Sudbury, MA

All of Sudbury is nice and expensive. But the north side (near the Haynes elementary school) tends to be the richest, while the West side (near the Marlborough border) and the South side (near the Framingham border) are more affordable.

A cool part of town is the (admittedly small) town center. The small but attractive library is in walking distance to several coffee shops and small clothing and gourmet shops.

The town kids are so over-scheduled and active in extra-curricular activities that a problem is overcrowding on the soccer fields and similar facilities.

Fox Run House Concerts, located in Sudbury, MA, an effort to help support folk music & musicians as well as JRI's's Boston Outreach Program, a resource and haven for young people in need, and The Second Step family shelters. Their season runs late summer/fall through late spring. Information may be found at their web site www.foxrun.org/indexFoxRunHouseConcerts.html or by calling (978)443-3253.

A great place to bike is on Pelham Island Road, which connects Sudbury and Wayland. The road is a couple or a few miles long, and winds along lakes, antique homes, and a nature preserve. It's a moderately hilly road so you'll get some exercise. And on the Wayland side you bike right into the parking lot for the Whole Foods market and the CVS drugstore, so you can combine biking with running some errands.

Sudbury is always winning polls about the best places for families and kids. It's geared around the schools and children. Lots of the moms stay at home and manage their kids activities and education full-time (there are tons of rich people in town).

If you visit Sudbury you have to visit the Wayside Inn. It's a working restaurant and inn from the 1700's, and was the inspiration for Longfellow's book "Tales From a Wayside Inn".

The inn has great food, in very traditional American style, with cocktails from ancient American recipes. You want to dress up if you plan to eat there.

You can also tour the inn and see the rooms and furniture as they were long ago.

Nearby on the grounds are three very interesting things:

1) A working grist mill (water-powered wheel used to grind grain). This is a great place to take photographs.

2) An authentic antique one-room school house. This is supposedly the school on which the nursery rhyme "Mary had a little lamb" was based. You can't go in, but you can look and photograph through the windows and see the actual old desks, wood-burning stove, chalk boards, etc.

3) An old chapel which is beautiful and often used for weddings.

The grounds are also attractive and walkable. It's just a great place to visit.