor center is well done. Lots of neat information and a fun gift shop.

Great park and pond! Parking is limited but a decent amount and it makes sure it not overcrowded! Walking the trails is worth the trip not just the pond itself and historical aspect obviously is really the cherry on top!

Henry David Thoreau's Walden pond. He spent 2 years, 2 months and 2 days here, fending for himself and living on the land. You can read his accounts and try to soak up all of his experiences and lessons learned. That is valuable. Visiting the actually physical location is the cherry on an already loaded sundae. The pond and surroundings are beautiful, clean and quiet. The 1.7 mile walk is relatively easy and flat now. We went off season so did not have to pay the exorbitant entrance or parking fees, but someone has to pay for its upkeep. Definitely worth a visit, long or short.

An amazing place to be able to just sit, relax and enjoy nature. You can sit by the pond or walk the trail. They have a parking area which gets quite busy.

$30 to park with an out of state license plate is crazy and $8 for in-state isn't cheap either. The parking lot fills up fast and rather than doing one-in-one-out they just close the lot for hours. That being said, I do appreciate how beautiful and clean the park and pond and appreciate when the number of people there is limited. It's a good place to visit as long as you have an MA car or have an in state friend who can drive you!!

I visited Walden Pond while I was in the Boston area. This place is unique, serene, and peaceful, perfect for hiking, swimming, or relaxing. We hiked around the lake in late June. We also visited Henry David Thoreau's small house and the original site where this famous writer lived and wrote American classics in the 1800s, seeking to liberate his soul. His desires from the 1800s convey strong messages to people living in the 21st century. I need to find a place where I can liberate myself these days.

As an avid reader of both Henry Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, I of course had to come here when on vacation in the area. It was amazing to be able to connect with an area that resulted in writings that I've referred to since I was a teenager. The pond is beautiful and really enjoyed walking the trail around it. The trail does lose some of its natural feel as they've put fencing up immediately beside it on both sides in some areas. I recognize this is to prevent off-trail exploring and erosion, but does impact the vibe a bit. We enjoyed going to the original site of Thoreau's cabin and the markings that have been made there to recognize it. The park also has a wonderful book/gift shop that has so many cute things, so would fully recommend stopping in and seeing what you can find there as well!

It's a nice pond, if they let you in. The parking situation could not be more infuriating. You have to check their Twitter/X account to see if the lot is full. It fills up random times daily and they shut down for hours. We have been in the car, on the way, 5 minutes out, at least a dozen times in the past couple years, and seen that it's closed. They don't let you drop off or wait nearby for a one-in-one-out. You're just scr*wed. THEN, if you're finally able to get there, pay for parking, and get a spot on the beach. The lifeguards kick you out of the water once an hour to do a safety check, which lasts about 10 minutes. Which is hard for children to understand. Meanwhile, they don't let you swim too far from the shore. But people are allowed to swim across the lake when they're long-distance swimmers.

They really don't want you to visit. It's $8 for Mass residents and $30 just to park if you're out if state. They say you can stop at the Walden Pond visitors center for 20 minutes but all entrances are closed and the lots are empty. We should charge Mass residents $50 when they visit Washington Crossing NJ -- too bad it's free. We thought it would be nice to see the pond that we read about about in school. We went out of our way to see it. Steer clear of Concord. Seriously, this experience colored my whole impression of the state of Massachusetts. What a money-grubbing, crummy place that can't support its cultural institutions without ripping off out-of-state visitors! And one more thing: Massachusetts has 22 billionaires -- 3.15 billionaires for every million people, which puts Massachusetts 9th among all states. Those billionaires should be ashamed that they have to bilk visitors to support their cultural institutions. Why doesn't even one billionaire pony up to support Waldon Pond? They could get a movement going and became a real state someday like New Jersey that welcomes all people to its museums and landmarks at a modest -- if any -- fee.

I've been coming to Walden Pond since I was a baby (...yep) so this place is very nostalgic for me. It's still the same historical place it's always been, the place where Henry David Thoreau lived and wrote his famous works. Still the same beautiful pond with hiking trails surrounding. Still the same steep hill that you have to face on the walk back to your car after a long day of sitting in the sun. Still a New England favorite. You can visit the replica of his cabin and walk the trails to the original site of where it once was. However it's obviously been updated to keep up with times. Parking is now paid for electronically. It's $8 for the day and they have machines in which you use a card to pay for it. They've built a visitors center in the parking lot, where there are bathrooms, an educational center, and a new gift shop. They still have the bathhouse too down by the water. I will say the water feels...less clean when swimming. There's lots of leaves, and other things floating around as you swim. You also share the beach with numerous Canadian geese now. Kind of a nuisance as they get close to you and in some instances walk on your belongings... With all this, I won't stop coming here, because it's just tradition at this point. I recommend coming early as they will sporadically close the parking lot when it's full.

Walden Pond is a beautiful place to visit and hike when the weather is nice. We were there in late November and it was freezing. My husband and I Walked the path around the pond for a few minuets and had to return cause it was cold and the ground was wet with mud. I can imagine how beautiful this place is in the spring, summer and autumn. For the summer months you can swim at the beach or take a long hike then swim. There are picnic stops so you can pack some food and have a nice picnic with gorgeous views of the pond and the trees. In the fall I can see how colorful it gets, I'm a big fan of fall foliage. Overall I loved the whole area and would visit again on my next trip to Concord, MA.

If you have high standards forbeautiful nature.... This is not it! Walden Pond is overhyped (by people who have probably never experienced really beautiful nature.....) and probably completely polluted (it looks dirty plus see signs that warn people to avoid fishing...). Needles on the beach, dirty, nothing "authentic" about it, just a dirty pond with some forest around it. Try real lakes about two hours away from Boston. Or just go to the ocean.

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...." Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) One of the most loveliest and peaceful places on earth and as such, one of those sublime places that does not need a Yelp review. Thus I'll be brief: I've dreamed of coming here since I was 16 years old after reading Thoreau for the first time. I was so blessed and grateful to finally make it here 40+ years later. Everything is exactly as I imagined it would be. I enjoyed being able to obtain visual orientation on familiar landmarks and places referenced in his book. For example I now understand the view from his cabin door (although you must mentally account for fact that about half those trees weren't there 200 years ago, so the view would've been even more breathtaking), and what his vantage point must have looked like. We walked all the way around the lake, visited the outdoor landmarks and displays, then returned to the visitor center to see the short movie and study the interior exhibits. It was a lovely misty autumn day that added to the atmosphere of contemplation. Enough reading... come out here and see for yourself... then re-evaluate your own life, and in the words of Thoreau: "simplify, simplify".... Jettison everything in your life that is preventing you from flourishing and from reaching your fullest potential (including that electronic device you're now holding), and live! It's not too late. Mahalo for reading my review.

My family and I are from California, and every time we visit Concord in the summer, we have to make a stop at Walden Pond. It's so peaceful and rarely crowded, not to mention its always clean near the beach area. The water is warm, so that's a huge plus! It's absolutely gorgeous and worth a visit. The visitors center across the street is worth checking out as well! Thanks Walden Pond, for the memorable memories! We can't wait to come back.

Walden Pond is a nice place to visit to enjoy the outdoors when the weather is good. The walking path around the pond offers a pleasant stroll and nice spots to sit and chat near the water. For families with young children, the beach is great - they have the buoys set up such that it's easy to keep toddlers in the very shallow area, and there's a good amount of shade for napping babies or anyone else who wants to get out of the sun. It does become extremely crowded on summer weekends, though...best for a weekday visit if you have a day off.

Years ago I had read that Walden Pond had been so overdeveloped that you could not get the sense of Thoreau's writings while visiting. In 1978, we made our first visit and found the opposite to be true. Every inch of this park is designed to showcase respect for the man and the natural beauty that he made famous. On the east side of the road, there is a large parking area and a newly rebuilt park headquarters. Crossing into the pond side, you go down a gentle sloped trail to the pondside building, where you will find well-maintained restrooms. Then you set off on the trail to the northwest side, and follow the pond past a large beach area for swimming and boating. Within a half hour you arrive at the main attraction. The foundation of Thoreau's cabin was found decades ago, and stones mark the spot. Nearby, there is a giant pile of rocks where visitors who love Thoreau were encouraged to leave a stone. On our most recent trip, we left a pebble from the Zen garden in our back yard. In the six or seven times we have visited we have never seen more than a few pilgrims at this site. Proceeding west, you see the railway line that was present 180 years ago in Thoreau's day. It still is a working train line from Boston to Concord. This lovely and inspiring spot is a must for any traveler to the Boston Area.

Standing Guard at History: Minute Man Statue & Old North Bridge Wow! Stepping onto the Old North Bridge, where the "shot heard 'round the world" supposedly rang out, was incredible. The bridge itself is picturesque, with the iconic Minute Man statue standing tall nearby. It's easy to imagine yourself back in time, right in the heart of that pivotal moment. There's a visitor center close by that (from what I hear) has some really interesting exhibits about the battles of Lexington and Concord. Overall, even though it's just a part of the park, this stop was a winner. Highly recommend for anyone who wants to learn more about American history!

I would really recommend Walden Pond to people who would like to go on small walks. Also for people who like historical building. While they walk around they could also admire the historical building. The view was also really pretty and beautiful. I would really recommend this place.

Craig Hockenberry: Walden Pond I had the chance to hike several miles at Walden Pond and visit the Site of Henry David Thoreau's Cabin and the replica. It was the fall which made it even more incredible! The calmness and the amazing foliage was incredible. CRAIG HOCKENBERRY Ohio Craig Hockenberry

Not my thing. I got bored after 30 minutes sitting by the pond so we went for some small hikes and they were whatever. Lots of families with young children, some friend groups, but I should've known better tbh. Didn't go swimming because the water looked filled with pollen and some areas were really dirty. Some areas around the pond had people smoking, doing BBQ etc and there was waste. Some areas of the pond were calmer, more European-esque and others were filled with pollen. There were bathrooms there, they were fine, not the cleanest, not the dirtiest but it was not my kind of place.

Passed IT I was excited to see it until I pulled in the parking lot. Parking for non- Mass license plates was a flat $30 for any length of stay. $8.00 for Mass license plates. Almost 4x the difference. Very unwelcoming to travelers. So rather than pay the exorbitant fee , I passed and I will try to remember the Waldon Pond of literature and not this.

A great little walk around the pond with some history. We visited Thoreau's little house. The walk is easy for children. There are some great spots to rest and have a picnic when not chilly.

What an amazing place to get away. Great waterfront, hiking paths and escape from the daily grind

Meh. I expected more. Poor signage. Thoreaus cabin is fake. It's pretty and peaceful for the most part. I prefer not to sit in dirt. Just naturally a beach person.

There's nothing like a trip to Walden Pond to make you happy to be alive. Although some spots like Thoreau's cabin and the gift shop were closed, the beautiful surroundings more than made up for it. A lovely little nature stroll gives way to a breathtakingly beautiful mini-beach with amazing views of the sunset. Lots of people were out enjoying the water and beautiful weather. It was simply amazing and very serene. If you're around this area it should not be missed. Why the deducted star you may ask? $30 parking for out of state people is ridiculous in my opinion. Certainly not the transcendentalist way, Thoreau would be appalled. But pro tip-a ticket for not paying for parking is only $25!

Beautiful pond and had so much space to chill by the water. Definitely worth taking a trip out here to a family-orientated and historic location. Can't wait to come back if only they didn't charge so much for out of state parking!

I get the historical importance of this place but I have to say I was a bit underwhelmed. Yes it is a pretty natural space close to Boston and a good place for a hike but it was not anything special for me. It was busy given it was a hot Sunday so there were many there to enjoy the water. The parking seemed a bit pricey but then again we were in the Boston area. Overall a bit disappointing .

Saturday afternoon we stopped by the Walden Pond State Reservation. There was plenty of parking. Granted it was a cloudy day. I would like to see what it is like on a sunny day. There is a model of the cabin that Thoreau lived in while he resided at the pond. Because of the Corona Virus, it was closed so we had to look in through the window. We walked across the street where there was a public beach and then preceded to walk around the pond. I think the total distance was about a mile but that is just my guess. There is a pathway to follow so it was easy walking. I would recommend it to anyone looking to relax at the beach or is looking for a place to go for the walk.

Fun fact: The French word for swimming pool is "Piscine" , pronounced "piss-in" and that is certainly an apt word for Walden Pond nowadays. There is now more urine than water in Walden Pond according to a new article in The Guardian, which was then picked up by NBC and LiveScience. Don't swim in the water - it's full of bacteria and pesticides now. Also for those trashy, ignorant tourists and visitors who haven't learned basic human hygiene yet : - Don't pee in the pond when you have to go - Don't put little kids who haven't been toilet trained yet in the pond - Don't put your little toddlers with dirty diapers and a full-load in the pond - If you see other people doing any of the above call them out publicly and rudely, they ought to be shamed publicly.

Beautiful walk around the lake. Crystal clear water in early fall and an easy stroll along its shores. Bonus to get to see crazy people swimming laps in the chilly waters! Visitors center is modern, well appointed, and interesting!

Nice local park. I didn't know anything about Wladen (excuse is that I am not American, and not into literature, and I am a scientist). It is nice forest around lake: only around lake is crowded, and once go further, literally nobody and peaceful forest is waiting. We made a big loop and hiked 8 miles. It is a nice short walk in the local.

Wow! The Pond Walk is lovely especially on a pretty day. Many folks enjoying the water; swimming, SUP, kayaking and lots of beach dwellers. We walked the loop twice. Gorgeous views. We will be back to explore further...

One of the best lakes I have ever been. Nice, clear water. Such a well taken care place. $8 for parking per car, which is a good price. Bathroom wasn't as clean as I expected to be, that was only the down fall for it. Great place for a walk or bike ride to. lota of shaded from the trees around the beach. Lifesavers on site. At least three per area, which is great. they check the water every so often too. Great place for a book reading and bathing or just to go with family. No place to buy food or water, just make sure you go equiped with everything.

Great walk (takes about 1 hour with kids) around the pond all year long. Easy for kids however not smooth for strollers the entire loop. No dogs allowed but otherwise this is very family friendly. Kids love the train that comes through as well. It is busy in the summer at the beach so we enjoy this off season. Winter strolls are the best!

I'm not the biggest fan of Walden Pond. Too many people. Too many rude people. The pond itself is beautiful and serene. And if you visit off season it is pretty easy to escape the crowds. Avoid this place like the plague when school gets out for the summer as well as every weekend during foliage. I come to walk around the pond. You can walk along the shore - but the beach is slanted and you will have to walk with one leg permanently bent at the knee. Or you can walk on the path - and be fenced in like a sheep chute - in an effort to keep people on the paths. I typically opt for uneven legs. You need to walk all the way to the back of the pond to escape the crowds. Stay to near the beach and you still run into idiots - people who set up camp on the rock stairs. Weirdo guys changing into their swimsuits using their towel as a cabana. Once you get to the back side of the pond - if you come off season - you should be able to find a quiet place to sit and think about transcendentalism. You can get your Thoreau on.

Walden is the best open body of water for open water swimming in MA in my opinion. It is a great size where it feels big enough to go out and back and feel like an accomplishment without being too tired. Walden also has a lot of history where you can see Thoreaus house and his statue. There is also a beautiful hiking trail around the pond. The pond has a nice beach with a beach house to use the bathroom and change as well as a life guard on duty. Experienced triathletes can swim at their own risk as well outside of the buoyed zone. The water feels clean and not too cold or warm

We were visiting places near the Lexington-Concord battle sites and saw this listed. We had some time so we decided to stop by. Entry fees for non-MA residents is $15. There is a visitors' center adjacent to the parking lot. You then can cross the road and visit the pond itself. They have a trail around the perimeter (maybe 2 - 2.5 miles?) which is not that hilly. We started out and decided en route to complete the loop. It was early May and cool, so the hiking was pleasant. Facing the pond, the original Thoreau cabin site is at about 2 o'clock. We made it there and visited the site. There is a plaque and an outline of the layout. Apparently devotees of Thoreau should bring a small stone from home and add it to a pile nearby; we were unaware of this. It was a nice hike. The location, though not too far from Boston, seems in the semi-countryside. We enjoyed the visit. Recommended.

This place is really inflatable and flying. A beautiful place on the edge of the famous Walden Pond, which has become popular and popular with celebrities such as Henry "Hanky" Thoreau and Brett "Permanent Headband" Michaels. Been here a few times, most recently with me, Mo. An autumn or winter day or a spring or summer day is the best time of the year to look at this intellectual hot spot. It has some "big men" like Jim Dine, who is known for his big heart. Twenty large outdoor sculptures dot the grassy landscape. Some are amazing, some are silly, and some are interactive, so the viewer is an active participant in bringing these strange works to life. There is also an in-house gallery with local and changing exhibitions of often super-jejun art, including video and installation art. One such example is a close-up shot of a man's hands making meatballs. Now THIS one is very apt: "...this vignette reflects the scrupulous suppression of posthumous rebirth as the rabid curiosity that has become the bane of our society..." Also a decent gift shop - the perfect place for unique gifts. for your friends. Keep an open mind and be blunt, JELPers, and try some wicked intellectual time..

This place is currently undergoing a "green renovation" and none of the bathrooms were open on Sunday! There were only porta-potties available so -1 star for the restroom situation until the new place is completed! Other than the extremely inconvenient bathroom situation this is a lovely place to visit to get away from the city and walk on the trails or along the beach. They also have the interesting model Thoreau log cabin and a statue of him. It looks like they also do tours occasionally my friends and I discreetly joined in on a tour to learn some more information about the park. I haven't been here for swimming but the water looks lovely! It's $8 per car to get into the park for the day, but if you live near by you can just bike/walk here and get in for free.

I love this place. I brought my dad here when he was visiting when I was living in MA and he really liked it as well. It is a very small pond but it is very enjoyable and relaxing. There is a narrow path/trail where you can walk around the pond - very nice for a light workout or catching up. I saw people fishing, on boats and even swimming on the pond which makes me thing that it is probably not as polluted. Comes here for a nice stroll or to relax. Nice photo spot too! Best thing is that it is free and plenty of parking.

Walden Pond is a beautiful area with a lovely pond of cold, cool water and forests of evergreen and deciduous trees. As a fan of Henry David Thoreau I was excited to visit Walden Pond during a visit to the area last year. It was lovely as Thoreau described it although the modern times have brought a lot of change to the area. No more is it isolated and cut off from modernity, instead Walden Pond is like an island in the sea of the modern world, with a busy highway running past it on one side and a railroad on the opposite end. During the summer when I visited the place was very crowded with cars and people everywhere, going to the pond for a swim. The business was unpleasant and took away from some of the area's tranquillity. But leaving the main swimming area and walking deep into the woods I escaped that crowds and much of the noise and bother disappeared. The woods themselves are very pretty and in the evening just before dusk, during the time photographer's call Golden Hour, it is exceedingly pretty. Unfortunately even away from the crowds you can still see where people have ruined some of the beauty of Walden Pond. Much of the forest has been trodden upon, plants and undergrowth smashed and trampled. You won't find much garbage thankfully, but it isn't uncommon. Despite it all Walden Pond was still very enjoyable to visit and I'm pleased I had the opportunity to go there. Should you be in the area you should definitely stop and take the opportunity as Thoreau did many times to walk through the woods.

I've been wanting to visit this location since reading "Walden" when I was younger. I finally had the chance to stop as I was heading home after leaving a friend's place that I had been visiting in Boston. About a 25 minute drive, maybe? I pulled in to park and started heading down to the pond, and I think the only thing that ruined the serenity of the experience initially was the smell of the bathrooms from the park office. The smell was... well, pretty horrible. That said, I picked up the pace, crossed the road, and headed down the path to the beach. I don't know what else I can contribute that hasn't already been said, but the area is beautiful. The pond is a retreat, and a small group of folks were still enjoying the water... swimming or kayaking through the calm. I walked the path (about 2 miles in its entirety) and enjoyed the foliage, chipmunks running next to (and across) the pathway, and took photos along the way while making sure to just enjoy the moment. As the sun was setting on the beautiful October day, I could understand why Thoreau had opted to retreat to this location and just... live simply. Clear waters, surrounded by the wonder of nature...how can you think of doing anything else?

While vacationing in New England this was a major stop my dad wanted to make while we were in Massachusetts because he read Thoreau's book, Walden, in his high school english class. I have to admit that I never read Thoreau's book but I definitely took interest after hearing about it from my dad. After researching Thoreau and his book (unfortunately I didn't have time to read the book before going on vacation) it was definitely interesting to learn about how this famous author lived in seclusion out in the woods for two years and wrote a now famous book detailing his experience. Even more interesting was that the site of his cabin had been found in the 1940s nearly one hundred years after it had been abandoned. When you visit here they have a cool replica of Thoreau's cabin near the parking lots that shows you how simple his life at Walden Pond would have been. Then you can walk one of several paths that lead to the actual site of his cabin. The remains of the cabin foundation have been outlined and there is a stone pile memorial. Its really cool to see the actual site. I've talked a lot about the history aspect of Walden Pond but it is also a very popular place for people who just want to get out and get some fresh air and enjoy the pond and walking trails through the woods.

It has been many years since I visited Walden Pond, and I was generally very impressed by the changes in the Walden Pond State Reservation. There's now a new $7 million information center with a lot of interesting displays, a Ken Burns film on Thoreau and a separate bookstore and shop. The replica of Thoreau's little house is still there, and you can swim or boat (non-motorized) in Walden Pond. There are lots of hiking trails. Unfortunately, there's now a fairly stiff admission fee ($15 for non-Massachusetts residents, and $7.50 for Mass. residents.)

As we pulled in the lot to park the car, the attendant regaled us with his description of English teachers so giddy with excitement, they're practically peeing in their pants at the mere thought of exploring this place. Okay, so am totally paraphrasing. But he so said something to this effect. Though hubby, me, and the kid weren't nearly as gaga, am glad we had the chance to stop here: Unfortunately, we didn't have a whole lot of time, so we wound up just walking the Pond's shoreline perimeter. It did feel vaguely serene, though less so as we continued and more people showed up. It took longer than I thought it would to make it all the way around. By then, we were only able to stop and check out the replica of Thoreau's little, and I do mean little, cabin, not too far from the Gift Shop. It made our NYC digs look palatial and that's saying something. There are, apparently, also some sort of hiking trails that we never got to check out. Now, as I alluded to in my intro, I'm no Henry David Thoreau fangirl. In fact, though I seem to have entirely blocked out sitting through high school English class, am willing to wager his work was a source of torture for me. But even so, it was kind of cool knowing he walked these grounds. Word to the Wise: Based on our experience, if you want to soak up any tranquility whatsoever, try and get here no later than 10:30 or 11.

Bucolic calm harkens back to the days of Thoreau The walking trails are beautiful. Parking is convenient and # of cars is limited. Facilities are modern and visitors center quite informative. There is a parking fee but its worth it to preserve this important piece of American history. Close to everything but a million miles away!

I'm a big fan of Thoreau and the Walden concept, so I'm pretty sure they could have thrown a pile of rocks on the ground and called it a Walden attraction and I'd be giddy just knowing I was in the old cabin's presence. However, for those of you who might have more standards... - to scale recreation of the cabin with (simplistic, of course) furniture inside -beach area by pond for families to swim (something seems so in-serene (word?) about this but maybe it's just me -actor portraying Thoreau who is brilliant at his job (pick his brain if you're wanting to walk away with some Walden fun facts) -Lastly, we had the treat of visiting during Watermelon weekend which included a free slide and the scoop on Thoreau's enormous watermelon patch All in all, definitely worth a visit in my book!