West Boylston, Massachusetts, is a town of approximately 8,000 residents in Worcester County — one of the most dramatically reservoir-defined and most historically poignant small towns in central Massachusetts, incorporated in 1808 and carrying a distinction shared by almost no other community in the state: its original village center, along with four other towns’ villages, was deliberately flooded in 1905 when the Metropolitan District Commission dammed the Nashua and Quinapoxet rivers to create Wachusett Reservoir, then the largest municipal water supply reservoir in the world. The submerged original village left behind one of the most hauntingly beautiful and most photographed landmarks in Worcester County — the Old Stone Church, a 19th-century granite Congregational church whose walls still stand partially above the waterline on the reservoir’s edge, its roofless nave open to the sky and surrounded by water on three sides, serving as a supremely atmospheric destination for photographers, picnickers, and anyone drawn to the collision of history and landscape. Today West Boylston is shaped by that reservoir — the Wachusett watershed’s thousands of protected acres wrap around the town and give it an extraordinary combination of trail access, scenic water views, and ecological character that most communities its size never possess. Old Stone Church at 130 Beaman Street is West Boylston’s most visually singular and most historically haunting landmark — open from 7 AM with a beautiful and serene location, great lines of sight for photography from the bridge area and down by the river’s edge, amazing views on the right-side trail, a walk to the bridge described as very pleasant, beautiful architecture with high ceilings and beautiful beams inside where birds fly through and perch nearby, a perfect spot for wedding photos and engagements, great for picnics at sunset, and a flag sometimes flown on one wall that reflects in the water at the right timing — described as a beautiful and serene location in a small town with great photography from the bridge area and down by the river’s edge and a fantastic spot for wedding photos, as a place where the area was beautiful, the church amazing, the spot perfect, the nature views beautiful, and the high-ceilinged interior with beautiful beams and flying birds deeply moving for lovers of historic sites and architecture, and as a pretty place near the water that is just so peaceful and loved for its picnic-at-sunset serenity. New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill at 11 French Drive in neighboring Boylston is the region’s most spectacular and most year-round-rewarding botanical destination immediately adjacent to West Boylston — open seven days from 10 AM with acres and acres of interesting light presentations at their winter display, a beautiful carnivorous plant show described as a real treat, a gorgeous shade garden, beautifully presented gardens in all seasons, stunning backdrops for weddings with lush greenery and beautiful florals and thoughtfully designed spaces, a gift shop with cool trinkets and goodies, hot chocolate and s’mores packages at seasonal events, and a staff that is fantastic to work with — described as absolutely awesome with a carnivorous plant show as a real treat and gardens that are just gorgeous especially the shade garden area as a strong recommendation to all nature lovers, as truly breathtaking from a wedding photographer’s perspective with gardens offering stunning backdrops everywhere you turn and staff who were fantastic, and as a beautiful botanical garden with lots to see and a great walk in any season. Mass Central Rail Trail at 699 Thomas Street rounds out West Boylston’s cultural picture as the town’s most versatile and most community-embraced multi-use trail corridor — open year-round with beautifully maintained groomed trails easy for bikes, baby carriages, and carts, packed gravel and pea stone paths running along rivers and across bridges with a little wildlife to be seen, 1 to 12 miles round trip for any skill level, a trail that runs parallel to a river making it even more beautiful, and tall trees lining both sides throughout — described as beautifully maintained and groomed trails easy for bikes, baby carriages, and carts on a crisp fall Saturday, as a great trail for a short or long walk, run, hike, or bike from 1 to 12 miles round trip along rivers, bridges, and wildlife, and as a beautiful and well-maintained trail running parallel to a river covered by tall trees on both sides that is a perfect quiet space to stroll and took too long to discover.
West Boylston’s outdoor landscape is defined by the Wachusett Reservoir watershed — one of the largest protected water supply areas in Massachusetts, with miles of gated trails open to the public on the reservoir’s perimeter, extraordinary views across open water, and an ecological character that makes it one of the finest birding and quiet-walking destinations in the region. Gate 8 — Sawyer Bluff to Wachusett Reservoir Trail off Route 70 in neighboring Boylston is the region’s most scenically rewarding and most reservoir-intimate trail access point near West Boylston — open from 5 AM with many different routes, a leisurely shoreline loop, some incline in sections but nothing steep, amazing trails through a beautiful section of woods with many lovely coves and points on the reservoir, especially gorgeous in fall with changing leaves, wide trails and many route options, and a feeling of being far away without actually being far away — described as a beautiful location with many different routes and a nice leisurely stroll along the shoreline that is short, sweet, and relatively easy, as an amazing set of trails through a beautiful section of woods with many lovely coves and reservoir points that are especially gorgeous in fall, and as a place with nice wide trails and few people that feels far away without actually being far away and pairs nicely with a visit to nearby Tower Hill. North Dike — Wachusett Reservoir off Dike Path in Lancaster is the reservoir’s most open-sky and most sunset-spectacular walking corridor accessible from West Boylston — open year-round with great open space for walking and picnicking, street parking on the side of the main road, incredible views described as probably one of the most beautiful locations in the area, peaceful fishing spots with people relaxing in chairs, beautiful scenery, flowers, and wildlife in the mornings, and a clean environment described as so important to keep litter-free — described as probably one of the most beautiful locations in the area with incredible views, as a very beautiful place with a peaceful and clean walk where people fishing from chairs looked so relaxed and the setting at the beginning of sunset was perfect, and as a great open space for walking and picnicking with great scenes, peaceful walks, and beautiful scenery and wildlife in the mornings. Wachusett Mountain State Reservation at 345 Mountain Road in neighboring Princeton rounds out West Boylston’s outdoor picture as the region’s most summit-rewarding and most trail-varied highland hiking destination — open from 6:30 AM with trails challenging due to rocks, slippery leaves, and uneven footing, views from the summit described as absolutely worth it with miles of rolling hills and distant mountains visible on clear days, well-maintained trails with plenty of spots to pause and take in the scenery, a visitor center with wonderful displays of animals and birds and friendly staff, handicap parking at the very top with a short walk up a paved path not too steep for elders, and great for dogs — described as a great escape especially close to the city where the hike to the summit was fun and manageable and views from the top absolutely worth it with the trails well-maintained and the experience peaceful and easygoing, as a perfect time to drive up to the summit in fall where the tree colors were spectacular and a visitor center at the bottom had wonderful displays and clean restrooms, and as a great spot for an easy and enjoyable hike where the views from the top are beautiful and well worth the trip and dogs loved it too.
West Boylston’s dining scene is anchored by a genuinely surprising cluster of independent restaurants along West Boylston Street — most notably the NOLA Cajun Kitchen, one of the most authenticity-celebrated Cajun restaurants anywhere in central Massachusetts, alongside the event-destination Mill 185 and the beloved neighborhood bar Draught House. NOLA Cajun Kitchen at 340 West Boylston Street is West Boylston’s most flavor-explosively singular and most enthusiastically celebrated restaurant — open Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 11:30 AM with owners both from Louisiana who definitely know what they’re doing, a po boy on the best French bread described as a must-have, gumbo described as wicked tasty, crawfish fries described as dreamed about after leaving, garlic noodles described as amazing, cajun fried shrimp with fantastic seasonings and crispy batter and delicious fries, cajun chicken wings described as super crispy with a juicy flavorful inside after what seems like a brine, and a catfish po boy with great sauce, flaky crispy catfish, and excellent bread — described as everything absolutely delicious and full of flavor with the best Cajun food anywhere in the area and the po boy incredible and crawfish fries dreams-worthy, as a special place where the cooks are friendly, the food came out very quickly, and the cajun fried shrimp was tasty with fantastic seasonings, crispy batter, and great fries, and as a first visit producing an awesome meal where the catfish po boy with fries had great sauce, flaky crispy catfish, and excellent bread with a definite return planned. The Mill 185 at 185 West Boylston Street is West Boylston’s most event-warmly-celebrated and most live-music-enlivened neighborhood restaurant and event space — open Wednesday through Sunday from noon with baby back ribs, coleslaw, beans, garlic bread, asparagus, mango margarita, and blackberry margarita described as delicious and reasonably priced, outside seating described as very nice and relaxing with live piano music coming from inside, a private space for retirements and celebrations handled by Toni described as a wonderful service experience, chicken piccata, Parmesan chicken, flank steaks, pulled pork, haddock, and wings described as all fresh and hot in a catered luncheon rated an 11 out of 10, and a Friday-night musician described as incredible with sound system handled perfectly — described as a delicious and reasonably priced anniversary dinner with great ribs, great margaritas, nice outside seating, and live piano music coming from inside all earning a 100 percent recommendation, as a catered luncheon for employees rated 11 out of 10 with fresh and hot food and a stress-free professional experience, and as an unexpected find with great menu, modest and welcome pricing, and an incredible Friday-night musician with a perfectly balanced sound system. Draught House Bar & Grill at 42 West Boylston Street rounds out West Boylston’s dining picture as the town’s most consistently-loyal-following and most welcoming neighborhood bar and grill — open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 AM with a great draft list, a huge menu with a little bit of something for everyone, very reasonable prices, a chicken cordon bleu described as honestly so good even if not traditional, a French onion soup described as in the top two ever had, bartender MaryEllen described as amazing treating everyone like a regular from the first visit and working incredibly hard with a great attitude, a back deck offering a quieter outdoor option, and a waitress described as nice, funny, and fast — described as a place with a great draft list, huge menu with something for everyone, and very reasonable prices with a definite return planned, as a place visited for a year where the food is fantastic and the draft beer prices are amazing but most importantly day bartender MaryEllen is amazing and treats everyone like a regular from day one, and as a first-time visit on recommendation where the chicken cordon bleu was that good and the French onion soup was in the top two ever had.
