Ashburnham: Hiking Trails, Local History and Historic Grand Pianos

Ashburnham can be explored through a range of interests: trails in Ashburnham State Forest, historic places and a remarkable collection of grand pianos offer different reasons to visit. If you would like to combine nature and culture, you can first consider which of these aspects of the town you want to shape your trip. That way, your search for a vacation rental is guided by specific experiences rather than a general idea of the destination.

Hiking in Ashburnham State Forest

The Midstate Trail runs north to south through Ashburnham State Forest. This directional description offers a point of reference for anyone planning to include a forest hike in their itinerary. The Wapack Trail also begins in Ashburnham. Another option in the State Forest is the challenging hike up Little Watatic Mountain. These three names offer different ways to choose a hiking destination: a trail with a stated north-to-south route, a trail that starts in Ashburnham, and a hike up a mountain explicitly described as challenging.

If you are specifically looking for a challenging hike, you can consider Little Watatic Mountain. If you would rather begin your planning by looking at a trail’s route, the Midstate Trail offers another concrete point of reference. The historic homesteads in Ashburnham State Forest add a glimpse into the agricultural past of the Town of Ashburnham to the natural landscape. In this way, the State Forest combines hiking experiences with insight into Ashburnham’s agricultural past.

Historic traces in town

The Ashburnham Center Historic District includes the heart of Ashburnham’s town center; the area is a well-preserved industrial village. Together with the historic homesteads in the State Forest, this reveals two different historical influences: here, the focus is on the industrial village in the town center; there, on the Town’s agricultural past. If you are interested in local history, you can explore these as distinct facets of Ashburnham.

Piano culture and historic instruments

The Historical Piano Study Center offers lecture-recitals, master classes, seminars, workshops, tours and recordings. It is open to the public year-round; tours are available by appointment or on a drop-in basis. Its offerings include a range of piano-related formats, from lecture-recitals to seminars and workshops. For planning purposes, it is especially convenient that tours are not available only by prior appointment.

The Frederick Collection of Period Grand Pianos offers another perspective on piano history. It includes more than 20 original, playable grand pianos—types of pianos that important composers knew, for example, between 1790 and 1928. The collection is therefore a point of interest in its own right for anyone interested in historical keyboard instruments. Along with the program at the Historical Piano Study Center, it makes piano culture a distinct theme for a stay in Ashburnham.

Lake Watatic: limited access

Public access to Lake Watatic is limited: access is via several adjoining properties of the Ashburnham Conservation Commission and via Broadhurst Point. Keep this access situation in mind if you are considering visiting the lake. Lake Watatic offers a different reason to visit than the hiking trails, the town center or piano culture; when planning, you should keep its limited public access in mind as a separate consideration.

This lets you match your choice of accommodation to the kind of stay you want, without combining the different experiences into a single itinerary.

More destinations

Shrewsbury, Upton, Westborough, Southborough, Northborough, Princeton, Athol and Devens.

For the overview of the wider region: Worcester.