FreeFeatured
Arts & Culture
Free First Sunday at the Jackson Homestead
Free admission to Newton’s history museum, a documented Underground Railroad stop, on the first Sunday of every month.
Sun, Nov 1 · 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Newton Corner
No ratings yetThings to do in Newton
71 results across all 13 villages
- FreeFeaturedFamily & Kids
Free First Saturday at the Durant-Kenrick House
Free entry to a 1734 farmhouse museum with hands-on history puzzles and family activities, the first Saturday of every month.
Sat, Nov 7 · 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Newton Corner
No ratings yet 
FreeFeaturedArts & CultureArtist Talk with Gene Mackles at the Allen Center
Painter Gene Mackles talks about his oil paintings of Newton landscapes, with refreshments in the galleries.
Thu, Oct 29 · 7:00 PM–8:30 PM
West Newton
No ratings yet
FreeFeaturedOutdoors & ParksChestnut Hill Reservoir Loop
A flat 1.5-mile gravel loop around open water, with the Boston skyline on the far side.
Chestnut Hill
4.8(412)
$9–$16FeaturedArts & CultureWest Newton Cinema
A community-owned 1937 movie house showing indies, foreign film and matinee classics on six screens.
West Newton
4.8(356)
VariesFeaturedShoppingNewtonville Books
A beloved independent bookstore with a serious author-event calendar and excellent staff picks.
Newton Centre
4.9(288)
$5–$30FeaturedFood & DrinkNonantum Bakery Crawl
Generational Italian bakeries within a few blocks — cannoli, ricotta pie, and bread by noon.
Nonantum
4.8(312)
FreeFeaturedOutdoors & ParksHemlock Gorge Reservation & Echo Bridge
Hemlock-shaded trails above a rocky river gorge, with a stone aqueduct arch that echoes fifteen times.
Newton Highlands
4.8(276)- VariesFeaturedFamily & Kids
Newton Community Farm
The city’s last working farm — a farmstand, kids’ programs, and 300 years of continuous cultivation.
Thompsonville
4.9(187) - FreeFeaturedArts & Culture
Echo Bridge Photo Walk
The classic Newton shot: a stone arch over a gorge, best in the last hour of light in October.
Newton Upper Falls
4.8(197) 
FreeFeaturedOutdoors & ParksNahanton Park
Meadows, woods and a canoe launch on the Charles — Newton’s premier birding spot at 180+ species.
Oak Hill
4.8(164)
VariesFeaturedShoppingNewton Highlands Village Square Stroll
Two blocks of independent shops — bookseller, bakery, hardware store, florist — around the Green Line stop.
Newton Highlands
4.6(154)
FreeFeaturedOutdoors & ParksCochituate Aqueduct Trail
A dead-flat grassy path along a buried 19th-century aqueduct, running for miles through backyards and woods.
Waban
4.7(121)
FreeFeaturedOutdoors & ParksAuburndale Cove & Riverside Playground
A gentle Charles River cove with a sandy edge, big shade trees and one of Newton’s best-loved playgrounds.
Auburndale
4.7(96)- VariesFeaturedArts & Culture
M. T. Anderson Presents “Stealing Saint Nick”
National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson on the real medieval theft of Saint Nicholas’s bones, just in time for the holidays.
Fri, Nov 20 · 7:00 PM–8:00 PM
Newton Centre
No ratings yet 
VariesFood & DrinkChestnut Hill Farmers Market
Massachusetts growers, prepared food, and live music in the plaza on Saturday mornings.
Sat, Oct 31 · 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Chestnut Hill
4.5(132)- $3–$25Food & Drink
Farm Stand Afternoon Pickup
Same-day-picked vegetables, eggs and flowers from a farmstand you can walk to from Newton Centre.
Wed, Oct 28 · 2:00 PM–6:00 PM
Thompsonville
4.8(96) 
FreeArts & CultureMill District Studio Open House
Working artists open their mill-building studios one weekend each season — painting, ceramics, glass.
Sat, Nov 7 · 11:00 AM–5:00 PM
Newton Upper Falls
4.7(71)
FreeFamily & KidsAuburndale Library Story Hour
Songs, rhymes and picture books for toddlers and preschoolers at the Auburndale branch.
Wed, Oct 28 · 10:30 AM–11:30 AM
Auburndale
4.9(58)- VariesNightlife
Trivia Night in the Square
Tuesday-night pub trivia in Newton Centre — teams of up to six, no cover.
Tue, Nov 3 · 7:30 PM–10:00 PM
Newton Centre
4.4(91) - $18–$30Arts & Culture
Community Theatre Night in the Highlands
Local companies stage plays and musicals in a small Highlands house — tickets under $30.
Fri, Oct 30 · 7:30 PM–10:00 PM
Newton Highlands
4.5(79) - FreeFitness
Reservoir Sunset Run Club
A no-drop group run around the Reservoir every Thursday evening, all paces welcome.
Thu, Oct 29 · 6:30 PM–8:00 PM
Chestnut Hill
4.6(64) - VariesArts & Culture
Carol LaHines with Rick Moody
Novelist Carol LaHines discusses “Miracle Grow of the Mind” with Rick Moody, author of “The Ice Storm”.
Thu, Oct 29 · 7:00 PM–8:00 PM
Newton Centre
No ratings yet - VariesFamily & Kids
Giving Thanks: Foodie Picture Books & Crafts
Picture-book authors Kathy Choi and Mia Wenjen read food stories, then kids make a Korean wrapping-cloth craft.
Sat, Nov 7 · 11:00 AM–1:00 PM
Newton Centre
No ratings yet 
FreeFamily & KidsNewton Free Library
One of the busiest public libraries in Massachusetts: huge children’s wing, museum passes, quiet study floors.
Newton Centre
4.9(508)- $8–$32Food & Drink
Dessert Crawl: Newton Centre Square
Four dessert stops within three blocks — ice cream, gelato, French pastry and a late-night cookie.
Newton Centre
4.8(226) - $22–$45Fitness
Charles River Canoe & Kayak — Newton Launch
Rent a kayak, canoe or paddleboard and put in on the flattest, prettiest water in the metro area.
Auburndale
4.8(214) - FreeOutdoors & Parks
Cold Spring Park Trails
67 acres of woodland loop trails, a cross-country course, and a Tuesday farmers market in season.
Newton Highlands
4.7(231) - $18–$34Food & Drink
Red Sauce Sunday Dinner
Old-school Italian-American dining rooms — chicken parm the size of a hubcap, at family prices.
Nonantum
4.6(244) - VariesShopping
The Street Chestnut Hill
An open-air shopping block with big-name retail, a cinema, and better-than-average patio dining.
Chestnut Hill
4.4(287) 
$30–$60Food & DrinkUpper Falls Dinner on the River
Converted-mill dining rooms with exposed brick and a patio over the water — Newton’s best dinner setting.
Newton Upper Falls
4.5(213)
FreeArts & CultureBoston College Campus Walk & Bapst Library
Collegiate Gothic towers, a hilltop reservoir view, and a reading room that looks like a cathedral.
Chestnut Hill
4.7(168)
FreeFitnessUpper Falls Greenway
A flat, paved rail-trail through the old mill district, with public art and a mile of easy walking.
Newton Upper Falls
4.6(158)
$12–$45NightlifeNewtonville Restaurant Row
The village’s rebuilt Washington Street strip now holds Newton’s densest cluster of good bars.
Newtonville
4.5(176)- $20–$45Food & Drink
West Newton Main Street Dinner & a Movie
Eat on Washington Street, walk fifty feet to the cinema — Newton’s easiest night out.
West Newton
4.5(172) - FreeFitness
Charles River Greenway — Newton Corner Access
Hop onto the paved riverside path here and ride all the way into Boston without a traffic light.
Newton Corner
4.6(143) 
FreeSeasonal & HolidayWaban Village Winter Tree Lighting
A small, genuinely charming tree lighting in the square with carols, cocoa and a fire truck Santa.
Sat, Dec 5 · 4:30 PM–5:30 PM
Waban
4.8(87)
$4–$14Food & DrinkLower Falls Coffee & Pastry Stop
A small café on the Route 16 corner — good espresso, better scones, six seats.
Newton Lower Falls
4.6(104)- $4–$16Food & Drink
Waban Square Coffee & Village Errands
One block, one coffee shop, one market, one pharmacy — the platonic ideal of a small village square.
Waban
4.5(108) - FreeOutdoors & Parks
Pellegrini Park Bocce Courts
Real bocce courts with real regulars — show up, watch a while, and you will get invited in.
Nonantum
4.7(86) 
FreeArts & CultureWest Newton Hill Architecture Walk
Grand Victorians, Shingle Style porches and Colonial Revivals on Newton’s most photogenic hill.
West Newton
4.6(94)- $14–$28Food & Drink
Newton Corner Sunday Brunch Row
Three brunch spots within a block of the Washington Street rotary, none of them requiring a reservation.
Newton Corner
4.3(118) - FreeFitness
Charles River Canoe Launch at Nahanton
Put in on the Charles’s quiet southern bend — no motorboats, no crowds, herons everywhere.
Oak Hill
4.7(61) - FreeFitness
Auburndale Park Pickleball Courts
Four striped courts, open play mornings, and a very welcoming regular crowd.
Auburndale
4.5(73) - FreeOutdoors & Parks
Oak Hill Conservation Trails
Quiet, rooty single-track through Newton’s biggest stretch of unbroken woodland.
Oak Hill
4.5(72) - FreeFitness
Lower Falls Aqueduct to West Newton Ride
A flat six-mile out-and-back on quiet streets and aqueduct paths, ending at coffee.
West Newton
4.5(66) 
FreeOutdoors & ParksFarlow Park
A Victorian-era pocket park with a pond, weeping willows and Newton’s oldest planted landscape.
Newton Corner
4.4(67)- VariesFamily & Kids
Nahanton Park Community Gardens
Over a hundred garden plots on a sunny hillside — open to walk through, with a waitlist to grow.
Oak Hill
4.6(55) - FreeOutdoors & Parks
Charles River Path — Lower Falls Riverbank
A short, pretty riverside walk past old mill dams where the Charles drops toward Wellesley.
Newton Lower Falls
4.4(62) - FreeOutdoors & Parks
Blue Heron Bridge Crossing
A pedestrian bridge over the Charles connecting Newton to Wellesley — great heron spotting at dusk.
Newton Lower Falls
4.6(47) - FreeFitness
Waban Hill Tennis Courts
Public hard courts with a backboard, rarely a wait outside weekend mornings.
Waban
4.3(57) - FreeFamily & Kids
Angier Woods Short Loop
A twenty-minute wooded loop that feels like a real hike to a five-year-old.
Waban
4.4(48) - FreeFamily & Kids
Lower Falls Playground & Ball Field
A quiet neighborhood playground that never feels crowded, with a full ball field beside it.
Newton Lower Falls
4.4(39) - FreeFitness
Thompsonville Neighborhood Loop Walk
A flat two-mile residential loop linking the farm, Nahanton Park and Winchester Street.
Thompsonville
4.3(37) 
FreeArts & CultureMill Village Architecture Walk
A self-guided loop past 19th-century mill housing, a 1811 church, and the old paper works.
Newton Lower Falls
4.2(33)- VariesFood & Drink
Mandy Silverman on Challah, Babka & Twisted Breads
Baker Mandy Silverman presents “Twisted”, her guide to braided challah, babka and other twisted breads.
Wed, Dec 2 · 7:00 PM–8:00 PM
Newton Centre
No ratings yet - VariesFeaturedSeasonal & Holiday
St. Mary of Carmen Festival
Nonantum’s four-day Italian street feast — processions, a midway, sausage carts and fireworks.
Thu, Jul 15 – Jul 18
Nonantum
4.9(421) 
$10FeaturedOutdoors & ParksCrystal Lake Beach
Newton’s only public swimming beach — spring-fed, lifeguarded, and a ten-minute walk from Newton Centre.
Newton Centre
4.6(341)- VariesFeaturedFood & Drink
Newtonville Farmers Market
A long-running Tuesday market on Walnut Street — produce, bread, flowers and prepared food.
Tue, Jun 1 · 1:30 PM–6:30 PM
Newtonville
4.7(203) - FreeFeaturedSeasonal & Holiday
Newton Centre Green Summer Concert
Free Thursday-evening concerts on the triangle green — bring a blanket and dinner from the square.
Thu, Jul 1 · 7:00 PM–9:00 PM
Newton Centre
4.7(189) - $10–$15FeaturedSeasonal & Holiday
Fall Harvest Festival at the Farm
Cider pressing, hayrides, a pie contest and live bluegrass on the farm’s one big public day.
Sun, Oct 10 · 11:00 AM–4:00 PM
Thompsonville
4.8(142) - FreeSeasonal & Holiday
West Newton Fourth of July Parade
Newton’s hometown Independence Day parade — decorated bikes, fire trucks, and a whole lot of candy.
Sun, Jul 4 · 10:00 AM–12:00 PM
West Newton
4.7(198) - $8–$12Fitness
Albemarle Field & Gath Pool
Newton’s big public pool complex plus turf fields, a track and a summer-long swim program.
Newtonville
4.4(167) - FreeSeasonal & Holiday
Nonantum Village Day
A one-day neighborhood block party with a road race, a parade, and the fire department’s hose spray.
Sat, Sep 11 · 10:00 AM–4:00 PM
Nonantum
4.7(118) - FreeSeasonal & Holiday
Oak Hill Winter Sledding Hill
A long, open slope that becomes the neighborhood sledding destination after every storm.
Oak Hill
4.6(94) - $15Family & Kids
Seed-to-Table Kids Workshop
A ninety-minute farm session for ages 4–8: plant something, harvest something, eat something.
Sat, May 1 · 9:30 AM–11:00 AM
Thompsonville
4.9(63) - FreeFamily & Kids
Newton Corner Playground at Cabot
Shaded modern play structures, a toddler section, and a splash pad in summer.
Newton Corner
4.5(88) - VariesFitness
Highlands Yoga in the Park
Donation-based outdoor vinyasa on the Cold Spring Park lawn, Saturday mornings.
Sat, Jun 5 · 8:30 AM–9:30 AM
Newton Highlands
4.7(68) - $10Arts & Culture
Newton History Walking Tour
A 90-minute docent-led walk through the city’s first settled village and its Victorian streetscape.
Sat, May 8 · 2:00 PM–3:30 PM
Newton Corner
4.7(52) - FreeFamily & Kids
Hemlock Gorge Family Nature Hunt
A ranger-guided scavenger hunt through the gorge for ages 5–10, ending under Echo Bridge.
Sat, May 15 · 10:00 AM–11:30 AM
Newton Upper Falls
4.8(44) - FreeFamily & Kids
Newton Farmers Market Kids’ Craft Table
A free craft and seed-planting table for kids alongside the Tuesday market.
Tue, Jun 1 · 2:00 PM–5:00 PM
Newtonville
4.6(51)