14 things to do in Hopedale this fall 

For a small town, Hopedale has a large amount of things to do in fall, and below are just a few. 

The Hopedale Parklands alone offer nearly 180 acres for hiking, biking, wildlife watching and picnicking, and the quaint historic town is an ideal place to take fall photos. 

1.    Photograph Hopedale's fall colors. Challenge yourself to photograph 10 different shades of autumn around town (see sidebar for suggested locations). 

2.    Have a fall picnic at the Parklands. Pack sandwiches, apples, cider and a thermos of something warm and enjoy the Parklands which was designed by landscape architect Warren Henry Manning, who worked in the firm of Frederick Law Olmsted (who designed Central Park and Boston’s Emerald Necklace, among many). For a Parklands map, visit www.hopedale-ma.gov/1418/Hopedale-Pond-and-Parklands. 

3.    Take a fall foliage walk around Hopedale Pond. Grab a coffee and take in the changing leaves along the Parklands. 

4.    Explore the Willard Taft Nature Trail. Make a morning or afternoon of hiking, biking and looking for signs of wildlife. Willard Howard Taft was the 27th president of the United States (1909-1913) during which time he paid a social visit to then Massachusetts Governor Eben Sumner Draper at the Governor’s Hopedale home in 1910. 

5.    Visit the Little Red Shop Museum. This museum is dedicated to preserving Hopedale's industrial past and the Draper legacy. Open Sundays 1-4 p.m., and most Wednesday evenings from 6-8 p.m. www.littleredshopmuseum.org

6.    Take a self-guided walking tour. A walking tour of Hopedale includes stops at Adin Ballou Park, Draper factory site, the Parklands, Dutcher Street company housing, Unitarian Church and former Town Hall, and Bancroft Memorial Library. The map can be found at www.nps.gov/blrv/planyourvisit/3-little-red-shop.htm. 

7.    Admire the architecture along Hopedale Street. Look for distinctive Victorian homes, historic public buildings, and remnants of Hopedale's company-town past. 

8.    Visit ‘Statue of Hope’ at Bancroft Memorial Library. This white Carrara marble sculpture and fountain (originally a public drinking fountain) is one of the town’s most treasured landmarks and was sculpted by Waldo Story. In Nov. 1904, it was gifted to the town by Susan Preston Draper, wife of General William F. Draper. www.bancroftmemoriallibrary.org 

9.    Go birdwatching. Bring binoculars to Hopedale Pond or the Parklands and see how many species you can spot before winter arrives. According to ebird.com, more than 100 species of birds have been seen at Hopedale Pond. https://ebird.org/hotspot/L2115294/bird-list. 

10.  Try fall fishing at Hopedale Pond. The town lists fishing as one of the recreational uses of the 83-acre pond. For fish populations, visit www.mass.gov/info-details/hopedale-pond. 

11.  Take a kayak or canoe out for a fall paddle. Hopedale Pond permits cartop boating, providing another way to see the autumn landscape from the water. The boat ramp is near 2 Hopedale St. 

12.  Visit Phillips Field. Take a walk around the recreation area and enjoy one of those perfect crisp fall afternoons. For field guidelines, visit www.hopedale-ma.gov/1411/Phillips-Field-Rules-and-Regulations. 

13.  Have a Hopedale history scavenger hunt. Give children a list of things to find: a historic mill building, old stonework, a town monument, a church steeple and a building older than their grandparents. 

14.  Play a round of fall golf. Take advantage of the last weeks of the season at Hopedale Country Club, a semi-private nine-hole course that offers a distinctly autumnal setting. 

Perfect Hopedale fall foliage photo backdrops include: 

1.   Adin Ballou Park and monument, 2 Peace St. 

2.   Bancroft Memorial Library, 50 Hopedale St. Romanesque building was constructed of pink Milford granite in 1899. 

3.   Statute of Hope at library, 50 Hopedale St. 

4.   The Little Red Shop, 12 Hopedale St. 

5.   The Parklands, 4 Hopedale St. (Don’t miss the stone bridge, lookout) 

6.   Hopedale Pond (Don’t miss the bathhouse) 

7.   Hopedale Town Park, 4 Hopedale St. (When open) 

8.   Phillips Field, 24 Mellen St. 

9.   Hopedale’s mill river vista, Mill St. or Hartford Ave. 

10. Hopedale Unitarian Parish, 65 Hopedale St. Originally “Draper Memorial Church,” was constructed of pink Milford Granite and has Indiana limestone trimmings in 1898. www.hopedaleunitarian.org/history. 

11. Former Hopedale Town Hall. Richardsonian Romanesque style building constructed in 1886 of pink Milford granite with a darker contrasting trim of Longmeadow sandstone. https://buildingsofnewengland.com. 

12. Draper-era worker housing. Distinctive historic homes along Dutcher Street built between 1902-1907. https://home.nps.gov/places/hopedale-company-housing.htm. 

13. Hopedale Community House, 43 Hope St. The building opened in 1923 and was a gift from the Draper Family to Hopedale residents to provide recreational activities.

14. Hopedale Village Cemetery, 1 Fitzgerald Dr. Consists of 25 acres of rolling hills, open fields, and sylvan woods. 

Map for Town of Hopedale walking tour. Source: National Park Service, www.nps.gov/blrv/planyourvisit/3-little-red-shop.htm